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Afterworld Academy Books in Order

Part ofKatie May Books in Order

This page shows the Afterworld Academy books by Katie May in order, with quick summaries, series background, and a simple place to start.

Last updated: July 2, 2026

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Afterworld Academy books in publication order

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3 books

1

Dearly Departed

by Katie May

2019

Hadley dies and expects peace, not an elite school for souls in the afterlife. At Afterworld Academy, she must survive classes, four dangerous mentors, and a murder mystery that makes death feel like only the beginning.

2

Darkness Deceives

by Katie May

2020

Hadley thought dying was the worst thing that could happen. Then a Darkness uses her as a vessel, steals souls through her, and forces her and her men into a desperate fight for her mind and her future.

3

Defying Destiny

by Katie May

2021

With her essence trapped in Hell and old enemies closing in, Hadley has one option left. She and her unlikely allies must cross the seven layers of Hell and try to save her soul before fate seals it away.

Afterworld Academy books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Dearly Departed"

    Dearly Departed

    by Katie May

    2019Afterworld Academy, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Darkness Deceives"

    Darkness Deceives

    by Katie May

    2020Afterworld Academy, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Defying Destiny"

    Defying Destiny

    by Katie May

    2021Afterworld Academy, Book 3

Series background & context

Afterworld Academy begins with a death, and that tells you a lot about the series right away. The heroine, Hadley, does not step into a magical school by choice. She dies and wakes up in a hidden corner of the afterlife, where certain souls are trained to become part of its machinery. That means angels, demons, ghosts, and reapers are not myths here. They are classmates, mentors, threats, and, eventually, love interests.

The school itself is the hook. It takes the familiar academy setup and pushes it somewhere stranger. Lessons are about surviving death, managing souls, and understanding a world that exists after the one Hadley lost. The books have classes, rivalries, power struggles, and all the things you want from an academy story, but the mood is darker because everyone is already dead and the stakes keep climbing anyway.

Then the murders start.

That mystery gives the series its spine. Hadley is not just learning how the afterlife works. She is also trying to understand why souls are turning up dead, who is behind it, and why a destructive Darkness seems to be circling closer and closer to her. As the books move forward, the threat gets more personal. Possession, hidden origins, and the politics of Hell all become part of the story.

The romance is built around the men assigned to Hadley's orbit, and they matter because each one represents a different piece of this world. They are not just there to brood attractively. They are tied to the rules of the afterlife, to Hadley's survival, and to the secrets she keeps uncovering. The series uses that group dynamic well, letting the tension come from both desire and distrust.

By the later books, the story opens past the campus and into Hell itself. That is when Afterworld Academy shifts from school mystery to full supernatural quest. It still keeps the romance close, but the scope gets bigger, with fate, essence, and the future of Hadley's soul all up for grabs.

So, expect an afterlife academy with a heavy paranormal feel, a steady mystery thread, and a heroine who keeps getting pushed into darker corners of a world she never asked to join.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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