Fragrance comparison

Book of Shadows vs Handbook For The Recently Deceased

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 21 Oct 2026 100 ratings analysed

4 wins

Book of Shadows

Alkemia Perfumes

3.5691 votes

Rank #10,113 LeatherSmoky

Full profile Similar & dupes

39%scent match

Some overlap

Handbook For The Recently Deceased

DS&Durga · 2021

2.789 votes

Rank #23,052 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Book of Shadows takes 4 of 4 categories.

Book of Shadows
Choose it for a leather and smoky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Handbook For The Recently Deceased
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Book of Shadows4/4

Handbook For The Recently Deceased0/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Book of Shadows
Sillage & projection: Book of Shadows
Value for money: Book of Shadows
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Book of Shadows

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Book of ShadowsAlkemia Perfumes

Handbook For The Recently DeceasedDS&Durga

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.56/ 5 · 91 votes

Have 23%Had 7%Want 70%

2.78/ 5 · 9 votes

Have 8%Had 1%Want 91%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

29%Love

38%Like

18%Ok

11%Dislike

5%Hate

66 votes

22%Love

11%Like

22%Ok

11%Dislike

33%Hate

9 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate69

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage50

♥ Love / hate44

Category winners

LongevityBook of Shadows

SillageBook of Shadows

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value74

¤ Price value35

Category winnerBook of ShadowsBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

leather100%

smoky90%

amber80%

animalic70%

balsamic60%

aromatic50%

woody100%

amber92%

smoky84%

beeswax77%

balsamic69%

warm spicy61%

Scent match39%Some overlap · both smoky, amber and balsamic

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Notes

LeatherIncenseInkPaper

No top / heart / base split published

Top15-30 mins

IncenseChalk

Heart2-4 hrs

Woody NotesArtemisia

Base6-8 hrs

BeeswaxPaperPatchouli

InformationalShared notesIncense and Paper. Durations are only published for Handbook For The Recently Deceased, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring10

Summer14

Fall100

Winter76

Day100

Night–

Spring20

Summer20

Fall100

Winter80

Day69

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men26

Unisex65

Women9

Men57

Unisex43

Women0

Casual 41%Work 26%Date 22%Party 11%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#10,113

PerfumerSharra Lamoureaux

Launched—

Reviews33

Overall rank#23,052

PerfumerDavid Seth Moltz

Launched2021

Reviews7

Category winnerBook of ShadowsHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Book of Shadows by Alkemia Perfumes is a fragrance for women and men. The nose behind this fragrance is Sharra Lamoureaux.

Reviews →

DS&Durga Handbook For The Recently Deceased brings an eerie, atmospheric character to life through dry incense, blackboard chalk, and aged paper. The initial spray releases a cool mineral breeze that feels like striking cold limestone inside a shadowed chapel. Within twenty minutes, the mineral edge softens as green a…

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Book of Shadows or Handbook For The Recently Deceased?

Book of Shadows takes 4 of 4 categories. Book of Shadows is rated 3.56/5 from 91 votes; Handbook For The Recently Deceased is rated 2.78/5 from 9 votes. Choose Book of Shadows for a leather and smoky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Handbook For The Recently Deceased for a woody and amber character. Best in fall, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Book of Shadows or Handbook For The Recently Deceased?

Book of Shadows lasts longest (Book of Shadows 78/100, Handbook For The Recently Deceased 73/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Book of Shadows or Handbook For The Recently Deceased?

Book of Shadows projects furthest (Book of Shadows 62/100, Handbook For The Recently Deceased 50/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Book of Shadows and Handbook For The Recently Deceased smell similar?

Some overlap: a 39% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share smoky, amber and balsamic accords. Common notes include Incense and Paper.

Is Book of Shadows or Handbook For The Recently Deceased better for summer or winter?

Book of Shadows suits daytime wear; Handbook For The Recently Deceased suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Book of Shadows and Handbook For The Recently Deceased?

Book of Shadows features Leather, Incense, Ink and Paper. Handbook For The Recently Deceased has top notes of Incense and Chalk, heart notes of Woody Notes and Artemisia, a base of Beeswax, Paper and Patchouli.