Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Belladonna

The vibes and setting of this book was amazing, and although I wanted more development in the romance between Signa and Death I still loved them very
much.

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raenbow's review against another edition

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Child grooming. No other reason needed. It’s an absolute no. And very quickly too. Be so for real y’all.

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jobrazile's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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kbairbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was so much fun! A murder mystery that wasn’t scary?? I love it! Dark, and at times creepy, but filled with love and family and so much fun. And that ending?! Oh my gosh. I loved the ending so freaking much. I can’t wait for Foxglove!! Although I thought for a bit maybe book two would focus on the mystery of her origin? But oof I seriously loved how it ended and all the final ‘battle scenes’ if you will. Mysterious, deadly, and oh so good.

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katheaton's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What an absolute page-turner full of horror, murder, dark mystery, Victorian-era setting, and intrigue.

I have read quite a few YA fantasy murder mysteries, especially from Kerri Mansiscalco; However, if I would have to compare Adalyn Grace's ability to keep me enraptured and guessing over authors, I would choose Grace hands down.

I picked this book up for three reasons:
1. the main character can see spirits and commune with death
2. the gothic vibes
3. a murder mystery

And it hit all so perfectly.

Signa is by far a perfect character. In fact, her flaws are what make her so intriguing. You can see how she struggles with wanting to be this perfect Victorian lady. Yet when she gets that opportunity, she struggles with how confining and suffocating it actually is. It's that struggle of following society - especially a society where etiquette is everything - and being her own person.

More important to me was the murder mystery. The actual murder was on my "list of suspects" but Adalyn Grace does a marvelous job at throwing off the tracks of the murder. You feel like you are constantly second-guessing your choices. That's what a murder mystery should be!

I cannot wait for Foxglove in August because oh man that ending!

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marleywrites's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I was swept away by this fantasy, mystery, and romance mash up of a story. I loved the gothic vibes and Signa’s sharp mind. I didn’t see any of the plot twists or reveals coming, (I mean, I rarely do, but still) and they were all so captivating.

The romance in this book was perfect. Signa struggling to choose between Sylas and Death was *chef’s kiss* in my opinion.

The Hawthorne’s have a LOT of traumatic history to deal with, and more just kept coming! This writing was engaging and pulled me in. I wanted to know more about the family’s mysteries.

I cannot wait for Foxglove to come out, that ending left me hanging! Plus the UK covers are gorgeous and I must collect them.

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