Review--Foxglove by Adalyn Grace

 

This Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition features an alternate jacket and a unique hardcover case and endpaper design, and includes a deleted chapter from Death's point-of-view.

The captivating sequel to the Gothic-infused Belladonna, in which Signa and Death face a supernatural foe determined to tear them apart.

A duke has been murdered. The lord of Thorn Grove has been framed. And Fate, the elusive brother of Death, has taken up residence in a sumptuous estate nearby. He's hellbent on revenge after Death took the life of the woman he loved many years ago...and now he's determined to have Signa for himself, no matter the cost.

Signa and her cousin Blythe are certain that Fate can save Elijah Hawthorne from prison if they will entertain his presence. But the more time the girls spend with Fate, the more frightening their reality becomes as Signa exhibits dramatic new powers that link her to Fate's past. With mysteries and danger around every corner, the cousins must decide if they can trust one another as they navigate their futures in high society, unravel the murders that haunt their family, and play Fate's unexpected games—all with their destinies hanging in the balance.

Dangerous, suspenseful, and seductive, this sequel to Signa and Death's story is as utterly romantic as it is perfectly deadly.

I finally decided to finish up Adalyn Grace's Belladonna trilogy (though I hear there might be a bonus novella in the works!) with Foxglove! I want to say I read an early copy of Belladonna, so my memory was unbelievably fuzzy! Luckily, I had some notes and I felt like I was able to dive back into the story with only a few stumbles! The book starts with a bang and ends with one too! This book had me on the edge of my seat and if I hadn't had a busy weekend, I so would've finished this earlier!

We start the story with finding Lord Wakefield dead, murdered and Signa's uncle Elijah is the main suspect and taken into custody right away. Signa knows he couldn't have possibly done it and she and her cousin, Blythe, are determined to figure out who the real culprit is. But there's another problem, because of course there is! And that is Death's brother, Fate, is here and he is determined to stir up a bit of chaos.

Fate finds himself enchanted with Signa and is determined to make her his. He seems to care little that Signa is in a relationship with Death, in fact, him stealing her from Death is the added bonus he was looking for. He wants Signa to give him a chance. He even offers to help free her uncle from prison, and possible death, if she truly gives him the chance to woo her. That Signa agrees is an attestment to her character.

Meanwhile, we get to follow Blythe every few chapters who is doing everything she possibly can to free her father from prison. Along the way, she is uncovering some startling truths about Signa that could ultimately change their relationship forever.

While posing as a fake prince, Fate begins his "wooing" of Signa, but Blythe is there too as these two can't seem to stay away from one another. Having known what the third book will vaguely entail, this did not surprise me. Blythe and Fate constantly butt heads and it can be quite comical at times, because I feel like Fate was underestimating Blythe for she is just a human. But I will admit, Blythe did take a few turns that upset me and I was on the verge of really hating her, but knew something had to change eventually, because again, the third book was very telling about who the main characters would be! So yes, in that respect I told myself to just keep going!

As far as pacing goes, I say this one did pretty well. At times I felt like there were a few lags. I mean I felt like there was almost a little too much focusing on trying to get Blythe's father out of prison instead of trying to figure out who the real murderer was. Eventually, we correct course and get back to that line of thinking, but I felt like it could've happened sooner, but then I guess things would've been resolved more quickly than intended. I don't know really. The other part of the story, obviously focused on Signa's dilemma, which was trying to break the hold Fate was trying to get on her and be with her true lover, Death. 

I did appreciate that she and Death got a little more page time together, but again, at the same time, it didn't feel like enough since Fate had to constantly interrupt! It was aggravating to say the least and yet, I still found myself reading to see what would happen next! 

Side comment on the bonus material in the B&N edition! In this edition, we had a deleted chapter that was from Death's point of view. I would've loved to have more from his perspective, but can see Adalyn's reasoning that this became Signa and Blythe's book, so giving him a chapter wouldn't have flowed so seamlessly. But still, as bonus material goes, it was fun!

Overall I did truly enjoy Foxglove! Yes, it had its ups and downs, but overall I felt like it was a very enjoyable read and doesn't really filter into the middle book category. While it seems Signa and Death's chapter closes here, I suspect they might be around in the background for Blythe's book, much like she was there for their story. Time will tell as I pick that one up next! If you're looking for an engaging love story with a young woman and Death himself, then I highly recommend this one! I always find love stories involving Death or a reaper to be highly intriguing as I am dying to see (no pun intended) how the star-crossed lovers will get their happy ending! And in this story, I finally get that answer!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars