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ambenicole418's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
An average YA gothic murder mystery story featuring the author’s poorly disguised kink for groomy/creepily paternalistic immortal boyfriends.
Honestly, it’s not the age difference that weirds me out about Signa x Death, it’s really the fact that Death has been watching and protecting Signa since she was a BABY, and for more than half of the book he acts as if he’s her father and not a potential love interest. I mean he does things like, killing off all of her family members because they didn’t treat Signa as kindly as he wanted them to, saving Blythe so Signa could go to Thorn Grove because he wanted her in a “safe and stable home”, he calls her “Little Bird” which frankly sounds like the nickname you would give to a child, and then when Signa refuses to let Death train her on how to use her powers he puts on his Dad voice and commands her to meet him at midnight for training. Ms. Adalyn creates this whole power imbalance between Death and Signa and spends the first half of the book setting Death up as if he’s going to be Signa’s father figure/mentor. It got to the point that by the time the tea party happens, I got whiplash because Death has a full 180 in his personality and starts acting like a jealous lover. The change is his demeanor was so drastic and came out of nowhere that I had to flip back through the book because I felt like I was missing something. How am I supposed to believe Death is her love interest when you write lines like:
“Why is it you are so polite to others? So demure and soft yet bullish when we speak? Ask me kindly, Signa.”
“Death spoke as though Signa were a child. As though she were a small, fragile thing that needed to be coddled.” (remind you Signa is 19 years old, so why is he talking to her as if she’s a child???)
It has to be either gaslighting or Ms. Adalyn just SET OUT to create a creepily paternalistic relationship between them because how are these lines said about the love interest?? It certainly didn’t help that the romance was incredibly inorganic, Death literally admitted that the only reason he’s interested in Signa at all is because she shares his powers and can’t be killed by his touch, and Death says things like,
“I have waited for you for a very long time, Signa.”
Like yeah Death, we know, you’ve been watching Signa since she was a baby and she’s 19 now, so you’ve been watching and waiting for about……….19 years for Signa to become legal 💀.
Outside of Signa being in a relationship with her father-boyfriend, the book is really just average. It reads like a lot of other YA books that are popular on social media. It’s not bad. The main mystery is just fairly predictable and nothing to write home about. So, the book was fine I just couldn’t vibe with Signa being in a relationship with this creepily paternalistic and groomy shadow.
Honestly, it’s not the age difference that weirds me out about Signa x Death, it’s really the fact that Death has been watching and protecting Signa since she was a BABY, and for more than half of the book he acts as if he’s her father and not a potential love interest. I mean he does things like, killing off all of her family members because they didn’t treat Signa as kindly as he wanted them to, saving Blythe so Signa could go to Thorn Grove because he wanted her in a “safe and stable home”, he calls her “Little Bird” which frankly sounds like the nickname you would give to a child, and then when Signa refuses to let Death train her on how to use her powers he puts on his Dad voice and commands her to meet him at midnight for training. Ms. Adalyn creates this whole power imbalance between Death and Signa and spends the first half of the book setting Death up as if he’s going to be Signa’s father figure/mentor. It got to the point that by the time the tea party happens, I got whiplash because Death has a full 180 in his personality and starts acting like a jealous lover. The change is his demeanor was so drastic and came out of nowhere that I had to flip back through the book because I felt like I was missing something. How am I supposed to believe Death is her love interest when you write lines like:
“Why is it you are so polite to others? So demure and soft yet bullish when we speak? Ask me kindly, Signa.”
“Death spoke as though Signa were a child. As though she were a small, fragile thing that needed to be coddled.” (remind you Signa is 19 years old, so why is he talking to her as if she’s a child???)
It has to be either gaslighting or Ms. Adalyn just SET OUT to create a creepily paternalistic relationship between them because how are these lines said about the love interest?? It certainly didn’t help that the romance was incredibly inorganic, Death literally admitted that the only reason he’s interested in Signa at all is because she shares his powers and can’t be killed by his touch, and Death says things like,
“I have waited for you for a very long time, Signa.”
Like yeah Death, we know, you’ve been watching Signa since she was a baby and she’s 19 now, so you’ve been watching and waiting for about……….19 years for Signa to become legal 💀.
Outside of Signa being in a relationship with her father-boyfriend, the book is really just average. It reads like a lot of other YA books that are popular on social media. It’s not bad. The main mystery is just fairly predictable and nothing to write home about. So, the book was fine I just couldn’t vibe with Signa being in a relationship with this creepily paternalistic and groomy shadow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content and Vomit
tuhkasirius's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Death of parent, Vomit, and Terminal illness
Minor: Animal death
saramcaps's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue meets The Haunted Mansion.
Dark & atmospheric gothic fantasy romance with paranormal elements, murder mystery, and magical realism.
Signa can’t die and that along with her relationship with Death (written as a young man??) was pretty much the most interesting thing about her. But, the plot was so twisty and even after the first book there’s still so many mysteries that I’m excited for the next one!
Dark & atmospheric gothic fantasy romance with paranormal elements, murder mystery, and magical realism.
Signa can’t die and that along with her relationship with Death (written as a young man??) was pretty much the most interesting thing about her. But, the plot was so twisty and even after the first book there’s still so many mysteries that I’m excited for the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Gore, Death, and Death of parent
calicat42's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Self harm, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
teddy_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, and Alcohol
Minor: Toxic friendship, Murder, Vomit, and Blood
kstacy91's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A YA dark fantasy that blends romance and mystery together with it to create an original story that’s as unique as it is gripping. Signa is a tour-de-force, but realistic in her growth and understanding. Death is dripping with seduction and let me tell y’all: Grace’s way with words for Death was next level. Every time he came onto the page, he was pure, dark intrigue; something dangerous yet alluring from his actions to his words. This book scales a bit older on the YA scale, but rightly so. I think that the romance between Death and Signa was leading to more and I’m thankful that Grace didn’t shy away from it and fade to black. If you’re looking for a gorgeous Gothic romance with mystery and horror, then this is one I’d highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Vomit and Blood
Minor: Sexual content
a_libra_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Body horror, Classism, Cursing, Gore, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
birbmcbirb's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Alcohol, Grief, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Sexism, Murder, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Vomit and Stalking
lakinglaze's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I absolutely loved this book! I cannot wait for the second one to be released! Death was so perfect and the descriptions were so beautifully written. As long as you can handle some spirits, I would recommend this book to everyone! I’m such a sucker for a Hades/Persephone tale and Belladonna was even better than I had hoped!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Death, Terminal illness, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Suicide, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
xtsukix's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
Took me a little bit to get into but I adored this and wanted to read it non-stop once I did get into it. The mystery was delectable, the romance was (a little sudden but) so sweet, very much an “I’ll burn the world if you ask me to” romance which I adoreeeee. The plot twists were intriguing and whilst Signa was not the most relatable character, we understand why she made the choices she did. I was wondering how this was going to prompt a sequel, and I’m absolutely happy with how this book ended and am super excited for the next one. I definitely want to read the entire book over knowing what I know now, even directly after reading it, which is how I know it’s a new favourite of mine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Alcohol, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic