Scan barcode
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- 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
- a FMC Signa, who can't die & who has been THROUGH it
- Death is a person, who the FMC can see/touch
- they solve a mystery together!!
- slow burn young adult romance
- historical fantasy with paranormal & gothic elements
Do I think it was a little gross that Death met Signa when she was a baby & then proceeded to have a romance with her once she was grown? Ummmm yes. What in the Jacob and Renesmee lol. Did I also still enjoy parts of this? Also yes. I actually thought this was published in the early 2010's because that's how it read to me, so color me surprised when I saw this was published in 2022.
Anyway, this was fine and again, I enjoyed listening to most of the audiobook, but still find that dynamic to be a bit ..... iffy.
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
lizzie_b99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I found there was some unnecessary repetition of main plot points, but I think that is often a feature of YA novels. The mystery kept me guessing until the end, and there are some really solid twists throughout. I'm not necessarily a fan of epilogues that are clearly introductions to sequels, but I do like how that's done here.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Grief
j_day's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
vagrantheather's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
There were a lot of plot devices I disliked. Death's fascination with (and interference on behalf of) our MC feels like grooming. A wealthy orphan girl being passed along to a home full of constant ribald parties - unlikely, given the time period, but plausible for a smutty regency book. However it doesn't go there - it ISN'T a smutty regency book where our innocent young heroine finds herself in a scandalous situation. So it feels unnecessarily edgy on part of the author.
The garden fiasco and overall vibe (mansion estate, ghosts, death, a sexy servant boy) summon The Secret Garden. And I love TSG! But the garden ends up being basically unnecessary. There's some waffley excuse that spirits can't communicate well when removed from their place of (death? Burial? Can't recall), but the whole "ahh I must find this secret garden then KILL MYSELF to gain entry" was so unnecessary. Surely the spirit could talk to you from, idk, the other side of the wall? And could you really not think of a single other way to enter a locked garden than by poisoning yourself to summon death's powers of intangibility? Maybe try looking under a rock for the key? Or ask the servant for a key? Or look for a key in the mansion? Maybe try scaling a nearby tree? Maybe stand on the horse's back to hop over? So many options that don't require summoning your professed enemy.
I was very disappointed by the author's tendency to distinguish characters by hair and skin color. The characters were mostly thin/flat.
The author puts in place a mechanism for Signa to play God by taking one life to spare another, but ultimately does very little with this theme. She was essentially A-OK with having murdered an old aunt to spare her young cousin. Sure, she didn't know what she was doing, but after finding out her power the guilt was a short lived thing, easily shrugged off. Flimsy.
It's an enjoyable read, but shallowly developed and ultimately forgettable.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, and Death of parent
calicat42's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
lakinglaze's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
hopkinsa3's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
microbemom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Self harm, Sexual content, and Alcohol
xoxlululuxox's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
This story is everything I could have wanted. I love books that feature Death as a person, especially when it is done in this manner. I loved his character, and the relationship he and Signa formed throughout the story. The mystery surrounding Blythe, Signa's cousin, was also intriguing and had me guessing until the very end.
The idea that Signa has the powers of Death is also super interesting. We still don't know much about how or why, and it makes me look forward to the next books in the series to find out, but at the same time, it felt like one of the only mysteries that would carry forward.
As much as I loved this book from the start, I am a little disappointed in the ending. The story was pretty much wrapped up within the main chapters of this book; the main mystery solved and other than the lingering questions of 'how did Signa get her gift' and 'what happened at Foxglove' we aren't left with much to carry on to the next book... until the epilogue which introduces more questions. But still, I feel that having the book end reasonably neatly and requiring an epilogue to continue is not 'enough'.
This is my only complaint though, and as much as I personally don't enjoy this structure, I really did love the rest of the book, and the writing style. It was absolutely beautiful, and the cover really sells it.
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
margaret_k30's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Medical content, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic