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jenn_chem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Terminal illness
Minor: Abandonment and Child abuse
kassidyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Terminal illness, Vomit, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism and Fire/Fire injury
norab99'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide and Vomit
headinthepages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I was engaged in the story as soon as I started reading and found the style of writing, characters & dialogue particularly good.
I loved the plot and was very much along for the ride. I loved Death as a character and can’t wait to find out what happens in Foxglove!
Moderate: Sexism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Vomit, Abandonment, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Infertility, Alcoholism, Medical content, Miscarriage, Blood, Grief, Gore, Child death, and Infidelity
jamiebrito's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death of parent, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Animal death and Fire/Fire injury
nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I am not really a fan of horror and the part of the book where Lily’s spirit looks like Scarlet Witch when she comes out of the gong in Dr. Strange’s Multiverse of Madness movie, limbs cracking/moving in odd angles and her mouth gaping open with blood and sores, was a little bit too horrific/graphic for me. It was so strange because that scene was creepy/scary but then the rest of the book did not keep with that tone. That scene just tonally felt so off for me and just came out of nowhere. Then the story goes back to a campy, Clue-like mystery with the dark-brooding Death love interest. It just felt very odd/out of place for me.
Also, I feel like Death and Signa’s love/relationship did not feel very fleshed out for me. It was giving very Edward and Bella. Death tells Signa “I’ve waited forever for you.” He’s literally a deity and Signa is a 19 year old girl. The whole thing just felt very strange and rushed. Like okay your cousins are dropping like flies but you need to make out with Death in a garden, okie doke.
Also Death meets Signa when she was a literal baby when everyone at this party dies, including her parents, but Signa does not. It’s giving Jacob and Renesme? Like Death knew he was going to wait until Signa was “of age” for him to have her even though he’s been watching over her since she was a literal baby. Through out the book, Death kind of deceives Signa and lies to her. Okay she can see dead people like he can but other then that, why should they be together?
I know this was Adalyn Grace’s first kind of time dipping her toe into more adult content, which I think is awesome, good for her. However, this book was just an odd mix of adult themes/scenes with the characters still being very YA in their development and lack of personality.
Graphic: Sexual content, Body horror, Medical trauma, Grief, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexism, Medical content, Abandonment, Bullying, Murder, Addiction, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
foiblesandfiction'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? Yes
3.0
so let's just say i was really excited for this book - a ya gothic mystery with romance and a death daddy love interest.
but where i was expecting crimson peak, instead i got eddie murphy's the haunted mansion. which isn't the biggest disappointment because god knows that movie is entertaining as hell, but it's still a disappointment.
- too much telling, not enough showing
- too little character interaction, and what there was had little substance
- inconceivable plot twists that felt contrived.
as this is the first in a series, i would be interested to read the next book in hopes that my complaints would be resolved with character development and world building.
ETA
realized i did truly enjoy the observations and commentary about the expectations of women in society, particularly of their purity and demureness. though she was faced with solving a murderer, signa's main dilemma was actually choosing whether or not to meet societal expectations. could she have what she wanted - belonging and community - without being mired and hidden amongst female social norms? is that even true belonging?
now THIS is some good stuff, and i especially love this in a ya novel. thumbs up.
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit, Sexual content, Self harm, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abandonment and Confinement