Scan barcode
A review by ioannap_author
Foxglove by Adalyn Grace
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
"Foxglove" by Adalyn Grace is the second book in the 'Belladonna' series. It continues to follow Signa Farrow as she has to live with the repercussions of saving Blythe's life. This book brings a change as a second point of view is introduced. We get to see how Blythe, who spends most of the first book bedridden and on the brink of death, deals with coming back to the world of the living.
Like the first instalment in the series,I enjoyed this book! "Foxglove" felt darker than "Belladonna" because the relationships explored were more complicated, and the cost was more dear. This added layer is mostly the reason I enjoyed this book more, although at the first few pages, it didn't feel that way.
The introduction of Fate, Death's brother initially made me slightly cringe as it reminded me of some other books (I don't want to mention titles) which included similar characters and I hadn't enjoyed at all. BUT I warmed to Fate, and by the end of the book, I was really comfortable and interested to see what would happen next with him and Blythe.
In this book, it's the concept of life and free will that conquers all. Fate has the power to force his will on almost everyone in the book, and he is the kind of God-like persona that will use it. People's lives are his artistic work, and he can weave the next step of their future all he likes. It was hinted, though very strongly that, despite his power and that he doesn't have any concerns using it, Fate longs for something genuine, something that he didn't force to happen. He doesn't know it, but the reader, Signa and Death, do.
This concept also links with Signa's lasting concerns regarding her choices in the first book. She also used her power to decide who lives and dies, reweaving Fate's tapestry of two lives and drawing his attention to her. This darkness looms over her every interaction and relationship in "Foxglove." Especially with Blythe, for whom she did it!
We get to see more of Blythe in this book. I still have a lingering issue from the first book that the establishment of Signa and Blythe's relationship was not quite earned, but this didn't affect my deepening interest as the plot progressed. If "Belladonna" was about cementing Signa and Death's romance, "Foxglove" was about giving deep roots to Signa and Blythe's sisterhood friendship. This thread of the book was one of the strongest.
It also acted a really interesting mirror to the very broken brotherhood between Death and Fate. We learned in summary how their relationship broke but I am very much hoping that there will be a confrontation between them for the lost love, for the loneliness they both experienced away from each other all these years. My personal opinion is that Death is very, very hurt by this and needs to put all his hurt on the table.
I also really loved it when we got to see Foxglove Manor. It was, I think, Signa's most valuable development visiting her ancestral home and being welcomed by it. Her powers felt like they were given to her so she could return to that house, which I really liked as a concept. I very much hope the mystery of her parents' death will be the next sleuthing effort.
Finally, although the sleuthing part of the story was a bit more secondary in Signa's chapters, I really enjoyed this new mystery that Blythe tried so desperately to untangle and save her father. Unlike the crime of the first book, this was less complicated, and I personally felt less grey. There was a lot more humanity to the perpetrator that was revealed, even though they were a less likeable character (shhh spoilers!).
As I mentioned in my review of "Belladonna," books like these are my guilty pleasure. I am a sucker for all period stories with magic. And if you also love this romanticized idea of the past with modern sentimentalities and magical powers, this series is for you! If you enjoyed "Belladonna," then I suggest you give "Foxglove" a try yourself as it has a lot of fascinating developments for Signa Farrow, Death, the Hawthorne Family, Fate and even more ghosts than the previous book!
Like the first instalment in the series,I enjoyed this book! "Foxglove" felt darker than "Belladonna" because the relationships explored were more complicated, and the cost was more dear. This added layer is mostly the reason I enjoyed this book more, although at the first few pages, it didn't feel that way.
The introduction of Fate, Death's brother initially made me slightly cringe as it reminded me of some other books (I don't want to mention titles) which included similar characters and I hadn't enjoyed at all. BUT I warmed to Fate, and by the end of the book, I was really comfortable and interested to see what would happen next with him and Blythe.
In this book, it's the concept of life and free will that conquers all. Fate has the power to force his will on almost everyone in the book, and he is the kind of God-like persona that will use it. People's lives are his artistic work, and he can weave the next step of their future all he likes. It was hinted, though very strongly that, despite his power and that he doesn't have any concerns using it, Fate longs for something genuine, something that he didn't force to happen. He doesn't know it, but the reader, Signa and Death, do.
This concept also links with Signa's lasting concerns regarding her choices in the first book. She also used her power to decide who lives and dies, reweaving Fate's tapestry of two lives and drawing his attention to her. This darkness looms over her every interaction and relationship in "Foxglove." Especially with Blythe, for whom she did it!
We get to see more of Blythe in this book. I still have a lingering issue from the first book that the establishment of Signa and Blythe's relationship was not quite earned, but this didn't affect my deepening interest as the plot progressed. If "Belladonna" was about cementing Signa and Death's romance, "Foxglove" was about giving deep roots to Signa and Blythe's sisterhood friendship. This thread of the book was one of the strongest.
It also acted a really interesting mirror to the very broken brotherhood between Death and Fate. We learned in summary how their relationship broke but I am very much hoping that there will be a confrontation between them for the lost love, for the loneliness they both experienced away from each other all these years. My personal opinion is that Death is very, very hurt by this and needs to put all his hurt on the table.
I also really loved it when we got to see Foxglove Manor. It was, I think, Signa's most valuable development visiting her ancestral home and being welcomed by it. Her powers felt like they were given to her so she could return to that house, which I really liked as a concept. I very much hope the mystery of her parents' death will be the next sleuthing effort.
Finally, although the sleuthing part of the story was a bit more secondary in Signa's chapters, I really enjoyed this new mystery that Blythe tried so desperately to untangle and save her father. Unlike the crime of the first book, this was less complicated, and I personally felt less grey. There was a lot more humanity to the perpetrator that was revealed, even though they were a less likeable character (shhh spoilers!).
As I mentioned in my review of "Belladonna," books like these are my guilty pleasure. I am a sucker for all period stories with magic. And if you also love this romanticized idea of the past with modern sentimentalities and magical powers, this series is for you! If you enjoyed "Belladonna," then I suggest you give "Foxglove" a try yourself as it has a lot of fascinating developments for Signa Farrow, Death, the Hawthorne Family, Fate and even more ghosts than the previous book!