Foxglove by Adalyn Grace

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.

Series: Belladonna #2 | Publisher: Little, Brown |  Genre: Romantasy | Source: Purchased | Rating: 4.5 

A Duke has been falsely accused of murder and Fate has shown up with a few party games. Foxglove was loaded. There was so much going on and it all came together beautifully.

Here’s what’s going on. When Elijah Hawthorne, Signa’s cousin and Blythe’s father, is wrongly accused of murder and arrested on the spot, it’s up to Signa and her cousin to clear his name. Although the arrival of Fate, Death’s disgruntled brother, makes things more complicated. He is responsible for their destinies, after all, and while he has the power to change things, he’s not about to let Signa off the hook, especially since she reminds him of someone he once knew. Even though she’s in love with Death, there’s something about her newly discovered powers that link her to Fate. Will she play Fate’s game to save Elijah or will her love for Death win out over her allegiance to family.

This one picks up right where Belladonna leaves off (read my review HERE) and it doesn’t stop until the very end. I have to say, this one was very easy to get sucked into and I didn’t realize I had read the majority of the book in one sitting.

Signa’s finally out in society and although she still figuring out who she is power-wise, she’s starting to realize she doesn’t need to conform to the societal norms. She is freer in her actions, which allows her to be more of who she was meant to be. She’s also just unlocked these strange new powers that she’s not sure about and she’s afraid that they will draw her away from Death. Fate’s arrival has really thrown a spanner in the works and she’s not really sure how to proceed because she is madly in love with Death.

Blythe has also entered the picture more as a main character and, to be honest, I wasn’t a massive fan of her. I struggled with her in the first book but put it down to her youth and the fact she was ill. Sadly, I still found her extremely annoying in this book. Several times, I found myself questioning her actions and hoping that Signa would put her in her place. She does have some character growth by the time the book ends.

Fate’s a new edition and, my goodness, he made things interesting. We get Fate’s backstory, which surprised me seeing as there was nothing on Death in the first book, and while he made some questionable choices, I found myself feeling empathy for him. Thanks to Fate’s arrival, we also get a more in-depth view of Death in this book, which I appreciated. Fate and Death’s long-standing feud was so complex they could have had their own thrilling novella. There’s more than just sibling rivalry going on and more than just competing for Signa. I really enjoyed how fleshed out these two brother become.

Unlike the first book, the romance is woven into the plot a bit more tightly. Signa and Death are an established couple, regardless of who can see them together. I really enjoyed Signa and Death together and loved how protective he was of her. Fate is wanting to claim Signa and Blythe (as well as a few secondary characters) is husband hunting. I feel like there was more focus on the development of the relationships and it helped strengthen the plot.

This was still a mystery but rather than being mystery-driven, the mystery was used to enhance the characters and reveal more about them. Honestly, I think the mystery was weak in this one and, by the end, I was so wrapped up in Fate, Signa, and Death that I didn’t really care about the mystery and I didn’t mind. The mystery, with the arrest of Elijah started off strong but the direction it ended was lackluster. I feel like there were several directions it could have gone and she picked the wrong one.

There’s been a series arc focusing on the mystery regarding the death of Signa’s parents and while it was touched upon a little more in this book, I’m hoping that there’s more of a conclusion in the next book rather than the vagueness that was in this book.

I was a little hesitant when I discovered Wisteria (book 3) was going to feature Blythe as the main character as she wasn’t my favorite. However, the events that occurred in the last part of Foxglove have me rather intrigued to see how things are going to playout so I immediately preordered Wisteria.

While this is labeled ‘fantasy’, I feel that this falls more into the category of mythology. We’ve also moved away from the Gothic atmosphere that was in the first book and entered into a Regency mystery feel.

Overall, while this book had some wobbles, mainly with the mystery, it was still a solid read and I hope to see more of Death and Signa in future books.