5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, magic, death as a character, mysteries, fate
Signa and Death are back to solve another murder, though the circumstances are more precarious and their opponent far more dangerous. Toward the ending of the last book, I wasn’t sure what would be next for the two of them, but the death at the end of Belladonna answered that question, and this book picks up immediately from that scene.
Like in the first book, there are two main, but related, plotlines in Foxglove. The first is the murder and Elijah’s subsequent arrest, which both Signa and Blythe are distraught about. The second plot is with Fate, Death’s brother, who is convinced Signa is his long lost love, Life, and is desperate to get her back and fuck shit up for Death (it isn’t a love triangle by a long shot). The plot with Fate definitely felt more prominent, probably since he was sticking his nose in everything and (usually) making it worse.
We definitely get to see more of Signa’s powers in this book. Over the course of the last book she really came into them and is now confident in who she is. With that settled, Signa is able to exert control over her abilities and even experiments with expanding that control and improving her capabilities. She also has the opportunity to try out some new powers, though her control over these new ones is spotty and something she struggles with throughout the book. Fate’s entrance and his suggestion/revelation that Signa is a reincarnated Life brings the potential for new, life-giving powers, which Signa struggles with as much as she once struggled with the idea of reaper powers.
Signa also gets a minor third plot that involves Foxglove Manor and her family’s past there. I was glad to see the manor after it had been built up so much in Signa’s mind. Most of this book lacks the same gothic feel as Belladonna, but Foxglove Manor definitely fit the bill. It’s spooky, dark, on the sea, is haunted. It’s the perfect gothic setting. I also liked that Signa was able to fill in some of the gaps about her parents and get a little bit of closure there. I hope we get to see more of Foxglove Manor in the next book!
I liked Death in the first book and wasn’t sure how things would go in this one with Blythe no longer being poisoned. As expected, he isn’t around as much as he was in Belladonna, and I definitely missed having him around as much. He remains as protective and funny as he was in the first one, and we get to see more of him encouraging Signa to use her powers and come into herself, even if those powers include ones from Life. I did like how supportive he was and how much he worked to try and clear Elijah’s name simply because it was something that mattered to Signa.
Fate takes the place as the main mythical figure in human form in this one and he is Death’s opposite in every way. He is bright and golden and in love with opulence but he is also fickle and angry and unwilling to be told no. While we do get to see some softer moments, largely when he is trying to manipulate people, by and large Fate is someone who is both used to getting his way and is willing to ruin everyone’s lives when he’s upset.
Blythe gets her own POV in this book. She’s less bratty now and with her health returned to her, she’s determined to help solve the murder and clear her father’s name. At the same time, Blythe begins noticing there’s odd things happening in Thorn Grove, with her, and with Signa, and begins to get suspicious. Blythe definitely takes charge in more than a few situations and is willing to use all her social skills and wiles to figure things out. That being said, she’s not as versed in the realm of weird things as Signa was when we met her, and so Blythe sometimes reaches the wrong conclusions and trusts the wrong people, but she does have a good heart and makes strong decisions based on what she knows.
One thing that was frustrating to me was how much tension could’ve been solved in this book if characters had simply sat down and talked with one another. And by characters I mean Signa and Blythe. Blythe’s suspicions are raised on numerous subjects and, having been kept in the dark by Signa, sometimes jumps to the wrong conclusions and trusts the wrong people. It was frustrating because as a reader, I know what’s really going on and why Signa was doing/had done certain things and I wanted to shake Blythe. Yet at the same time I was also aware that Blythe was working with limited information because Signa was terrified of being rejected by her and so Blythe’s actions are totally reasonable given the information she had. Miscommunication is not something I tend to like in books, but at least it actually makes sense here and I was able to see both sides, which I feel like is a failing of a lot of miscommunication plots.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and the plotlines. It was interesting to see things from Blythe’s POV and have her be more of an active agent in this one. Fate was an interesting character to bring in and I definitely don’t like him, but I’m intrigued to see where things go with him in book 3. I would’ve liked to see more Death though and I hope he and Signa have more interactions in Wisteria (I suspect we will, but who knows).
Reading Queen E Reviews 