Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: August 30th, 2022
Pages: 416
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis:
Signa was orphaned as a baby and has been passed around between relatives only interested in her expected inheritance. Signa’s unusual encounter with Death as an infant left them irreversibly connected. Not only can she see and communicate with spirits, but she also cannot die. After the latest untimely passing of her current guardian, she recieves word from her last remaining relatives, the Hawthornes, who reside at the opulent estate of Thorn Grove. The Hawthorne family is plagued by a mysterious illness. When their mother’s spirit warns Signa that she was murdered, Signa must hurry to uncover the source of danger and save the family.
Review:
I am so excited for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book.
I really enjoyed the author’s previous debut, All the Stars and Teeth, even though I never ended up reading the sequel of that duology. And let me tell you, that will not be the case for this series because WOW is it epic.
This story is my newest obsession – the gothic vibes, the snark and charm of the characters, and the swoon-worthy relationships. It’s a tale of murder-mystery and coming-of-age, in a historical setting.
Signa’s journey of self-discovery is full of depth – from being lonely and isolated to embracing her truth and accepting her potential with confidence.
I adore the blurring of lines between friend and foe that always leaves you guessing.
The slow-burn, forbidden romance is dark, seductive, and addictive. It will give you all the feels.
The story is expertly crafted. The plot is a slow trickle of puzzle pieces falling into place. There are plot twists you’ll never see coming, but then wonder how you couldn’t because it makes so much sense.
You will fall in love with Death.
That should be the tagline for this book. Let’s be real, that would be enough for me to immediately pick this one up. And I can promise you, it follows through with that statement.
I do wish two of the character names weren’t so similar, or at least didn’t start with the same letter, because I found myself glancing over them and getting mixed up sometimes. But that is honestly a nit-picky criticism.
I did find the first half to be a tad slow but not so much that I ever considered stopping.
I was hooked into the mystery of it all and invested in the characters, and I’m so glad for that because the second half of this book I could not put down for even a moment.
It’s an exciting adventure with an epic cliffhanger that has me desperate for the next book!
Everything you could hope for in a YA fantasy, and I dare say even adult fantasy (and other genre) readers will find something they love about this one.
This book deserves all the hype! I need one of the special editions because seriously they are gorgeous. 😍
Recommend for readers who love:
- murder mystery
- forbidden romance
- gothic atmosphere
- embracing destiny
- strong heroine
Huge thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for blessing me with a copy of this amazing story in exchange for my honest feedback!
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