Adalyn Grace

One would think that a novel about Death and Fate would not be romantic, and one would be wrong. Adalyn Grace proves how romantic Death and Fate can be in FOXGLOVE, book two in her Belladonna trilogy.

The introduction of Fate as the third angle in a Death and Signa love triangle is a clever plot twist. Fate's addition to the story forces Signa to examine her powers and her feelings, something few heroines of YA fantasy romance novels have the opportunity to do. Through this self-reflection, we see Signa develop into a formidable character. She is stronger because of her self-awareness and less compliant with societal pressures.

Fate's insertion into Signa's story has additional consequences for the other characters, particularly Signa's cousin Blythe. It is so much fun discovering how similar the girls are in feistiness, determination, and cleverness. Blythe is a character I grew to love as I learned more about her. Given the ending of FOXGLOVE, I am particularly eager to see how Blythe's story proceeds in the finale. I have a feeling it is going to be a blast.

FOXGLOVE hits all the right notes for me. There are great characters that continue to develop. The pacing has the perfect balance between action, reflection, and description. Its mystery kept me guessing, and the story's conclusion was satisfying while making me eager to read more. Plus, it is romantic without annoying plot devices like miscommunication to create unnecessary drama. FOXGLOVE is an excellent example of why I can't seem to quit the YA fantasy romance genre. The genre is just too strong and enjoyable to ignore!… (more)

I was not unhappy with this book but also not happy. It had an interesting plot idea, but it felt like it wasn't executed very well. I was incredibly linear and the characters felt like they were getting dragged along by the authors' whim, which sounds weird but the characters just kind of existed in this world and were subjected to things that they had no control over. There's a lot of things that happen all at once in the end and it left me confused about a few things, and not really wanting to read the next book. It's definitely a YA book. It kind of follows a lot of YA cliches, but it's not a bad book either, it's just not a book for me. I think it was missing a lot of things that could have made it much better.… (more)