Welcome to a poisonous story of being in love with death.
Song Vibe Check:
"Body Electric" By: Lana Del Rey
"Bad Girl" By: Daya
"Bury a Friend" By: Billie Eilish
NOTE: Thanks to Netgalley for the eArc!
If it was possible for Sleeping Beauty to fall in love with the spindle that curses her, then this is the book you're looking for. Add the creepy spirits who have conspiracy theories, a stable boy who I hate then loved, then hated-ish again and Death looming like a stalker and you have the perfect Gothic romance that reminded me of the huge Jane Eyre vibes.
NO NOBODY IS GONNA STOP ME FROM THINKING OF THIS.
Now, onto the review.
Short summary? Girl with deadly touch ends up in a house to uncover the murderer of a spirit who wants justice along with a stable boy who is annoying and Death who definitely likes being possessive (For anyone who's read the ARC, you'll know what I'm talking about ;)
Longer Summary: Signa Farrow is 19 and death follows her like a lovesick being. After she accidentally kills her aunt, she gets sent to the Hawthorne manor with distant family members who are reeling after the death of the matriarch of the home. The family says she died of a mysterious disease, but the spirit of the dead matriarch comes to Signa desperately seeking for help to find the killer before her equally ill daughter is killed too. The only way to find the killer is teaming up with stable boy Sylas (Who I am lukewarm about by the end of the book) and with Death himself who may be perhaps more irresistible and less hated than she originally thought. In an amorous deal and a dance with death, the time is running out for her to find the killer where everyone in the household is a suspect.
When I first started reading this, I immediately thought it was a knockoff version of This Vicious Grace from Emily Thiede, but this gothic romance book sets itself apart with the other book since it features the ghost/spirit side of things and with a definitely uncomfortable romance with death. Ladies and Gentlemen... Death gets romanticized a lot in this book.
Being someone who took a philosophy class in Death, I found myself a bit amused with this novel, even if I was a bit unsettled by it too. After an entire semester talking about death, I am still unsettled by it and reading this left me curious and a bit uneasy too. (Death better not transfer my years of life to someone else COUGH COUGH JUST SAYING)
It was an interesting read that definitely took some time getting used to. Flowery, descriptive language is great, but while it can be slow-paced, things start picking up around the 12th chapter (my advice is skip all those chapters to get to the better part if you like fast-paced reads) At the very core, it's a murder mystery laced with a deadly romance and extreme Jane Eyre vibes (if you've read the book then you'll eventually agree with this statement.)
While I hadn't read any of Adalyn Grace's work, I am definitely curious to see what else is in store for this book series because of course this book ended in a cliffhanger. I don't usually read a lot of ghost stories since it's not exactly my taste but this one ended in a note that makes me want to see where I'll go next once the next book comes out. While the ending isn't like a OMG I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S NEXT, it is still a book series I will keep in mind to keep reading.
Overall: 4/5 stars
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