I’ve never personally read A Series of Unfortunate Events but the first couple chapters of this book very much give me a similar vibe. To get into the meatier part of this review let’s talk plot. As a history nerd I try excrutiatingly hard not to judge fantasy novels on historical accuracy even when they’re clearly inspired by a particular period, so it always feels like little breadcrumbs left out for my nerd heart to find and cherish. I always love little nods like this precisely because I don’t expect them. Obviously this is a fantasy novel but I loved some of the period accurate references, like a side character using a fan for communication (that the main character does not understand) or Signa’s references to bustles. In retrospect it was definitely the story itself, because I adored the writing in this in a way I don’t usually. It was a solid YA fantasy with a driven protagonist torn between desires but I didn’t think it was was unique and it didn’t really stick with me. I read Grace’s debut not too long after it came out and while I enjoyed it I wasn’t particularly blown away. I really think that Adalyn Grace reached into my brain and picked out all the things that I want to see in a book and smashed them altogether and I have a feeling that’s part of the reason I loved Belladonna so much. I don’t see this done a lot, but Victorian inspired fantasy is also very much my jam. A lot of regular mystery just does not catch my interest, but add in a little fantasy and suddenly it’s very much my cup of tea.

Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful-and more irresistible-than she ever dared imagine. However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side.

But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being-and each has New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal. August 30 2022, Little, Brown for Young Readers

Owlcrate among the beasts and briars