Last year, Adalyn Grace published her first book in her best-selling series “Belladonna.” The titular novel is a highly romantic and Gothic-infused tale of wealth, desire and betrayal set in a world ruled by Victorian social expectations. The series follows orphan Signa Farrow who, at the end of the first book, realizes the reason she can’t die is because she is a reaper and can use Death’s powers despite being human herself.
Since its release a year ago, “Belladonna” has been reviewed on Goodreads by over 30,000 readers and has received two readers-voted honors: Goodreads Choice Awards 2022 Nominee and a “Seventeen” Open Book Pick of the Fall.
This month, Adalyn Grace returned with “Foxglove,” the highly anticipated second book of the series. Picking up where “Belladonna” ends, “Foxglove” opens up with the murder mystery of who killed a duke. The lord of Thorn Grove, and Signa’s uncle, Elijah Hawthorne, has been framed for the murder. And Fate, the elusive brother of Death, has taken up residence in a sumptuous estate nearby. He’s hellbent on revenge after Death took the life of the woman he loved many years ago, and now he’s determined to have Signa for himself, no matter the cost.
Signa and her cousin Blythe are certain that Fate can save Elijah from prison if they entertain him and his games. But the more time the girls spend with Fate, the more frightening their reality becomes as Signa exhibits dramatic new powers that link her to Fate’s past.
With mysteries and danger around every corner, the cousins must decide if they can trust one another as they navigate their futures in high society, unravel the murders that haunt their family and play Fate’s unexpected games—all with their destinies hanging in the balance.
As a fan of supernatural romance and anything Gothic, I was honored to have been able to interview Adalyn Grace for the Author Spotlight series. After binge reading “Belladonna” in one night, I knew I had to keep Adalyn Grace on my radar.
“Foxglove” does not disappoint when it comes to giving readers the young adult paranormal Gothic romance that they’ve been craving. Now with Fate as a love interest, the romance becomes even steamier with the potential love triangle between Signa, Death and Fate. Having described Fate as a bronze statue, it’s no surprise why readers are enamored by the love interests penned up by Grace.
The detail that caught my eye in “Foxglove” was the character development in Blythe. In the first book, she’s seen as a damsel in distress who’s ignorant of the world around her. Once she discovers that Signa is a reaper, and is on par with the immortal beings of Fate and Death, Blythe begins to assess agency over herself and her own fate.
Grace’s “Foxglove” themed book tour is set to finish at the end of the month now that her novel has been published. The book tour has had a few stops sold out due to the additional authors and the event theme. Trending BookTok YA authors such as Chloe Gong (“These Violent Delights”) and Rachel Griffin (“Bring Me Your Midnight”) have been featured. Her second-to-last stop was at McNally Jackson Books in NYC, where I met Chloe Gong and Alex Aster (“Lightlark”) in addition to Grace. The event’s theme was Death’s Shadows where readers were encouraged to dress in their most Gothic attire.
Given the book ends very openly, I’m eager to see how Grace will finish her trilogy with the publication of the final book, “Wisteria,” which is set to release in 2024. Regardless,
“Foxglove” is a suspenseful and seductive sequel to Signa and Death’s love story as it includes high stake romance, playing games with immortal beings and of course…death.