overall this was an engaging read; the beginning was written so beautifully, with just enough darkness and intrigue for a gothic mystery/romance. however when you get into the mystery part i found it quite slow and repetitive with nothing really advancing in terms of finding the culprit, to me the reveal felt rushed. the romance also felt oddly hollow, signa goes constantly telling the audience and death himself how much she hated him, and then jumps into attraction very quickly. the plot twist regarding death was kind of...meh? at the end, like it felt more like a device to wrap up loose ends. all in all an lush gothic ya, but i doubt i'll pick up the second book.