Belladonna is a fresh and unique take on the romantasy genre. The book starts by immersing the reader in Signa's world of death and fear. I audibly gasped at the prologue. Adalyn Grace was not shy about making Signa's reality feel gritty. This made her character so much more authentic. While many YA heroines have experienced tragedy, Signa's experiences and their impact on her were clear from the earliest pages. Her character is multi-faceted. All at once, she wants to be a high society girl and act with appropriate decorum and she wants to understand her dangerous powers. Through this exploration of both sides of herself, she finds what she really wants. Death is a fantastic male MC- complicated, lonely, and protective.

I highly recommend this book.

Belladonna was beautiful, I love Adalyn Grace’s writing so much. I thought this was a really unique story and it kept me hooked all the way to the end! I definitely recommend

“Do not change the parts of yourself that you like to make others comfortable. Do not try to mold yourself to fit the standards someone else has set for us.”

“To me, you are a song to a soul that has never known music. Light to someone who has only seen the darkness. You bring out the absolute worst in me, and I become vindictive toward those who treat you in ways I don’t care for. Yet you also bring out the best in me—I want to be better because of you. Better for you.”

AHHHH I love Signa and the idea of death personified? So clever. This book was fantastical while also crawling with paranormal elements. I think the writing was immersive and beautiful and overall I enjoyed every single page.

Merci à NetGalley, à la maison d'édition et à l'auteur pour l'opportunité mais étant une "MoodReader" et j'avais une vie très occupée à ce moment, je n'ai pas eu le temps de le lire !

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown for a chance to read this one.

To me, Adalyn Grace can do no wrong and this book was just more proof of that! It was so much fun and the concept was something that immediately drew me in. As always, her writing style is top tier and makes the premise of making a deal with Death even more exciting! Also, she never disappoints when it comes to world building and this one felt like it was right out of an old school fairytale, but with an added creep factor!

For some reason, my review disappeared but since I save them on a Word document, I am pasting below for records:

Belladonna is a beautiful Victorian-era mystery that brought a mix of romance and gothic elements to create a fantasy novel that captured my attention from the beginning. To start, I am a total sucker for 'judging a book by its cover' and this was simply eye-catching and I knew I had to read it. Authors have been doing a lot of the 'I'm not like other people' vibes in books but in this case, I found the statement to be true since the FMC had aspects that did make her unique without being over the top with it. We get to understand more of the family dynamic that adds to the plot, rather than distracts, and the romantic interest is there but had more positive qualities than negative (I dislike immature, whiny love interests). The ending was well-planned without being rushed and set the author up for the sequel.

When I read this book, it quickly became one of my favorites. My favorite type of book is one that has good world building, is fairy tale-esque, and has that descriptive delicious style of writing. I found all of that within these pages! This book completely transported me into the setting and I am very excited for the sequel!

Friends, this book was just as magical the second time! I first read Belladonna in August 2022 and never wrote a book review (oops). I remembered loving it but wasn't in the position to write the review the book deserves, so it was time for a re-read to prepare for the sequel Foxglove (coming out on August 22, 2023). I thoroughly enjoyed this atmospheric and haunting gothic mystery and can't wait for more of this world!

"The brisk autumn air grasped Signa around the shoulders, carrying the scent of sap and earth and twirling leaves underfoot."

Written in third person perspective, Belladonna feels like a fairytale being told to you as you ready for sleep, its prose washing over you and painting the scene. The writing is lyrical and beautiful, suiting the Gothic setting and themes well while not overburdening the overall pace. There's a slow-growing sense of unease infused in the narrative that is balanced with the murder mystery.

"Nights in this manor are often difficult for those faint of heart."

Vast and encompassing worldbuilding that brings you into the fictional setting, but I love that the narrative is fast-paced and engaging. I feel like I could step onto the page and onto the moors of Thorn Grove. While never being explicitly told, the setting and etiquette rules make it feel like Victorian England, but wholly its own world at the same time.

"The thrill of being presented with exactly what she'd yearned for: To debut into society. To attend parties and be courted by handsome suitors, and then to gossip about them with friends over tea. The idea of it alone threatened to burst her heart."

Signa is a nineteen-year-old girl from one of the richest families who has lived a life of misfortune and heartache. Orphaned as an infant and "raised" by a series of increasingly horrible family members who each met their death. People believe that she is a witch. She believes she is cursed by Death, and she is determined to break free so she can claim the life she desires. Signa is a sheltered romantic waiting for her own fairytale. Her loneliness permeates the page and I enjoyed watching her blossom as she interacts with people at Thorn Grove as she carves a place for herself.

"Death is only a reprieve for the dead [...] it cares little for those it leaves behind."

Ghosts haunt the halls of Thorn Grove and Signa is tasked with solving a murder mystery before her cousin dies from the same mysterious illness. (There's a particular ghost in the library who I enjoyed thoroughly.) The mystery itself is well-plotted and I found myself having multiple theories... one wound up being correct, and it was satisfying to have puzzled it out.

“Stop worrying about society and playing its game, hoping that you'll be good enough. There is no such thing as true goodness there is only perception.”

One of my favorite parts of this book is Signa's budding relationship with her cousin Blythe, and the notes of feminism spread throughout. Signa grew up longing to be part of society having been robbed of that with her parent's deaths, yet when she finally gets a place and prepares to debut she realizes that the societal rules are but a gilded cage meant to control her. She wants a love match.

Overall, I adored Belladonna and highly recommend it to readers who enjoy lush fantasy with romance. I like that this book is many things: a mystery, a romance, a fantasy tale. The series itself appears to be plotted well as this installment has a satisfying ending that both sets up for and leaves you excited for the sequel without being a terrible cliffhanger.

Content warnings: blood and gore, child neglect and abuse, death and illness, depictions of grief, loss of parents, poisoning

I had heard rave reviews about this and requested it when it was a Read now option. I am such a mood reader and just couldn't get into this one with no fault to the story.

When I entered this book, I was not expecting to be transported into a gothic-rich world. The mystery aspect of this book was a surprise to me since I entered this believing it would be a high-fantasy. Although it was a surprise, I found myself absorbed into the storyline. I found Signa's stubbornness endearing and I thought Death's patience with her soothing. Death was not a love interest I was ever expecting. Signa and Death's relationship felt insta-love at times, but I understand why Death had such a fascination with Signa. Adalyn Grace surprised me her first duology, All the Stars and Teeth, yet her writing just keeps getting better. I am also partially biased since she is also from the same city as me. Overall, Belladonna is a great start to the series.

Belladonna felt a bit slow for my taste or what I was looking for at the time and after putting it down for a few months, I didn't feel like returning to it. I will probably give it another go at a later time though.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

5/5⭐️
Honestly this book was not what I expected. I wasn’t familiar with the author and I was intrigued by the cover. I did not even read the description. But oh the surprise and delight that was reading this book. Immediately the book has a very catching opening and hooks you in like roots curling in the earth.

I thoroughly enjoyed an entity, such as Death, being the love interest. I love how unpredictable this book was for me. I enjoyed the intrigue and mystery. The antagonist completely blindsided me! The book made me laugh, smile, blush and cry. I did find some repetitive phrases that I noticed, but other than that, nothing disturbed my consumption of this book. Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

Orphaned as a baby, 19-year-old Signa has lived with a string of guardians. All of them mysteriously died while caring for Signa. Her only constant companion during her lonely 19 years is Death himself. Finally, a long-lost and estranged relative - The Hawthornes - invites Signa to live with them. Here, Signa meets the ghost of her recently deceased aunt, who claims she was poisoned. Signa’s cousin is suffering from the same symptoms. To solve her aunt’s mystery and save her cousin, she must form unlikely alliances.

What I loved:
✨Blended Genre: YA Fantasy + Mystery + Romance = imaginative world-building, paranormal and gothic elements that added to both the world-building and mystery, and a solid Sherlock Holmes-style mystery. All set in the mid-1800s.
✨Signa: Great character development! Early on, Signa is confused, timid, and naive. She doesn’t quite understand two things about herself: why she sees spirits and why she can’t die. As the story proceeds, Signa embraces her powers, becoming bolder and wiser. Even though she still makes some immature decisions (after all, she still is only 19!), I’m excited to see her continued growth throughout this series.
✨Narration: Kristin Atherton perfectly performs multiple characters, bringing each one personality, charisma, and an air of historical charm. I don’t know how she does it, but Death is HOT!!! 🔥 Seriously - *Swoon* I only hope that Kristin narrates the rest of the series. I highly, highly recommend this format!!!

The final twist and cliffhanger perfectly set up book 2, which comes out this summer: August 22, 2023! CANNOT WAIT!!!

Solid romantasy from Adalyn Grace with expert gothic fantasy vibes. I knew what I was getting myself into with a romance with Death, and the book didn't disappoint.

One of my absolute favorite books. The mystery was thrilling and the setting was so beautiful and gothic.

Finally, I have a review of this book. I absolutely loved it! The mystery, the romance, the newfound family; all of it made my heart so happy. The atmosphere was everything, I loved the ghostly, gothic vibes. The plot was wonderfully spooky. I cannot recommend this book enough. Looking forward to Book 2 - Foxglove!

This isn’t exactly a terrible book but there’s two major things from keeping it from being good.

The first is the lack of plot movement. There was very little solving of Blythe’s poisoning. There was some investigation but little was learned ever. Mostly there was just a big reveal at the end that made sense but didn’t make you say, ah I see how all the pieces fit.

The second was Signa’s relationship with death. Which was creepy on two levels. It was firstly creepy because, death, in this world where the only supernatural being are Death and Fate. Secondly the way Death was originally like a uncle/father figure and became her lover. Like I was just no ok with that. Also the way she went to hate to love for dead in a matter of seconds with no real lead up was unrealistic.

The ending makes me wonder if this will be a series.

I apologize for waiting until now to submit a "review." Goodness it probably means nothing at this point.

Long and short of it, I had a love-hate relationship with this read. I loved the premise, I loved the beginning. But it went down fast with the characters, pacing, and all around prose here.

-Characters: Signa was ok--kinda slow on the uptake, but I didn't dislike her or anything. Her "I don't need to fit in society's mold!!!1" was trite, but fine for a YA audience. Death was an utter disappointment. For being the embodiment of a FORCE OF NATURE...he was no different from any other brooding teenage heartthrob. I laughed every time he called Signa "Little Bird." Can someone direct Ms. Grace to the Tony Pizza copypasta so she can understand why that diminutive is so unserious? The other side characters were fine--nothing of note, but they got the job done. I will say though! I DO like the end of Signa's character arc when she's more comfortable in her skin. It seems like she'll be a more enjoyable perspective to read in book 2.

-Pacing: Again, the beginning was engaging until Signa arrived at the manor. Then everything slowed to a crawl. Sometimes scenes had the gothic atmosphere Ms. Grace was going for, but I was already bored from prior "Signa Tries To Fit In" scenes that I didn't care when the supposed Good Shit was happening. God, the middle portion was so slow in such an unforeboding way. The climax couldn't come fast enough

-Prose: This irritated me the most. Is this just how YA prose is now? We gotta hold our precious baby reader's hand to ///tell/// them exactly how Signa's feeling as she slowly adds 1 and 1 together to get 2 like the big, smart girl that she is? I'm sorry, I didn't know I was reading Gothic Blue's Clues. Trust your readers more.

-Romance/Relationship: A quick bonus section that could be attached to the characters section but whatever. It was underwhelming. Signa's fickle "I hate him or maybe I don't~?" with Death was irksome. I get she's still young and awkward--a real late bloomer in social development. I get that. Doesn't make it a pleasure to read. And when she was figuring out her attraction to "Sylas," it would be happening at the most inopportune times. Like, you gonna get sidetracked by Sylas' big, strong arms NOW, girl? it was such an eye-rolling distraction that took me out of whatever scene I was reading. Her and Death's romance was shallow as hell. I've seen people complain about how Death was intrigued by Signa's immortality since she was a baby an "eww, how pedo!!1, what a groomer!!11" But that label would imply that he had enough of a presence in her life to influence her feelings for him. And no, he was just a creeper in a shadows who never approached her until he deemed her old enough by OUR PRESENT DAY MORAL STANDARDS.

And that's just boring. What a boring ass foundation to be working off of. But that fits for this boring book I guess.

Thank you for the ARC. I dunno if I'll ever make a video on it anytime soon--it's so damn uninspiring. I hope book 2 finds its footing though.

Belladonna sounds like a lush, decadent, gothic fantasy dream, but unfortunately I found it too cheesy, obvious, and clunky in its prose to enjoy very much. Plot details didn't quite hang together, Signa's character feels all over the place, and it's trying sooo hard to be a certain type of gothic-sexy, without having the sensuality or chemistry that requires. Somehow, the corporeal manifestation of Death as a love interest is...dull and corny. That takes doing.

(Also, the quantity of The Secret Garden details and similarities would be fine if it was acknowledged, but it's weird without that! The main mystery plot line is literally just doing The Secret Garden, names and all!)

There are some vibes, there's the decadent gothic aesthetic I guess (although it's been done better elsewhere)... but the plot is a mess, the characters are annoying, and the writing is flat. I won't be bothering to read the sequel.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.