This one kept me on my toes. And the romance with Death? To die for. As my first-ever Adalyn Grace read, I was not disappointed. I definitely enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting “Foxglove.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown for Young Readers, and Adalyn Grace for an ARC of this book.

This book was the perfect blend of fantasy, historical, romance, and murder/mystery suspense! From the opening lines of <i>Belladonna</i>, I was hooked. The writing was captivating and unique with characters who were interesting and well developed. I was intrigued by Death and wished we learned more about him and his motives. I am excited to read the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review .

From the second I read the description for Belladonna, it had me in a chokehold! I hadn’t ever heard of this author before, but the vibes of this book seemed immaculate! A YA fantasy with a gothic romance AND a murder/mystery? I was over the moon that I managed to get an eArc of one of the books I was most anticipating this year!

An orphaned heiress, Signa with eyes as uncanny as her power to see ghosts , and worse, to see Death, himself, a tangible shadow over her life that she hates with a vengeance, after her last cruel guardian dies, she’s swept away to the fabulous Hawthorne estate and finally the high society that she dreamt of, while poring over an old copy on courtly manners, is within her grasp!

Except tragedy surrounds the Hawthorne estate, the loss of the lady of the house, and worse, the seemingly irreversible illness of the daughter, understandably has the house’s occupants in a tailspin.

Not exactly the most stable environment to be dumped into as a stranger, but when the ghost of the dead, beg her to save the life of her child and catch her murderer?

What’s a girl to do, but get cozy with Death?

I did not enjoy this as much as I hoped I would, it was a real slough to get through (it took me three months) mainly because as much as I understood Signa, I found it very hard to relate to her story and her hatred of Death, should have made for a sizzling slow burn, filled with barbs and delicious tension, but I couldn’t get the thought of Death knowing her from birth and watching her grow up, out of my mind.

I did like that there was a mystery aspect and the training arc, but mostly how Signa grew into herself and finally was able to claim her desires and what she wanted from the world, unfortunately, this was all a very casual read, the story never touched on my emotions, and barely scratched at my curiosity, if this wasn’t an arc I definitely would have dnfed it.

As much as Belladonna turned out to be not for me, I think that those who love those gothic vibes complete with ghosts, dangerous romances, murder and infirmity, should definitely give this a try!
And it’s apparently going to be a series with Signa continuing to be her full, odd self and solving crime?

(A part of me STILL can’t believe that I didn’t like this! I hope that when my preorder comes in, and I pick it up to read far, far in the future that I somehow love it then.)

~yours most heartbroken,
Jam.

I had high expectations for this book, which fell flat for me honestly. This seemed like something that would rise to the standards of Kingdom of the Wicked, but it did not. The reason it did not for me is because of the MMC, Death. That character fell flat for me. I did really enjoy the character arc for the FMC, Signa. I think this could have been better done if it was NA or upper YA as the themes that surround it could have benefitted from that. Good read, just not the best read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for giving me an ARC. This does not influence my review. First of all, this cover. Okay, so I’ve been seeing this book EVERYWHERE on ig, not only Adalyn Grace who I’m following. Let me just say, this book was WORTH THE HYPE. WORTH IT. 5 stars. I will read it many more times. Let me start with the romance: 10/10, swoon-worthy, well-written, the banter???? soo good. Also, death had no reason being this hot. No reason. Also, Signa (I love this name) was salivating and I love her depiction of ‘male physique’ Lmaoo I’m dead. I was legit cackling when death <spoiler> invaded the tea party and scared Signa to death (haha get it;) ), stating “ apologies, I forgot to bring my dress and gloves” “relax, little bird. I only came for some rousing gossip”, also I still don’t know why that’s his nickname for her? </spoiler>. So I accurately guessed the real identity of <spoiler> Sylas, but forgot about him halfway so I will be going back to read with the knowledge that he was, in fact, death. Also, it is soo cute how death pretended to be a stable boy with very clean and shiny clothes to impress Signa *sigh*, and my heart couldn’t handle it when I realized he pretended to be a human in Hawthorn Estate so Signa could have a friend. Book boyfriend material! </spoiler>. And I absolutely enjoyed the well-placed death metaphors. Overall, this book contained an enticing plot full of entrancing mystery blended with a gothic regency era containing tea parties and balls. This book was very, very thrilling. I was literally at the edge of my seat going along with the unfurling plot twists and mysterious developments. And while we’re talking about plot twists, no one does them like Adalyn Grace. I never could have for the life of me accurately guessed who the actual <spoiler> perpetrator <spoiler> was, and it broke my heart. Adalyn weaved the story so well that it was near impossible to find out, as <spoiler> there were two suspicious suspects shown, and no other suspect depicted (besides Sylas) <spoiler> The tropes depicted in this story are: protective/possessive guy, forbidden love (in a sense), slow burn, guy falls first, and death & maiden. READ THIS BOOK.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Oh, this book was so good! Its a gothic romance and a murder mystery!

The main character has an interesting relationship with Death, who cannot take her soul because she can't die. It's a fascinating premise made all the more interesting when Signs poisons herself to get a chance to stab Death. Yup.

It's a fantastic read with lovely, lush writing. Incredible.

Thank you to Little, Brown Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace is a YA fantasy that blends murder mystery, unexpected romance, and Gothic undertones. The story revolves around 19 year-old SIgna, who has been brought to live in a Gothic manor headed by mourning father, Elijah, along with his children, heir Percy and sickly daughter Blythe. When Lillian's ghost appears to Signa and reveals that she was murdered, it's up to her to partner up with Death himself and figure out who the murderer is.

Here is an enchanting excerpt from Chapter 1, which introduces us to Signa:

"IT’S SAID THAT FIVE BELLADONNA BERRIES ARE ALL IT TAKES TO KILL someone.
Just five sweet berries, eaten straight from the foliage. Or, as Signa Farrow preferred, mashed and steeped into a mug of tea.
Her dark brows were slick with sweat as she leaned over the steaming copper mug, inhaling the fumes. Certainly eating the berries straight would have been easier, but she was still learning the effect belladonna had on her body, and the last thing she wanted was Aunt Magda finding her passed out in the garden with a bright purple tongue.
Not again, anyway."

Overall, Belladonna is a stunningly original YA fantasy that has the Gothic themes of Lakesedge and the encounters with reapers and Death of Keeper of Night. One highlight of this book was the cool paranormal powers that Signa has, which increased throughout the book.. Another highlight was the reveal of the murderer, which was jaw-dropping The book ends on a semi-cliffhanger, and if the author is continuing the series, I need the next book now! If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in August!

This was the absolute perfect blend of paranormal, mystery, fantasy, historical, and romance. I love when a book can so beautifully encompass multiple genres.

It's no secret that I'm not the biggest fan of mysteries, generally speaking, but this one was wrapped up in such a nice package. I was definitely eager to know how the mystery would be solved and how Signa would figure it all out. I was not disappointed.

The characters in this book were all phenomenal as well. There is a found-family aspect that I loved. Signa herself was a wonderful character. She is so strong and is not afraid to take action.

My only complaint is that I wish I understood more about Death as a character and how he works. He's with Signa a lot, and I just imagine he'd be traipsing through the world a bit more often to you know... take people's lives.

The romance took some convincing for me, but I did ultimately enjoy it. I liked when the two were on page together, and I can't wait to see how their story progresses in the sequel!

It was dark at times, romantic at times, and even tugged on my heartstrings a bit. It was a beautiful story with a wonderful cliffhanger ending that has me so sad I have to wait over a year for the sequel!

<I>”Death was perhaps the most powerful being in existence—more powerful than any king. He was as fearsome as the night, as unstoppable as the wind or the rain. And yet, though subtle, there was a tremor in his request.”</I>

Wow, this book was gothically poetic. Is that a thing? It is now, because this book is rich, luscious magic and dark, dreary death.

Signa can’t be touched, not even by Death himself, so she has learned. Everyone she knows dies in some way, forcing her to move on to her next living relative.

When she finally gets to this *hopefully* last place, she wants to do good. No death for six months. She can do this. But oh does death come.

Death is my favorite character in this book. I loved him and his witty remarks inside Signa’s head. I would have loved even more of that! The way that this book left off give hope that there will be lots more to come and then some with Death’s friend Fate.

This book gave me lots of princess garden meets clue vibes and I loved it! Can’t wait for the next one!

This was did not finish i tried to push through for a month straight this just wasnt for me sadly i didnt connect to the story

#Belladonna #NetGalley
Adalyn Grace is a wonderful young adult writer. She blends several genre's that they will eat up in one book. Belladonna is a blend of dark and crafty storytelling by Ms. Grace.

Think Gothic Brigerton and you'll get a great idea of the world Adalyn Grace has crafted for us in this book. Couple that with mystery, and paranormal elements, and you'll find this book is simply one to die for!

The world building and descriptions are one thing I have grown to love about Adalyn's writing and I was not disappointed in Belladonna. The steamy romance scenes are amazing and the mystery was awesome. I thought I had it figured out but the ending got me!

I definitely cannot wait for Foxglove!!!

Gothic infused, murder mystery/romantasy. That follows the ever lovely Signa Farrow, who has been an orphan since she was a baby. Since her parents deaths she has never stayed with a family member long for wherever she goes death is sure to follow.

A few months before her 20th birthday, when she is to inherit her fortune, she finds herself at Thorn Grove where her aunt has recently passed and her cousin is suffering from the same ailment. In order to solve the murder and save her cousin she must partner with death whom she loathes.

Very much matches Evermore by Taylor Swift "
And I was catching my breath
Barefoot in the wildest winter
Catching my death
And I couldn't be sure
I had a feeling so peculiar
That this pain would be for
Evermore"

Gives Persephone and Hades vibes. Oh also did I mention there is a masquerade ball?!?!?! Bridgerton meets Haunting of Hill House. This belongs on every TBR ever!

The story's gloomy, gothic atmosphere were very enthralling, especially when mixed with the murder mystery/investigation. Signa was a fantastic main character to follow, and while her arc of learning to love and stand up for herself while ignoring society's standards about how women should act isn't exactly new in YA literature, I really enjoyed it.
While I did enjoy her character, I didn't love the romance... it was okay but it didn't do much for me, it might for someone else tho!
The story is enjoyable over all, the writing is good and easy to read.

Belladonna was an intriguing period piece that kept me on my toes and swooning over the romance between Signa and Death. I thought this book was marvelous and full of great ideas and twists and turns. The belladonna fascination Signa has is really interesting and I liked how it incorporated itself into everything. From the murder to her relationship with Death himself. Signa was a strong willed character and I found myself bored when she wasn't acting like her mischievous self and instead trying to appease societies norms. Otherwise this book had a lot of really cool elements to it. I would've enjoyed more world building as I feel this was the only thing lacking. More descriptions of the setting would have added to the atmosphere. At times this book was creepy and at times simply mysterious. I loved how the author was able to incorporate these themes into her novel.

A very ethearally thrilling novel about Death and a girl that seems to have his powers! Signa is a great main character and her interactions with all of the characters show her depth and her propensity for good despite her circumstances.

Bridgerton meets Stalking Jack The ripper with a splash of Death! Just like Thomas found a way to my heart, Death creeped in just as quick!

I have been so hyped about Belladonna since Adalyn first described her next project! I haven’t read anything like this, in the aspect of death being one of the main characters let alone a love interest. The touch of murder mystery that adalyn played with really brought me back to SJTR! The anticipation was strong, the sleuthing was insnaring.

Signa’s character to begin with is a sad beginning.The seed of emotions began from the start, it had me rooting for her. As she aged and we saw what came of her tragedy, I kept thinking that she played her hopes and dreams all wrong. She grows into her true wants and her true self and it’s something we can all relate to im sure.

I like taking lessons from stories and as morally gray as some points may be. The one thing that really sticks is, be unapologetically you. The opinion of others isn’t relevant. Your happiness is all you need.

Unfortunately, this is book one of the series and I will have to wait “an eternity” for Foxglove the sequel to come out. The mystery was great, I didn’t see it coming! The romance was enemies to lovers goodness. And the new found family left a mark for sure. I highly recommend y’all jump on this, preorder, buy on release day! Do all the things!

I love the feel of this book? The title and cover hooked me, but the words behind the cover kept me turning pages as quickly as I could! Such a wonderful rainy day read!!!

DNF. Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style/format or plot and decided not to pick this one up. Thank you publisher for the early copy!

4.5 stars

Ah this was so good! The plot was engaging, unique, and draws you in immediately. The mystery kept me guessing until the end and Signa was a fun character to follow. A girl who can't die and has a love/hate relationship with Death will definitely grab your attention.

Signa has been through a lot in her twenty years and experienced more loss than most. When she gets a chance to be with family at Hawthorne, she thinks this may be her chance to make some connections and have people who care about her. Signa is determined not to let Death take another soul and sets out to find who's behind her cousin's mysterious illness.

Signa and Death have a hot and cold thing going on and I loved it. She's drawn to him, yet worried about him taking the lives of her family. He's been waiting for her for an eternity and isn't going to give up without a fight. The tension and chemistry is well written and I couldn't get enough of them.

I knocked off half a star because we never get an answer as to who killed Signa's parents and I WANT TO KNOW. Maybe it's not supposed to be important or maybe we'll get answers in the sequel, I guess we'll see. This was such a great read and it was difficult to stop reading for pesky things like sleep and work, pfft.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Little, Brown for Young Readers and NetGalley for the copy.