I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I adore the setting of this book. Fantasy stories with a mystery thriller aspect intrigue me on a whole different level..Signa and Death are both compelling characters, I thought the evolution of their relationship was perfectly paced and the way they worked together, two thumbs up. I cant wait to read the sequel.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting, gothic YA fantasy with a mystery thrown in. The MC Signa Farrow is an orphan who has spent her life being shuttled among guardians who keep dying. She herself cannot die and can see spirits and Death itself. Finally at age 19 with less than a year left before she can claim an inheritance, she goes to Thorn Manor to live with her deceased aunt’s family. Her cousin is afflicted with the same illness her aunt suffered from and she must figure out what is going on in time to save her cousin. I was expecting to eye-roll the scenes focusing on the romance with Death but it was well-done. A few twists thrown in. I am looking forward to the sequel, focusing on a new mystery.

I was reluctant to put a star rating on this because I honestly think it was very much just a personal thing -- I know many many readers are going to absolutely fall in love with this book. I just didn't connect with it as much as I wanted, partially because I was expecting a romance with Death to be a little more...surrealistic, I guess? More weird, Guillermo del Toro kind of stuff and a little less mainstream. But that's just a matter of my personal expectations, which doesn't have anything to do with what the author herself was aiming for.

If you like the sound of a book that blends the energy of Meet Joe Black with some Crimson Peak vibes, you'll probably love this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

At first what attracted me to this book were the beautiful cover and the exciting summary but even if it weren't for that I would still love this book because the story was wonderful and it kept my attention the whole time. This book is by far one of my favorites I have read this year!

Belladonna is a romantic gothic-infused fantasy, set in a Victorian inspired setting, which follows our main character Signa Farrow, a nineteen-year-old girl who was orphaned as a baby and has always been able to see dead spirits and Death himself. We watch Signa as she tries to solve a murder mystery and save her cousin while also trying to come to terms with the fact that she also has dark and deadly powers of her own.

What intrigued me the most was the gripping plot of the book and the mystery that needed to be unraveled. It was a lot of fun to get to know the characters and their personalities and thus try to figure out which of them is the killer. None of them could be trusted and in the end the revelation shocked me a bit although I doubted that person at certain moments.

The romance between Signa and Death was immaculate since it contains one of my favorite tropes which is hate to love. I can't call their relationship enemies to lovers since the hate between them was very much one sided and the two tropes are very different in my opinion. Anyways, their relationship reminded me so much of Darkling and Alina from Shadow and Bone especially because there was a „I have waited for you for a very long time“ moment in this book that I think fans of that ship would enjoy. Also I was reminded of Kingdom of the Wicked as well which is why I think you should read this book if you enjoyed either of those.

I have never read any book by this author before but the writing was very astonishing and I think I will have to read her other series.

I can't wait to read the sequel, Foxglove, and find out what happens next.

Okay this was very fun, but some things didn't hit for me. The haunting, gothic vibes of this story were super enchanting, especially when combined with the murder mystery/investigation in the story. Signa was a great MC to follow, and while her arc of learning how to love and stand up for herself while not listening to society's rules about how women should act aren't exactly novel in YA books, I still appreciated them nonetheless.

However, while I loved the idea of having 'Death' as a love interest, I feel like he fell a little flat for me. His personality felt a little dull and reduced to just being this mysterious reaper cloaked in shadows 24/7. I was very easily able to predict the truth about his true identity not even halfway through the book, so I definitely think his character could have been improved. I think I was also expected him to be this ruthless, dark, menacing being, but he turned to be such a softboi (which isn't bad at all!) instead, which kind of threw me off as well.

I also felt uncomfortable over the fact that Death is immortal/hundreds of years old and has known Signa since she was a baby. He literally watched her be born and has been keeping an eye on her since she was an infant, and the fact that he grew up to lust over/fall in love with her is very very gross and creepy in my opinion. I feel like this could have been changed to him meeting Signa once she was an adult.

The cliffhanger was pretty enticing though, so I'm intrigued to see what the sequel, Foxglove, entails, but again, I wish that the aforementioned thoughts had been considered before writing this story.

First of all Thank you NetGalley, Little Brown books, and Adalyn Grace for this arc. Also thank you Adalyn so much for selecting me to be on your Belladonna street team.

What can I say about this book. It has easily become one of my favorites. I knew it would be as I am a sucker for Gothic infused fantasy books. As soon it was described as a clue murder mystery I was hooked. This book starts off with a bang. That prologue was shocking and made we want to devour the rest of the book. Signa is a very determined and strong willed young woman and it is rough to see her in the position she is placed. Going from family to family with death following her. Death always seems to lurking around the corner. She finally is granted her freedom to a charmingly, exquisitely described manor with her distant uncle and cousins. However death is already there, he’s looming in the hallways. This murder mystery gothic tale is full of such imagery and flavor that will leave you breathless. I wanna live in this world. The darkness and the mystery is intoxicating. I’m not a huge romance person but the romance in this book is fabulous. And the twists! I love a good books with twists and this book literally left me speechless. I was always a huge big fan of Adalyn‘s work but this book is on a whole Nother level. This book feels like a classic with the mystery and supernatural elements we all know and love. This book is easily my favorite book and I will read this over and over forever.

First of all Thank you NetGalley, Little Brown books, and Adalyn Grace for this arc. Also thank you Adalyn so much for selecting me to be on your Belladonna street team.

What can I say about this book. It has easily become one of my favorites. I knew it would be as I am a sucker for Gothic infused fantasy books. As soon it was described as a clue murder mystery I was hooked. This book starts off with a bang. That prologue was shocking and made we want to devour the rest of the book. Signa is a very determined and strong willed young woman and it is rough to see her in the position she is placed. Going from family to family with death following her. Death always seems to lurking around the corner. She finally is granted her freedom to a charmingly, exquisitely described manor with her distant uncle and cousins. However death is already there, he’s looming in the hallways. This murder mystery gothic tale is full of such imagery and flavor that will leave you breathless. I wanna live in this world. The darkness and the mystery is intoxicating. I’m not a huge romance person but the romance in this book is fabulous. And the twists! I love a good books with twists and this book literally left me speechless. I was always a huge big fan of Adalyn‘s work but this book is on a whole Nother level. This book feels like a classic with the mystery and supernatural elements we all know and love. This book is easily my favorite book and I will read this over and over forever.

Hands down! One of the best books I've read this year so far!!! You are not ready for this book. The relationship between Signa, Sylas, and Death will have you clutching your pearls. Not in a naughty way, but more like gasp, I can't believe that just happened!

This wonderful tale takes you on a whodunnit path. Everyone's a suspect, trust no one. Well at least that's what I yelled to Signa while reading. As the story unfolds you can't help but point the finger at everyone and in the end, your jaw will drop. I love Adalyn's writing and have been a fan of hers since All the Stars and Teeth and she has now become an auto buy author for me.

Place this book on your Goodreads 'to read' and buy it this August when it is released, you will not regret it!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of of this book in exchange for a review.

I was completely drawn in just from reading the prologue. It was easy to immerse myself in our MC, Signa Farrow’s shoes.
I really liked her. She was clever and witty and kind.

We meet a bunch of different characters once we get to Thorn Grove after an incident leaves Signa without a place to go.

My favorite parts of the book were her scenes with Death. Death was an interesting character.

There are strange things going on at Thorn Grove where the mistress of the manor, Lillian died of a mysterious illness… or did she? I enjoyed the mystery aspect as well. I was right alongside Signa trying to piece together all the clues in the puzzle.

I can honestly say I didn’t see the ending coming, like who the perpetrator was. I was shocked, though it did make sense. I was a little suspicious of the person after really looking at the way the person acted.

There was a spicy scene or two but nothing graphic whatsoever.

There isn’t really a cliff hanger, but we are introduced to a new character including a new mystery and it left me so excited for the sequel!

Highly recommend so definitely go pre-order it!!

What a fun book, reminiscent of The Secret Garden and an Agatha Christie mystery. Signa Farrow, an heiress orphan, finally lands on her feet with distant cousins and is able to bring her knowledge of death and poisons to help heal a broken home. With Death (a sexy shadowy figure) and Sylas, the mysterious stable boy, to help her, she’s surely to solve the case before her cousin succumbs, right?

This book is everything. All fans of villain romance interests RISE! It's like Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone and Down Comes the Night by Alison Saft had a baby. It's like Shadow and Bone if the Darkling ended up with Alina. The victorian/gothic setting is PERFECT, the writing is lyrical and lush, and the mystery had me turning pages until the very end. One of my new favorite books.

I was lucky enough to receive an eARC copy of this book fron NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (thank-you!).

I haven't read anything by this author before, but the blub hooked be right away, so I was excited to get started. Our fmc is Signa Farrow, a 19 year old orphan who is waiting to turn 20 so she may inherit her vast fortune from her deceased parents. She's been passed from guardian to guardian since infancy, with only her grandmother truly caring for her. Unfortunately, her guardians keep dying. Oh, and Signa can literally see and communicate with the Grim Reaper, Death. And other dead spirits. Death seems to follow her wherever she goes and its giving her the reputation of being cursed. So, when Signa's most recent guardian, a cruel abusive Aunt dies, she sets off for Thorn Grove, an estate belonging to distant relatives.

Signa wants only to bide her time until she turns 20 and inherits her fortune. Unfortunately, bending in until then is not to be. Her cousin Lillian, the mistress of Thorn Grove, has passed away leaving her husband in deep mourning. Now Lillian's daughter, Blythe, is also stricken with the same illness that Lillian suffered from before she passed. Signa suspects right away that this is no illness, but rather poisoning by belladonna berries. With the help of a mysterious stable hand, Sylas, and the enigmatic Death himself, Signa desperately races against the clock to solve the mystery of who is targeting the Hawthorne family of Thorn Grove before Blythe becomes the next victim.

It too a good 1/4 of the book for me to really get into the story. And the last 25% or so is stellar. I loved the gothic feel to the book and the development of the romance doesn't overshadow the central mystery of the plot. Its interweaved perfectly! I did anticipate some of the twists, but there were others that had me gobsmacked. I know its still relatively early in 2022, but this has been one of my favorite reads so far.

Looking forward to book 2!

Have you ever wanted to dance with Death? Then look no further than Belladonna.

It is such a wonderful murder mystery, with shadows and romance twined together to create something truly swoonworthy. It's a lot more sarcastic, and lot more adorable, than you would expect something with Death taking center stage to be, but adorable and sarcastic it is! I enjoyed the romance a lot more than I thought I was going to, and it was definitely because of this.

And it's take on death in general was so comforting in a way. It was still imbued with the sadness of loss, but also such a focus on how much love has to be present for the loss to cut that deeply.

Also, how I adored Signa. She's lonely, a girl yearning for connection, to be something that she's thought she's wanted for so long. She wants friends, a family, love. Yet, there is also a stubbornness and grit that lies underneath all the layers she's put on to be acceptable to society. I liked that version of her the best, and I really, really enjoyed seeing her blossom.

The side characters were wonderful as well, having lives of their own and blooming into things I did not expect. I love the friendships that crumbled and grew, the new and tentative connections that were trying to form.

This was my most anticipated read for 2022 and it did not disappoint. The story was well paced and kept me guessing who was doing the poisoning. Death's character was charming. mysterious, and patient while he waited for Signs to decide what kind of life she wanted ( one of a socialite or beside Death). Signa is desperate to be accepted in a society that she is way to big for. In addition to these two, the story includes angry ghosts, angsty stable boys, and a twist that both surprised me amd broke my heart.

This was the death and the maiden book of my dreams!
I loved it more than I even hoped I could. And this is on the heels of a Maas high, so…. It’s amazing!

I adored all for the twists and turns of this gothic, supernatural murder mystery novel, and I’m desperate for the sequel!

If you like Crimson Peak, Keturah and Lord Death, A Court of Mist and Fury, and/or Lakesedge this book may (read: is definitely!) for you.

I've heard so many great things about this author and Belladonna did not disappoint! Strong characters and amazing plot

Thank you NetGalley, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and Adalyn Grace for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This book is captivating and beautiful and I loved it! I’m giving it 4.5 stars.

Belladonna follows Signa Farrow, a girl who has always been able to see Death, as she moves in with her new guardian after a string of accidents with her old ones. She arrives at the Hawthorne’s and realizes there’s a mystery involving the family and a strange illness that’s impacting them.

I really enjoyed the storyline and couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to know what was happening! It’s a unique plot and the author has written it very well. The writing was exquisite and included some very beautiful descriptions. I also really enjoyed all of the characters and getting to learn more about the family.

One thing I also loved about this book was the romance between Signa and Death. It reminded me a lot of Kingdom of the Wicked. I’m excited to learn more about Death’s realm in the next book and see what happens to them.

Overall, this book was amazing, and I highly recommend it! I would classify it as upper-YA, but I think anyone that’s a fan of gothic romances would enjoy it. I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel - Foxglove!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this book.

This book was one you cover lust after and then hope the inside is just as beautiful AND THIS ONE IS!

We get the story of a teenager named Signa who whether blessed or cursed in that she cannot die and can also see and feel Death. She is thrust from one family members home to another when they all die until she finally ends up at Thorn Grove with a mystery to solve before her last remaining family is killed.

This book was a beautiful gothic murder mystery tale fit for upper Young Adult readers. She writes beautiful rich descriptions, I truly felt like I could have been in any room of the house or garden. The romance felt a little weird I mean she’s only 19 but I get why it’s the way it was and enjoyed the enemies to lovers sparring. I do wish we got a little more in her lessons from Death. We get some but not enough to where I’m like yes she should know how to use her powers. I loved Signa and Death and everything about these characters.

There were two main plot twists one of which I figured out and one I didn’t which was a nice surprise because I’m very good at deducting storylines!

Absolutely recommend! Can’t wait for the next one, Foxglove!

This book was so good! The gothic atmosphere in a Victorian-like, buttoned up age, made for some thick tension in this dark story. Both the romance and the mystery were equally enthralling with brilliantly written characters. Reading this YA fantasy was an absolute pleasure and I now desperately need the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for access to this arc.

i loved adalyn's debut, 'all the stars and teeth', so I was highly anticipating this one. coupled with the fact that the cover is absolutely STUNNING, I basically had to read this. I wasn't disappointed overall, but i feel like the writing was a bit of a mixed bag? like sometimes it felt very lyrical, and other times it felt kinda dry. maybe it was just my personal experience, but that made it certainty less enjoyable :(

4 stars