This one wasn’t for me. I enjoyed the story concept, but I found it really hard to connect with the characters. Additionally the plot was much too slow for me.
I did enjoy the relationship between death and the MC.

This was definitely a book to look out for this year. It's highly romantic, gothic, and really unbeatably, imaginatively good.
The characters were amazing. The development and depth of personality really made the book enjoyable to read, unlike some of Grace's other books. This writing was more mature I'm comparison.

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

If you ever wanted a Tim Burton-esque YA book, look no further than Belladonna.

This book had everything my gothic romance loving heart could've ever wanted. From the very first page in arguably one of the best prologues I've read in YA, I was hooked. I was obsessed. Everything jumped from the page and felt so real.

Belladonna follows Signa Farrow, an orphan girl with a unique ability to communicate with Death. When one of her relatives dies, she is brought to Thorn Grove, the residence of her last remaining family. When the wife of the patriarch of the house appears and claims she was poisoned, Signa enlists the help of stable hand, Sylas to find out the killer, fearing they might strike again.

The very first thing that jumped out for me was the writing style. This book is gloriously thematic and aesthetic and I was in awe of how the ambience was built up so well from page one. The book flowed so easily, the progression of events feeling so natural and rich with description. From the very start we discover the unfortunate circumstances that lead to Signa's orphanhood and her relationship with the mysterious figure, Death who she's tried seeking out since her parents died when she was a baby. Layering and backstory really enabled a deeper understanding of her character and I loved reading about her on the page. She was a lonely, sad, yet kind main character who was just seeking friendship, a thing she had the misfortune of never experiencing. Her characterisation was one of the best elements of the book.

We also got a lot of backstory and depth to the side characters which was a delightful touch. I found myself connecting to Blythe, Percy, Elijah, Marjorie and Sylas and I enjoyed the moments when Signa was alone with them so we could understand them better.

The one thing that brought this book down a bit rating wise was how predictable some parts of the book were. I predicted the storyline between Sylas and Death from the very start, thinking how strange it was that these characters were never seen together nor seen by anyone other than Signa. I just wished we had more emotional scenes between them so that I could connect to their characters a bit more.

That being said, I am confident the connections between all characters would further develop in book two. This book, especially the ending has left me wanting more and I'm so excited to read Foxglove as soon as it releases.

ACTUAL RATING: 4.4 STARS

This book was awesome. I love a good clue murder mystery so I knew I would love this book. The atmosphere that Adalyn Grace creates is genius. She really makes you feel like you truly know her characters and when you finish reading it is like losing your friends. Her characters are relatable but also with a fantasy realm. I never saw the twist coming and I am pretty good and guessing these types of things. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery but also loves fantasy.

I loved Adalyn Grace’s debut All The Stars And Teeth, so I had no doubt that I would love Belladonna just as much… and I was right! It’s a Greek mythology-inspired story with a cunning main character and Death (yes, literal Death incarnate) as the love interest. It’s dark, it’s aesthetically pleasing, and it’s a brilliant read!

A fun, dark, fantasy with Death as a love interest—what more could one want? Belladonna was a great read, but I want more of Death! Excited to see what comes of the sequel.

This book has an incredible aesthetic. It's part fantasy, part horror, and part mystery. Even with all of that, it still found time to have commentary on grief, which I really appreciated. I'm very intrigued by what will happen in book two!

Signa Farrow is an orphan who has been passed from family member to family member for most of her life. Due to all her family members dying on her. Unfortunately none of her family members are even interested in Signa, just the money they receive for taking her in. Signa also isn’t really able to die. Every time Death comes for her, he doesn’t take her. After another one of her family members die Signa is taken in by one of her last remaining relatives and moves into Hawthorne Grove. After arriving Signa learns that the mother of the household actually passed away shortly before her arrival from a strange illness. Signa gets visited by the woman‘s spirit and finds out the she was actually poisoned. And if Signa can’t figure out who did it, the woman’s daughter will die too. As she is currently sick with the same “strange illness”. And Signa’s only true ally is Death himself.

I absolutely adored this book! It’s in my top 15 reads of the year. I loved the gothic atmosphere of the entire novel. It gave me a bit of Gallant (by V.E. Schwab) vibes. The mystery throughout definitely keeps you turning the page. But my favorite thing in this book was the fact that Death is personified. And might even end up being a love interest 😏. I absolutely loved his character. I can’t wait until the next book comes out. This is set to at least be a duology, if not a larger series. I’m sorry if my description did not do this book justice. But I highly recommend picking up this book if you love a gothic fantasy, with a murder mystery and a unique romance sprinkled in.

While the premise and cover appealed to me, the execution of this novel is toward a younger YA audience than I expected. Thus, this book was not in the realm of my enjoyment and I did not complete reading it past the 20% mark.

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace was one hell of a way to end the month. From the opening scene, when we first see Signa taking poison on purpose, to the twisty ending, all you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride. This Gothic romance has all of the best tropes. Plus, I cannot help but think it would be somewhat cool to be able to take any poison and live through it. What got me, though, is the addition of Death as a character. Ms. Grace writes him in such a way that makes my dark heart flutter. Ms. Grace already announced the sequel and its release date, and is already on my must-read list for 2023!

Personally wasn’t a fan of this but loved the writing and worldbuilding. The characters were not my favorite. The plot is okay.

Love the vibes for this book! Adored the setting and main character so much! Very interesting premise that I couldn’t get enough of. I’m definitely interested to see how the next book unfolds.

This book was the perfect blend of fantasy, romance and mystery. It kept me on my toes and enthralled until the very last page. I am overjoyed to find out that there is a new book coming.

Belladonna is a beautiful gothic ghost story set around the turn of the century. There was a lot to love about it -- the setting of Thorn Grove, the descriptions, the familial relationships, Signa's at-times comical introduction into society. That being said, while the romance was compelling, I found it to be underdeveloped, and Signa's desire to accept her fate was repetitive. I also wanted to know more about her friend Charlotte. Also, why was Sylas rude to her at first? Perhaps some of these questions will be answered in the next book, Foxglove. At this point, I am 50/50 on reading the next installment but can see how maybe Grace used this book for a lot of set-up that could pay off in the sequel. We shall see! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Little, Brown for the free Arc in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this was an interesting book! Overall, I would definitely recommend trying it, if it sounds good to you!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This book was atmospheric and beautiful and dark and honestly just what I have been craving!!

I didn’t realize there will be more in this world and I am SO excited for Foxglove!!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Belladonna” by Adalyn Grace. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I initially thought this was a fantasy book? Looking through some other reviews I see I wasn’t the only one. There is some kind of death power in the story but it really didn’t feel like a fantasy book.

Death follows Signa throughout her life. She’s poised to inherit her family fortune but all her caretakers keep dying and she gets shuffled from house to house. I really didn’t like the beginning scene and it just went downhill from there. Death is a character and in the very beginning he meets Signa as a baby and then follows her for her whole life. It was a strange vibe and I kept hoping he wasn’t the love interest but of course he was. He’s a centuries old if not ageless being obsessed with a teenager whom he literally watched grow up. Big yikes,

There were too many characters and I didn’t understand why Signa got so attached to her cousins when she knew death was a very real possibility for anyone she interacts with. A mystery unfolds but Signa is so terrible at solving it. The pacing was off as sometimes it was life or death and other times Signa got distracted by all her various love interests and acted like she had all the time in the world to figure out why her cousin was dying of a mysterious illness. I just didn’t care about any of the characters and was creeped out by Signa and Death’s relationship. The “mysteries” unfolded so the reader was several steps ahead of Signa stumbling around trying to put the very obvious puzzle pieces together. The word puzzle is also very much a crutch word in the story. We get it, Signa, you are very confused. I don’t want to spend another book watching her flounder around failing to solve obvious mysteries while all the boys fall all over her nonexistent personality.

I will not be continuing this series.

Trigger warnings for lots of gruesome and violent death as well as descriptions of the nasty effects of various poisons and a lot of vomiting.

2/5 stars

"You are no soft thing to be coddled. You are bolder than the sun and it's time that you burn."

Adalyn Grace has such a gift for writing unique and interesting stories. While the first half of this story definitely captured my attention, the second-half is where Signa's story really soars. With high stakes, romance, questions regarding life and death, and a suspenseful ending, Belladonna is a story that was such fun to follow. I am so looking forward to the sequel.

This premise had me interested instantly, especially since I really liked Adalyn Grace’s ALL THE STARS AND TEETH duology! And while BELLADONNA delivered on its gothic concept, the book didn’t end up being for me.

I can see why others like it, but I personally didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would!

**4.5-stars rounded up**

With a story as beautiful as its cover, Belladonna took me completely by surprise. I enjoyed this so much!

We follow Signa Farrow, who is not your average girl. I know you hear that a lot, but in this case it's true. For example, she has an immunity to Belladonna, can commune with spirits and has a relationship with Death.

Unfortunately, our Signa was orphaned as a child and has lived with many guardians since. Recently, she's been with her Aunt Magda, who is cruel. There's no love lost between the two. So, when Aunt Magda suddenly dies, Signa isn't exactly heartbroken.

She does have questions about her future though. Then she receives word that her last remaining relatives, the Hawthornes, would like her to go live with them at their Thorn Grove estate, as her Uncle Elijah's ward. Lacking other options, Signa leaves her old life behind willingly and with a bit of hope in her heart.

Arriving at the estate, she begins to become acquainted with everyone. Her Uncle is mourning his wife, Lilianne, who passed away recently. Woefully, her younger cousin, Blythe, seems to be suffering from the same mysterious illness that prematurely killed her mother.

When it becomes clear to Signa that Lilianne didn't die of natural causes an unexpected murder mystery begins to unfold. This is made significantly more interesting by the fact that Signa gets the support of her old friend, Death, as she tries to solve it.

This book surprised me. I really didn't know much about it going in. My initial attraction was the cover, followed by Adalyn Grace's name on said gorgeous cover. I was delighted with the setting, which based off some dates of included journal entries would be sometime in the 1850s or 1860s. It has a lush gothic feel that I really loved. Even the focus on plants like belladonna, Signa's frequent use of it, felt very period specific and natural to me.

I enjoyed learning about Signa's Thorn Grove family along with her. She's really thrust right into their world of formal parties, frequent visitors and gossipers galore. Having lived a fairly secluded life up until that point, I think Signa had felt very lonely. Now surrounded with people she becomes attached, to some more than others. Particularly her cousin, Blythe. She's very saddened by Blythe's illness and becomes determined to see her well.

I actually really ended up enjoying the romantic elements as well. I loved the dynamic between Signa and the character of Death. It was giving me <i>Addie LaRue</i> vibes and I was not mad about it. Signa, at the age where it would be acceptable for her to marry, has some other prospects as well. Watching her navigate that, while trying to decipher her unusual feelings for Death was super compelling. I was eating it up.

Grace did a fantastic job of building the tension and mystery. It was hard to put down once Signa began looking into Blythe's illness. It was a bit of a race against the clock and for a while, almost everyone was a suspect.

I loved the ending of this as well. It was a great set-up for the second book. Personally, I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Signa is one of my favorite new characters of the year, so I can't wait to be reunited with her.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Hachette Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I definitely recommend the audiobook for this story. It was so easy to get swept up into this world through that medium. 10-out-of-10 recommend!!