This book, this wonderfully intoxicating book!

It’s been a while since a book has had me so thoroughly hooked. Everything about it, the characters, the setting and the whole vibe would make this a great choice for spooky season.

Signa Farrow is such an incredible lead. She’s been through the ringer. Despite having a fortune to inherit she’s lived in poverty, she’s faced hardships you could only imagine and yet, she’s still kind. She’s fierce. She’s protective of those she cares about and her growth throughout the book is beautiful.

The plot is so utterly unique and such a wonderful concept. Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? It kept me guessing all the way through and I was certain I’d worked out the murderer but alas i was left with my jaw on the floor! It was fantastic. And that ending?! What a ride.

As I said, perfect for spooky season. Ghosties, special powers, death and a healthy dose of intrigue makes this an utterly enthralling read

I was a little hesitant to start this one since I wasn’t the biggest fan of her first duology but, THIS WAS AMAZING AND I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS. Anyways, haha. Let’s just move right along because I know you are curious.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Signa. She has been an orphan since she was a baby and has moved from guardian to guardian since then. Each guardian unfortunately meets an untimely demise. The author really knows how to hook you in through just those two details from the beginning. I had kind of forgotten what the blurb had mentioned so maybe that helped as well.

Signa is strong, independent, and authentically herself. She may at times try to follow a lady’s guide but I think it’s more so that those around her don’t judge her than for herself. I love her true self and it’s nice to see certain characters appreciate that quality about her. I’m not going to lie though, sometimes she veers towards morally gray and even I questioned whether I could make that decision if I was her. She definitely kept me on my toes!

Want to know my favorite character? Death. I know what you are thinking. How can Death be a character? Well, he is and he is glorious! In ways he reminds me of Jacks from Caraval/OUABH, but he does have his own qualities and they make him swoon worthy. He made me, laugh, cry, and feel happiness which probably isn’t what death is supposed to do but oh well. Call me crazy!

The romance is everything I had wanted it to be and more. It was slow but the connection between the two was strong and they bring out the best and worst of each other. I just need more and I can’t wait for book two.

There is a lot to the plot and one line involves murder. I didn’t think that would be something but it worked really well with everything else and even I couldn’t spot the culprit. It was well done and had me guessing until the very end. Some characters you just love to hate, you know what I mean?

And if you aren’t sold yet, how about the ability to see spirits? Signa has the ability and I liked seeing her interact with them. They were all unique and added to the plot in different ways.

Plus, the ending is wild! Wild and unbelievable and I need the sequel now! I’m going to be thinking about it for a while.

Overall, this was so worth the read and I just need people to read it so I can gush about it more. Haha!

Belladonna follows an orphaned girl, Signa Farrow, as she is on the cusp of reclaiming her massive fortune. She has had a difficult life, being handed off to relative after relative and barely taken care of while her relatives take advantage of her allowance. She is haunted, plagued, and fearful of Death throughout her childhood, yet Death seems fascinated with Signa and as she enters adulthood, Signa may be more than just your average high-society chasing girl. You see she can't seem to die —
Equal parts love story and murder-mystery, Signa once again is left orphaned by a guardian after their untimely death, and finds herself at Thorn Grove surrounded by a grieving uncle, a dying cousin, and mystery upon mystery.... oh and there are ghosts, too.
This novel was intriguing, and while some of the bigger "twists" were predictable, the overall story held my attention. I learned about Belladonna a bit, but I do wish there was more poison, potions, and overall herbal information within these pages. I also found myself curious about Signa, we don't really know how her power works, why she can use these powers, or even what "training" she even received from Death, because even though they were meeting for midnight training sessions.... there wasn't much training. It was more of a ploy to force the two characters together to satisfy the enemies to lovers theme and provide some romantic tension -- which I think could have been executed a bit differently. Most of the scenes in the first 2/3 of the book between Death and Signa felt very stilted and forced.
I loved the interaction between Signa and Sylas, I wanted a bit more of that - even a little more of Wakefield's romantic potential would have been nice to add a little more triangle to the love story. That being said, the romance was not super necessary, because the story of Signa rushing to solve the murder-mystery and save her cousin was story enough for me.
This novel will be part of a series, because we get left on a cliff-hangar with another, you guessed it: Murder. I'm excited to see where Adalyn Grace takes us in the next installment, and maybe learn more about Signa and why she has the abilities she does.

Set up very well to be a series. Interesting NA historical/fantasy with a dash of romance. The magic system could’ve used a little more fleshing out but all in all I loved all of these characters and how the story came together. Signa and Death’s relationship grew in an interesting way and I didn’t want to put it down for the last 25-30% of the book. Can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun story that has gothic secret garden vibes, and I absolutely loved it. Death as a character was fascinating, and was a great dynamic with Signa, the main character. The mystery of the murder was also done well, with little sprinkles of clues to keep the story going at a good pace, and that ending! Definitely will be reading the next installment. I hope to see more Signa and Death!

Death as a love interest? Ghosts? Gothic vibes? Count me in!!

The main character, Signa, has the ability to communicate with the dead and is impervious to death. In order to solve the murder of a family member and save her dying cousin, she teams up with Death and some stray ghosts. This book is atmospheric, a tad gothic, and so imaginative. I absolutely loved this story.

The author does a great job of making you love every character right before you find them to be suspicious. There’s a minor love triangle (I always love a good triangle) and the platonic friendships also had a lot of depth and layers. Within the first couple chapters I was completely hooked. With ghosts, mystery, and romance, this story was such a breath of fresh air. The whole concept was so unique and fun. There was no shortage of plot twists or chaos.

The only thing I would change is to maybe enhance Charlotte’s role? She seemed to teeter on the edge of relevance, but maybe Book #2 fixes this.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and I can’t wait to see how the story continues.

Belladonna was absolutely breathtakingly amazing. This dark tale weaves a story with finding new relationships, love, revenge, mystery, and self discovery, that left me easterly turning pages, gasping for more and more. Brilliantly written. The mixture of dark and light, revenge and love, enemies and friends as so compelling. Highly suggest everybody preorder this one!

Signa has been raised by a string of guardians and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.
Maybe it’s because I was excited for this one, but this just did not live up to my expectations. I did love the plot although it did take a while to get there. I abosulyl loved the cover and that is a big reason why I wanted to read this one. Sadly, the plot twists were easy to see coming. What I really didn’t like was the romance and how it took away from the plot and most importantly felt kind of gross. I won’t go more into the romance because I don’t want to spoil anything. Overall, it was an good book, but not exactly what I was expecting.
Thank you Netgalley for an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

it took me a while to finish this one and gather my thoughts...!

the first third of this book was a whirlwind. i mean that both emotionally and in setting the gothic ghostly tone, but also just so so fast. it felt like so much was happening and flying by, and i had to reread some of it to pick up on things i felt like i was missing. i enjoyed reading it every time i picked it up, the prose is gorgeous and captivating, but i didn't hit my stride until around 50% into the book.

signa is not an unlikeable main character perse, and she has her relatable moments. i particularly enjoyed being in her mind's desire to desperately fit into high society at first. but i did find myself rolling my eyes at her at times too... anyway the best character by far is blythe... #BLYTHELOVECLUB i'm making us t-shirts <3

my favorite aspect of the whole story--and honestly the only thing that didn't feel rushed--was the romance. it was to Die for... hahaha no pun intended (pun very intended.)

i'll probably pick up the sequel from my local library!!

thank you kindly to netgalley and little, brown books for young readers for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review. :)

BELLADONNA by Adalyn Grace is like Bridgerton meets Addie La Rue. I loved the twists and turns of this book, and especially (mild spoilers) loved Grace's characterization of Death, which I think was less fierce than typical "night incarnate" portrayals but just as compelling. While it felt slow at times, it picked up in ways that definitely made up for it and I'm excited to see where Grace takes the cliffhanger. Would recommend to lovers of murder mysteries, the supernatural, and VE Schwab.

Adalyn Grace continues to keep me enthralled with her books. I absolutely loved All the Stars and Teeth and was beyond excited to receive an eARC from NetGalley for Belladonna! I have to say I was not left disappointed! I was dragged immediately into the story and loved Signa and Death. My only complaint is I now have to wait a year to find out what happens next!
I never thought I could find myself loving Death, but Belladonna proved me wrong!

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Grace's All the Stars and Teeth duology, and now BELLADONNA, I am thoroughly convinced that she is a master a writing boys in YA books to pine over. Do I prefer Death or Bastian? I don't think I can choose between them!

In this series, Grace introduces readers to Signa as she approaches her twentieth birthday, who has had the unlucky experience of being orphaned as an infant and passed around from one relative to the other. Why was she orphaned? Everyone at Foxglove Manor (including her parents) were poisoned... and so was Signa, yet the poison didn't kill her, in fact it doesn't seem like anything could kill her like a normal human. Rather it set a course for her life where Death was always around, and as she grew up, she spoke with him... and learned how to call him by using poisonous berries. Now as a ward of her last familial connection, Signa is tired of Death (and death) following her wherever she goes, so when she discovers that someone is poisoning her cousin at Thorn Grove, she is determined to stop it before it's too late. With the help of the snarky, but handsome stable boy, and with Death himself, Signa is on a race against time to put all the pieces together to save the Hawthorne's... if she can only figure out who is doing the poisoning and why.

I thought the mystery was interesting, I loved the setting at Thorn Grove, and while I had put some of the pieces together, I had not figured it all out by the time Grace gives readers the reveal so that was fun. I LOVED who Silas turned out to be, that was a delightful twist! And it was great to see Signa start to come into her own and accept this unique situation she has been given with being a human that has powers of a reaper... and also having her face the consequences of playing with other people's lives.

And that ending! The second book in this series cannot come out soon enough but I HAVE to know what happens next! Grace has quickly become a must-read author for me.

Dark, romantic, death is coming, this was absolutely amazing! I had heard so much about this release so I had to request it. This is easily one of the best reads of the year for me and it hasn’t even hit shelfs. I need a copy 😂 thank you for approving my review copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. This honest review was based off my experience reading an ARC, which in no way biased me.

This is my first Adalyn Grace book, but it will definitely not be my last.

This book was if Bridgerton, Crimson Peak, and Knifes Out had a love child.

We’ve got a girl who has been followed by Death since she was an infant, but cannot die. She gets bounced around guardian to guardian as they all mysteriously die. She finally says enough is enough and arrives at a place where she feels at home, but Death had beat her to her new home and now death seems to have a target on her new guardian’s family. Signa teams up with a stableboy named Sylas and Death himself to solve this intriguing murder mystery and prevent more death in this household.

Things I enjoyed:
-The character of Death
-HER DEATH MAGIC
-THAT reveal that is probably not what you’re thinking.
-The pacing was done well, I rarely wanted to put this book down.
-I loved the writing


Things I want to know more about:
-The character of Fate
-Death
-WHAT THE HELL HAPPENS NOW?


Things that could have used some work:
-The culprit of the murder’s was very predictable
-The misdirection where the reader was meant to believe it was someone else was TOO obvious.
-Her attachment to a family she just met felt forced, but also she probably finally just wanted to stay in one place.


All in all I had a fun time, and that was unexpected because once I started I was skeptical. 4.5 stars rounded up for Death :) Excited for the next installment.

I knew I wanted to see how Death would be personified. Come on, you're going to always interest me when you tell me Death is coming knocking. And - don't get me wrong - I loved the character of death, talk about clever and a bit wry, but I ended up loving Signe the most. I loved how she has to come into her own powers, but also how clever and resilient she is. Belladonna is very much a gothic mystery meets romance. Signe is tasked with unraveling what happened to Blythe's mother and Blythe yourself.

If you've always loved families who are eccentric, ghosts lingering, and something sinister, this is for you. But Belladonna is also about the pain of grief and ambition and love. It's about her own isolation and who it has shaped her to be - whether she wanted it or not. No one truly ever shows their cards. And I loved how atmospheric Belladonna felt from the beginning which only increases as the story progresses. For fans of romance story lines, that was one of my favorite under dog element.

Reminiscent of Addie Larue but with WAY more action and plot driving, so this is excellent for those that liked the idea of Addie Larue but aren't really setting driven and need a little action/mystery happening.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads this year. I feel so fortunate to have received this ARC. This book masterfully blended romance and murder mystery in a historical fiction setting. These three genres are my favourite combination and this book did not disappoint. The romance was amazing and the many plot twists were unexpected. Signa has been tossed from guardian to guardian since the death of her mother. After each guardian dies mysteriously, she is eventually taken in by the Hawthornes. Upon arriving at their estate she meets a Ghost who claims that she was murdered and is worried that her daughter may be next. Signa dedicates herself to solving the murder while attempting to navigate polite society, understand her growing attraction to a mysterious gentleman, and take her fate into her own hands. If you liked Stalking Jack the Ripper and Caraval, you should pick this book up as soon as it hits shelves on August 30th.

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

Wow. Wow. Wow. I absolutely loved this book. I tried to take my time reading because I really wanted to savor it! Signa has been surrounded by Death her entire life. When her most recent guardian dies she is taken to Thorn Grove to stay with another relative. She quickly becomes thrown into a murder mystery. I don’t want to give too much away but trust me this is a must read. I love the Victorian-Gothic vibe in this book! I cannot wait for the sequel to come out next year!!!

I was not a fan of this one at all. The wooden prose was awkward at best and unreadable at worst. I thought the plot could've been interesting, but the execution was lacking

With a cover this beautiful I just had to read it.
Nineteen year old Signa spent her whole life shuffled around from guardian to guardian. No one really wanting her since she is believed to bring death with her wherever she goes. When once again one of her guardians dies she is sent to her last remaining relatives. When she arrives at thorn grove she is informed that her cousin is sick with the mysterious sickness that already took her aunt.
Signa who since birth has a strange connection with death, believes that there is more going on. She now has to figure out what really is going on and if there is a way to help her Cousin.

I really wanted to love it but ended up a bit disappointed.
The positive
-The idea of this story is great and I was rather intrigued.
- I liked the murder mystery part of the story.
- The twists and turns
- the writing.
- the atmosphere

The things I didn’t really like.
- it felt a bit slow and I sometimes felt a bit bored.
- I wished the romance were explored a bit more, since I didn’t really feel it.
- more interactions between singa and blithe.

All in all I just felt something was missing and I feel like this could easily have been a standalone.

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