Lately, I've been dying to read a book about a main character who doesn't want to be the main character. In Belladonna, Signa is dying to be just any other girl. I really loved watching her go from resisting everything asked of her by fate (or rather, Death), to feeling responsible, to wanting to be the hero of the story. The way Grace wrote Death was innovative, making what he does beautiful, and not the dark monster that many authors let him be. The progression of the story wasn't too predictable, and some parts had me wishing I had a friend who had already read it so I could scream with them over the book! I'm already counting down for the sequel.

Belladonna is perfect for anyone who wants a dark Victorian tale, meant to be read on a thundery night by candlelight.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I am SO sad to report that it fell flat for me. The imagery of the world that Adalyn Grace created was superb, but the characters themselves were really superficial to me. I think that it if there was more character depth, that I would have enjoyed it more.

“Belladonna” by Adalyn Grace is the first book in a new series by the author of the All the Stars and Teeth duology. While I read the first book in that duology and enjoyed the author’s writing style, I didn’t end up loving the book but that is entirely based on my preference because I don’t love books that are set at sea.

This book is a complete 180 turnaround from that story Belladonna follows our main character, Signa Farrow, as she grows up constantly followed by death. Signa often finds herself in situations that would kill a normal person and yet, she survives. When she eventually ends up on her uncle’s doorstep, she finds herself wrapped up in a murder mystery that needs to be solved before the murderer strikes again.

I loved this book. It has a very gothic feel, which I don’t see a lot in YA. The atmosphere was spot on. There is even a haunted garden.

Of course this wouldn’t be a YA book without an angsty romance and this book delivered. There is a slight love triangle with one of the sides of it being Death. Which felt so very Victorian. If I had to compare the feeling I got while reading this book, I would say it is very similar in vibes to the movie, Crimson Peak.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes gothic vibes with a murder mystery and romance.

Belladonna is the first in a new series by New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace, who is well-known for her duology All the Stars and Teeth. Her previous series was set in a fantasy world with intricate magic, mermaids, and pirates, but Belladonna positions itself in a more down-to-earth Victorian-inspired setting. However don’t make the mistake of picturing Bridgerton as this Gothic-inspired murder mystery with paranormal romantic fantasy elements is more along the lines of Crimson Peak meets Stalking Jack The Ripper.

The killer premise of a young woman teaming up with Death himself to investigate a potential murder is uniquely intoxicating, and the suggestion that Death is a love interest will seal the deal for many readers. Death is a tricky character to portray in a believable manner that conveys the full weight of his immortal existence and countless years of reaping souls while also making it plausible that he might become invested in one particular human, but the author pulls it off with style. She cleverly builds up a mystery surrounding our heroine who somehow survives Death’s touch as a baby, causing him to catch glimpses of her impossible future even though nobody has ever come out alive after an encounter with Death. It’s easy to understand why Death would become fascinated by Signa Farrow and keep tabs on her throughout her life because she is something unheard of and offers the prospect of companionship to a previously solitary entity.

Of course, being able to survive a social encounter with Death not a guarantee that Signa would have any inclination to spend time with him! She understandably has a grudge against Death given that as a young orphan, she was forced to move from one household to another with increasingly less hospitable guardians since they kept dying in an untimely fashion around her, leading to the rumour that she is cursed. All Signa wants is the security of a permanent home with a loving family and Death is a threat to that dream, causing her to be very hostile towards him in their initial interactions. But when it appears that her late aunt was murdered and there is the chance her killer may strike again, Signa must reluctantly ally with Death in order to protect her newest household.

Signa and Death’s dynamic is very tropey and reminiscent of other books where the plucky young heroine is pitted against an amoral adversary in a position of power who has a fondness for her. As someone who finds that to be pure catnip, I relished in every scene between them. And unlike many books with a similar dynamic, Death is actually a legitimate love interest rather than purely the villain which means we see a satisfying romantic arc develop between them. Fans of tropes like hate-to-love and forced proximity will be very pleased with their relationship!

While the romantic element is a big part of the appeal of Belladonna, it doesn’t overshadow the murder mystery plot at Thorn Grove which is a thrilling, atmospheric enigma that thoroughly bamboozles Signa and the audience with multiple red herrings and dead ends on the way to a stunning conclusion with shocking but satisfying twists. Signa’s investigation into the fraught history of the Hawthornes and the resulting puzzle pieces she tries to assemble is genuinely intriguing and it’s easy to invest in her efforts to safeguard her new family. The side characters feel like realistic, complex human beings and Signa’s growing connection to her cousins is especially rewarding to witness.

This highly imaginative and excitingly original premise is supported by lush evocative writing, magical world-building and a gripping, well-crafted storyline. Meshing multiple genres with ease, Belladonna will enchant readers who enjoy romantic fantasy, gothic vibes and murder mysteries. An addictive and atmospheric dark upper YA novel, this is fair warning to you all not to start reading late at night unless you want to be up past dawn turning the last page!

4/5 stars!

Oooh okay!! I was actually very pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. Belladonna is a gothic infused fantasy filled with elements of romance, mystery and paranormal activity. I really liked how easily this book read and found there was a lot more that I liked about it than disliked. Let me first start off by saying that the alluring and haunting atmosphere of this book was just *chefs kiss*!! I really liked the main plot idea of a murder mystery and found myself totally invested in figuring out who the killer was alongside Signa. Although there were a few surprises that I figured out pretty quickly, I was thrilled that by the end of the book there were even a few twists and turns I didn't see coming. I found the ideas behind Signa's abilities fascinating and loved how they were used and developed further throughout the book. I was completely enchanted by the personification of Death's character, however wished we saw just a little more depth to his character/personality. I thought the romance was okay but wished for it to be a little more developed and a little less rushed. Overall, this was a really solid read for me, I had a lot of fun with it and would definitely recommend!

BELLADONNA is author Adalyn Grace's third published work, and this will be the second I've read from her. I have previously read her debut, ALL THE STARS AND TEETH, and while I did not end up finishing that duology, I was optimistic that time and experience would start to show through by her third novel.

Ultimately, I have to say I'm just not sure if I am the best audience for the author's writing. I absolutely love the concepts behind her stories and on paper BELLADONNA has so many things I love in a story. Mystery. Murder. Ghosts. A rendezvous with Death. And there were several parts I thoroughly enjoyed. I really liked the set-up of the prologue and it set an excellent tone for what the story would be. I also loved our leading heroine fighting for the life she wants—especially when she realizes the life she wants isn't the one she'd thought she'd always wanted.

My qualm largely comes from a disconnect in the characterization with Death. For me personally, it didn't hit. And because the entire character didn't land for me, the entire romantic subplot also didn't land for me.

I believe this book will land better for its target Teen audience, and certainly the 16+ crowd that is aware of the societal pressures on them. There are some truly wonderful moments of consideration and self-awareness that would do well for Teen/Tween readers. And I'm still very much interested in the sequel, FOXGLOVE, based on the ending of BELLADONNA.

But overall, I find myself on the fence for the rating and that has more to do with personal preferences than anything that should be critiqued across the board. So in recognition of that, I will be rounding up my score, because I do believe this will hit better for the audiences it is intended for!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for an advanced copy for review!

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.