I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the sequel! My only complaints were that the characters could have been more strongly developed and at times, the plot seemed to drag. 4 stars!

Alas, I have encountered another overhyped book that I just could not get into. I have had this arc forever but every time I was trying to read it, it was just not giving with me. Which brings me to the conclusion that it was the book, not me. While the world building was beautiful and the writing style was great, the characters.. um, no thank you. They were just super not my type, I found them annoying and unlikeable and I wish I had more to say.

Belladonna is the first book in a new series by Adalyn Grace. I had previously read her ALL THE STARS AND TEETH duology, which I really enjoyed, so I was expecting to love this one. I didn't. There wasn't any problem with the writing. Grace always captures the world perfectly and her writing is beautiful. The characters were very unlikeable. It took me MONTHS to get through this book because of how much I didn't like Signa's Pov. The book was pitched as a mystery with a cross between Bridgerton and a haunted mansion mystery. This story is very gothic and if you chose to pick it up do it during October! This book did have redeeming qualities like the worldbuilding, captivating mystery, and atmospheric gothic elements.

Loved the gothic vibes of this book. That aspect was pretty well done. Most of the book, really, was pretty well done. The mystery, the magic. And then Death, himself. A complicated relationship. Largely inappropriate. But I can't help but keep reading.

The most frustrating part was that so many questions weren't answered at all. I know there's a sequel coming, but come on man. I needed a little bit more context for Signa's past. Just a tease? Please?

Oh how I love books with gothic vibes and some mystery! It took me forever and a day to have a chance to read this and I'm so glad I finally got to it! This ya, regency era, fantasy book was a very interesting concept and kept me thinking. The characters were well developed and interesting. The authors writing made me feel like i was right there in that time. My only complaint was the slight predictability of a couple things but I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for the next one!

Moody and dark, this is a Gothic romance in the same vein as The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue or Kingdom of the Wicked. I wish it were a stand-alone, though. The ending clearly points to a series, and I feel this story would have held more weight if it had ended with Signa debuting in society.
Full review on YouTube

What a pleasant read!

Mixed with murder/mystery, romance and friendship.

I really enjoyed every moment of this and looking forward to the next book. 📖

I am ready to solve the next murder. 🔍

very meh. very boring. i couldn't care less what happened to the plot or the characters.

- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC.

This is one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in a while. Loved it so much! Could tell right from the start that it was going to be a page-turner for me and I was not wrong. Cannot wait for FOXGLOVE!

What a powerful story! I loved this book from start to finish. This is the first book that I read from the author and I’m really looking forward to reading more.

Wow! I could not put this book down!!! Usually it takes me a handful or more chapters to get into a book, but Belladonna has me hooked from the first couple! Definitely not a normal book I would go for but went into it blind, just loved the gorgeous cover!! I was very pleasantly surprised and can not wait for the second book! Very beautifully written !

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, I loved the beginning of this and thought it was fascinating and atmospheric. But then Signa entered society and the pacing was just way off. I also couldn’t get over that Death, an immortal character, was waiting and watching Signa grow up. I found that too hard to get over, considering that was the main ship.

Really fun read! I enjoyed the character interactions but definitely think some of the plot points were predictable. Hard not to fall for the MMC!! Very interested to see where the next book goes though! I'm hooked!

4.25-I really enjoyed this book the writing was so lyrical and beautiful that I really wanted to keep reading more from this author. This story follows Signa a young woman who seems to bring death to whoever she is living with. After multiple incidents it seems no one wants to be her next guardian even though she is to inherit a fortune. When a distant relative agrees to take her in she agrees until death shows up again and people start almost dying, but Signa decides she will not let this happen again so while working with death she has to solve a murder mystery to save her family.

I really liked this book a lot but I really wanted to take my time reading this book. The writing was very lyrical and beautiful and it really brought this gothic tale to life. I will say there were not to many surprises for me but still really enjoyed this book. After reading this book I really look forward to picking up more from this author in the future. Thanks to Net galley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

I finished this back in July right before it come out, but I was so disappointed with it - I just couldn't bring myself to rate it because I'm so torn!

Adalyn's debut duology is a comfort read and one I read and rated 5 stars for as I am a total sucker for a fun swash-buckling adventure! But we aren't here to discuss those -

Belladonna. The concept was so promising and I was stoked for a gothic "romance". Critically, I will say that to me this had virtually no romance. It's beyond slow burn and felt more one sided to me. While I still rated this three stars, I can honestly say the saving grace of this book (for me), was the atmosphere. The authors' writing style really transported me into this very dark, gothic setting which I absolutely adored.
The main character I could not connect with, however I don't feel it as a problem with how the author wrote her, I just found her very unlikeable and maybe a bit...disloyal? I felt she jumped around to different characters to suit her needs and because of this it made me dislike her mental thoughts and how they didn't match to her "promises" to Death.

I do want to stress that this is only my opinion and I would still recommend this to any reader that loves gothic stories with a touch of romance and a lot of angsty emotions. I feel there is definitely an audience out there for this, it just sadly wasn't what I was looking for.

This story was beautiful, immersive, gothic, atmospheric, spooky, and incredibly well written. It was everything!

This book surprised me! I had no idea what to expect going in, but it takes us to the most beautiful setting and brings all the vibes I look for in a gothic novel.

I love a good love story with a good creep factor.

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace follows nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow. Orphaned as a baby, she has spent her life being raised by a string of guardians. Most are more interested in the wealth she is set to inherit once she reaches the age of twenty than her well-being. Each guardian has met an untimely death, leaving Signa with her final set of relatives—the Hawthornes—at the estate known as Thorn Grove. Elijah mourns his wife Lillian by throwing countless parties and indulging in drink. His son Percy is desperate to hold on to the pieces of his family’s reputation among Society. Percy’s sister Blythe has come down with the same sickness that killed their mother. Lillian’s spirit has taken to Signa and tells her of her suspicions that she was poisoned. Signa has always hated her ability to see spirits and Death himself. But in order to protect and save her newfound family, she just may have to put their differences aside. As Signa grows closer to Death, she realizes that she and him may not be so different after all, and Signa may be capable of more than she ever imagined.

Belladonna is a delicious gothic historical mystery with fantasy elements thrown in to make a book that is simply impossible to put down. Signa is a strong heroine who I really enjoyed seeing evolve. The setup for the sequel has me anticipating where Adalyn Grace will take Signa next!

Happy Sunday Bookish Babes🙋‍♀️💋
Belladonna by @authoradalyngrace is destined to be a classic.
Featured is my beautiful @fairyloot special edition.

I give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🤯🤯🤯
Easily my #2 of the top ten YA fantasy books released in 2022

✔Gothic manor / Victorian masquerade balls / mysterious poisoning..I didnt figure out who was behind the death of Lillian Hawthorne , I thought I knew who was continuing with the poisoning of her daughter Blythe..nope I was so wrong .
✔ Gorgeous decadent estate ..complete with a Victorian overgrown garden. Please tell me they create a maze hedgerow in book 2
✔ Best character: Death easily stole my heart..
"You are the night incarnate, the ferrier of souls. You are the bridge between the living and the dead —a caged bird that’s ready to fly."

“Because I have waited an eternity to meet you, Signa Farrow .” The words were a balm she clung to, relishing. “To me, you are a song to a soul that has never known music. Light to someone who has only seen the darkness. You bring out the absolute worst in me, and I become vindictive toward those who treat you in ways I don’t care for. Yet you also bring out the best in me— I want to be better because of you. Better for you.
✔ what also spoke to me, the women in this book were before their time in planning their future, wanting a choice, seeing life as an adventure instead of a deal with the patriarchy. I hope in book 2 Signa helps Charlotte see she is more than a commodity to be wed off.
I liked that Signa grew into herself , and knew time well spent was better than settling for a marriage of convenience. I like that she grew self confidence and never gave up.

I cannot wait for August ..Foxglove book 2 release.

.I am a huge fan of KDramas and the Grim Reaper is a recurring character. I love the time that Ms Grace took to make that veil between life and afterlife so tangible. The lake , the ferrymen ..the bridge ..all are Asian mythology themes that were done so beautifully. Death even describes Eids Tears..the tea that is given so a soul can forget their memories and be reincarnated. She obviously did excellent reasearch and i cannot wait to see Fates character.

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace is one of the books that I have been eagerly awaiting. The cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous, which opens the door for special editions (something a bibliophile such as myself loves to collect). With that being said, the synopsis of this book was good but the actual story was even better than I imagined it would be. The characters were very likeable and I found myself rooting for Signa and Death/Sylas. The world building was done well. There were times when this book reminded me of Audrey Rose from the Stalking Jack the Ripper series (which I liked). I did find it frustrating how much the author kept repeating info throughout the story (Signa blaming death for people dying and her life being ruined, Signa seeing spirits, the Inheritance she was waiting on that her caregivers were spending, etc.). At some point I literally exhaled and said out loud to no one "okay, we got it already" because the same points kept being said over and over again in lengthy tangents. Loved the spirit who didn't pass on because he was trying to read every book in the library. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

While the writing was lush, I couldn’t stand the main character and was bored at the 50% mark. It ended up becoming a chore to read because it seemed like nothing was happening. I put down over the weekend and couldn't make myself pick it back up.