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.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book! Signa & Death were so much fun. I think Adalyn Grace really improved her writing and worldbuilding skills with this one. Can't wait for book 2!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Signa Farrow is an orphan who has been surrounded by Death all her life—but when she finally confronts him, it sets in motion a series of events that leads to her solving a murder, uncovering her powers, and realizing what she really wants in life (and afterwards).

I’ve been itching to read this one since I first saw the cover and hardback design (seriously, this book without the dust jacket? I genuinely don’t think I own anything more beautiful), and even more so because the concept sounded so unique and captivating, so I was thrilled when one of my book clubs made it their January pick! I was supposed to spend the entire month reading this with the club, but once I got started I absolutely could not stop, so I “accidentally” finished it in a few days instead. Whoops.

BELLADONNA was everything I wanted it to be—dark, funny, romantic, creepy, with brilliant characters and fantastic world building. I never thought I’d be swooning over literal Death incarnate but…here we are. The plot was complex and thought-provoking, and I loved the way the murder mystery and reveal unfolded! My only small complaint would be that it started off a bit slow, but once it really got its hooks in me (somewhere between a quarter and a third of the way in) I never wanted it to end.

Suffice to say, I am absolutely dying with anticipation for the sequel (FOXGLOVE, out August ’23!)

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: Gothic mysteries; historical fantasy; the idea of a romance featuring literal Death

CW: Death/murder; loss of parent; alcoholism

Unfreakinbelievable! I loved this and sincerely hope it has a sequel.

I don't wanna give anything away but I will say this had a very original take on death, life, and society back in the days of dance cards & etiquette and reputation. Wow. Just freakin' wow.

I'm a sucker for gothic romance, and Belladonna was everything I was hoping for! It's dark, and gritty, mysterious and beautiful.

Unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. The romance wasn’t quite there and it was all over the place. The opening was great but I lost interest as I continued. Gorgeous cover though!

Very atmospheric, very transportive, dark and mysterious and so definitely right up my alley. I enjoyed following the main character, as she has had to learn how to take care and protect herself. There are also liked the different twists/reveals in the story. There is also a strong family aspect here. The MC knows that the family had a strong bond before the tragedy that they experienced and she is also learning how she fits in this complicated family. There are also very emotional moments as we follow and learn more about this family. The mystery element was also very compelling.

I have so much to say about this book but for starters. This was one of the best books I've read for me it deserves a spot next to throne of glass. I started the book with high expectations, and my expectations were more than full filled. Adalyn wrote about grief and loss in the most beautiful ways and that ending had me shocked, I loved the mystery and romance it was beautiful. I cannot wait for the second one🤞

I’m a sucker for Young Adult books specially with magical things involved. This was the PERFECT mix of mystery and all things YA and I absolutely loved it! Death himself and Signa were my favorite part of course, they’re banter was so good. I would highly recommend this if you like this particular charestisrics in this genre. Amazing!

This book definitely have off Gothic vibes from the description to the characters. The reader feels like they are part of the story. I highly recommend this book.

This book was really interesting! I was intrigued by the storyline and that's what initially drew me to this title. I also really love the cover artwork.

This book was SO GOOD. It really captivated me from the beginning and I could not stop reading to see what was going to happen.

I absolutely fell in love with this book nearly instantly. I love the way this is written. It isn’t too wordy and captivates you from the beginning.

The thought of our main character having to work together with Death himself to help solve these murders is everything I’ve been missing in my life.

When it comes to solving murders or mysteries, I feel I can usually guess who’s behind it or at least the authors make it terribly obvious. However, I had no idea who had poisoned the spirit that was haunting Signa.

I can’t go into too much detail otherwise I will spoil everything for everyone. But I cannot wait for Foxglove. I will be counting down the days.

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