Belladonna by Adalyn Grace is a new favorite read for the year and I am so happy that I read this one this month for October because it's such a creepy/perfect read for the fall!
Syigna our main character wasn't annoying like so many other characters I meet. She was snarky and doesn't take no for an answer! My favorite character through this book was the character of Death and idk but he was so interesting to read from. But I just got to say without spoiling the book I just need book 2 like now! 5 stars!!!(:
Also this was book 99/100 for the year for me and I'm one book away from completing my goal!!(:

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace immediately had me captivated when I first started listening to it. It felt a little different in tone from Grace's previous duology and I am here for it. This story follows Signa Farrow who was orphaned as a newborn (that scene was heartbreaking to read as a mom). As she goes from relative to relative, it seems that death follows in her wake. She finally ends up with the Hawthorne family at Thorn Grove. The family is a little bit on the eccentric side. It turns out death may still be following Signa, but she gets some help from the stable boy and well, Death himself, to figure out who was behind Lillian, the matriarch's death. Also, who could potentially be putting Blythe, Percy, and Mr. Hawthorne.

I think what helped to keep me hooked was that the narration was so good. The narrator is Kristin Atherton. The audiobook was 13 hours and 14 minutes long. I listened to it sped up to varying speeds - 1.3x-1.6x. There was this kind of elegant feel to the narration, if that makes sense? It was perfect for Belladonna. I found that I really gelled with Signa's character and her growth. The world building caught my attention too. I also loved how Death was written. Overall, I hope for more from this world, and it seemed like the ending left an opening for more.

Exceeded my expectations!! This is such a unique story and concept. I loved the main character so much. She felt very different from other fmc written for this time period. I was thinking I’d only give this 3.5 stars, but the last 100 pages really bumped it to a 4. I can’t wait to see where this story continues.

This deliciously dark Gothic fantasy has a wonderful premise--but alas, it hit several stumbling blocks, and the prettiest thing about it was the cover.

Before I begin, I want to stress: the Gothic vibes were impeccable. You could practically see the ghosts, lurking in both the lavish balls and the eerie, darkened halls. You could feel the creeping shadows and the unnatural chills. And the regency drama was certainly there as well--the scheming for marriages, the preoccupation with etiquette, the gowns and gossip. If nothing else, the sense of place for this story worked beautifully, and if you purely want a book that *feels* like spooky season, this is a strong choice.

The thing is, the book as a whole fell short in several other regards. There were some plot holes by the end, which I can't go into without providing spoilers. There were other plot threads that were spun out through the book that never got resolved (perhaps they'll be remedied in the sequel?). And still other plot points worked out far too conveniently. Beyond that, Signa had a borderline ridiculous preoccupation with the men in her life and her feelings toward all of them--and maybe that's not too surprising, given her lifelong isolation from society, but the amount of focus she places on her attraction to them detracted from both the pacing of the book's more plot-based elements (murder mystery) and the impact of her actual emotional and romantic interactions with these men (so much time thinking, the actual events didn't hit quite the same). And I'm just going to put it out there that I am so done with the trope of "centuries-old-immortal-male-creature-in-love-with-a-teenage-girl."

For those who are curious, there are a couple steamy scenes in this book--nothing very graphic, but there is a sex scene, and some other sexual ones as well. Consent elements are good.

I wanted to like this one a lot more than I actually did. It was decent, I liked the side characters (especially Blythe, Signa's gravely ill cousin with an indomitable will), there was a plot twist that I sort of anticipated but played out in an unexpected way, and the ending set up a very juicy point for a possible sequel, which I do think I'll want to read when it comes out. But as far as favorite recent reads, this one is squarely in the middle of the road.

Trigger/content warnings: death, graphic depictions of illness/poisoning, suicide-like behavior (character who can't die can summon Death by doing things that would kill a normal person)

I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. I was already excited about reading it because I loved Adalyn Grace's previous duology, but this is on another level. First of all, Death. That's it. Just Death. I absolutely adore a good Death character, and this one is the bees knees. The king of all Death characters. 10/10 would recommend.

Now, I have to say that I'm usually not the biggest fan of a love triangle. It's normally the biggest source of frustration for me and will severely decrease my enjoyment of the book because I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY OKAY? With that said, I'm 100% here for this one.

Grace's writing was an absolute delight and I fell in love with these characters. This would have done so well as a standalone novel, but I cannot wait for the second one!

☆ FIVE STAR READ ☆

Just finished reading BELLADONNA by Adalyn Grace. Official publication date was August 30th, 2022. Thank you to @littlebrownbooksforyr for my eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

#BookReview 📚
BELLADONNA is a story about an orphaned girl named Signa, who's multiple guardians keep dying. What deathly forces are at play? Why is she still alive?

Finally living at Thorn Grove with her last remaining relatives the Hawthornes, Signa feels at home. But something is wrong at Thorn Grove. Her uncle's late wife haunts the halls looking for her killer, her one cousin is suffering from the same mysterious illness that took her mother, while the other is struggling to keep his family’s name intact.

Signa will have to use her abilities of escaping Death's grasp, and the help of a charming stable boy to get to the bottom of this weird illness. But dark shadows are lurking & Signa's abilities are manifesting, and there might be more behind why Death has not come for her yet. Will Signa embrace her abilities to find the truth?

Couldn't put this down after the 30% mark. Grace's writting greatly improved for me since her debut series ALL THE STARS AND TEETH. I am totally here for a romance between Signa & Death 🖤, and the atmospheric creepy manor.

This one had me running out to buy a hard copy for my forever shelf, cause how pretty is that cover. Does this ever happen to you?

This book has everything you could possibly want! Victorian humor, murder mystery, suspense, and romance!

The main character was absolutely great! I loved her naive nature to most social situations and her defiant nature. Her interactions with Death were both hysterical and adorable.

This is the perfect fbook for those looking for a spooky season read that isn't actually scary! Also perfect for most of the readers I've met.

I found Belladonna an incredibly charming story full of characters who the reader ends up caring about, no matter who they are. Most of all this is evident in Signa, whose actions throughout the book are not always good, but you find it hard to disagree with her.

I loved this book so much! the characters were amazing and the plot twists were relatively unpredictable. the setting was one of my favourites, and I absolutely loveddd the masquerade scene!! overall, I would definitely recommend this book :)

Fantastic Fantasy/Paranormal read! I absolutely loved the little edge of mystery that came with this one, and the romance was top notch! I don't know that I would classify this one as Young Adult, because there were a few spicy scenes. They were not very detailed, but they were there.

I absolutely LOVED Death. He was definitely my favorite. I loved the dark edge to his character, but how caring and affectionate he also was. I loved the way Adalyn Grace described him and his shadows.

I don't want to give anything away, but there were 2 twists that surprised me at the end that i did not see coming. Overall I think that this story is super unique. The characters were well written and the story is well thought out and solidly written. I definitely look forward to reading more from Grace in the future.

I can give no better review than to say that I was given a free Advanced Copy and got 5% in before I knew without any doubt that I needed to immediately purchase a hardcover copy because it was going to be that good and I’d want a physical copy. Such a great book, can’t wait to read more from this author and book 2—can’t come soon enough!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an arc of this book. Unfortunately, typical for me at this point, I didn't pick this up until I received my gorgeous Fairyloot edition, but what a mistake that was. I haven't been reaching for young or new adult books at all recently, so the fact that I enjoyed this so immensely really goes to show how wonderful this book is.

I went into this book thinking that while it sounded so gorgeous and atmospheric, that it wasn't really going to be for me. I was wrong. I also thought that around the fifty percent mark I had the ending figured out. Again, I was not correct.

The characters are witty, sarcastic and able to admit when they are flawed which I can definitely appreciate. I love when stories show growth or when a main character can question the idea that what they originally wanted they may have outgrown. At least in my opinion, most young adult books have characters that refuse to admit when they are wrong and are stubborn in their resolution- that they want what they want and that is all there is to it. Signa is a wonderful main female character. She thought from the time that she was young that she wanted to be some rich fancy socialite like her mother and wants tea parties and a husband to love her and take care of her. It's wonderful to see her grow and accept herself and what she is capable of rather than conform to societies expectations.

The gothic and ghostly elements made it a perfect choice for heading into the fall season. AND THIS ENDING THOUGH? The ending left off with quite the cliffhanger, and I am definitely invested in the story at this point. I'D LIKE BOOK TWO NOW PLEASE.

To be completely honest, I didn't enjoy another book that I had previously read by this author, but this book definitely has convinced me to pick up with what she comes out with next.

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what the author releases in the future.

A fantastically written supernatural, historical murder mystery centering a young woman, who is immortal for reasons beyond her understanding, as she tries to solve a family member’s murder while a new murder is in progress.

Fast-paced, deeply compelling, magical, and all with a fascinating romance running through it.

Signa is a great and immensely entertaining narrator as she navigates a family curse and a unique relationship with Death incarnate.

I do, however, wish she had been aged up a few years to be, at the very least, a 20-something as she enters this romantic subplot with Death. It’s just a personal pet peeve of mine to see the millionth instance of teen falling in love with centuries old being even if she is a legal adult. I feel like the story could’ve progressed the same if she were 21 and it would’ve all felt a bit more comfortable, in my opinion.

The actual relationship, though, was captivating. I cannot lie.

Signa’s chemistry with people and the 3-dimensional feel to her drew me in from the moment the story started.

And we’ve gotten the perfect setup for a series. I need million books of Signa solving murders alongside Death!!

BUY THIS BOOK! I am completely obsessed with this story! The writing is beautiful and smooth and atmospheric. The storyline of a romance with death is so fun and clever - absolute perfection. The protagonist was a strong female without being cliché. And it ended on the most enticing cliffhanger. I am counting down the days until the next installment comes out so I can lose myself in one as well!!!

Signa has spent her life being passed around from extended family to extended family, never receiving any love or kindness, people just waiting to get their hands on her inheritance when she comes of age. But unfortunately all her caretakers keep mysteriously dying around her. Signa has a secret- she can't die, and she can see Death and all the spirits of those who refuse to move on. When her most recent caregiver has a life or death situation in their household, Signa refuses to let one more person be taken by Death.

If I had to describe Belladonna in one sentence it would be Paranormal forbidden romance meets murder mystery. Which by the way I love both those genres, but together it is even better

This totally had a Persephone/Hades story vibe to it and I am 100% here for all of that. Full disclosure, I loved Death in this story, I rooted for him in every way and I am so biased I forgive his flaws with my rose colored glasses on.

Side note, this is YA just like SJM is YA, meaning steamy adult content contained inside, maybe only recommend to older teens and all the YA loving adults out there.

I cannot spend much time on this review for I need to get a physical copy now. This story is perfection between a gorgeous cover and I feel the need to place it on my shelf. And as much as the story was ending and I thought a sequel was not needed, I was drawn back in and decided I was thankfully mistaken.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Signa was orphaned as a baby and raised by various guardians, each of them more interested in her wealth, until everyone died. Her other relatives, the only alive, are the Hawthornes, who live at Thorn Grove, a gloomy and fascinating estate where the patriarch mourns his late wife with parties and his son grapples with the family's reputation and the daughter is ill. But when the mother's spirit appears, claiming she was poisoned, Signa finds herself involved into this mess and the family could be in danger, so she asks a stable boy for help to hunt down the killer. But Signa is a peculiar character. She has a shadow who never strays far from her: Death and even though it made her life an hell, Death could actually help her, this time. In a connection even more powerful.

Adalyn Grace has written a brilliant, fascinating and compelling story, with complex and layered characters, gloomy atmosphere and places and mysteries. The relationships between characters, but mostly between Signa and Death are skillfully written and so good to read. The story is filled with twists, surprises and it's a perfect gloomy read. A gothic world, with romance, desire, death, wealth, poison and so much more it's impossible to escape from.
Totally recommended it.

Ok...that romance is everything I'm living for right now. I am EAGERLY waiting for the sequel and the book JUST came out. This is the perfect gothic-YA-romance-magic and mystery that is PERFECT for getting into spooky season.

I have struggled to write this review. There are things about this book that were great, but there is one big thing that just grossed me out and I just couldn't get past it. The love interest, Death, is like a VERY much older man who watches this young girl and the whole thing just felt gross? If you can get past that its a good book, an interesting premise and well written but that just bugged me.