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.

Belladonna was an intriguing period piece that kept me on my toes and swooning over the romance between Signa and Death. I thought this book was marvelous and full of great ideas and twists and turns. The belladonna fascination Signa has is really interesting and I liked how it incorporated itself into everything. From the murder to her relationship with Death himself. Signa was a strong willed character and I found myself bored when she wasn't acting like her mischievous self and instead trying to appease societies norms. Otherwise this book had a lot of really cool elements to it. I would've enjoyed more world building as I feel this was the only thing lacking. More descriptions of the setting would have added to the atmosphere. At times this book was creepy and at times simply mysterious. I loved how the author was able to incorporate these themes into her novel.

A very ethearally thrilling novel about Death and a girl that seems to have his powers! Signa is a great main character and her interactions with all of the characters show her depth and her propensity for good despite her circumstances.

Bridgerton meets Stalking Jack The ripper with a splash of Death! Just like Thomas found a way to my heart, Death creeped in just as quick!

I have been so hyped about Belladonna since Adalyn first described her next project! I haven’t read anything like this, in the aspect of death being one of the main characters let alone a love interest. The touch of murder mystery that adalyn played with really brought me back to SJTR! The anticipation was strong, the sleuthing was insnaring.

Signa’s character to begin with is a sad beginning.The seed of emotions began from the start, it had me rooting for her. As she aged and we saw what came of her tragedy, I kept thinking that she played her hopes and dreams all wrong. She grows into her true wants and her true self and it’s something we can all relate to im sure.

I like taking lessons from stories and as morally gray as some points may be. The one thing that really sticks is, be unapologetically you. The opinion of others isn’t relevant. Your happiness is all you need.

Unfortunately, this is book one of the series and I will have to wait “an eternity” for Foxglove the sequel to come out. The mystery was great, I didn’t see it coming! The romance was enemies to lovers goodness. And the new found family left a mark for sure. I highly recommend y’all jump on this, preorder, buy on release day! Do all the things!

I love the feel of this book? The title and cover hooked me, but the words behind the cover kept me turning pages as quickly as I could! Such a wonderful rainy day read!!!

DNF. Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style/format or plot and decided not to pick this one up. Thank you publisher for the early copy!

4.5 stars

Ah this was so good! The plot was engaging, unique, and draws you in immediately. The mystery kept me guessing until the end and Signa was a fun character to follow. A girl who can't die and has a love/hate relationship with Death will definitely grab your attention.

Signa has been through a lot in her twenty years and experienced more loss than most. When she gets a chance to be with family at Hawthorne, she thinks this may be her chance to make some connections and have people who care about her. Signa is determined not to let Death take another soul and sets out to find who's behind her cousin's mysterious illness.

Signa and Death have a hot and cold thing going on and I loved it. She's drawn to him, yet worried about him taking the lives of her family. He's been waiting for her for an eternity and isn't going to give up without a fight. The tension and chemistry is well written and I couldn't get enough of them.

I knocked off half a star because we never get an answer as to who killed Signa's parents and I WANT TO KNOW. Maybe it's not supposed to be important or maybe we'll get answers in the sequel, I guess we'll see. This was such a great read and it was difficult to stop reading for pesky things like sleep and work, pfft.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Little, Brown for Young Readers and NetGalley for the copy.

I started this book not expecting or knowing too much about it, The intrigue of a new author settled my decision to read. The characters were developed awesomely! The plot and storyline were absolutely superb! I would have not thought to put death in a semi situationship such as Adalyn did! I think the characters were quite interesting and I am excited for other readers and so happy I preordered. The writing style is and was completely unique and although the ending was open, I do appreciate the ending. There can not always be a happy ending but I will take open. Will be recomending to everyone from now on!

Oh wow, what an epic story with so much to offer! Literally just finished this story and I’m in AWE and NEED Foxglove asap.

Belladonna is a mystery set in a rich gothic world where Signa, our MC can not only see dead people but DEATH itself. You heard me correctly, Death is a character in Belladonna and might have bit of an infatuation with our very own Signa Farrow and that’s honestly all you need to know lol. This is one of those stories that’s best to go into knowing as little as possible and just enjoy the ride.

If you’re a romance lover, mystery fan and love gothic mansions full of beautifully deadly plans, then be sure to add Belladonna to your TBR. Did I mention this is a LOATH to LOVE kind of situation?! Also if this review feels chaotic, it’s because it is. I just finished this amazing story and I’m feeling all of the feelings and simply can’t wait for the next installment!

Read if you like
- loath & fear to love
- Gothic mansions
- Poisonous plots
- Found family
- Betrayal
- Rich unique world
- Death as a love interest 👀

Belladonna was a sweet romance. Was it life-changing? No, not at all. Was it bad? Also no, not at all. I left this read feeling pleased with the ending, and indifferent at the same time. Signa and Death are the most interesting characters in the story, and everyone else felt somewhat flat. I had a minimal investment in them, which made what happened to them less effective than it should have been. I'm still interested in knowing what happens in the next books, as I'm interested in Signa and Death's relationship as well as the powers and world with regards to Death specifically. However, the book often focused too much on the inane, day-to-day courting and ball activities than the murder mystery, or the concepts of the metaphysical power. These concepts are what drew me to the book, and they seemed to be sprinkled in, as though this book was more about what courting was like back in this era than there being a murder to solve.

As CAWPILE: Characters: 7 | Atmosphere: 6 | Writing: 5 | Plot: 8 | Intrigue: 8 | Logic: 8 | Enjoyment: 7
total: 6.86 | 3 stars

I really enjoyed this new book by Adalyn Grace. Death and Signa are two characters who have had intersecting lives from the time Signa is born. Now at 19, Signa is being sent to live with a long lost cousin, as all of her previous guaridans have been taken by Death. Gothic, fantasy and that love triangle! I really enjoyed this story and I can't wait to see where Grace takes this character next. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.