4.5 stars.

This was one of my top reads for 2022. This was essentially an enemies to lovers dark fantasy story. What if everyone around you kept dying? Who do you blame? Do you blame Death himself? Well, that's what Signa did. But when she finds out everything was to protect her, how could she continue to hate him? And how could she continue to hate him when he's trying to find the person who is poisoning her cousin? Oh, it's also kind of a love triangle butttt not really. That part made me so excited, she didn't have to choose! The atmosphere of this book was perfection, everything felt dark and spooky and I loved it.

Belladonna blew my mind! I immediately ordered a hardcover because I needed a physical copy and I’m already salivating for more! The character and plot development was exceptionally done. The mystery and intrigue made me desperate to keep reading. The love story unraveled with such beauty, and the plot twists kept me on my toes. I had no idea what to expect going in to this book, but now all I want is more of Signa and Death. This is one of the best YA books I’ve read in recent memory and I honestly can’t say enough good things about it.

I had high hopes for this book, the narrator was great I just didn't expect the direction it went. I was hoping for more 'horror' but got more romance. Which is fine for the right audience, I just was not it.

Death is a sneaky sneaky man.

I liked the banter between the main characters and the slow-ish burn of the relationship.

I enjoyed this but called the twist at about 30% of the way in.

Signa is a good main character. She puts others in front of herself and keeps fighting when it seems hopeless. Blythe was a fun and dramatic character and Death was full of mystery and intrigue.

It was definitely different from the author's other books but really cool. I feel like it was similar to kingdom of the wicked.

This was absolutely everything I wanted in this book and more. I have such a thing for the dark mysterious guys. Give me Death any day! I was pulled in from the prologue! The mystery was so interesting. I needed to know all the things. I didn't see the twists coming. The end was wonderful and I now want the next book right away. Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

DNF'd at 32%.

I'm sure a lot of folks will love this book, but it's just not for me. The language is beautiful, but the story and characters are not to my taste.

I really enjoyed this one. It was very different from the Fable series. I really loved the setting. I am looking forward to reading the next book!

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

was too late to download the book unfortunately, will see if I can get it through the library some time.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc.

I enjoyed this book from the very beginning, Signa’s life immediately drew me in, once Death was introduced I was captivated.

Beautiful writing style that’s a touch gothic with beautiful prose. All of these elements lent to a very enchanting atmosphere. Now I just have to wait for Foxglove to be released.

3.5-4 Has similar feel of LakesEdge, Kingdom of the Wicked and Little Thieves. A fun gothic love story with a murder mystery.

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

This book was everything and a bit more. I was gripped right from the start.
Signa’s character was so powerful and caring, she was willing to do anything to help her poorly cousin.

Her relationship with death was felt on so many levels, it was touching and heartfelt. I loved joining their tale as they worked together to solve a murder and stop another.

All round an incredible concept that was executed perfectly

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for allowing me to read and review this book fro my honest feedback.

Belladonna, Know what it is? Neither did I until I read this wonderful book.

I have not read a single Adalyn grace book and not liked it. Belladonna is the same. It was a treat to dive into and I found myself itching to read the next book, Foxglove.

Belladonna is about a young lady who has a gift. not any ordinary run of the mill gift, but she can communicate with the reaper himself. But, the only way to do this, Consume the deadly plant Belladonna.

It all started as a child, She did not have an easy childhood, and it seemed everyone in her life was dying, only for others to think she was cursed. In order to get answers she was after, she found that consuming the deadly belladonna might have the answers she was looking for and that maybe instead of being cursed, she is yet with a gift of greatness and a grand destiny awaiting her on the other side.

This book was so incredible especially as an audiobook, the story moved quickly and was never boring and I did not guess who the murderer was before it had come to light, but I probably wouldn’t have guessed even if it was written badly.
Anyway, the characters was wonderfully round built up and even the side characters, like all her family members, that wasn’t even explained that much in the story, didn’t have a plain flat character, so I was pretty impressed by the story in general.
I actually loved Signa, she just had a whole personality that didn’t feel too perfect or too made up, she felt real.
And Death.. he was so incredible hot, like damn. the voice was hot, and his personality was hot and he was caring and just all a man should be.
so overall incredible story, and I feel lucky to listen to it in exchange for a review. will definitely listen to the next book in the series as well.

I listened to this audiobook and absolutely loved the narration. I am very excited to listen to the sequel when it comes out! As for the book, I ended up really liking it. The gothic slow burn that this ended up being was exactly what I was looking for. The ending was not much of a cliffhanger, but more of a setup for the sequel. The characters were captivating and the setting added to that. The pacing was a bit slow at times, but I don't feel it detracted from my reading experience. I ended up enjoying this so much more than I anticipated!

**4.5-stars rounded up**

With a story as beautiful as its cover, Belladonna took me completely by surprise. I enjoyed this so much!

We follow Signa Farrow, who is not your average girl. I know you hear that a lot, but in this case it's true. For example, she has an immunity to Belladonna, can commune with spirits and has a relationship with Death.

Unfortunately, our Signa was orphaned as a child and has lived with many guardians since. Recently, she's been with her Aunt Magda, who is cruel. There's no love lost between the two. So, when Aunt Magda suddenly dies, Signa isn't exactly heartbroken.

She does have questions about her future though. Then she receives word that her last remaining relatives, the Hawthornes, would like her to go live with them at their Thorn Grove estate, as her Uncle Elijah's ward. Lacking other options, Signa leaves her old life behind willingly and with a bit of hope in her heart.

Arriving at the estate, she begins to become acquainted with everyone. Her Uncle is mourning his wife, Lilianne, who passed away recently. Woefully, her younger cousin, Blythe, seems to be suffering from the same mysterious illness that prematurely killed her mother.

When it becomes clear to Signa that Lilianne didn't die of natural causes an unexpected murder mystery begins to unfold. This is made significantly more interesting by the fact that Signa gets the support of her old friend, Death, as she tries to solve it.

This book surprised me. I really didn't know much about it going in. My initial attraction was the cover, followed by Adalyn Grace's name on said gorgeous cover. I was delighted with the setting, which based off some dates of included journal entries would be sometime in the 1850s or 1860s. It has a lush gothic feel that I really loved. Even the focus on plants like belladonna, Signa's frequent use of it, felt very period specific and natural to me.

I enjoyed learning about Signa's Thorn Grove family along with her. She's really thrust right into their world of formal parties, frequent visitors and gossipers galore. Having lived a fairly secluded life up until that point, I think Signa had felt very lonely. Now surrounded with people she becomes attached, to some more than others. Particularly her cousin, Blythe. She's very saddened by Blythe's illness and becomes determined to see her well.

I actually really ended up enjoying the romantic elements as well. I loved the dynamic between Signa and the character of Death. It was giving me <i>Addie LaRue</i> vibes and I was not mad about it. Signa, at the age where it would be acceptable for her to marry, has some other prospects as well. Watching her navigate that, while trying to decipher her unusual feelings for Death was super compelling. I was eating it up.

Grace did a fantastic job of building the tension and mystery. It was hard to put down once Signa began looking into Blythe's illness. It was a bit of a race against the clock and for a while, almost everyone was a suspect.

I loved the ending of this as well. It was a great set-up for the second book. Personally, I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Signa is one of my favorite new characters of the year, so I can't wait to be reunited with her.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Hachette Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I definitely recommend the audiobook for this story. It was so easy to get swept up into this world through that medium. 10-out-of-10 recommend!!

We have Addie La Rue at home.” Addie La Rue at home:

Belladona is a perfectly fine, inoffensive but forgettable take casting a YA protagonist as the “maiden” in the Death and Maiden trope. And while I understand VE Schwab was not the first author to popularize the idea of a love story between and girl the death personified, this kind of YA recasting of the trope came so closely after what was arguably one of the biggest hits of the fantasy genre last year I couldn’t help but be reminded of it.

I put off writing this Belladonna review for so long after reading the book because I felt that there was so little that I actually grasped of it. The characters were indistinct and blended together and yet the final twist at the end still felt expected. I really did come away from this story feeling like the author really just wanted to write a dark romance and the plot was a secondary mechanism to get the book to get published. Someone else may eat that up, but I want the two to blend seamlessly. And YA is a very odd choice of reader base when you're selling enemies-to-lovers but one of the Lovers is death personified. I don’t care if she’s nineteen.

Overall, I’m not left with much to say about Belladona and it sticks with me not for the plotting or characters but for the way it took a trope I’m generally a fanatic over and didn’t do much with it. I do think this might find the right audience with an actual YA demographic if only that these readers are likely young enough to not have read much in the same vein.

Thank you to the publisher Hachette Audio for providing an audiobook ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

I loved this! The murder mystery was so intriguing I had to keep reading to know who did it. I loved how atmospheric this was it totally nailed the gothic vibe. I loved death so much they were so cute together. I need book two NOW!

I NEED THE SECOND BOOK YESTERDAY! This was such a great read. I was on the edge of my seat, and the twists kept coming!