I have previously read and reviewed Belladonna but needed to hear the audio. It was divine. I wasn’t sure about the narrator at first but she was excellent and I love the way she told the story! 100/10 for me. Thank you again for allowing me the change to read and review my favorite book!

A book with a lot of potential that never really panned out, for me.

This book should have been MY book. It has all the tropes I love. Yet, I couldn't connect. It felt like a book that kept wanting to make a deeper statement, but never found its footing enough to do so. Instead, it wound up (inadvertently) making trite cliches about freedom and restriction, fitting in vs. acceptance, etc. etc.

I really had hoped for more from this book, but alas.

I ended up DNFing this book, but only because it just wasn’t for me. I think a lot of people who like horror or Gothic fiction will really enjoy this book. The audiobook narrator is great! I think they did a good job differentiating the characters.

I recommend this book if you like any of the following:
1. Spooky season- perfect for the fall
2. Atmospheric/slowness in setting and pace.
3. Death as a character
4. Mystery, gothic, horror, or historical fiction genres
5. If you like Mexican Gothic or Agatha Christie books

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. It had me hooked from the very beginning. The mystery pulls you in, and the atmosphere and characters keep you there. I couldn't put it down.

I cannot wait to read book two of the series!

I freaking loved this book! When I learned the synopsis was about a love story with Death and included a murder mystery, I was sold! I’m so happy it did not disappoint.
This story is filled with intrigue and mystery. I enjoyed everything from discovering Signa’s abilities, unraveling the murder mystery which kept me guessing throughout, to the romance.

Death is the ultimate dark and mysterious love interest. I loved when he made his way out of the shadows and onto the page - I’ve always been a sucker for the dark emo boy - what can I say?!

The audiobook is fantastic and I absolutely loved the narration! Death’s voice was a personal favorite.

You can read this anytime but it’s great for the spooky season! I look forward to reading book 2!!

Omg I loved this one! Had a very unexpected storyline that I could totally get on board with. There was a murder mystery mixed in with fantastical elements and what I imagine as historical regency type setting with society “debuts” and dancing and romance. It was amazing! A gothic vibe and I did not see the twist coming! I mean… Death is such an under appreciated character in a lot of books (apart from Terry Pratchett who also does Death well) and it was so refreshing to see him portrayed so different in this book. I can’t wait for more from this world.
Audio was fantastic. Thanks to Hachette audio and NetGalley for an review copy.

Compelled to pick this up by its premise alone, I looked forward to digging into this book ahead of a chill autumn. However, I never made it past chapter three out of boredom for the familiarity of tropes.

I so badly wanted to love this - and honestly the first chapter seriously had me hooked but nothing else lived up to the atmosphere that the book started with. It was enjoyable enough to finish but the intrigue wasn't terribly exciting and I expected more from Death as a character. Honestly...this felt like a mid-level, gothic inspired, Addie La Rue fanfiction.

Overall, I can see how this title will be engaging for a majority of YA readers but I needed a lot more character development and some extra plot work to be done in-order to find this enjoyable.

Adalyn Grace's Belladonna is a captivating murder mystery. Orphaned Signa is shipped off to her newest guardians after her previous string of guardians have all died. Arriving at the Hawthorne's, she is greeted with the news that her cousin is sick with a similar ailment to that of her mother's. Signa quickly discerns that her cousin is being poisoned and works to find the culprit that is the slowly killing the Hawthorne family. Signa works with Death to figure out why people around her have being dying and why the Hawthornes are now being targeted. On this path, Signa starts to fall for Death and eventually uncovers who the culprit is. The narrator does an excellent job in portraying the sorrow, anguish and magic that bring this story to life.

This book left me pleasantly surprised. I knew it had some hype as the September B&N YA Book Club pick but I was unsure if it would live up to that hype. I had also previously read All the Stars and Teeth which was good but not memorable. Belladonna, on the other hand, literally handed me everything I enjoy in a YA fantasy book. It had romance, sexual tension, dark and brooding characters, and a sassy main character who is very relatable. It works as a standalone though the author could write more. It's awesome to see an author grow in their craft and this book does not disappoint! Great for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Once Upon a Broken Heart.

Themes and vibes:
• special snowflake MC
• ghosts, poisons and personified Death
• hysterical setting

I liked Belladonna a lot at the beginning, but towards the end it started losing me. Everything became too much, and it didn't have strong enough foundation.

Signa is a special snowflake kind of MC, but she didn't have any real personality. The whole romance was based on the fact that the poor guy literally had no other choice.

The mystery aspect was my favorite. I enjoyed trying to solve who dunnit and though I guessed the main part of it, there were smaller surprises that got me.

A huge thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to Netgalley for an audio-arc!

did I enjoy this book? absolutely
does it need a sequel? no

I loved this, I loved that the character (in my opinion) is morally neutral. I enjoyed the atmosphere of this book and the romance with death.

I finished this book about one month ago and I have been struggling to put into words how much I loved it! I think this was the first time I've read the Death and a Maiden trope- at least I can't think of any others right now. I read this book in one sitting, and when I finished it, I wanted to go back and read it again; and I guess I did by listening to the audio book!

Signa Farrow's family is very well off, but Signa has been surrounded by death her entire life. First her parents when she was 2 months old, then her loving grandmother, and from there, most of her relatives that only agreed to care for her as they received a large portion of her inheritance for caring for her. After he aunt passed away suddenly, Signa is sent to live with the Hawthorns. The matriarch of the Hawthorns recently died of an unknown illness, and now her daughter is experiencing the same symptoms. Signa decides she is going to figure out the cause for the sickness before it takes the daughter.

I was so attached to Signa and the other characters I could not put this book down until I got all the answers I was looking for. There were a couple of plot twists I did not see coming that I really enjoyed and that added to the story in the best way possible. All I can say is I cant wait for the sequel, Foxglove!

Belladonna
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: YA Fantasy/Romance
Format: Audiobook
Date Published: 8/30/22
Author: Adalyn Grace
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Narrator: Kristin Atherton
GR: 4.24

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Hachette Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow, orphaned as a baby, has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at the glittering and gloomy estate of Thorn Grove. Thorn Grove’s patriarch, Elijah, mourns his late wife, Lillian, through wild parties and drink, while eldest son Percy grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and daughter Blythe suffers from the same mysterious illness that killed her mother. And when Lillian’s spirit confronts Signa and claims she was poisoned, Signa realizes that Blythe could be next to die.
 

My Thoughts: The plot has ghostly gothic undertakings and was so spooky that it felt right on target for Halloween. Signa’s character really underwent metamorphosis as she accepted her gift. Now the most charismatic character would go to Death, very dark. I normally do not like many fantasy books, usually just magic and witches, however, this one was very intriguing to me. The narrator did an amazing job at differentiating character voices, something that is hard to do, but when it is done right, it really brings the audiobook up to the next level. The tone and setting was so well done that you really felt like you were there, in Signa’s journey. The characters were well flushed out with multifaceted depth, mystery, charisma, and just very creatively written. The author’s writing style was top notch with complexity, suspense, tension in the twists, and just kept you engaged the entire story. The ending was amazing, I do not want to give anything away except to say it was so beautiful that I cried. I highly recommend picking up this audiobook!

Belladonna was high on my priority list as soon as I read the preface. Eccentric family, gothic estate, mysteries, spirits, and Death (reaper), are some of my "must read" terms and Adalyn Grace did a beautiful job incorporating them all together in a fantastical tale of a young woman coming to terms with who she is and the curse-like circumstances that seems to follow her. Signa was a strong protagonist whose growth and maturity was obvious through the storyline. There were many different suitors and interests in the novel, but by far my favorite was Death. His tone, mystery, passion, and desire to experience the living, were endearing and I was excited for his role in the novel. The end had a twist that I figured out early on and left a teensy bit of a cliffhanger, but I was also excited to see a sequel with these characters in the future. The audiobook was amazing and the narrator phenomenal using duel voices and helping draw me into the characters and their hardships and hopes.

"I'd prefer you not summon me whenever the urge strikes."
The voice was not what she expected. It wasn't ice, nor gravel, but the sound of water in a meadow, slipping over her skin and inviting her in for a midnight swim.
"I'm a busy man, you know."

This books is mixed with paranormal gothic romance with DEATH!! The atmosphere was dark, romantic, painful and sorrowful. The writing from the author is better in this book than her previous books. The story is unique and I love anything with the dealings with Death.

As the story progressed the plot unravels and was pleasantly surprising. I love how Signa learned more about her role and more about Death. I love the romance in this story as it was painful and unraveled to something beautiful and cherishing. The ending was perfect cliffhanger nothing too much to drive you crazy but enough to look forward to the next book. I definitely am excited for book 2.

Thank you to publishers for the ARC via Netgalley

🫐BOOK REVIEW🫐

Belladonna - Adalyn Grace
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

“Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.”

I was gifted this audiobook via @netgalley and @hachetteaudio in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to them and also @authoradalyngrace for this opportunity.

Absolutely stunning. Beautifully written. I’m not sure I can say much more than that.

I was a little hesitant at first, there was a little “horror” vibes at the beginning. I’m not a big horror fan, so I paused the book and did some research and came back to it after everything confirmed the book was NOT going to give me nightmares 😅

After that, I dove in, and I’m SO glad I did. Phenomenal writing. Very unique storyline that sucks you in, and of course leaves on a semi-cliffhanger so you’re excited for the next book! I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This books is about Sigma Farrow, who was orphaned as a baby. She has been raised by a string of guardians, that are only interested in her money, which she will receive on her 20th birthday. When her latest guardian dies suddenly, just like her previous guardians, she is sent to live with her last remaining relatives at Thorn Grove. Here she needs to find out who murdered Lillian, the late matriarch of Thorn Grove, before her cousin Blythe becomes the next victim.

I have been anticipating this book being released since I heard about it, and was lucky enough to receive an audio ARC. This book was even better than I was expecting. The mood is dark and gothic, and there is a romance that plays out between Sigma and a mysterious individual. This is definitely a young adult book for older teens, as there is some more mature content. The historical and mystery elements are well crafted, and create suspense around solving the murder. The romance is a slow burn, and I thought this part was a strength of the writing.
I don’t normally go for books with a strong historical theme, but this was so well written, that I had trouble pausing the audiobook when I had to do other things. I really enjoyed my listening experience as well, as the narrator created an excellent performance and allowed me to be sucked into the story.
I would highly recommend this book to people that enjoy reading older young adult books, with historical, mystery, romance and slight fantasy vibes.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and that can be a double edge sword, high expectations can end disastrous. Belladonna met every single one and has become a new favorite.

One of my favorite tropes is maiden and death dynamics. I find the concept of Death personified fascinating, though I often object to how it's depicted. Belladonna does it such justice, treating Death more as a duty rather than a villain who finds joy in reaping. I really adore this Death, the way it speaks about his job and the afterlife was enchanting. It offered such a fresh view of Death I don't often see in media. As a character, I really enjoyed how Signa pushes so strongly against it.

Signa is such an interesting character, the journey she goes on to accept her abilities and fate is so well done. The care she has for those she meets, especially the family she craves.

The murder-mystery element is also very well done. I read them so rarely, but I found myself enamored with trying to figure it out. There were several twists I did not see coming at all. The foreshadowing was there, but the author did such a good job throwing off the scent that while I got in the ballpark, I did not guess the ending at all.

I cannot wait for the next installment in this story!

The book sounds good but unfortunately i have to DNF this one, it’s too dark and gothic for my taste.