Belladonna by Adalyn Grace is a delightfully dark YA fantasy. It is a new take on the old trope of Death and the Maiden - and we quite literally have Death appear as a character, which thanks to Terry Pratchett's iconic character has become one of my favourite things. Belladonna is fast-paced, hooks the reader quickly and is full of not all-together unforseen twists. Signa, the main character, just won't die. In a backstory reminiscent of A Series of Unfortunate Events, her guardians, however, keep dying. And now she's sent to the last relatives she knows of - an aunt. Her aunt has passed away in the meantime, though, so she's staying with the uncle and his two children, a son and a sickly daughter in their haunted mansion. Hitting on every Gothic trope in the book, this is just a wonderful escapist story that I couldn't stop compulsively reading. It never felt like it went in a particularly unexpected direction or re-invented anything major, but it doesn't need to. It does exactly what it says on the tin, and does so very well.

A few years ago, I used to be an avid reader of the YA/fantasy/New Adult genre but over the years I lost track of new releases. It’s been a while since I have managed to find some time to read in my spare time outside of my university courses (I study literature but hey, it’s not always masterpieces). Despite having hundreds of unread books, I craved for something new and deeply engaging, a book that would get me out of my reading slump and bring me back the true pleasure reading can provide - I couldn’t wish for more than Belladonna by Adalyn Grace.

I came across it by chance (or was it Fate himself?), pulled in by the title and stunning cover and I lost no time in requesting it through Netgalley UK after reading the synopsis. To summarize it shortly, it is a refreshing gothic romance, set in the 1850s/1860s, telling the story of Signa Farrow, an orphan girl that seems to attract misery and sudden deaths everywhere she goes. Yet, she is resistant to dying herself, no matter how much she tries. Her ability to speak not only with ghosts and spirits but with the terrifying Death himself restricts her from any sort of normal life she desires. After arriving at her distant family’s mansion Thorn Grove, she has the opportunity to use her powers to help the people around her, by trying to discover the secret behind a mysterious illness that resides within its walls.

Signa was a delightful character to experience the story through, as she was unusually complex. I think the author did a wonderful job at making her come to life throughout the book with strong character development. Signa seems interesting and unusual without getting too much into the “not like other girls” territory. I found her voice to be compelling and well suited to the overall tone of the book. As I want to avoid spoiling the book in any way, I just want to say that the love interest choice is a completely unhinged idea and I am here for every second of it.

I consider a gothic ghost story to be a relatively difficult genre to tackle nowadays, as it requires a strong mysterious atmosphere yet needs to be refreshing in the mystery itself. In my opinion, even in this, the author succeeded, as I consider Belladonna to be a book I would recommend to ghost-story lovers as well as to people who usually don’t read ghost stories with passion. I cannot wait for any further instalments within the series as well as any other books from the author.

Belladonna was an enojable reading. What I liked most was the mystery/murder aspect, which was developed well and the writing style was fluent enough. I couldn't connect with the characters, though. They weren't fully fleshed out and I wish they had more depth. Consequently, I wasn't invested in the romance either. All in all, it was a good story, even with some flaws, and other readers could enjoy it more than me.

Thanks NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

4,5 Stars!

Oh, this is a huge YES.

It was wholesome, interesting, mysterious, romantic and so well written.
I couldn't put it down, I was so emotionally invested. I really have no words to correctly express how much I loved and enjoyed it.
Seeing Signa's development and acceptance of her true self has been an incredible journey, just as much as trying to solve the mistery around the manour and its inhabitants, getting to know them and their own mysteries.
And the gothic theme of the story, with ghosts and Death himself showing up every now and then (with great pleasure, both mine and Signa's) made me appreciate this book even more: I loved the author's take over Death feelings, and also how he was an amazing love interest. While the presence of ghosts, even if not costant as much as I wanted, had anyway a great role in the story, especially the end.

At first, I was not completely satisfied with the powers of the protagonist: at the very beginning of the novel it wasn't so sure what was her position about them, even though then it got better explained, but it still seemed to me weird that out of the blue she started using them almost effortlessly and on her own (even though the only thing required was just a great determination). I wish we had seen more about this process, but overall I'm glad she turned out to use them, it was the right choice

But in the complex, as I said, this was a good book, and a bìgood, entertaining story, with an incredible ending and an even more unexpected epilogue.
The only problem now is that I really want the sequel, but this first book isn't even out yet!!

3.5 out of 5
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“The child is cursed by Death, some said. The wickedest of witches, spawned by the devil himself. Wherever she goes, the reaper will follow.”

Belladonna follows nineteen-year-old orphan Signa Farrow and her peculiar relationship with Death. Having survived Death’s touch herself, she must watch as he kills guardian upon guardian throughout her life. She despises him, plots against him even, but when she arrives under new care at Thorn Grove, she’s forced to team up with him in order to solve a murder.

I really enjoyed the premise of Belladonna; the idea that someone can be touched by death, but not die, cracks the door to the paranormal wide open. It gave Signa a really interesting dimension as Adalyn Grace touched on the age-old internal battle between good and evil in what did feel a bit like a coming-of-age tale.
I liked the idea of murder mystery meets fantasy and there were plenty of gothic elements thrown in for good measure. Although I guessed at a couple of things, I was still surprised by the twists and turns of Belladonna (especially the perpetrator) and actually look forward to the sequel.

Although the pace and world-building felt right, I did feel as though our main characters felt a little flat. Signa showed progression through her arc, which was lovely to read, but there are moments where I thought she felt a bit one-track-minded and, sorry to say, a little dumbed down. I would’ve also loved for death to be a touch more grey (who doesn’t love a bad boy?) but overall, I don’t think it’s a deal breaker and I was still absorbed into Signa’s world.

There’s also a touch of period in this, so Bridgerton fans with a thirst for murder and fantasy might find themselves completely head over heels for this.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Belladonna had such an interesting premise that I couldn't help but request it immediately. I mean, it's death and the maiden, what more could I ask for? From the start, Belladonna had potential, but as it went on, it unfortunately started losing steam.

It wasn't a bad book. It was just okay. A good bit of it bored me and I felt that this book was longer than it should have been — plus, some things just felt too cliché. There were a few storylines that felt a little messy. I sort of wish that the sole focus was just the mystery and I did feel that some storylines felt like they were taking away from others.

I think my main issue, or the one I was annoyed with the most, was there was a lot of *wink*wink*nudge*nudge* concerning a certain character. Like it is so obvious already and there were so many signs, but of course for the sake of plot the main character is clueless.

The romance is okay. I kind of like it but the pacing of it could have been better. There were some good romance lines though and as a whole their romance tropes were good. I just wanted better execution of it.

The mystery does have me wondering a bit. The perpetrator wasn't who I thought it would be and I had a good time guessing. It's one aspect that I enjoyed, as well as the whole ghosts thing. There is a creepy, spooky vibe all throughout the book that I very much enjoyed.

Overall, I'm not that impressed with the book, but hopefully others will enjoy this more than I did.

4.5/5

Loved loved loved this book.

Signa Farrow is a 19 year old girl touched by death but unable to die from his touch. Since she was a child, her guardians have been dying off rendering her cursed by everyone until she arrives at Thorn Grove and decides to not let her curse continue and let her cousin, Blythe, die. The Hawthorne estate however is anything but quiet and normal and when a spirit instructs Signa to stop Blythe dying, she begins working with Death to solve with poison mystery.

The way this author writes is simply chef's kiss. The pace, the writing, the story line, the romance, the mystery, it's all greaty. This gothic fantasy is everything I hoped it would be. The MC was interesting and everything she's not supposed to be despite the regency era theme.
I like her romance with Death and did not find it weird at all (in reference to other reviews) - I think it's important to note that Death notes that human lives go by in a blink on an eye for him and whilst he was intrigued by Signa - he did not act on it until she was an adult and became interest. However this is not the focal point of the book.

If you like mysteries, gothic fantasies, a slowburn romance - then this is a book for you. I honestly cannot wait for the sequel, Foxglove.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I knew I was going to love this, but I underestimated how much - this book is perfect! Our heroine Signa Farrow has always been surrounded by death - orphaned as a baby and passed around uncaring family members only interested in her fortune, its been hard to connect with people. Instead, she finds herself communicating with Death himself, which they're both rather perturbed by, When Signa is sent to yet another distant relative's, she stumbles into a mystery she needs to unravel, and Death has offered to help her.

This book had beautiful gothic nods, a unique and loveable MC, and somehow you end up rooting for a romance with Death! Adalyn Grace's writing is so perfectly paced, reading feels like a whirlwind. I'm also relieved to find theres a sequel on the way! this would make an excellent tv series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Staughton for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Dance with me, Little Bird."

I had no real idea what to expect going into this first in a gothic romance YA duology, but I was extremely happy with what I found within it's pages.

Part The Secret Garden, part murder mystery with the same vibes as Addie La Rue, this is a fantastic story. I immediately warmed to our FMC Signa, who had been plagued by Death all her life. Every guardian she's ever had has been claimed by him, and she herself seems immune to his power, even after poisoning herself with belladonna. At almost twenty years old, Signa finds herself desperate for meaningful human connections, and it seems she might find that at Thorn Grove with her relations the Hawthornes - her cousins Blythe and Percy, one mortally ill and bedridden, the other unable to reach their father who is so mired in grief for the recent passing of his wife that he's checked out of reality completely.

The manor itself is straight out of a gothic novel, with seemingly endless and labyrinthine corridors, secret passages, strange and disturbing portraits, and things that go bump in the night. The inhabitants are all recovering from the shocking death of the Lady Lillian, Elijah Hawthorne's late wife. And Signa is the only one who is sure she hasn't quite left them behind - her immunity to Death also means she's able to see the spirits of the departed, and more often than not those who linger on the mortal plain have something they need to say.

" "You are no soft thing to be coddled. You are bolder than the sun, Signa Farrow, and it's time that you burn."

I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves a good murder mystery with a fantasy twist, and also anyone who likes a morally grey love interest because yes .

Firstly I want to say that I think the cover is stunning, it is so eye catching I really love it. The book was a quick and easy read that I finished in one sitting, it was a gripping read and reeled me in from the first page and didn't let me go. I loved the idea of 'death' as a character - I don't know why I just really like when books do that it really intrigues me.
I found the ending to be a little rushed and flat, I would have prefered a longer book and a less rushed feeling ending, but that is just my opinion and I still really loved the book. i will definitely be looking for more from this author.

Belladonna is told in third person and follows 19 year old Signa. Signa was made an orphan when she was a baby after death came for everyone. Signa is moved from guardian to guardian but they all meet an untimely end. Signa soon realises she cannot die after she ingests some Belladonna berries. Signa has a strange connection to death and has to work with him to discover a murderer. This book definitely has an intriguing presence but it didn't really deliver what was promised for me. It was a very quick read as the plot moved along swiftly. It just felt very flat and plain to me. There wasn't much that made me want to keep reading and if I didn't have this early copy I probably wouldn't have finished it.

I really enjoyed the first 90% of this book. Signa was a great character (love the name as well) and I liked how determined and independent she was. The first chapter absolutely hooked me and I grew to love the other characters as well I.e. Death, Percy, Blythe. But the ending just felt rushed and the things that happened just didn’t correspond with what the characters had previously done/said/how they’d acted. The mystery just fell flat for me. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.