Sprinkle a Young Adult fantasy with elements of Period Drama and Murder Mystery, add some Gothic-infused paranormal vibes, and you have Belladonna, the first installment of Adalyn Grace's newest series.

"I know how society teaches us to be soft and dull and compliant, but you will not be any of those things, do you understand? Do not change the parts of yourself that you like to make others comfortable. Do not try to mold yourself to fit the standards someone else has set for us."

In Belladonna we follow Signa, a blossoming young woman searching to find her place in the world. Orphaned as a baby and from a family of great wealth, Signa has passed from custodian to custodian with betrayal, greed and death nipping at her heels while each custodian seems more interested in Signa's inheritance than in her welfare.

And there is more to Signa than meets the eye - she has been touched by Death himself, and yet she lives. She ventures further and further into Death's grasp in an effort to free herself of him - but there is more to him, too, than meets the eye.

Sent to live at Thorn Grove manor with the Hawthornes, her last remaining (and eccentric) relatives, Signa hopes that perhaps this is finally her chance to enter high society. She wishes to learn how to dance, how to conduct herself in polite company and, most importantly of all, to secure a good husband - and avoid falling for the charming stablehand. But her plans of becoming a lady of high society are waylaid when a restless ghost within the Thorn Grove manor claims to have been murdered, and Signa realises that if she doesn't soon solve this murder, her ailing cousin Blythe just might be next...

I loved this book from start to finish! The gothic vibe mixed in with a regency style setting was perfectly done. Signa is a compelling MC, although my favourite character had to be Blythe. I'm excited for the sequel to come out!

The mix of fantasy, mystery, romance and gothic elements made Adalyn Grace's Belladonna the perfect autumn read for me. This novel will appeal to readers of fantasy and historical romance.

Signa Farrow can see ghosts and Death, and cannot be killed. Following a string of deaths in her immediate family, the 'cursed orphan' is brought to Thorn Grove to live with the Hawthorne family. Upon arrival, she learns that her new guardian's wife recently passed away, and that her cousin Blythe is suffering from the same illness that claimed her mother. When Lilian's ghost tells her that she was poisoned, Signa teams up with Death himself to try and find the killer and save her cousin.

Thorn Grove, a huge manor with secret passages, a haunted library and endless corridors, provides an atmospheric setting for Belladonna. The novel is cleverly crafted; there were several plausible suspects and the combination of mystery and romance kept me engrossed until the end. The masquerade ball was sumptuous, and I loved following Signa's attempts to fit in with high society, which ultimately lead to her embracing her uniqueness and realizing that fitting in will not make her happy.

At the end of the novel, the mystery gets solved, and while the opening for the plot of the sequel Foxglove is set, it isn't an absolute cliffhanger and I felt that Belladonna could easily be read as a stand-alone. That said, I cannot wait to re-connect with the characters and hopefully explore the setting of Signa's ancestral home.

3.5 rounded up.

I thought this was an interesting premise and there were some well written passages - I particularly liked the prologue, the commentary on the compromise of self demanded by 'high society', especially in the time the book is set (which isn't exactly clear, but feels like sometime in the 19thcentury.)

The mystery had me guessing and jumping to conclusions just like the author wanted. I was half right in the end. I still wish one of the red herrings I clung on to was the answer to the mystery because it would have been more satisfying to me and made more sense I think.

I look forward to reading book two.

A few things that let this down for me were the repetitions of many central ideas, and although these are believable as a yong woman grappling to come to terms with who she is, where she fits in the world etc the same ideas were definitely repeated too often. I also felt like the phrasing 'the night itself' was a slight rip off from Addie La Rue. This was also repeated a few times too many for me.

That said, I still enjoyed this story - not sure that it lives up to the Knives Out comparison but maybe I'm being harsh?

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A huge thank you to both NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc of Belladonna and making it possible to enjoy this awesome book.

I adored reading this so much. The concept, the mysteries, the characters. While I loved Signa, I especially fell in love with Blythe. I can’t wait to see where the second book will lead to. I wish I could already pick up Foxglove, but alas, it isn’t released yet. But I’ll definitely pick it up to follow the new mysteries that ended book 1! ✨

Sigma Farrow seems unable to die, and yet her whole life she has been haunted by the presence of Death. After being orphaned as a baby, she's been ferried off from one guardian to another, all preoccupied with her wealth rather than her wellbeing, as they all met untimely ends. When she finally arrives at the Hawthorne estate a few months before being able to claim her fortune, she's determined to make it work, but it seems someone is poisoning the family. Sigma and Death must become allies in the race to find the culprit and save Sigma's remaining relatives.

The book had such an awesome premise. I was intrigued by the mystery, and Sigma's struggle to fit into her new life was even endearing at points. However, Sigma's horniness for two boys fighting with her desire to be a proper socialite soon got old, and around the 60% mark there was an intimate-ish scene that had me cringing to death (pun intended). If the intention was to mock traditional values of purity, I'd like to congratulate the author, because Sigma's thoughts about having to preserve herself if she wanted to be successful during her debut season were... entertaining.

The mystery was the only thing that kept me reading this book during the second half, and I quite enjoyed the final twist. I do, however, think that the book would've done well as a standalone, though the sequel might be better now that the romance part is out of the way.

Overall, this was not my favorite book, but it was also not awful. I would've given it 3 stars had it not been for how awkward I felt during the intimate scenes. All in all, if you enjoy murder mysteries with romance (including "I need to choose between these two boys but it's not really a choice") you might enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

BELLADONNA is a fantasy murder mystery with a detective who can see death and cannot be killed. All her previous guardians have died so she's determined to use her unusual abilities to save her cousin. Someone's already poisoned her aunt and now are back to kill another family member.

It is a nicely twisty mystery, with a dysfunctional family to confuse matters. The Knives Out part of the pitch is very accurate, as this is a mystery that will confuse you and the family is a ball of secrets and disagreements. I loved the dynamics and trying to guess whodunnit - not to mention why. The answers are very satisfying when they come out at the end.

The other part of the pitch is Bridgerton, and there are societal rules that Signa has to step around. If you are into romance, she is attracted to two men in the book - Death and a stable boy who seems to be able to go anywhere and has much too fine clothes for his station. It's not the central part of the story, but it's pretty major.

Another part of Signa's abilities is that she can see ghosts and understand them. One such ghost is her dead aunt but there's also a dead bookworm who was my favourite ghost by quite some margin. He's trying to read his way through the library and acts like a very helpful librarian!

While there is a sequel, FOXGLOVE, coming, BELLADONNA works well as a contained novel. The mystery is wrapped up and the next book should be it's own mystery just following the same core cast (and possibly, based on the title, be situated at Signa's ancestral home?)

I really enjoyed the ride. Signa was a great MC and, let's be honest, Death as a love interest? Pure bliss.
However, (and I know I'll be a black sheep here) I had some issues with this book:
1) I loved the romance, but it didn't 100% satisfy me, it felt a bit too rushed;
2) some of the big twists were quite predictable;
3) I kept guessing about the murderer's identity and... well, I was so wrong. I really liked this revelation, but I didn't get the murderer's motives, not completely.
Despite all this complaining, I really liked this book and it's a solid 4-star for me.

What a page turner! This is the first book I've read by Adalyn Grace and I absolutely loved the writing style, It was so easy to read and enjoyable throughout, I seemed to fly through the 400 odd pages. I was so taken by the concept and the characters were so incredible, I'm rooting for Signa and Death. While some of the plot twists were obvious it didn't take away from my enjoyment overall. I'm really excited for book 2.

DNF at 54% unfortunately

I really expected to love this and I REALLY tried to get through it but it just isn’t for me. Perhaps it’s a good introduction to the gothic style but the atmosphere was incredibly lacking for me and I just did not care for either love interest. It’s a strange day when I’m not attached in any way to the death character but I really felt nothing for any of the characters here. I still don’t understand what exactly didn’t work for me, I think I may have preserved if it had been a stand alone but I felt the story was already dragging and I don’t see how this story can be a series so it’s a pass from me.

This book is dreamy combination of fantasy meets mystery with paranormal and gothic elements. This time I can judge this book with its cover because both of them are AMAZING!

A haunted house that is invaded by ghosts. A suspicious death of patriarch’s late wife and a suspicious illness of his young daughter whose condition gets deteriorated at each day.

Only 17 years old Signa Farrow who is called “cursed orphan” after everyone who adopts her keep dying one by one, a gifted girl who stands at the thin line between life and death, chewing the poisonous belladonnas to summon death to challenge him can save this family!

That girl lost her own family. She felt the cold breath of DEATH on her face, staring at shadowy figure of him directly. She did everything to lure him take her with him.

Slowly she realizes mysterious things about her life: She talks with the spirits, seeing ghosts and she also realizes she cannot kill herself. Each time she pops several belladonnas into her mouth, she feels the shivering feeling as a sign of death’s approaching.

When Signa accidentally killed her venomous Aunt Magda, she broke the important rule without knowing. Magda was not meant to die at that night so when a life is taken, another must be spared rule saved her cousin Blythe’s life.

Thankfully Blythe who suffers from mysterious illness is part of eccentric Hawthorne Family living at Thorn Grove. Signa is sent there to live with Hawthornes: her last remaining relatives, trying to understand the complex family dynamics.

As the patriarch of the family: Elijah mourns his wife Lillian through wild parties he throws at their eerie mansion where ghosts lurking around the corridors, Percy: his young son does everything to take his father’s attention, caring the young Blythe who is ill, showing the exactly same symptoms with her dead mother.

Signa meets with the spirit of Lillian and she realizes somebody in the house murdered her and unfortunately only Death and a sarcastic stable boy can help Signa to solve the mystery!

I loved to see how Signa’s character evolved and accepted her true powers. Of course Death was the most alluring and charismatic character of the book definitely intrigued me!

I loved the final twist and cliffhanger! I’m absolutely looking forward to read the second book! I had amazing reading time!

Going in, I had very high expectations for this one, and I wasn't disappointed. A perfect gothic setting and wow, what an imagination. I loved the mystery of the family past and just wanted to read on to find out more.
Lovable characters and equally unlovable ones, I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be picking up the next.

I loved this book! The atmosphere was spot on and I really enjoyed Signa and her relationship with other characters, especially death. It's not often I enjoy historical settings but this worked so well!

I really enjoyed Adalyn Grace’s previous novels, so there never was a doubt in my mind that I was going to read her latest one. Also, Belladonna was presented as Bridgerton meets Knives Out so I was entirely sold on it and I wasn’t disappointed because I LOVED it!!! I loved the characters, the story, the writing, and the brilliant ending that left me hanging for more and I already can’t wait for the sequel to come out next year!

The protagonist of the story is Signa Farrow. Signa has what it may be called either a gift or a curse… it depends on the perspective. For Signa her ability to see Death and evade it is a curse. No matter how many belladonnas she eats, she can always see him and not die, but those close to her do. First her parents died when she was a baby and then the long series of guardians who raised her. After her latest guardian dies, she is invited to Thorns Grove by the Hawthornes, her last living relatives.

When Signa arrives at Thorns Grove she finds a party going on. Since his wife Lilian died, Elijah Hawthorne has been drowning his sorrow in alcoholism and wild parties while his son Percy tries to take the reins of the family business and his daughter Blythe is suffering from the same illness that killed her mother. And when Lilian’s spirit tells Signa that she was poisoned, she knows she needs to hurry and find the killer before even Blythe succumbs to it, even if that means asking for the help of a mysterious and charming stable boy, but, above all, for the help of Death himself.

Belladonna is truly an addictive and compelling story. I loved the gothic and haunting atmosphere and the unexpected twists and the suspense. Most of all, I loved the characters. Signa and Death are fascinating characters with a complex relationship. Only seventeen years old, Signa has seen enough people dying around her. The guardians who raised her were only interested in her family’s money, so she craves affection and acceptance. She hates Death because he took her family away from her, but, as the story develops, she comes to accept her gift and her relationship with Death turns romantic.

There is romance, murder, spirits, secrets, and much more. Belladonna is a fantastic and gripping story that kept me glued to the pages and with a stunning cover I can’t stop stare at!!!

I LOVED this book so much! This is my first book by Adalyn Grace and I instantly fell in love with her writing style. There is something about the slow and lyrical story telling that is just a vibe that I am absolutely OBSESSED with!

Belladonna is a cozy murder mystery and the plot hooked me from the very first page! You learn straight away that Signa cannot die after she is the sole survivor of a mass murder. As she grows up the reaper is always near and she soon forms a bond with death himself.

I loved the chemistry between Signa and death and all of the twists and turns of the mystery unfolding at Thorn Grove. I saw a few things coming but I found myself pleasantly surprised by certain turns of events.

I cannot wait for Foxglove to release and to see what Adalyn Grace has in store for Signa and death! This is the perfect cozy mystery for the spooky season and is a fantastic quick read for anyone!

Hear me out, Adalyn Grace is really channelling Emily Dickinson with this novel. I just KNOW Dickinson would absolutely devour this, if she hadn’t already written it in the form of an epic poem herself. The vibes were immaculate, echoing the style of a mid 19th century gothic novel with its immersive descriptions and heady sense of mystery throughout.

The main character Signa would do Jane Austen proud with her tenacity and innate inability to conform to literally anything. She also reminds me of Alice (in Wonderland), always choosing to wander off and quell her curiosity over attending etiquette lessons. BUT instead of slaying the Jabberwocky, Signa’s getting it on in the shadows with Death.

SPEAKING OF.

Death is a love interest and I’m just obsessed with their chemistry. He nurtures the part of her that is unwilling to fit in with polite society, as much as she believes that’s what she ought to want. At one point, Signa is taking tea with people she doesn’t like, unable to eat or drink anything, lest she accidentally do something uncouth. Signa feels Death enter the room, hearing his voice in her head.
…if you’re hungry, you should eat. Damn the rules.
I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. It doesn’t get much better than a sexy, shadowy Reaper giving you aggressive permission to eat as many scones as you’d like. Peak vibes.

I’d recommend Belladonna to historical fiction and fantasy readers alike, but mostly to my ‘touch her and you die’ besties. If you know, you know. Slap Evermore on and read this on a drizzly autumn day, you will not be disappointed.

A big thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC!

5⭐️

Loved it loved it loved it!
I was hooked on the plot from the first page and it just got better and better throughout. My personal favourite book genre is a period drama with a fantasy element incorporated and Belladonna is my new favourite, I would go as far as to say probably my favourite book of the year so far and I absolutely CANNOT wait for the next instalment!

Our main character is called Signa Farrow who we find out straight away is not able to die she always come back to life fully healed from her cause of death like nothing ever happened. Because of this we see her relationship with death form and it's a gripping one to read.

This is a murder mystery who done it with a beautiful romance and I just can't hype this enough!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I enjoyed the gothic-inspired setting for this novel, but couldn't completely settle into the plot. The Death storyline was interesting but I saw the twist coming a mile off, and I found Signa's obsession with high society slightly frustrating for someone who had been raised (or not raised) by what seemed like all classes and had already seen the dark side of nobility. But it was eminently readable and the concept was original.

A good 4/5 stars for this book. The first line of the book as well as at the start of each chapter were interesting and gripping; I was hooked from the beginning. The prologue was incredibly dramatic setting the precedent for the rest of the book. I was hooked by Death's presence 5% into the story- the nickname for Signs was adorable and really summarised the type of relationship between the two of them. I just wish there was more of an explanation of how Signa got her powers. The ending of the story with the plot twists and cliffhanger, was great and now I can't wait for book 2.

This book was all I hoped a book can be.
Adalyn Grace is wonderfully skilled with her words and it was a pleasure to read the book
The mystery is somewhat obvious in hindsight which makes it a good mystery to me because I was surprised about the turning events in the story.
I was so enthralled that I was listening to the book not only while working out in the gym but also in the middle of the night because I had to know how the story would continue.
Which is probably rating enough.