3.5 Stars.

I felt the mystery element was done well and the development of the familial relationships were great. I had a big issue with the romance between Signa and Death. Her knew her and was actively in her life from she was an infant so a romamce between them was very uncomfortable for me to read about

★ 5 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀! ★

Wow I LOVED this book! Dark and haunting with beautiful storytelling Belladonna had me immersed from the get go. The book is brimming with wonderful characters. I loved the development of Signa. A lonely soul looking for love and acceptance in a bleak life haunted by Death and in need of an escape and a chance of a better life for herself. Her growth throughout the story was beautiful.

"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒏, 𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒂 𝑭𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏"

A had a huge soft spot for Death. A fellow lonely soul him and Signa have a beautiful connection that blossoms as the story flows. The push pull between them and the draw they have to each other reminds me of one of my favourite series so I knew this was gonna be a winner.

This story is full of twists. I was constantly coming up with new theory's the whole way through and one was a real shocker for me I just didn't see it coming. It had me on the edge of my seat.
I love how it's set up for a follow on book which I can't wait to read.
Belladonna is most definitely one of my favourite books of the year so far!

So initially I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover of this book. After reading the synopsis I gathered that this would be a dark, gothic read with a complex relationship with Death himself and all I can say is WOW! I had heard a lot about this book and so when I saw this available to request I jumped at the opportunity, and I'm so glad that I did.

Signa has been marked by Death from when she was a baby following and the death of her parents, this leads to her living with a range of Guardians, all who come to end quite quickly. This dubs her as cursed by Death and when her Aunt Magda dies after a fatal accident, Signa can't believe her luck when her aunt's daughter's husband invites her to live with them.

Not long after arriving in Thorn Grove, she quickly realises that this place is also tainted with Death, Lillian tragically died following illness and her daughter Blythe appears to have caught the disease herself. However, all is not as it seems and so with the help of a stable boy, Signa and Sylas work together to unravel the mystery and see if they can stop Death in his tracks.

This is such a captivating and addictive read. In fact, I read this within 24hrs! It has everything you could want, family secrets, tragic family stories, Death as a character (which I always find fascinating) and a "enemies to lovers" romance.

Adalyn Grace's writing is just brilliant and beautiful, The world building/fantasy element has been really well written and the emotion and topics around grief and death have been explored so well that this makes for a great ya read. I really can't wait for the sequel to this book and see where this story goes!

Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
This was the perfect dark, gothic, murder mystery I needed in my life.
Signa is a brilliant leading character and it was a joy to follow her through this story.
This atmospheric read throws you straight into the action and doesn’t let up until the end.
And can I please just talk about that ending….what?? Wow!! Please tell me there will be a follow up because I am desperate to see where this story goes and what fate has in store for Signa.
This book has all you need from a gothic read so dive right in and be prepared to come out the other side thrilled!

A gothic Victorian murder mystery/dark romance novel that skips along the thin veil between life and death.

Signa Farrow cannot escape Death. He’s been with her since the very beginning. It’s like a curse. Everyone she’s ever known and loved has died, many in strange circumstances and it seems that she is at the heart of it. Death has often touched her but never taken her, only those around her. She realises she can see spirits, and in particular, commune with Death himself.

Growing up with different guardians she hasn’t found her place in the world, until she is sent to live with her uncle and cousins in Thorngrove. The Hawthorne family are suffering a loss of their own, and it’s up to Signa to get to the bottom of a murder and save her cousin before it’s too late.

In amongst the murder mystery, forbidden flirtations with Death, and poisonous belladonna berries there are balls to attend, suitors to contend with, and plenty of scones to be eaten. It’s a bit like if Bridgerton made a Halloween special.
I only think this book could have been about half as long as it was and would have been more enjoyable, as it was quite repetitive.
However there was a decent number of suspects and I was kept guessing about the guilty party until the end. The audio version was well narrated.
The epilogue leaves us on a bit of a cliffhanger and it looks like we meet see more from Belladonna.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

All her life, Signa has only known Death. Losing her parents at a very young age, she shared her relatives' lives until they died, too, one after the other. If she loathed Death so much, it's because she knows she's closely related to it, for she can summon it when she wants just by putting herself on the threshold of its doors, without never dying. But her powers have consequences, sometimes fortuitous ones, and some other times dreadful ones. Under the tutelage of the awful aunt Magda, Signa eventually escapes her by... killing her with belladonna—deadly fruits in the shade of night. They say five belladonnas can kill someone. This all leads Signa to her last relatives accepting her under their roof—the Hawthornes. They, too, are cursed, like Signa. At least all the women seem to succumb to a strange and unknown illness, taking their breath away little by little. Signa knows that something—or someone, lurks in the shadows of this incomprehensible curse.

And that's another fabulous novel that I read this year, also my first novel by Adalyn Grace. I fell in love with her writing style, the sensuality of her descriptions and the erotism between her two characters. That's something quite rare, I believe, in nowadays fantasy novels: the boundary between what the youth calls "smut scenes" (*insert chilli emojis 2x*) and the beauty of erotism, of suggestive gestures and descriptions, is pretty well represented here. The sensuality of the most erotic scenes felt poetic, beautiful. For once, I loved them and the intimacy of it all turned out very appalling, to someone like me who's deeply uncomfortable with such scenes, normally.

The story is quite slow to start, though very informative and introductory. We learn to read Signa's character with time, through her actions, her decisions, her insecurities, and also her relation with Death. I was surprised to see how their bonds developed. At some point, I thought it was a bit predictable but, fair enough, readers have a sixth sense for that anyway; we all know, even before starting the book, with who the main character will end up (when there's romance, of course!). To be quite frank, though, I wasn't sure the love triangle was necessary. I did understand the point Adalyn Grace was making as Sylas represented everything Signa could hope for as a living girl, refuting her connection with Death, a man epitomising the underworld.

Let's talk about the end, now, without diving into the details. WHAT WAS THAT? I'm so angry Adalyn left us on that, and now I can't help but wanting FOXGLOVES in my hands! Seriously, I'm curious to see where this story is heading and what Adalyn plans for her characters. I hope to see more of Blythe and Charlotte, since the two interested me a lot. We were offered good glimpses of the girls, and I'm sure Charlotte will take a more important role in Foxgloves. (I want a witch!!!!)

So I will definitely recommend Belladonna to my fellow readers who are still hesitant to start this novel. Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity of reading this title and reviewing it in advance. That was a delight!

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Belladonna’ by Adalyn Grace.

‘Belladonna’ is the third novel by Adalyn Grace. I had enjoyed her 2020 debut, ‘All the Stars and Teeth’ and so was very excited to read this.

I feel that Adalyn Grace has crafted an imaginative novel that skilfully blends Gothic fantasy with historical fiction. While listed as Teen/YA, I found that it was written in a style that will appeal to readers of all ages.

I was completely hooked from the Prologue, which in a scene worthy of Poe, sets the tone for the entire tale. In it Death is drawn to an elaborate party at Foxglove Manor thrown by the parents of two-month-old Signa Farrow. Before the evening ends Signa will be orphaned as Death gathers all those souls who have partaken of the poison-laced wine.

At nineteen Signa is a strange girl who is aware of the unseen and is fascinated by poisonous plants. She has been raised by a string of guardians, more interested in her wealth than caring for her, though each has met an untimely end.

Now there is only six months until Signa gains access to her considerable fortune. Yet until then she has been sent to her only remaining relatives, the reclusive Hawthornes, who live in Thorn Grove, a suitably gloomy estate.

Elijah Hawthorne, the family’s eccentric patriarch, is in mourning for his wife, Lillian, yet is deflecting his grief by throwing wild parties. His son, Percy, is seeking to control the family's waning reputation and his daughter, Blythe, is suffering from a mysterious illness. Then Signa is visited by Lillian’s restless spirit, who claims that she had been poisoned.

Sigma realises that the Hawthornes could be in grave danger. She enlists the aid of Sylas, a stable hand, and together they seek to unmask the killer. Her other ally in the quest is Death himself!

I adored ‘Belladonna’. Plus, you really cannot get more Goth than having an anthropomorphic personification of the Grim Reaper as a supporting character.

Overall, I found this an atmospheric and compelling tale and was very pleased to hear that there will be a sequel, ‘Foxglove’, currently listed for a 2023 publication date. I can hardly wait.

Highly recommended.

Belladonna is a truly atmospheric, gothic read. The opening does a fantastic job at launching you right into the action and making sure you need to keep on reading to work out what’s actually happening to poor Signa.

As a main character, I loved Signa for the most part. The only times she was slightly too annoying were when she was trying to be a lady. It’s understandable for her character, as she’s set to inherit a large estate and fortune when she turns 20, but she is so much better when she isn’t trying to fit in with others.

Largely though, this story revolves around Signa trying to find her place in the world at all. Of course, it would probably be simple enough… if she hadn’t been followed by Death her whole life and somehow gained some of his powers. There’s also the fact that she is the one being who Death can touch without causing her to die.

After losing a series of guardians, Signa finds herself at Thorn Grove. One of her special powers though is that she can see spirits, and of course from the very first night she’s thrust into a murder mystery where she realises the mother had been murdered and someone may be trying to do the same to her daughter, Blythe.

There are still some instances of Signa trying to fit in, but the best part is how she learns to embrace who she is in the story to help with solving the mystery.

In terms of the twists, I saw a couple coming but others were a little more out there, and it’s always nice to be caught unaware by a twist!

The romance… I won’t say much but I kind of loved it? It was very, out there, and though my head couldn’t quite make sense of some of the spicier scenes it made sense for them to be? If you’re worried about spice in YA, the character in this story is 19 years old and there is a lot of making sure she is still okay with it regardless, which honestly I think we need more stories like that for the older YA readers.

The epilogue… without it, this is a pretty solid standalone. But that epilogue had me dying for more, and I can’t wait to read the next book!

Belladonna is dark. It takes the fascination with the macabre to a whole other level. Which is why I'm sure there are many people who will love this book. The murder mystery aspect was gripping - so much so that I did finish the novel despite many moments of almost adding it to a DNF pile. The plot was interesting but I simply could not get past the absurdity of the romance element. I'm all for a certain level of suspension of disbelief, particularly in regards to fiction with a fantasy element, but the twisted relationship to death was just too much for me. I won't be reading the sequel but I can understand how some other may enjoy it.

A mix of gothic novel, mystery, fantasy, with a pinch of romance. A delightful story that I thoroughly enjoyed as the characters are interesting and the plot flows.
i liked the world building and the story kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book was such a good fun times!

The story is a blend of regency, gothic mystery and romance. I honestly found the setting to be very atmospheric and engrossing. The mystery too was quite engaging and I was hooked to the story until the end.

The characters are good if a bit generic. The main romance is with Death/reaper and there are a couple of sex scenes with shadows but I have read weirder stuff so I am gonna let that fly.

This book can be definitely read as a standalone but I believe there's also going to be a sequel.

I loved this book and I also didn't. I loved the writing and the atmosphere and the romance between Signa and Death, but other parts of the book weren't so good for me. I would have liked it to be more of a mystery: with clues and investigation, but it wasn't. It felt like Signa spent most of the book trying to fend off the effects of the belladonna and save her cousin and then when she actually bothered to look for the killer it all just sort of fell into her lap.

There were also certain things that were revealed a bit too late, leaving me floundering to match everything up in my head, because Signa had come to realise stuff that wasn't told to the reader until much later. The biggest thing about this was to do with Margery, though I won't say much more because of spoilers.

But oh the romance. Death was such a great character and Signa worked so well with him! The narration was just spot on with his voice which added to this. And with that ending I'm definitely going to read on to the next book!

From a young age, orphaned Signa realises she can see ghosts and more than once has met Death himself. When her long lost birth relatives track her down and she moves into their old property, Signa soon realises that the ghost of the mistress of the house is not resting in peace, and it seems that others in the house may also be at risk... so she must make a pact with Death so save the others....

This a menacing gothic ghost story with a touch of horror and the supernatural.

3.5 stars
Orphaned as a baby, Signa has been passed from one relative to another until there is only one left to take her in. Only one because everywhere she goes, death follows. By death, I mean Death himself. Signa has been able to see him all her life. He's been her one constant companion.
Signa will be wealthy and able to take care of herself once she turns twenty. Only one year to go. She would really love the year to go by without anyone else dying.

I really liked the Gothic vibe. I am ready for spooky season. My only complaint is that it was pretty predictable at times.

I’m going to start by saying I think Belladonna might be my favourite book so far this year.

Synopsis:

It follows the story of Signa Farrow who, as a baby, is the only survivor of a party where her wealthy and influential parents and their guests are poisoned. When Death tries to claim her, however, he finds he cannot, and while he can usually catch glimpses of a soul’s past when he claims them, with Signa - for the first and only time - he sees her future.

Signa is raised by her grandmother and is happy, but once her grandmother passes she finds herself bounced around from awful guardian to awful guardian, all interested in her sizeable inheritance alone. They all come to die in one horrible way or another, and Signa begins to feels cursed, something made worse by the fact that she can see and hear spirits. It also appears that she cannot die, something she tests by eating belladonna berries. She discovers that in doing so, she can summon and talk to Death himself before her body heals. At 19, she now resents Death and the traumatic impact he has had on her young life, but oscillates between hating him and wanting to find out more.

Signa leads a lonely existence, but when her latest guardian dies during an argument between them, Sigma’s luck seemingly changes and she is taken in by her cousins, the Hawthorne family, at their sprawling manor Thorn Grove. The mistress of the house, Lillian, has recently died and her daughter, Blythe, seems to be suffering from the same mysterious illness. Elijah, the head of the Hawthorne family, is devastated, choosing to ignore his business and drown his sorrows at lavish parties to distract himself. It doesn’t take long before Signa realises it isn’t just Elijah that is haunted by the past but that the house is too. When Lillian’s ghost appears to warn her that there is more to her death, and Blythe’s illness, than meets the eye, Signa will need to embrace her powers and ally with Death to get to the bottom of it.

My thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book and finished it in a day. Signa is a stubborn but relatable MC who just wants to be loved and accepted, but soon realises that actually what she thought she always wanted might not be what she truly needs. Her relationships with characters such as Sylas, Death, Blythe and Percy are all well developed and believable, and Signa goes on a journey of personal growth across the book that makes you root for her.

Belladonna really does have everything I love - romance, a murder mystery, old gothic houses haunted by spirits from the past, a little bit of spice and a brilliant twist at the end. I can’t wait for Foxglove, Belladonna’s sequel, and will definitely be reading more of Adalyn Grace’s books in the meantime!

Despite the fact that I had no idea on what to expect I really liked this book. It started strong and kept the pace throughout the book. Fine, I kind of guessed some of the parts, but overall it was a lovely experience. And they ending??? I need the sequel right now.

I REALLY LIKE THIS.....

I didn't have any expectations going into this book but I ended up actually liking this a lot more than I thought. It's a perfect balance of YA fantasy, mystery, and romance and I loved the characters a lot so honestly, I would not have asked for anything else. I adored the storyline of Signa and her siblings the most, and I think it was what made this book really enjoyable because I got attached to the characters and the slightly wholesome dynamic between them.

Also for someone who has been in a rut for sometime, I found myself wanting to continue this book and it was just a really fun time??? Like I loved following Signa and Sylas as they tried to uncover the mystery, Signa and Death and their very tension-filled interactions, and even found myself torn along with Signa about Sylas and Death. I had found myself not really loving YA fantasy for a while but this was just amazing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the arc!

wow wow wow! I had heard such great things about this book and for once I am so happy it lived up to expectations. I <I> devoured </I> this book; it has consumed my being since I received it. It very quickly has become my new obsession and its sequel is the sole reason I will continue to exist on this earth. I fell in love from the very beginning of this beautiful story. I went into it without having read anything from Adalyn Grace before, but the prose in this book was simply exquisite. I can’t tell you the amount of times I stopped to swoon, or I paused to shed a tear and feel my heartbreak into tiny pieces. I’m going to end up with a notebook full of quotes from when I do a reread in the very near future.

I really did fall in love with every single character in this book. The relationship between Death and Signa was full of chemistry and banter. I can’t explain how happy I was that he wanted nothing more than for her to love herself unconditionally and embrace who she truly was. I loved the family dynamics and the budding relationships between side characters who kept me throughly entertained and engrossed. The mystery elements were incorporated into the story so effortlessly and it was so easy to read and follow along.

I need to own every single version of this book. I just need to hold it in my hands.

give. me. the. sequel. now!! please adalyn I’ll love u 4ever 💛

>thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton, and most importantly, Adalyn for providing me with an ARC of my new favourite read of the year (possibly ever)<

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I was really intrigued to read this after reading the blurb. The idea of a gothic fantasy with a girl who has been touched by death sounded amazing. I loved Signa as a character, she was really strong and the relationship with the family she goes to live with after all her other guardians died, was touching and well written. I enjoyed her romance with death, and although I'm not someone who usually enjoys gothic fantasies, I think the writing was beautiful and it really drew me into the story. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next as the ending left me wanting more!

I absolutely loved Belladonna and can't wait for the sequel - give me it now! This was such a fun story with so many twists I couldn't help but turn page after page. The pacing is great, the characters well developed and the story has enough mystery and intrigue to keep you guessing. There were a few predictable plot points but I also found a few surprises amongst the pages. If you love a good YA mystery with a supernatural twist, you don't want to pass this up!