Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton (audio) and Adalyn Grace for the advanced audiobook copy of Belladonna via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.

I ADORED Belladonna. It is most definitely on my favourites of 2022 list.

I listened to the audiobook version of the book and the narrator, Kristin Atherton, was a wonderful choice. The pace and mood of the reading suited the story really well, and the different voices, nuances and accents were done brilliantly.

The story is a mix of fantasy, mystery, and romance. There IS a bit of spice and, whilst classed as a YA, I’d recommend this for older YA readers & adults.

The descriptions and imagery in the book evoke feelings reminiscent of The Secret Garden, and the slower pacing of the audio book allowed me to build the world in my mind beautifully. I’m normally a fast reader and being slowed down by the narrator’s pace does allow you to slow down and world-build better.

There are some laugh-out-loud portions in the book, my favourite being Death joining in an afternoon tea, uninvited. My emotions rollercoastered throughout, however, as I was plummeted straight into an emotional well right after my tea party giggles.

By the middle of the book I was in love with Death. Thoroughly and completely. It was great to read a story with Death as a protagonist, and Adalyn Grace gave a unique and welcome spin on him as a character which I’ve not read before.

Signa, the female protagonist, is a strong, yet beautifully and tragically flawed character. Throughout the book we see her grow and mature and find herself. There is still so much scope for her to evolve, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the sequel, Foxglove, which is due out next year (2023).

Tropes: enemies to lovers, orphan, mistaken identity, love triangle/arrow
Moods: adventurous, challenging, dark, emotional, funny, hopeful, mysterious, reflective, sad
Pace: medium
Character development: strong
Plot or character driven: 50/50
Diversity: low
Spice: 3/5
Trigger warnings: Abusive family relationship, Alcohol abuse, Death, Death of a family member, Misogyny, Murder, Physical illness, Poisoning, Terminal illness

Rating 5/5 – wish I could give it more!

3 stars

For the audiobook, I liked the narrator, but I really disliked whenever Kristin Atherton(the narrator) narrated as Death, that voice irked me. Otherwise I liked the narration. I was pulled in, eventhough I did listen to most of it on 1,5x or 2x speed. I changed the speed settings quite often, and I actually liked the voice in all the different speed settings.

Firstly I would like to give my thanks to Adalyn Grace, Hodder & Stoughton and Net Galley for supplying an audio ARC of Belladonna in exchange for an honest review.

As I listened to this on audio I don't think I can start this review without telling you how utterly blown away I was with the voice acting in this book. Kristin Atherton was sublime, her voice fitted the style of Belladonna perfectly her soft velvet tone fitted the mysterious tone of the book brilliantly. She is the best narrator I have listened to so far this year.

Now onto the story itself. You follow Signa Farrow a young lady who lost her family at birth and has spent her years after the death of her grandmother going from guardian to guardian who cared more for Signa's wealth then her care - but they all seem to meet an untimely end.

Soon as gossip spreads people begin to suggest that Signa is cursed!

Signa may even believe she is cursed as she can see spirits and talk to death.

With the death of another guardian Signa finds herself on the way to the Hawthorne's, and their home Thorn Grove. A house in mourning after the death of Lady Hawthorne by a mysterious illness which also seems to be taking the life of her uncle Lord Hawthorne daughter. But has Signa arrived in time to untangle the mystery of Thorn Grove.

This book was enchanting, I have a soft spot for a Gothic Horror/mystery if you loved Gallant or Crimson Peak you will love this book.

Signa is such a well rounded character as the book progresses her character really blossoms from the shy unsure girl you meet at the start of the book into a young woman who is a force to be reckoned with by the end.

The twists and turns in this book kept me guessing. I had no idea of the twist until the last couple of chapters and the realisation hit my like a sack of bricks. There may have been an audible NOOOOO! whilst I was listening.

I don't want to say too much and give any of the plot away but with Autumn just around the corner I'd recommend this book as the perfect cosy Autumn read if you love Gothic Horror with a sprinkle of mystery Belladonna is the book for you.

I will have to buy myself a physical copy and will be looking out for the sequel.

Interesting concept and ideas. I adored the gothic backdrop and atmosphere. I did enjoy this one and would be keen to read the sequel

DO NOT WAIT TO READ THIS BOOK!!!

Adalyn Grace has created the eerie, romantic Gothic read I have been craving as autumn starts looming. Her writing is engaging and fun. She twists the trope of a girl interacting with death to make it exciting and empowering. I loved watching Signa discover who she is and how her society works, all while solving a mystery that is scary and thrilling in equal measure.

The romance in this book is excellent. I was rooting for Signa the entire time and (small spoiler ahead) the resolution to this love triangle is brilliant and delightful.

I cannot recommend this book enough for lovers of mysteries, Gothic romance and just a dash of magical fantasy. I'm so excited for other people to read this.

Absolutely loved this audiobook! The narrator was fantastic, her pacing was perfect. The story itself was engaging and I found myself unable to stop listening! I'm definitely adding this onto my to-buy list and I'm probably going to be recommending it to everyone too!

This book surprised me with just how good it was, since it is billed as YA, and by no stretch of the imagination can I pretend to be young! However there was no real difference between this and other gothic novels I have read recently, other than the young age of the main character (19) which honestly is standard in historical fiction anyway.

It follows Signa Farrow, an orphan who is passed from family member to family member until she ends up at the home of her widowed uncle, where she seeks to settle herself down and become a proper lady, as detailed in her book of etiquette, but her unusual supernatural capabilities - the ability to see and talk with spirits, and to consult with Death himself - stand in her way. As she uncovers the secrets hidden behind the walls of her new home, and learns from Death how to use her abilities, Signa finds out that there is someone who wishes the family harm, and she is the only one who can stop them.

The characters were vividly depicted, the supernatural elements were delightfully spooky, and Death himself was so charismatic that it was fairly obvious why Signa was drawn to him (#teamDeath) The romantic elements were steamy and all together it worked perfectly as a very satisfying gothic romance.

I really enjoyed the narrator's telling of this story. I thought she really brought the tale to life.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook in return for an honest review.

I received an Audiobook ALC of this work from the publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Regrettably, I didn’t enjoy the audiobook much mostly because of the narrator which didn’t fit my impression of Signa at all. First of all, I felt like they should have casted someone younger since Signa is a teenager. On top of that, the lines were also delivered with such intensity, even in the light hearted scenes, that it felt strange. There was also quite a bit of overacting for the voices she put on for the character. The male characters especially came across as more irritating than sexy. I quickly switched to the book whenever I could though I alternated between both.

Belladonna was a fun read, if not particular original or groundbreaking. It was well written and imaginative, but ultimately a cookie-cutter YA romance with a predictable plot and a "chosen one" narrative.

Signa Farrow was an interesting protagonist, and I found the premise intriguing. The pacing was good, with a decent gothic mystery to push the plot along. Despite nothing coming as a surprise, and each potential twist, including the cliffhanger being not so much foreshadowed, as floodlit with a big neon sign, it was still an immensely enjoyable reading experience.

Where my enjoyment fell a little flat was in the characterisation of a lot of the secondary characters, and the motivations of the antagonist. There were some pretty big leaps that led to the ultimate reveal that really broke my immersion, and there were a host of characters who were not really developed, and used more as props. I've also got a pretty huge issue with the YA obsessions with ancient beings falling in love with young girls. It's just weird, and kind of gross.

Still, I enjoyed reading Belladonna and will definitely read the next book when it comes out. I'm already predicting a love triangle to finish up my YA romance trope bingo card.

Thankfully I received an ARC of the book as well as the audiobook, because the Narrator's gravelly "death" voice really grated after a while. It really put me off. It took ages to get that drawl out of my mind, even when I switched to reading, so this was definitely not the ideal audio experience for me.

Belladonna is a charming gothic fantasy story about an unlucky orphan, Signa, who - albeit cannot die herself - seems to attract Death to her wherever she goes, and finds herself entangled in a murder mystery investigation at a lavish estate.

Though rarely, I do sometimes keep trying to relive my YA fantasy binging days when these tropey stories with a ‘special,‘ gifted feisty heroine stuck in a conundrum about which hot boyfriend to choose; vague, convenient magic and glamour of the underdeveloped setting, used to enthrall and entertain me, but I always come to the conclusion that I must have unfortunately outgrown these books.

Belladonna is another addition looking to fill the void left by Cruel Princes, Red Queens, Serpents & Doves, Thrones of Glass, Courts of Thorns, and the like, although it stands out by putting somewhat of a spin on the tired love triangle subplot, while throwing in the occasional ball or tea party, as well as the sneaky night ride through the woods or a scandalous dirty fantasy (very PG, of course) in the midst of Signa‘s murder investigation. The atmosphere and the two main characters & their dynamic / banter actually reminded me a lot of The Kingdom of the Wicked, another Hodder & Stoughton title.

So though the story followed the usual predictable beats and tropes, I found the resolution of the murder mystery actually quite unexpected, and while the side characters were there mainly to serve the plot, at least Signa went through some development, realising the only person whom she needed to please and live up to was herself. If these types of novels provide you with comfort and escapism, I couldn’t recommend Belladonna more.

Narration by Kristin Atherton was wonderful, she really made the story come alive and did her best to distinguish the characters‘ voices.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder and Stoughton and Adalyn Grace for an advanced copy of Belladonna in exchange for my honest review.

As soon as I read the blurb for Belladonna, I knew I had to read this book. I loved everything about the premise of the book.
Signa Farrow has been surrounded by death her whole life. Orphaned as a baby, she’s made her way through several guardians over the years – some better than others, but all who have met an untimely end. With the death of her latest guardian, Sign goes to live with the Hawthornes, the family of her late cousin. Elijah, the head of the family, hosts party after party to mourn his wife, his son Percy is up tight and wishes his father would pass control of the business onto him instead, and his daughter Blythe is suffering from the same mystery illness as her mother. When her cousin’s spirit comes to her to say she was poisoned, it’s down to Signa and a stable boy called Sylas to solve the mystery. Oh, and Death.

As someone who is a huge fan of the Terry Pratchett books that focus on Death, I wanted to see how he’d be portrayed in someone else’s world. I love the idea of someone having a friendship with Death – Signa’s dislike for him, how they navigate through the story with those issues.

The writing style was exactly what I like to read, and Adalyn writes with such descriptions sometimes that I had to stop and re-read a line or two a few times because it was just beautiful.

I loved watching Signa navigate through the world she was thrown into and the murder mystery. Some of the twists I was able to work out, and some were just a huge surprise to me. Absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for the next one. In the meantime, I may have to go and read All The Stars and Teeth!

This listening experience was an absolute pleasure.
Gothic Dark atmosphere, mysterious characters and elegant and wealthy settings, I simply did not want it to end and I'm sure it will stay with me for a long while. This should come with a Book Hangover warning!

The plot is thrilling and kept me guessing right up to the final pages and the epilogue was equally brilliant and I cant wait for the release of the next in the series.
Signa's journey from Orphaned child to debuting Lady is one full of regency and desperation. Desperation to evade death. I enjoyed following her finding her place in society whilst discovering the mystery of the Hawthorne household and dealing with death himself.
The scene setting and atmosphere was deliciously dark and eery, I thoroughly enjoyed the haunted and spooky household and the spirits that dwelled with in.

Its characters were all well developed to have meaning and significance to the story, each moving the story along and resonating with me, making me suspect each character and their actions in relation to the mystery of the story, I think at one point of the story I had suspected almost every character for one thing or another and I still didn't guess anything correctly!
I think this is helped along in the narration of this book, so well portrayed is Death by narrator Kristin Atherton, that I could not wait for him to appear more often and the varied tone and accent making characters easy to identify, and enjoy. Kristin's beautiful British accent lends to the believable setting of high society and wealth.

If you like a slow burn romance, gothic settings, ghosts and higher beings and a mystery this is not one to miss.
Hodder are absolutely knocking it out of the park! An outstanding publishing house supporting some absolutely amazing authors, its rare they release something I don't enjoy and this is no exception.

Belladonna has become my favourite read of the 2022. Thank you to Hodder, netGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of the Audiobook, by Adalyn Grace

Now... I just want to start this by saying that I wasn't expecting to find a new FAVOURITE BOOK OF ALL TIME when I started reading this. Alas, it was meant to be.

Belladonna had me giggling and kicking my feet in the air for 80% of it and I just want to say... BUY THIS AND READ IT.

I would say this had Crimson Peak vibes, with a bit of KOTW and just immaculate murder mystery solving.

I sussed the murderer pretty quick but still had doubts because this book will have you pointing at everyone and anyone. It was super engaging to listen to (the narrator did an EXCELLENT job and I would like to thank her for her service.🥺)

Ummmm if you're a simple gal 😔who just likes simping over fictional men🥺 this is THE book for you❤️ 10000000/10

Anyway can't wait for the sequel(s?). I NEED it right now.

Wow - this one had me hooked from the first chapter. I adored Signa, she was such a strong lead to follow. Determination and willingness are just some of the words to describe Signa. We follow Signa as she moves into another home of relations who will look after her till she comes of age, this has been happening since she was a young baby. A lot happens in this book, but the world-building explains everything when you need the information. Signa has to literally deal with all the death around her, while dealing with Death himself. This is an amazing start to what I am hoping is going to be an amazing series. I am so excited for the next installment already!

This book. This book!
It's giving, Bridgerton if Daphney was seeing the dead and investigating a murder, and I am obsessed.

Signa was an easy character to relate and sympathise with, I could really connect with her pain and struggles.

I feel like there wasn't any part of this book that I didn't enjoy, I was captivated through out and will definitely go on to read what comes next.

I read the audio version, and I highly recommend. The reader had such a soothing voice, and I didn't find myself cringing at her male voices like I do so often with audio books read by female characters.

Give Adalyn Grace an award immediately. This book deserves an award. I absolutely LOVED it. Steeped in mystery, this gothic infused world is so atmospheric and perfect for the upcoming spooky season. I literally couldn’t put it down.

The story follows Signa, a young woman who has been surrounded by death her whole life, quite literally. Signa has met Death himself after almost dying as a baby! She has been passed around the family, as each of her wards eventually die when she is around. It's a problem. She eventually ends up at Thorn Grove, where her remaining Hawthorne family members live. However, mystery shrouds the whole estate, the owner, grieving his dead wife, throws parties to try and drown his sorrows. The daughter is fighting a very mysterious illness that no one knows how to cure. Signa puts it upon herself to solve the mystery, with the help of death and the spirit of the late Hawthorne wife.

A hypnotising, mystical story that will have you hooked from the very first pages.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Net Galley for access to an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Morally grey female character, female friendship, empowerment narrative, and a murder mystery, all wrapped up in Victorian-esque setting with a fairy tale narrative style.

I'm not usually one for Death-and-the-Maiden stories, nor heterosexual romances. Belladonna, howver, blew me away. Signa is a well-rounded and understandable character, whose choices actively drive the narrative. She makes mistakes, or morally ambiguous choices, and deals with the consequences while the narrative itself does not judge her. I'm a HUGE fan of morally grey female characters, and Signa's corruption arc and embracement of her own power, with the unwavering support of Death, was an incredibly enjoyable read that left me thoroughly invested. I genuinely wanted to relisten to the whole book all over again immediately. The fact that it ends on a cliffhanger I have to wait over a year to resolve only destroyed me more.

The relationships between Signa and the other female characters really tied this book together, giving her a grounding beyond the male characters (most of whom were potential love interests). This was especially true of Blythe and her motivations surrounding her cousin.

The fact that this book is set in supposedly real-world Victorian times (England?) was a bit blind-siding, and I would have appreciated more worldbuilding for grounding, although the lack of anything but vibes in that department did lend itself to a dreamlike, fairy tale quality that was also thoroughly enjoyable.

Grace's writing style is captivating, melodic, and a perfect mix of fairy tale and YA fantasy, with a wonderful knack for turn of phrase. (Also, Thaddeus the ghost is brilliant representation of bookworms everywhere).

The narrator of the audiobook is brilliant, easy to listen to and engaging at every turn. Particular mention should be made of her voice as Death, who was equal parts unnerving and alluring.

Overall, incredibly dynamic characters and a driving murder mystery that I did not forsee the plot twist of at all. I will be buying a physical copy of this book as soon as it's out and recommending it to everyone I know.

5/5

Belladonna

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.75

I received a free arc from NetGalley but all thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed the premise of the book - a mystery fantasy and found it interesting to see how the two genres fed off each other.
The setting is all ballgowns and propriety and ladies and gentlemen which always fits well with fantasy and intrigue.
The characters were layered and fun, however I didn’t find myself rooting for the romance and actually wished there was more attention focused on the potential friendships with other characters.

Perhaps this will be developed if there are future books.

If you know my reading taste, you will probably be wondering why I read a fantasy romance (and a straight romance at that) on my own free will. The answer, my friend, is that if I see the word “gothic” in a synopsis, I simply have to pick up the book in question.
And I was enjoying this, at the beginning. For about 50% of the book, I was interested, I liked the atmosphere and the fact that there was a mystery — albeit a basic one, for sure. I thought I was going to give Belladonna at least 3 stars and shock everyone, including myself. Unfortunately, the second half of the book wasn’t as strong as the first, for me, and I didn’t like one particular plot choice regarding a certain character. I cannot say much without giving everything away, but that was a choice and a bad one, as far as I’m concerned.
Let’s focus on the good, for the moment, though: as I said, I liked the atmosphere and I think the gothic-ness of it all was on point. I was a bit hesitant, because sometimes YA authors don’t nail the atmosphere in the books that are marketed as gothic, but our Adalyn Grace did a fine job at it and I thouroughly enjoyed some descriptions.
I also — against all odds and against my own bias — liked Signa as a main character, because she sometimes did idiotic things, yes, but that made sense, seeing as she had spent all her life in almost complete isolation. It was also kind of funny following her in some social situations in which she had no clue but what her book on etiquette taught her.
What I did not care for in the slightest, to no one surprise, was the romance. However, it was more that I didn’t care than I actually actively disliked it, which is more than you can say in most cases when me and straight romance meet. If you are a fan of Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco and the romance at the heart of it, I think you will also like the romance in this one and possibly the book in general. I did prefer this one, but I believe that if you liked one, you could easily like the other as well and I’d recommend trying this.
The writing was pleasant enough. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it did its job and as I said some descriptions of the estate and the spirits were nice and evocked the right atmosphere. I’d never read anything by this author before, so I didn’t know what to expect, especially as I think — based on the covers — that her previous duology was something completely different. I can see room for improvement and that Epilogue was really well done. It intrigued me enough to consider continuing with this series next year. We shall see if by then I’ll still want to, but for now I am willing to give it a chance.
So, all in all, I don’t think this was a bad book and I can see many people enjoying it. My only issue was that I didn’t like the second half plot-wise, but it’s a completely personal preference and I know many of you will love this, especially if you like books like KotW.

When I finished the All the Stars and Teeth duology, I just knew I would have to read whatever Adalyn Grace wrote next and boy am I glad I did. Belladonna is a seductive, gothic murder-mystery that grips you from the first line. I would say that after the prologue the story takes some time to build, but the pace and action really pick up towards the middle of the book. The ending is just 'whew' and I can't wait for the sequel, Foxglove.

The main character, Signa, is very inspiring and I really loved her growth throughout the book. She was pretty sheltered growing up an orphan, but instead of being naive and entitled, she has learnt to cherish the people she loves even more. I loved how she made her own choices and really stuck her neck out for Blythe, even if Blythe was less than nice when they first met. Signa is a very determined and enchanting protagonist and I can''t wait to see more of her. The side characters were really well developed, especially Percy and Blythe. There was also a lot of courtly intrigue and societal expectations woven into the story.

The romance was very slow burn, but the passion and tension were definitely there. I believe this is being marketed as age 14 and up but there is one pretty spicy scene so if you're not into that you might want to skip ahead. I get the feeling the sequel might be a little spicier and marketed as an adult book. Overall the romance was steamy in places and sweet in others and it didn't overtake the main mystery element of the story either.

I had the audiobook arc and I would say the narrator was great for Signa's voice, but I didn't really like the male characters voices, it put me off as they were not how I would imagine them for myself. I think I would have liked Death more if I had read the physical book. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes gothic fantasy/murder mystery and I can't wait for the sequel.