Thank you Netgalley for this arc. I devoured this in about a day
Lush, dark and romantic. Perfect for Schwab fans who loved Gallant and near witch.

Belladonna was a great read. I’ve wanted to read one of Adalyn Grace’s books for a while now and I’m glad this was my first one. When beginning Belladonna I was in a massive reading slump and I didn’t have the highest hopes. However, I feel like this changed that around. I absolutely stormed through the majority of this book. It took me a while to get through the last hour or so as I’ve been unwell and I can’t concentrate on books, but once I got over that I finished the book quickly.

I think the style of writing is what made this such a quick read. It was simple, yet interesting and the flow was very smooth.

The concept of Belladonna was really fun and I love stories connected to Death. What I would have liked though was to learn more about why Signa has these abilities. It is somewhat explained, I won’t say anything here as it’s definitely a spoiler, but no context was really given. Maybe in book two?

Signa was a great main character, but she was a little dense and self-centred at times. There are a few moments, which are meant to be plot twists, that I figured out almost instantly. Nothing wrong with this as actually it makes reading from Signa's perspective a little more interesting as you know something she doesn’t.

There was a lot of potential with certain side characters and I really hope they return for the next instalment.

I really enjoyed the time period and settings of Belladonna. The apothecary Signa and Percy visited seemed very intriguing, I wish they had spent more time there. Thorn Grove was slightly spooky, which I loved.

The ending was very intense and the set-up for the next book was interesting. I’m quite excited for Belladonna book two.

Belladonna is a fun YA historical fantasy with a poisonous murder mystery seeping with haunting spirit and deadly intrigue. I was immediately possessed by the prologue and charmed through the tale by its gothic atmosphere. The narrative reminded me very much of Victoria Schwab and Stacey Halls. These authors have a beautiful story telling style that I find pleasing to read. The concept of this story especially of death is fantastic. I loved the eerie descriptions of Thorn Grove Manor. I really liked the protagonist Signa's growth, her solitude past and being untouched by death was endearing, she became a force to be reckoned with. The highlight for me was Death, this morally grey character is a cinnamon roll, I just wished there had been more! There were moments I would have liked more depth, especially the connections between most of the characters. Some of the plots were predictable for me early on but the author does well to weave together a ghostly tale. There is romance, a concept of an enemies to lovers love triangle that twisted together really well. I was a little disappointed something in the story we don't receive a conclusion of and I hope that we do in the sequel because it's what drew me in from the beginning! Throughout I desperately wanted to know that part of the mystery!!
I'm in love with the book cover, can't wait to have a physical edition on my book shelves.
Thank you @netgalley and @hodderbooks for accepting me to review an e-arc.

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.

I loved this. It was a wild ride. Fantasy mixed with gohic elements - just what I was in the mood for!
I loved the twists and the cliffhanger. This book has me hooked from page one and it was almost impossible to put down. The vibe was written very well. It fell a little eerie and scary and dark but always very fantastic.

A wild ride that I cannot recommend enough!

How I would describe this book: ( a less scary version of) the Haunting of Hill House meets The Invisible Life of Addie Larue.

This was everything I wanted in a book, a morally grey love interest, a badass main character, mysteries and murders. I fell in love with the story and the hawthorne family. The friendship between Blythe and Signa was done so perfectly, it felt as though they truly were sisters and not just friends.

Now… as for the morally grey love interest. The literal incarnation of death itself… now that’s a winner. This book made me sympathize with death, and see it as an empathetic being.
“She didn’t hate Death, not truly. And God, what a fool that made her.” Death is the protective “villain” love interest that everyone needs in their lives.
“Death was her poison, and all she wanted was to consume more”.

The plot was interesting all throughout, I was hooked at every page. This was a story like no other Ive read. I highly recommend this book.

Belladonna is SO GOOD. It's hard to describe it in a sentence, but if I were to try, I'd say that it's a murder mystery meets romance novel, set in an alluring world with fantasy and gothic vibes. The book revolves around Signa, a girl who cannot die and who seems to be followed around by death - literally. After her guardian dies, she gets sent to the last of her living relatives, where she soon realises that someone seems to want her family dead... and she strikes up an alliance with Death himself to get to the bottom of it.

Without spoiling anything, I loved seeing Signa start to understand her role in the world and how she slowly fell in love with the Hawthorne family. (Blythe, Signa's cousin, in particular, I can't wait to see more of!) Signa's relationship with Death was really interesting as well, and I loved all the scenes they had together and learning more about this world/afterlife. The two had excellent chemistry and I loved seeing them work together and watching their connection grow! I enjoyed the murder mystery elements too, and there were definitely some twists in this that I didn't see coming!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Belladonna
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: If this doesn’t become a published series then I’d like to speak to the manager, please
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Adalyn Grace
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 30th August 2022
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5


I actually did a live read of this over on my Twitter where I wrote my reactions to reading this which you can check out at @welshbookfairy PS: they are spoiler free!

Settle in, readers, ”we’re approaching an hour made only for ghosts”, and after finishing this book I am ready to be haunted.

This was one of those reads that I instantly knew would be a very high rating. By the end of the prologue—no, really, 1% in—my intrigue had piqued so much it had left my very being and had curled up, nestling between the pages of this ARC.

And it didn’t leave. Not even after the ending.

Picture this: a girl who has only ever known death is reunited with her long lost family after a mysterious illness has grabbed ahold of them. Now she is the girl who cannot die living across the hallway of a girl teetering on the brink of death. And there’s only one way to save her. Solve the murder of the mother and reap justice.

It’s not quite an eloquent goodreads synopsis but if that doesn’t have your curiosity stretching it’s nosy head up then… well, nothing really except this book wouldn’t be for you.

Onto more coherent thoughts: the writing is beautiful, the characters are endlessly fascinating and the plot is perfection.

“She was like a beautiful flower, cherished by everyone who knew her. Even the illness loved her so greatly that it gave her little reprieve. It wanted her to itself, and so it stole her life suddenly.”

To paraphrase Adalyn Grace, I loved this book so greatly I gave it little reprieve. I’m about to experience a massive book hangover which will be alike to Signa waking up after eating a handful of belladonna berries.

I feel like I need saving from the depths of this story as it’s all I can think about but also I feel like you should leave me behind and find someone new but not before you bury me with this book please.

🧚🏻‍♀️

First of all, I would like to say thank you for the review copy, which was provided to me by the publisher. This fact does not in any way affect my personal opinion of this book. This post contains advertising and the rights for the book belong to the publisher.
Of course, is this only my personal opinion of the book and just because I give this rating to the book doesn’t mean everyone will have that opinion.

Belladonna is the perfect example, that it is sometimes a good idea to give authors another choice. I didn’t like „All the stars and teeth“ that much. I just couldn’t vibe with the characters and the writing style and after that, I was a bit sceptic to start Belladonna but the synopsis sounded so good. I am sooooo happy that I decided to give this book and the author another chance.
This book is now officially one of my reading highlights for 2022. The writing style was just soo easy and I couldn’t put the book down. I liked the characters and the plot was also awesome. But the real gem of this book was the tension between the FMC and the love interest. It was swoon-worthy! The book doesn’t end with a big cliffhanger but I am excited to read the next book in this duology.

Conclusion
I can fully recommend this book!

BOOK REVIEW: Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

3.5 Stars

I was really looking forward to reading Belladonna and although I did enjoy it, the story didn't quite live up to my expectations.

The story is about a young lady named Signa. She is an orphan whose only constant companion throughout her life is Death who she can see and speak with. She can also see and talk with spirits. The story is quite straightforward being a murder mystery at its heart with a side of romance. I unfortunately guessed both of the twists which is always a shame when reading something that is meant to be a mystery but I still did enjoy seeing how the story unravelled.
I really liked the lead characters of Signa and Death. Their relationship was an interesting one and I wished there had been even more scenes between them. Signa was a decent lead character and I liked her bravery and caring nature. I liked the mystery surrounding her and her powers as it made her more interesting.
Death played a great role although it would have been interesting to have some scenes from his perspective. I just would have liked more of him in the book, especially more dialogue with Signa.

The writing was good and held my attention and I can see why people adore this book. For me, it was a good read but didn't blow me away and as I am not a fan of murder mysteries I am probably not the main target market for this book anyway.

Overall, an intriguing and fun read. I look forward to reading more by this author although I don't think I will continue this series as the murder mystery vibes just aren't for me.

Please note that I was #gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A unique one of a kind story that has it all! Ghosts, thrills, romance, action, suspense and an interesting storyline I could not get enough of. A young girl is orphaned as a baby and passed around and treaty badly for the next decade plus. Waiting for her inheritance to come as taking its toll as the family that should love her treats her like the plague. It does not help that they all keep dying and she can see ghosts. And Death. Who terrifies her. When the unthinkable happens again and she is sent to the last of the relatives life seems to be looking up. Except someone is poisoning her cousin and murdered her mother and she finds herself embroiled in finding the killer. And fighting the strange feelings she has for Death and figuring out what her powers have in store for her. See, no matter how many times she dies, she does not stay that way. It confounds her and Death and its a mystery waiting to be solved. I cannot wait for the next one!

Urgh, ok. It took me a long time to finish this book.

On a whole, it was ok. It gives Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue vibes, but it doesn’t quite hit the same way.
We’re introduced to a girl called Signa, and everyone she has lived with so far, dies.
The premise is really interesting and I thought I’d love this, but i found it very slow in almost all the parts that didn’t involve death.
It does have a great introduction. The story of how her parents died & how she survived is so intriguing, but the story seemed to fall flat as soon as she left for Thorn Grove.
I will say there are quite a few sexual scenes in the book, nothing too graphic, but thought it was worth mentioning as I know it’s marketed as YA. It’s more NA in my opinion.

Also.. I don’t know if it’s just how I’m interpreting it but the relationship between Death & Signa… did anyone else get grooming vibes? “I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time” along with a few other things didn’t sit right with me, considering he’s known her since she was a baby. Maybe it’s just me but I didn’t like it at all.

Apart from that, I probably would pick up the second book if one was released, in the hope that she tidied up the romance side of things a bit and we had a some more plot development.

Thankyou to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

<i>I received this ARC thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.</i>

<b><i>"You must not allow yourself to be consumed so thoroughly by death. It's not selfish to live."</i></b>
Lately I've been mostly into asian themed books so diving into this one was quite refreshing. Haven't been expecting much, but what I got was surprisingly enjoyable and through whole book I was so invested in the story I couldn't put it down to solve the murder mystery included!
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<b>"You are bolder than the sun, Signa Farrow, and it's time that you burn."</b>
Set in 1853 (You're welcome) Signa Farrow has always had close relationship with Death himself. Anyone related to her never got to live too long, so being the cursed child she's changed her guardians quite often since the death of her parents at her infancy. But Signa being stubborn the way she is, she never run away from him, moreover, she tried to reach him each time he came for her relatives. Who could've imagine, the way they're somehow connected ain't the only superpower she has -- long story short, our girl isn't capable of dying. As gruesome as it may sound, Signa doesn't hesitate to consume something deadly just to have a talk with Death, being intrigued by the fatal fate she brings.
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<b>"It's exhausting." Signa said as she looked down to her lap "to pretend you're something--someone--you're not."
Blythe took her by the hand. "Then do not spend your life exhausted."</b>
Reading for her debut in the society, Signa comes to her last standing relatives place, lead by stableboy Sylas. The manor brings as much secrets as she herself does, having recently lost its lady of the house. Above that, Signa's cousin also fells ill the same way. Being both busied by all the preparations, clock starst tickling for her to solve the mystery behind the illness, to not loose her newly acquired friend. Sharing the secret not between many, allies are needed, and who'd be a better companion to solve a murder case, than Death himself?
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<b>Death was her poison, and all she wanted was to consume more</b>
It is this kind of book, that you have to read into details to take hints right from the very beginning. Story unravels with each page, consuming you more and more just to get you as surprised as if you never took any clue right. Gothic setting surrounds you as you follow Signa on her way to the truth, and there ain't much I could share to not spoil anything. All I could say is that you won't regret silently getting more involved with everyone. You're an observer, you're the fly on the wall. Listen closely, and you'd be surprised what can you learn this way.
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<b>"I have waited for you for a very long time, Signa Farrow."</b>
Even thou I didn't like with Kingdom of the Wicked, as it's one of the book mentioned to be similar in plot, I was pleasantly surprised to still fall in love with Belladonna. Personally I think there're a lot of enjoyable similarities between her and Caraval, or Phantom of the Opera, so if you're a simp for these please expect as much magic and mystery in dark tales reading the upcoming Belladonna. The ending was a great start for another story featuring Signa so I can't wait to see where fate will lead her next time. 5 stars from me!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, I did not like this book. There are many reasons for that but the main reason is that there was little intrigue, I did not know this was a murder mystery if I had known I might've better prepared myself. Throughout the book Signa envisions herself with two men no less whom she is attracted to and she hadn't even known them for long, I found that weird. Also, the love and sibling bond of Signa with Blythe and Percy want described as it should've been, it all felt very forced. But I did enjoy quite a few moments *cough Sylas cough* and will be reading the sequel!

3.5 stars!

Okay so this whole charade is about a very complex family problem, plus a girl that can commune with Death.

Signa Farrow was orphaned since was still a baby, in an incident that should have killed her too, but she survived. She was handled over from a caretaker to another because every one kept trying to benefit from her inheritance and never truly cared for her.

Long story short she had to move to another family, the Hawthorne family. But apparently there were a mysterious death and a very sick family member. One day Signa was haunted by the death family member to save the sick one before it's too late. So that what Signa did, track the killer and solve the mystery.

The premise reminds me of The Phantom of Linkshire Manor, a short story by Marissa Meyer, and The Secret Garden the classic. But there's still some original aspects too.

The blurb on the cover did not lie, this book indeed has Gothic romance. Even though it's a sub plot, it has a bis portion, and it WAS sweet, even though I had a hard time accepting that the other one in the relationship was thr Death himself. It's just... creepy... for me. No offense.

And I'm not a fan of the narrative itself. I dont know how to explain but the scenes felt too present, like everything was lingering too long. Even the part that has conversations, most of the parts the writing were like this:
"(Conversation)." (long ass description about every movement and setting).
"(Conversation again)."

And personally it makes it difficult for me to follow the conversation, so after 30% or so I skimmed the description to follow the conversation.

The thing about messing with Fate was a weird concept too for me. But it was satisfying to read the last paragraph, will definitely check on what Signa has to go through in the next book!

The synopsis of this sounded so intriguing that I couldn't wait to read it and I wasn't disappointed.

The story is gothic and haunting and at times reminded me of The Secret Garden.

The main character is Signa, who has found herself with a series of different guardians since she was a young child, but now she has arrived at Thorn Grove to reside with her uncle - as her new guardian - and cousins, only to find them trying to deal with loss and another illness in the family.

Haunted by the ghost of their wife/mother, Signa quickly realises that she needs to figure out what happened to her, as her cousin shows the very same symptoms, and find a way to cure her.

She enlists the help of Death himself, and Sylas, the stable boy, and inbetween the sleuthing, begins to find herself having confusing feelings regarding both.

Really enjoyed this one and will definitely be picking up the sequel, Foxglove, to find out what happens next!

4.5/5⭐

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Belladonna, a murder mystery taking place in a gothic-infused world,

Signa Farrow became an orphan when she was only a baby. By the age of 19 Signa had been raised string of greedy guardians who have met an unfortunate end of their lives. After her last guardian met her end Signa ends up moving in with her remaining family, the Hawthornes.

- An Father that mourns the dead of his wife, a son that values his reputation and a daughter who is suffering from a mysterious illness. -

When Signa sets foot in Thorn Grave, the Hawthorne estate, the spirit of their mother appears before her and asks for help to uncover the truth of her dead and save her family. Signa has to side with Death himself who had made Signa's life a living hell. The connection between Signa and Death is becoming stronger and irresistible. What will Signa uncover?

The story was absolutely amazing. It felt very refreshing. I loved Signa's and Blythe's characters and strong personalities. It really was a mystery to me what would happen in the end and it wasn't predictable in my opinion which I absolutely loved. It kept me thinking about theories on what would happen until the end.

Unfortunately, I felt like there were a few plot holes in the story. I currently have a few questions left open after finishing the story. Besides this I would recommend to read Belladonna.

"To me, you are a song to a soul that has never known music. Light to someone who has only seen the darkness."

A very beautifully written story with incredibly imagery that will keep you spooked throughout. Very similar in imagery and plot to The Secret Garden so if you are a fan of that, definitely check this out.

The plot is amazing, such a fascinating concept involving death of all people but the biggest issue is that its very very boring. My 3 star rating is generous as I almost dnfd the book at 68% because I didn't feel I could continue but I'm glad I did as the ending was interesting.

There is a cliffhanger ending but it is also a wrapped up mystery so I'm satisfied and intrigued for the next one despite my dislike for a lot of this book.

If you like slow placed books then this is a great one with a fun mystery and a very unique protagonist and love interest.

“Don’t say my name,” Signa told him. “Upon Death’s tongue, it sounds like a curse.”
He laughed. “Your name is no curse, Little Bird. I just like the taste of it.”

Signa Farrow has been followed by Death her whole life. Her parents and their entire household were poisoned when she was a baby but, somehow, Signa survived. Since her grandmother’s death when she was a child, Signa has been shuffled from one uncaring guardian to another, constantly fearful of Death’s shadow upon her life, wishing for a day when she will again be loved and no longer alone.
When her latest guardian’s death brings her to Thorn Grove and the Hawthorne family, Signa is cautiously optimistic - could this be the family she has yearned for? Could she belong here?
But Death stalks these halls as well, and if Signa cannot master her mysterious gifts quickly, and find out what is making her cousin so sick, she may lose the only family she has left.

This book. THIS BOOK. I have grinned, laughed, and felt like crying for Signa, and Death, and so many of the characters in Belladonna. I adored them.

Signa and her powers - which she is determined to master, despite her fear that they will continue her ostracisation from society - were intriguing. I felt like the identity and motives of everyone in this story came into question at some point, and I spent most of the book suspecting the wrong person - which I love!

Signa’s character development and her journey to realise that perhaps her grandmother had presented an idealised version of her mother was heartbreaking, but I loved seeing her slowly accept herself and all that she is.
Similarly I adored that Blythe was so forthright in her determination to belong to no one but herself, and how her perspective gave Signa an insight into what the life she thought she wanted might look like.

I am so excited for the annotated chapters available as a preorder incentive - you should absolutely preorder this for that extra content alone, you’re going to want it. And I cannot wait for the sequel, Foxglove, which is hopefully being released next year.

Belladonna is beautiful and haunting. It is not a story you will soon forget.

Belladonna is the wonderfully descriptive gothic world of Signa Farrow. Death is her companion through this mystery of poison and etiquette of the 19th century. I loved the romance and twists in the tale and cannot wait for more! Fantastic 5 stars!