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!

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Belladonna follows the tumultuous life of Signa, shuttled between numerous relatives who don't want the pleasure of taking care of her cursed existence, but definitely want the pleasure of her wealth. When her aunt's untimely death results in her being sent off to the Hawthornes at Thorn Grove, Signa is thrown into wild parties, family drama, spirits and even murder – and the only person who can help her is Death himself.

I... wanted to love this book much more than I did. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad! It was part murder mystery, part romance, part fantasy, all the things I usually love. But I just struggled to enjoy it much more than I did. Amongst a number of different subplots, I found the best part of it was the relationship between Signa and Death, and the murder mystery. But beyond that, I struggled to get into it and love the story completely. The characters themselves didn't jump off the page for me, except for Signa and Death, whose relationship I definitely found compelling. The murder mystery tied up without any loose ends that I could see, which I appreciated. Beyond that, though, it wasn't my favourite read.

Belladonna, in theory, is a great read for me. For the first quarter or so I was even really enjoying the gothic atmosphere, but I kept waiting for the characterisation to deepen and become more interesting and for me, it never did. Because of that I lost investment in the story and romance, and it all became a bit more plodding and predictable to read. Once I figured out where the story was leading, I never thought I would be bored but the prose and characters just weren’t strong enough to me.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

There’s so much I liked in this book. Let’s start with the obvious. Death-personified as our main character was enough to hook me to the story. The opening scene let’s us know that Death’s here to stay through the course of the novel.

Losing her parents young and juggled between different Forster parents taught Signa not to get attached to people. The dead follow her. She can see them and talk to them but she never embraced her so called gift until she arrived at the Thorn Grove.

Thorn Grove was every bit eerie and gothic. The place and its people were dulled by the grief of losing the matriarch who passed away from a terrible illness.

Signa finally had something she can do with her gift; she was eager to unearth the secrets and illness plaguing the Hawthornes.

One of the things that I was pondering whilst reading the book was how did grim repaer(s) come into existence? Signa’s life was linked to Death from the prologue. He was a constant presence in her life, whom she never wanted in the first place but she learnt to tolerate him as she aged.

Not only did this book have a mystery storyline, it was also very Victorian-esque, where girls had to find a partner to lift their status in the society or had an advantage at finding the best match if they were born into rich families. Though Signa wanted to succumb to what the society dictated, she kept questioning and rethinking about the possibilities but she had her own opinions about whom she wanted to be with.

Only sometimes did the story feel like it was straying from the main plot. Whenever Signa and Death were together, I’d forget about the Hawthornes and the mystery that was to be solved.

The romance was a bonus because I didn’t expect it when I started reading. It was actually better than most of the Fantasy Romances I’ve read.

This was my first an Adalyn Grace book and will not be the last. I went into this book thinking it was a standalone but the ending made it clear that we’re getting another book, which is a blessing because I’m excited to see how the new character introduced at the end might fit into this world.

Signa has had a weird connection to Death all her life. She keeps losing people, her parents as a baby, her grandmother, different guardians but she doesn't seem to be able to die. She ends up living with her remaining relatives, the Hawthornes, an eccentric bunch who have lost their matriarch. The matriarch spirit appears to Signa claiming she was poisoned. Her new family is in danger and she might have to ally with Death to save them.

Sorrow tinges the intimate POV whereas hope still shines through the protagonist's loneliness. This new home and its mystery are dripping with intrigue that keeps us captivated, as does Signa's '
condition'. There's an edge of eerieness courting the more than welcoming narrative, the figurative speech wonderfully weaving words into clear and vivid pictures.

Signa is dynamic even in her vulnerability as she yearns to be accepted, courageously impulsive, with a strong sense of doing what's right and getting to the bottom of things. She is a softly fierce and loyal presence for those in her life. The evolution of her character is a beautiful thing to read.

I hope that I have not given the impression this story is a somber affair for there are many reasons to smile amidst the gothicness, death & mystery. Surly Sylas who she tasks with helping her with the murder mystery is aggravating and you will love how he and Signa lock horns. Their interactions amused me to no end. And Death is absolutely fascinating.

The writing strums emotional strings. I really like how our heroine is dealing with her situations and dare I say, unexpected romantic feelings. The pacing is exactly what is needed to absorb the unfurling of the well-laid plot.

With all this buildup I expected more of a bang when it came to some of the reveals in the end. Not that they weren't enjoyable, I just expected more. And it is good to tie up the storylines but I wish more time had been spent on some and less on others. But the final scene was glorious and opened the gate to eager anticipation for the sequel.

Through her writing, the author conveys that you may discover that what you thought you always wanted may not be your heart's true desire after all. This is a story about owning your power. Compelling fantasy with heart that I truly recommend.

Belladonna

Don’t worry about reading my review. Just buy Belladonna NOW! Yes, it’s THAT good!

I’m so annoyed at myself for not getting my review out before release day (yesterday), but that doesn’t matter now what does matter is how much I love Belladonna. To put it into perspective, Belladonna is on par with Little Thieves and Daughter of the Moon Goddess! And if you know me, you’ll understand what that means.

The first note I made was ‘The best prologue EVER!’ now, when you make a note like that, you can imagine the trepidation I felt going into this book, but I’d need not fear. I loved it all, from the setting, descriptions, and, of course, the characters. A stunning cast of mysterious individuals leaves you questioning their motives and desires.

At the centre of this deliciously dark gothic murder mystery, we have the beautiful Signa Farrow. Plagued all her life by Death, it’s Death that becomes her unlikely ally in solving the murder. This book will lure you into the shadows, chill you to the bone and steal your breath away with the secrets, lies and shocking twists.

When I first saw the two covers for Belladonna, I instantly loved the US version, but after reading it, the UK cover is perfect Little Bird.

I want, no, NEED a physical copy NOW and may have to treat myself for my birthday, but if I’m right, by the end of September, I may have a stunning limited edition to add to my collection.
Belladonna is an instant favourite, and I’m already thinking about what the name of book two might be.

Anyway, thank you so much, Hodder & Stoughton & NetGalley, for the eArc. I’m so grateful for all the phenomenal books I have been able to review.

Give me a story with the personification of Death, a romance and a murder mystery and I will read it, so Belladonna was everything I wanted in a book; yet, I’m struggling to decide how I feel about it.

Although there is a straightforward storyline, there were quite a few threads that added complexity to the plot, which I appreciated even though my attention wandered at points (mostly the society aspects). The twists were apparent and maybe this made it feel as if it lacked tension and suspense. As the reader learns things way in advance of Signa with no real teasing of whether the reader had guessed it right, the pacing felt off because the wait for Signa to figure it out felt too long. However, the murder mystery is the strongest aspect of this book, but it does suffer from sometimes being put on the backburner. The real why to Lillian’s murder was interesting, and I enjoyed the reveal of the motive.

The romance was one of the things I was most excited for, but it didn’t meet expectation. The relationship was OK with moments of chemistry but nothing exciting, and sometimes it made me feel awkward. There seemed to be a soulmates aspect but it just didn’t entirely work for me because of the lack of setup of backstory surrounding Signa and her abilities, which I hope gets explored in the next book.

Although I wasn’t gripped by the characters, I thought that Death had an intriguing stance on his role. Adalyn Grace did well to express Elijah’s pain at the loss of his wife and what was happening to his family, and I thought the Signa and Sylas scenes and the Signa and Blythe scenes were the most enjoyable. I’m intrigued to learn more about Charlotte who wasn’t in it that much and yet we got to know a few interesting things about her, more so than characters who were on the page for more of the book. The training scenes with Death were fascinating, so I wished there were more of these scenes for the romantic development as well as to see Signa’s progression with her abilities, as later she was suddenly able to use her abilities expertly after having struggled. There are still elements of the worldbuilding and magic that I don’t understand, but maybe this will be explored more in subsequent books.

There are those who will absolutely adore this book, from the atmosphere to the romance. However, although it was a decent read, I was ultimately left wanting more from the characters and story.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Adalyn Grace
Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: Young Adult
Format: E-Book (ARC)
Published: 30th August 2022
Pages: 403
Rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis

For as long as Signa Farrow has been alive, the people in her life have fallen like stars . . .

Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being - and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy.

Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family's waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother's restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

Signa's best chance of uncovering the murderer, though, is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he's made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful - and more irresistible - than she ever dared imagine.

From New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace, Belladonna brings to life a highly romantic, gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.

Review

Trigger Warnings: Death, Animal Death, Gore, Grief and Child Abuse.

This review will contain spoilers.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, however, this in no way influenced my opinion. Thank you to the publisher Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with a copy.

This was one of my anticipated releases for this year so I requested an ARC as it sounded like a book that I would really enjoy but sadly this wasn’t the case. Firstly, I just want to say that the UK cover for this book is absolutely stunning. My main issue with this book was that I couldn’t get into it, and it didn’t really hold my attention, when I read the prologue, I was impressed and had high expectations for the story but afterwards, I struggled to read this. I have been in a bit of a slump recently so I’m not sure if that contributed to it not holding my attention, in the future I may reread this to see if my opinion has changed. In my opinion, the second half of the book is much better than the first when the pace picks up more and it was only then that I actually started liking this book. I will say that the writing style captured the gothic atmosphere very well and there were some unexpected twists that I really liked including a very big one involving Sylas’ character which completely shocked me.

Overall, this was a decent YA Fantasy novel with an atmospheric writing style and shocking plot twists however it failed to capture my attention.

This was a book I was hooked on the premise alone, then I started reading and just couldn’t put it down, I mean there a love triangle involving Death, how could I not be addicted to this. It’s so well written, the story fast paced and interesting, I can’t wait for the sequel, because I need to know, I have to know what’s next, I laughed, I cried and now I’m hollow, Foxglove is too far away

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

As the sole survivor when her parents, all of their guests, & servants are poisoned at a party, baby Signa lives with her grandmother & is happy for a while. After her grandmother also dies, Signa moves between distant relatives, most of them more interested in her inheritance than anything else. They all meet with sticky ends & Signa knows that Death has never been far from her side. Now nineteen-year-old Signa hates living with her aunt, & also hates hiding the secret that since her miraculous survival as a baby, she seemingly cannot die or stay injured for long, something she blames Death for. When her aunt dies during an argument with Signa, she is sent to live with her cousins - the rich Hawthorne family.

When Signa arrives, she finds that the mistress of the house, Lillian, recently died & that her daughter, Blythe, is mortally ill with the same sickness. Meanwhile Blythe's widowed father is more interested in drowning his sorrows & throwing parties to distract from his grief, whilst her older brother is distracted with trying to rescue to family business. It doesn't take long for Signa to realise that the house is haunted by more than just grief - Lillian, & other ghosts, wander the hallways & only Signa can see them. When Lillian's ghost tells her that she was murdered & that Blythe is also being poisoned, Signa knows she has to find the person responsible, but to do that she needs to call a truce & work with Death himself.

I've been waiting for a book that completely swept me away for a while & it's finally here. I absolutely loved the supernatural mystery side of things. Signa (I kept misreading her name as Sigma) is one of those main characters that starts off a bit annoying but then grows on you. Now love triangles are not one of my favourite tropes by a long shot, & yes, the romance was a little "OMG he's so hot" (there are a couple of quite steamy sex scenes in the book), & there are some problematic aspects. As characters though, both Sylas (handsome stable boy) & Death (yes, Death is one of the trio) were rather intriguing. Overall the mystery element & the writing won out over the romance for me, even though I did guess the guilty party & the twist. 4.5 stars (rounded up)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Belladonna is such an intricate book. It made me think about stuff that i never actually gave a thought for more than a second. One such thing is, Death being a character in this book makes it unique and the way the author explored death is very interesting and exciting. Signa was something totally new, different form the other book characters i have read. Again, her character development was very realistic and amazing really. I guess we can Adalyn Grace is the master of character development. When we talk about the plot, OH MY GOD. I never expected those plot twists! And the foreshadowing!! The author really did know how to give a fresh YA experience to readers .
This automatically is my number one standalone and will never stop recommending it enough! And especially if you are new to the fantasy genre this is made just for you.

This book is a combination of fantasy and mystery with paranormal and gothic elements entwined. Lets just say this is the perfect combination for a fantastic book that I couldn't put down.

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

Absolutely freaking gorgeous. I cannot wait to get my hands on this utterly beautiful book. The writing is phenomenal, the world building intricate yet understandable and the characters are complicated as they are wonderful. This immediately went on top of my list of favourite books read in 2022.

Adalyn Grace creates a murder mystery with spooky spiritual elements in Belladonna. The imagery and prose create an eerie atmosphere, setting the scene for what is about to happen.
The prologue begins with a party, where the guests are poisoned. A newborn baby we find out to be Signa, our main character, survives this ordeal although she was fed by her mother, who had also been poisoned. Death arrives to guide Signa's spirit to the other side but she does not die, and no one knows why.
Signa, now almost 20, is living with her awful aunt where everyone is convinced she is cursed or is a witch. Signa has spent years experimenting with her odd abilities, especially when she cannot die.
After accidentally killing her aunt during a conversation with Death, the suspected male main character of the novel, she is shipped off to live with other relatives in Thorn Manor which is a spine-chillingly haunted mansion where Signa soon realises her cousin Blythe is being poisoned by Belladonna - the poison she has lots of experience with. Determined to save her cousin, her and stableboy Sylas seek out answers in whatever way possible.
Now, I will stop discussing the plot here as you really need to experience it first-hand to appreciate the twists and turns.
This book was an unexpected delight. When I expected certain things to happen, the author changed course and it was wonderful to read. Belladonna was a perfect read as we approach Autumn. I think the cover is beautiful and seeing Signa's personal journey throughout was fantastic. She began as a neglected and lonely teenager with a lack of social experience and by the end, she was independent and confident in herself.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC