maeverose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
2.75
I had to edit this review because my feelings changed a lot in hindsight.
TL;DR: Loved the beginning, meh towards the end. Love the atmosphere, the secret garden vibes. This is new adult not YA. The romance was highly problematic.
The first half of this book was an easy 5 stars, but the second half was more of a 3 at best. (And in hindsight, the problematic romance just kinda tainted the whole book…)
🖤 🖤 🖤
The thing I loved the most was the atmosphere and writing. The descriptions in this book are so vivid and atmospheric I could clearly picture everything in my mind. I want to be in this world. I love immersive writing, especially in a gothic book, it’s one of the number one things I look for and this definitely delivers on that.
I loved the secret garden vibes. I don’t know if it was intentional but this definitely feels like a gothic retelling almost of the secret garden. Lots of similarities.
💔 💔 💔
I’m very picky with mortal x immortal pairings because they often feel icky. This one did. Without spoilers, Death met her as a two month old baby and kept an eye on her from then until she was 19, when the book takes place. That aside, my original thoughts on the romance before realizing how messed up it was: it feels very much like what you’d expect from YA in that Signa is very quick to catch feelings despite the fact she hated the love interest in the beginning. I didn’t feel their chemistry because Signa didn’t really get to know Death or spend much time with him. Her attraction to him was really only physical.
Signa is so focused on men the entire book when she’s supposed to be focused on saving someone’s life, something that’s incredibly urgent. There was a love triangle that while reading I felt was entirely unnecessary and just took up space in the book that should’ve focused on the actual plot.
Another thing about the romance is that it gets a bit steamier than I would say is appropriate for YA. There’s an on page sex scene that’s somewhat explicit, and besides that Signa is just very horny throughout the book. I would categorize this as new adult, not young adult. I feel like authors forget that the target age range of YA is 12-17. I would not give this to anyone younger than 16, personally.
Signa is very obsessed with being a ‘proper lady’ throughout most of the book and I found those parts to be very annoying. If she had grown out of that mindset earlier I wouldn’t have minded it so much because it does make sense given the time period and her high class status that she’d care about that, but it was overdone imo.
While I loved the writing in the first half, after that it started to feel overwritten and like it was trying too hard to be poetic at certain parts. It started to drag on a bit as well and was a bit repetitive at times. Kinda felt like the author wrote the book in order and got burnt out towards the end.
About the end reveal of who did it:
A very subjective issue: I just don’t like YA. Even though this has more adult themes it’s still written like YA. The main character is very naive (understandably so, but still), she’s so focused on boys instead of the very pressing situation going on, and there’s unnecessary petty drama with some of the other girls her age. I feel like these are common tropes in YA. Maybe it’s just because I’m an adult and don’t like those things but I remember disliking those things when I was a teenager as well so… I just would’ve preferred if this had been written as adult and the characters were more mature and less easily distracted by cute men.
TL;DR: Loved the beginning, meh towards the end. Love the atmosphere, the secret garden vibes. This is new adult not YA. The romance was highly problematic.
The first half of this book was an easy 5 stars, but the second half was more of a 3 at best. (And in hindsight, the problematic romance just kinda tainted the whole book…)
🖤 🖤 🖤
The thing I loved the most was the atmosphere and writing. The descriptions in this book are so vivid and atmospheric I could clearly picture everything in my mind. I want to be in this world. I love immersive writing, especially in a gothic book, it’s one of the number one things I look for and this definitely delivers on that.
I loved the secret garden vibes. I don’t know if it was intentional but this definitely feels like a gothic retelling almost of the secret garden. Lots of similarities.
💔 💔 💔
I’m very picky with mortal x immortal pairings because they often feel icky. This one did. Without spoilers, Death met her as a two month old baby and kept an eye on her from then until she was 19, when the book takes place.
Spoiler
and he knew from a vision that he had when she was a baby that they would get together when she was an adult…. Yeah.Signa is so focused on men the entire book when she’s supposed to be focused on saving someone’s life, something that’s incredibly urgent. There was a love triangle that while reading I felt was entirely unnecessary and just took up space in the book that should’ve focused on the actual plot.
Another thing about the romance is that it gets a bit steamier than I would say is appropriate for YA. There’s an on page sex scene that’s somewhat explicit, and besides that Signa is just very horny throughout the book. I would categorize this as new adult, not young adult. I feel like authors forget that the target age range of YA is 12-17. I would not give this to anyone younger than 16, personally.
Signa is very obsessed with being a ‘proper lady’ throughout most of the book and I found those parts to be very annoying. If she had grown out of that mindset earlier I wouldn’t have minded it so much because it does make sense given the time period and her high class status that she’d care about that, but it was overdone imo.
While I loved the writing in the first half, after that it started to feel overwritten and like it was trying too hard to be poetic at certain parts. It started to drag on a bit as well and was a bit repetitive at times. Kinda felt like the author wrote the book in order and got burnt out towards the end.
About the end reveal of who did it:
Spoiler
I didn’t understand why Percy continued to poison Lillian when it didn’t kill her the first time… if it was an accident and she survived he could’ve just waited for it to leave her system… It didn’t make sense to me.A very subjective issue: I just don’t like YA. Even though this has more adult themes it’s still written like YA. The main character is very naive (understandably so, but still), she’s so focused on boys instead of the very pressing situation going on, and there’s unnecessary petty drama with some of the other girls her age. I feel like these are common tropes in YA. Maybe it’s just because I’m an adult and don’t like those things but I remember disliking those things when I was a teenager as well so… I just would’ve preferred if this had been written as adult and the characters were more mature and less easily distracted by cute men.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Vomit
Minor: Suicide attempt and Religious bigotry
Graphic: poisoning Moderate: description of a broken neck Minor: an implication that having a lot of sexual partners leads to ‘diseases’axecellentabby's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I really enjoyed the story, but I got a little annoyed with the end. It felt like the author would have a wrap up, but then the story would continue. There were probably 6 endings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Chronic illness
Minor: Vomit, Blood, and Child abuse
morrigan_gaines_writes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content
tinybrito's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I bought this on Ashley's recommendation and the cover of the B&N special edition 😍 I didn't read the blurb or any reviews. I loved this so much! I am obsessed! I loved the characters, world building and mystery! As I was reading it I was torn between needing to keep reading and dread at finishing it. I had a lot of predictions early on and had a great time reading and seeing if my predictions were correct or not. I am counting the days for the sequel and am sad it doesn't come out til 2023. I definitely see myself rereading this probably very soon as I'm not ready to let the characters go!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Injury/injury detail, Body horror, Death of parent, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Animal death and Fire/Fire injury
nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was one of my most anticipated releases for the year and I’m bummed I didn’t like it as much as I had hoped!
I am not really a fan of horror and the part of the book where Lily’s spirit looks like Scarlet Witch when she comes out of the gong in Dr. Strange’s Multiverse of Madness movie, limbs cracking/moving in odd angles and her mouth gaping open with blood and sores, was a little bit too horrific/graphic for me. It was so strange because that scene was creepy/scary but then the rest of the book did not keep with that tone. That scene just tonally felt so off for me and just came out of nowhere. Then the story goes back to a campy, Clue-like mystery with the dark-brooding Death love interest. It just felt very odd/out of place for me.
Also, I feel like Death and Signa’s love/relationship did not feel very fleshed out for me. It was giving very Edward and Bella. Death tells Signa “I’ve waited forever for you.” He’s literally a deity and Signa is a 19 year old girl. The whole thing just felt very strange and rushed. Like okay your cousins are dropping like flies but you need to make out with Death in a garden, okie doke.
Also Death meets Signa when she was a literal baby when everyone at this party dies, including her parents, but Signa does not. It’s giving Jacob and Renesme? Like Death knew he was going to wait until Signa was “of age” for him to have her even though he’s been watching over her since she was a literal baby. Through out the book, Death kind of deceives Signa and lies to her. Okay she can see dead people like he can but other then that, why should they be together?
I know this was Adalyn Grace’s first kind of time dipping her toe into more adult content, which I think is awesome, good for her. However, this book was just an odd mix of adult themes/scenes with the characters still being very YA in their development and lack of personality.
I am not really a fan of horror and the part of the book where Lily’s spirit looks like Scarlet Witch when she comes out of the gong in Dr. Strange’s Multiverse of Madness movie, limbs cracking/moving in odd angles and her mouth gaping open with blood and sores, was a little bit too horrific/graphic for me. It was so strange because that scene was creepy/scary but then the rest of the book did not keep with that tone. That scene just tonally felt so off for me and just came out of nowhere. Then the story goes back to a campy, Clue-like mystery with the dark-brooding Death love interest. It just felt very odd/out of place for me.
Also, I feel like Death and Signa’s love/relationship did not feel very fleshed out for me. It was giving very Edward and Bella. Death tells Signa “I’ve waited forever for you.” He’s literally a deity and Signa is a 19 year old girl. The whole thing just felt very strange and rushed. Like okay your cousins are dropping like flies but you need to make out with Death in a garden, okie doke.
Also Death meets Signa when she was a literal baby when everyone at this party dies, including her parents, but Signa does not. It’s giving Jacob and Renesme? Like Death knew he was going to wait until Signa was “of age” for him to have her even though he’s been watching over her since she was a literal baby. Through out the book, Death kind of deceives Signa and lies to her. Okay she can see dead people like he can but other then that, why should they be together?
I know this was Adalyn Grace’s first kind of time dipping her toe into more adult content, which I think is awesome, good for her. However, this book was just an odd mix of adult themes/scenes with the characters still being very YA in their development and lack of personality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Body horror, Medical trauma, Grief, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexism, Medical content, Abandonment, Bullying, Murder, Addiction, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
foiblesandfiction's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gothic romance is the way to my little emo heart. somewhere there's a myspace picture of me at warped tour wearing a green studded belt. i still know the words to every song on three cheers to sweet revenge. and somewhere on the internet is the search history of 14 year old me trying to find phantom of the opera fanfiction at 2am.
so let's just say i was really excited for this book - a ya gothic mystery with romance and a death daddy love interest.
but where i was expecting crimson peak, instead i got eddie murphy's the haunted mansion. which isn't the biggest disappointment because god knows that movie is entertaining as hell, but it's still a disappointment.
- too much telling, not enough showing
- too little character interaction, and what there was had little substance
- inconceivable plot twists that felt contrived.
as this is the first in a series, i would be interested to read the next book in hopes that my complaints would be resolved with character development and world building.
ETA
realized i did truly enjoy the observations and commentary about the expectations of women in society, particularly of their purity and demureness. though she was faced with solving a murderer, signa's main dilemma was actually choosing whether or not to meet societal expectations. could she have what she wanted - belonging and community - without being mired and hidden amongst female social norms? is that even true belonging?
now THIS is some good stuff, and i especially love this in a ya novel. thumbs up.
so let's just say i was really excited for this book - a ya gothic mystery with romance and a death daddy love interest.
but where i was expecting crimson peak, instead i got eddie murphy's the haunted mansion. which isn't the biggest disappointment because god knows that movie is entertaining as hell, but it's still a disappointment.
- too much telling, not enough showing
- too little character interaction, and what there was had little substance
- inconceivable plot twists that felt contrived.
as this is the first in a series, i would be interested to read the next book in hopes that my complaints would be resolved with character development and world building.
ETA
realized i did truly enjoy the observations and commentary about the expectations of women in society, particularly of their purity and demureness. though she was faced with solving a murderer, signa's main dilemma was actually choosing whether or not to meet societal expectations. could she have what she wanted - belonging and community - without being mired and hidden amongst female social norms? is that even true belonging?
now THIS is some good stuff, and i especially love this in a ya novel. thumbs up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit, Sexual content, Self harm, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/injury detail
Minor: Abandonment and Confinement
soniajoy98's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Vomit, Body horror, Death of parent, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder
Minor: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Infidelity, and Alcoholism
jmacminn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio, and Little Brown Young Readers for the advanced copy for my honest review
This was such a pleasure to listen to that I finished it in one day. A murder mystery wrapped into a Hades and Persephone retelling that had me guessing at every turn.
Signa Farrow is an orphan who is cursed by Death. Since her parents death every guardian who has taken her in has died, however, Signa herself cannot die. She knows this because she has met death multiple times, whether by a fall of the stairs or by Belladonna, and each time he does not take her to the next realm.
When her most recent guardian is killed Signa is sent to live with the Hawthorne family who are grieving the loss of their Matriarch. When the spirit of Lillian comes to Signa to tell her there was foul play, Signa must find out who killed Lillian in order to save Blythe who is consumed by the same "illness" as her mother.
I loved the "not like other girls" trope that was turned on its head in this story. Signa was so desperate to try to fit into society like her mother had before her, and her struggle to be accepted in polite society while it goes against her whole personality is a great twist. I also loved the genuine female connection in this story, there was just enough tension that the struggle of this time wasn't glossed over but Blythe and Signa's relationship was great to read.
TLDR: Similar to a Pride and Prejuidice retelling, Hades and Persephone retellings have my heart and this was an extremely fun one to listen to and I will absolutely be going out to be a copy of both this book.
This was such a pleasure to listen to that I finished it in one day. A murder mystery wrapped into a Hades and Persephone retelling that had me guessing at every turn.
Signa Farrow is an orphan who is cursed by Death. Since her parents death every guardian who has taken her in has died, however, Signa herself cannot die. She knows this because she has met death multiple times, whether by a fall of the stairs or by Belladonna, and each time he does not take her to the next realm.
When her most recent guardian is killed Signa is sent to live with the Hawthorne family who are grieving the loss of their Matriarch. When the spirit of Lillian comes to Signa to tell her there was foul play, Signa must find out who killed Lillian in order to save Blythe who is consumed by the same "illness" as her mother.
I loved the "not like other girls" trope that was turned on its head in this story. Signa was so desperate to try to fit into society like her mother had before her, and her struggle to be accepted in polite society while it goes against her whole personality is a great twist. I also loved the genuine female connection in this story, there was just enough tension that the struggle of this time wasn't glossed over but Blythe and Signa's relationship was great to read.
TLDR: Similar to a Pride and Prejuidice retelling, Hades and Persephone retellings have my heart and this was an extremely fun one to listen to and I will absolutely be going out to be a copy of both this book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Terminal illness, Murder, Infidelity, Death of parent, Death, and Alcohol
bookishflower's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
- Light enemies-to-lovers
- Atmospheric gothic fantasy
- mystery solving
- murder
- ghosts
Thank you Hodder and Stoughton, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!
Signa Farrow has been surrounded by Death her whole life. With her string of guardians all meeting untimely ends, Signa is determined to not let Death ruin her fresh start with her cousins at the mysterious Thorn Grove. But when her aunt's ghost tells her she was murdered and her daughter is next, it's up to Signa, Sylas the infuriating stable boy, and her sworn enemy Death himself to help stop the murderer before it's too late.
'Belladonna' was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and it did not disappoint! This is the perfect mix of fantasy, romance, mystery and the gothic! If you looking for a book that feels like a Hozier song, look no further. (It also needs to be said that this is one of the most beautiful book covers I've ever seen!).
I adored the writing style and how Signa as a character develops and comes into her own with her powers and sense of self. Death was mysterious, alluring and the sarcastic love interest of your dreams. I have never been more excited for my theories to be right than I was when I got to that bit! Signa and Death balance each other out perfectly- the banter, reluctant allies, consent, and encouragement?!!! I can't wait for 'Foxglove' and that cliffhanger was evil- I loved it!
- Atmospheric gothic fantasy
- mystery solving
- murder
- ghosts
Thank you Hodder and Stoughton, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!
Signa Farrow has been surrounded by Death her whole life. With her string of guardians all meeting untimely ends, Signa is determined to not let Death ruin her fresh start with her cousins at the mysterious Thorn Grove. But when her aunt's ghost tells her she was murdered and her daughter is next, it's up to Signa, Sylas the infuriating stable boy, and her sworn enemy Death himself to help stop the murderer before it's too late.
'Belladonna' was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and it did not disappoint! This is the perfect mix of fantasy, romance, mystery and the gothic! If you looking for a book that feels like a Hozier song, look no further. (It also needs to be said that this is one of the most beautiful book covers I've ever seen!).
I adored the writing style and how Signa as a character develops and comes into her own with her powers and sense of self. Death was mysterious, alluring and the sarcastic love interest of your dreams. I have never been more excited for my theories to be right than I was when I got to that bit! Signa and Death balance each other out perfectly- the banter, reluctant allies, consent, and encouragement?!!! I can't wait for 'Foxglove' and that cliffhanger was evil- I loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Classism, Physical abuse, Sexism, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, and Vomit
snowwhitehatesapples's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
One of the most refreshing YA Gothic Fantasy Romances that I’ve read in forever, Belladonna by Adalyn Grace centres around Signa, an orphan set to inherit a vast fortune upon reaching adulthood and thus, is subjected to being shuffled around several greedy relatives. Unfortunately for those relatives, Signa’s ‘cursed’—unable to die yet followed by death in both literal and metaphorical sense. One by one, those relatives meet their untimely end and with each demise, Death appears, either to collect waiting souls or summoned by Signa’s new suicide attempt. This, of course, causes Signa to hate Death as she believes him to be the source of her ‘curse’ which would lead to her being unable to marry (ngl, I laughed at this because I didn’t think Signa would be that type of shallow until I remembered what period this book is set in).
As Signa nears her 18th birthday, she is sent to live with her last remaining relatives: the Hawthorne Family at Thorn Grove who have their own curse as well. Their home is haunted by the ghost of Lillian, the wife of the Hawthorne patriarch, and Blythe is dying of the same illness that took her mother. Things come to a head when Lillian confronts Signa, claiming she was poisoned, and that’s when the race against time begins. To help Lillian find peace by finding the culprit while trying to prevent Blythe’s death, Signa will need to work together with Death.
The mystery aspect of Belladonna is hands down my utmost favourite thing in this book. There is just the perfect amount of tension, twists and turns, and a quick enough pace to keep me hooked. I had my suspicions but ultimately, didn’t see the final revelation coming. I loved how things turned out and was pleasantly surprised by the way Signa handled the aftermath too.
Nevertheless, I’m gonna be honest and admit that Signa is not my favourite type of heroine. As aforementioned, she’s shallow, though I understand that’s most likely resultant of the time period and her upbringing. Signa is also very impulsive and while I get that without her impulsiveness we wouldn’t have a book as quick-paced as it is, I also can’t help but wish that she would just stop and use her common sense once in a while.
Death, on the other hand, is a very sweet and understanding love interest. He’s the much better version of Greek God Hades and I really liked the tenderness he has for Signa and the souls, and the banter he shares with Signa. However, the romance between Death and Signa went from 0 to 100 very quickly. Thinking about it from Death’s perspective, it makes sense because he’s been waiting for a being like her for a long time already. But, in Signa’s, it just makes her look like a very thirsty girl, especially considering how much she hated Death in the beginning.
Also, (ngl here too) if we view Death on the same plane of morality as us humans, he has major, undeniable creep vibes (he watched Signa grow up ya’ll). So yeah, I wouldn’t recommend reading Belladonna the way you’d read a romance between humans while expecting a healthy relationship, because Death here is definitely not human.
Anyway, if you’re looking for an unconventional YA romance that also delivers what it says it will deliver (in this case, romance, murder and mystery), then Belladonna is a must-read.
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
One of the most refreshing YA Gothic Fantasy Romances that I’ve read in forever, Belladonna by Adalyn Grace centres around Signa, an orphan set to inherit a vast fortune upon reaching adulthood and thus, is subjected to being shuffled around several greedy relatives. Unfortunately for those relatives, Signa’s ‘cursed’—unable to die yet followed by death in both literal and metaphorical sense. One by one, those relatives meet their untimely end and with each demise, Death appears, either to collect waiting souls or summoned by Signa’s new suicide attempt. This, of course, causes Signa to hate Death as she believes him to be the source of her ‘curse’ which would lead to her being unable to marry (ngl, I laughed at this because I didn’t think Signa would be that type of shallow until I remembered what period this book is set in).
As Signa nears her 18th birthday, she is sent to live with her last remaining relatives: the Hawthorne Family at Thorn Grove who have their own curse as well. Their home is haunted by the ghost of Lillian, the wife of the Hawthorne patriarch, and Blythe is dying of the same illness that took her mother. Things come to a head when Lillian confronts Signa, claiming she was poisoned, and that’s when the race against time begins. To help Lillian find peace by finding the culprit while trying to prevent Blythe’s death, Signa will need to work together with Death.
The mystery aspect of Belladonna is hands down my utmost favourite thing in this book. There is just the perfect amount of tension, twists and turns, and a quick enough pace to keep me hooked. I had my suspicions but ultimately, didn’t see the final revelation coming. I loved how things turned out and was pleasantly surprised by the way Signa handled the aftermath too.
Nevertheless, I’m gonna be honest and admit that Signa is not my favourite type of heroine. As aforementioned, she’s shallow, though I understand that’s most likely resultant of the time period and her upbringing. Signa is also very impulsive and while I get that without her impulsiveness we wouldn’t have a book as quick-paced as it is, I also can’t help but wish that she would just stop and use her common sense once in a while.
Death, on the other hand, is a very sweet and understanding love interest. He’s the much better version of Greek God Hades and I really liked the tenderness he has for Signa and the souls, and the banter he shares with Signa. However, the romance between Death and Signa went from 0 to 100 very quickly. Thinking about it from Death’s perspective, it makes sense because he’s been waiting for a being like her for a long time already. But, in Signa’s, it just makes her look like a very thirsty girl, especially considering how much she hated Death in the beginning.
Also, (ngl here too) if we view Death on the same plane of morality as us humans, he has major, undeniable creep vibes (he watched Signa grow up ya’ll). So yeah, I wouldn’t recommend reading Belladonna the way you’d read a romance between humans while expecting a healthy relationship, because Death here is definitely not human.
Anyway, if you’re looking for an unconventional YA romance that also delivers what it says it will deliver (in this case, romance, murder and mystery), then Belladonna is a must-read.
Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Body horror, Injury/injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Grief and Child abuse
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