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
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
azrah786's review
4.25
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, gore, death, death of parent, murder, suicide attempt, self harm, emotional abuse, parental neglect, grief, chronic illness, vomit, medical content, sexual content
--
An addictive read that is beautiful blend of fantasy and mystery, Belladonna will enthral you from the opening pages.
The story follows Signa Farrow a girl who has been surrounded by death ever since she was born both in how the various guardians she has been taken in by have met untimely ends and in how she is able to see and communicate with Death (and ghosts) yet elude it herself.
Signa soon finds herself arriving at Thorn Grove to be in the care of the Hawthorne family, her last remaining relatives who are mourning the death of their matriarch who died of a mysterious illness which the daughter of the house, Blythe is suffering from too. However, when she crosses paths with the ghost of the matriarch who pleads her to get to the bottom of how she really died as the rest of the family could be in danger, Signa finds herself teaming up with Death to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Grace’s writing perfectly captures all the paranormal and gothic vibes that surround this page turning mystery and I honestly couldn’t put the book down. Not only was this an entertaining twisty tale but at its at heart it is a story about a girl finding confidence in herself and a place to finally belong.
Though I did find her musings a little repetitive at times, Signa’s characterisation and journey throughout was wonderfully done and I really loved the bonds she formed with other the characters from the members of the Hawthorne family, to Sylas the prickly stable hand she befriended to Death. The secrecy surrounding everyone played nicely into the mystery and really keeps you on your toes but it was also just so heart-warming to see Signa finding people who actually seemed to care for her.
The dynamic she had with Death was definitely the stand out though. They had great chemistry and banter and I just loved seeing their connection strengthen and grow.
Though I was able to guess some of the reveals, how the plot unravelled was so satisfying and the ending has me super excited for what is to come in book two!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
CW: violence, blood, gore, death, death of parent, murder, suicide attempt, self harm, emotional abuse, parental neglect, grief, chronic illness, vomit, medical content, sexual content
--
An addictive read that is beautiful blend of fantasy and mystery, Belladonna will enthral you from the opening pages.
The story follows Signa Farrow a girl who has been surrounded by death ever since she was born both in how the various guardians she has been taken in by have met untimely ends and in how she is able to see and communicate with Death (and ghosts) yet elude it herself.
Signa soon finds herself arriving at Thorn Grove to be in the care of the Hawthorne family, her last remaining relatives who are mourning the death of their matriarch who died of a mysterious illness which the daughter of the house, Blythe is suffering from too. However, when she crosses paths with the ghost of the matriarch who pleads her to get to the bottom of how she really died as the rest of the family could be in danger, Signa finds herself teaming up with Death to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Grace’s writing perfectly captures all the paranormal and gothic vibes that surround this page turning mystery and I honestly couldn’t put the book down. Not only was this an entertaining twisty tale but at its at heart it is a story about a girl finding confidence in herself and a place to finally belong.
Though I did find her musings a little repetitive at times, Signa’s characterisation and journey throughout was wonderfully done and I really loved the bonds she formed with other the characters from the members of the Hawthorne family, to Sylas the prickly stable hand she befriended to Death. The secrecy surrounding everyone played nicely into the mystery and really keeps you on your toes but it was also just so heart-warming to see Signa finding people who actually seemed to care for her.
The dynamic she had with Death was definitely the stand out though. They had great chemistry and banter and I just loved seeing their connection strengthen and grow.
Though I was able to guess some of the reveals, how the plot unravelled was so satisfying and the ending has me super excited for what is to come in book two!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Chronic illness, Death, Violence, Body horror, and Self harm
Moderate: Medical content, Vomit, and Sexual content
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
bookstarbri's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I thought I knew what was going on with this book. I really did. And then I learned I knew nothing at all. This book was so much fun. It was creepy and weird and everything I love in a book, but it was also emotional and a bit scary and had a powerful message.
I haven't read many books with Death personified, though I know it's a decently common thing to do? In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed Death personified in this. He was a brilliant character who I was so fascinated by from the very beginning. Death was so cool to meet at the beginning and how intrigued he was of Signa was evident. Their attraction to each other was like magnets and was kinda beautiful. From the prologue, I knew this story was going to be something special, but as it began to unwind, I was enthralled in everything it was. The characters in particular were remarkable. Signa is so cool and just the slightest bit unhinged at times. Her relationship with Blythe was really nice and felt natural. They were inexplicably drawn to each other, but it felt real.
Then there was the matter of the plot of this book, which is pretty much set up like a murder mystery, but there's so much attached to it that really raised the stakes. I will say that I easily guessed one major revelation by around chapter 4, however I don't think that revelation was meant to be as significant as the others. There were many plot twists that I thought I had guessed early on, but had been totally wrong and it was such a fun shock to be proven wrong. I felt like I was questioning everyone by the end and was still surprised when all the events unfolded.
I love the aesthetic of this book too. It was dark and mysterious, but also stunning. We get a masquerade ball and I just don't think I'll ever tire of reading those. I'm so in love with this book and I truly can't wait for the next. I just know it'll be soooo good after THAT ENDING!!!
Thank you so much to Little Brown and NetGalley for providing an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I haven't read many books with Death personified, though I know it's a decently common thing to do? In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed Death personified in this. He was a brilliant character who I was so fascinated by from the very beginning. Death was so cool to meet at the beginning and how intrigued he was of Signa was evident. Their attraction to each other was like magnets and was kinda beautiful. From the prologue, I knew this story was going to be something special, but as it began to unwind, I was enthralled in everything it was. The characters in particular were remarkable. Signa is so cool and just the slightest bit unhinged at times. Her relationship with Blythe was really nice and felt natural. They were inexplicably drawn to each other, but it felt real.
Then there was the matter of the plot of this book, which is pretty much set up like a murder mystery, but there's so much attached to it that really raised the stakes. I will say that I easily guessed one major revelation by around chapter 4, however I don't think that revelation was meant to be as significant as the others. There were many plot twists that I thought I had guessed early on, but had been totally wrong and it was such a fun shock to be proven wrong. I felt like I was questioning everyone by the end and was still surprised when all the events unfolded.
I love the aesthetic of this book too. It was dark and mysterious, but also stunning. We get a masquerade ball and I just don't think I'll ever tire of reading those. I'm so in love with this book and I truly can't wait for the next. I just know it'll be soooo good after THAT ENDING!!!
Thank you so much to Little Brown and NetGalley for providing an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Physical abuse
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