geiravor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
kbairbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
This was so much fun! A murder mystery that wasn’t scary?? I love it! Dark, and at times creepy, but filled with love and family and so much fun. And that ending?! Oh my gosh. I loved the ending so freaking much. I can’t wait for Foxglove!! Although I thought for a bit maybe book two would focus on the mystery of her origin? But oof I seriously loved how it ended and all the final ‘battle scenes’ if you will. Mysterious, deadly, and oh so good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Death, Murder, Death of parent, Gore, and Injury/injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual content
marleywrites's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.5
I was swept away by this fantasy, mystery, and romance mash up of a story. I loved the gothic vibes and Signa’s sharp mind. I didn’t see any of the plot twists or reveals coming, (I mean, I rarely do, but still) and they were all so captivating.
The romance in this book was perfect. Signa struggling to choose between Sylas and Death was *chef’s kiss* in my opinion.
The Hawthorne’s have a LOT of traumatic history to deal with, and more just kept coming! This writing was engaging and pulled me in. I wanted to know more about the family’s mysteries.
I cannot wait for Foxglove to come out, that ending left me hanging! Plus the UK covers are gorgeous and I must collect them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Medical content
headinthepages's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I usually struggle with the pacing that often comes with a historical/gothic fiction but this was absolutely brilliant.
I was engaged in the story as soon as I started reading and found the style of writing, characters & dialogue particularly good.
I loved the plot and was very much along for the ride. I loved Death as a character and can’t wait to find out what happens in Foxglove!
I was engaged in the story as soon as I started reading and found the style of writing, characters & dialogue particularly good.
I loved the plot and was very much along for the ride. I loved Death as a character and can’t wait to find out what happens in Foxglove!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Death, Injury/injury detail, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Vomit, Abandonment, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Infertility, Alcoholism, Medical content, Miscarriage, Blood, Grief, Gore, Child death, and Infidelity
limabeans's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed Belladonna; nothing amazing but it was a fun read for fantasy romance readers, with lots of mystery.
I can’t say I really enjoyed the whole immortal love interest thing though, but
The ‘murderer’ in this story is pretty predictable in my opinion.
Hate to add 2 spoilers, but I had to get that out.
Overall though I still had a good time reading Belladonna. Reminds me a lot of Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone.
Foxglove (Belladonna #2) comes out next year, and all though I won’t pick it up for reasons I mentioned in the first spoiler, I’m sure it will be a good story for those who enjoyed this Belladonna.
I can’t say I really enjoyed the whole immortal love interest thing though, but
Spoiler
I’m happy that the author disguised it for most the book with Death being Sylas. I know book 2 (Foxglove) has ANOTHER immortal love interest, and love triangles aren’t really my thing, especially with immortal beings. So I think this is my only book with Adalyn Grace.The ‘murderer’ in this story is pretty predictable in my opinion.
Spoiler
But it still hurt so much! Percy was my favorite and all though I knew he was probably going to be the one who poisoned Lillian and Blythe, I still cried when he died. Best character in the book.Hate to add 2 spoilers, but I had to get that out.
Overall though I still had a good time reading Belladonna. Reminds me a lot of Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone.
Foxglove (Belladonna #2) comes out next year, and all though I won’t pick it up for reasons I mentioned in the first spoiler, I’m sure it will be a good story for those who enjoyed this Belladonna.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: 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
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
midnight_rose_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Signa Farrow is a 19 year old orphan, who has been shuttled between various relatives ever since her parents died. The only person who truly loved her for her and not her inheritance is her grandmother. After she passes away, that’s when she starts living with various relatives. One of those relatives, Aunt Magda, is killed accidentally by Signa when she uses powers she didn’t know she had. Death, who she’s seen most of her life when she eats poisonous belladonna berries is who she believes to be the culprit. Death then explains that it was HER that did the killing not him. Two days later a stable boy from Thorn Grove named Sylas comes to collect her and take her to another set of relatives.
After arriving Signa gets to know Elijah Hawthorne, and his children Percy and Blythe. Elijah is still grieving his wife Lillian and is against his son Percy from inheriting their gentleman’s club called Grey’s. His daughter Blythe is ill and is showing the same symptoms that her mother Lillian had before she died. As Signa grows closer to the family she’s determined to figure out who is poisoning Blythe. Lillian’s spirit also tells her that someone poisoned her too, so that just ratchets up the urgency for Signa, to find the villain, before they destroy the whole family. Reluctantly she agrees to work with Death to hone her powers in order to help the family, while also enlisting the help of the stable boy Sylus.
This is a great start to a gothic YA series (that continues with Foxglove). Signa is a fantastic heroine, who is complex and layered. Her banter with Death is at times hilarious and witty. Historical romance fans will find much to love about this book. Can’t wait to continue the series! Definitely for fans who were disappointed that Alina and the Darkling didn’t end up together in the Grisha trilogy.
After arriving Signa gets to know Elijah Hawthorne, and his children Percy and Blythe. Elijah is still grieving his wife Lillian and is against his son Percy from inheriting their gentleman’s club called Grey’s. His daughter Blythe is ill and is showing the same symptoms that her mother Lillian had before she died. As Signa grows closer to the family she’s determined to figure out who is poisoning Blythe. Lillian’s spirit also tells her that someone poisoned her too, so that just ratchets up the urgency for Signa, to find the villain, before they destroy the whole family. Reluctantly she agrees to work with Death to hone her powers in order to help the family, while also enlisting the help of the stable boy Sylus.
This is a great start to a gothic YA series (that continues with Foxglove). Signa is a fantastic heroine, who is complex and layered. Her banter with Death is at times hilarious and witty. Historical romance fans will find much to love about this book. Can’t wait to continue the series! Definitely for fans who were disappointed that Alina and the Darkling didn’t end up together in the Grisha trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, and Sexual content
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
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