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mattiedancer's review against another edition
2.25
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
**SPOILERS**
Writing: 3.25⭐️/5
I think the writing was done well enough. It was a bit more than serviceable and at times bent towards strong. I did actually appreciate that Signa FELT young: she’s only 19 and very naive about the world, so I liked her voice echoing these traits. The repetitive descriptive phrasing was a little irksome, and I do wish the pacing had consolidated into a solid pace instead of bouncing back and forth between everything at once or nothing at all.
Characters: 3.25⭐️/5
I liked Signa, and I liked Death in the first bit (when I was really hoping he was going to be more of a guardian and trainer for Signa). Sylas was a great voice as well and, though several of Signa’s cousins blurred together at times, I did enjoy learning about them. It really fell apart for me in the second half where I felt that several characters were pushed towards development instead of growing there naturally. Plus (BIG SPOILERS) Sylas and Death being the same person was a flop for me, considering they had vastly different voices and personalities.
Plot: 2⭐️/5
The concept is good: a girl who can’t die must solve a murder with Death itself. I’d read another book with a similar concept. The largest plot point I took issue with was the fact that Death watched Signa grow up and then made moves on her. I understand that he’s an immortal entity, but it’s a very odd choice in a novel written for young adults. The bones of this story are good; the details and execution were very much not.
Who Should Read This Book?
Not young adults.
Content Warnings?
Adult/Minor relationship, murder, death, death of a parent, death of a child, gaslighting, domestic abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, misogyny, sexism, fire, injury/injury detail, suicide, suicide attempts
Post-Reading Rating: 0.5⭐️/5
I don’t like the fact that the main love interest met our MC as A FREAKING BABY and watched her grow up, like some sort of creepy uncle. Not a fan of that, nor do I think it was necessary for a Young Adult novel to include and represent as okay.
Final Rating: 2.25⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
lillygabriella's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
0.25
If I could rate this zero stars I would. Publishing standards have gone seriously downhill if something like this not only got through but became popular. Somehow. The author knows absolutely nothing about history she didn't pick up third hand filtered through 1950s Hollywood B movies, and didn't bother to do any research at all. There is NO history in this "historical" setting. The author cannot maintain any timeline continuity from one page to the next, has a Hollywood oppression level of knowledge about corsetry, and even less about poisons or how to construct a decent mystery.
Further ranting on this horrific trash fire of a novel can be found in my Amazon review. I am only glad I was reading it on Kindle Unlimited, if I had paid actual money for this atrocity I would be utterly livid. I only finished from spite and because it was a reading challenge book.
Further ranting on this horrific trash fire of a novel can be found in my Amazon review. I am only glad I was reading it on Kindle Unlimited, if I had paid actual money for this atrocity I would be utterly livid. I only finished from spite and because it was a reading challenge book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
There are so many better books out there, please don't waste your precious time on this.thegabscast's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This book felt like it was trying to be Gothic atmosphere meets Bridgerton, but failed at both. First, the “Gothic” atmosphere really wasn’t present, there was no haunting landscape and the world building did not add to this atmosphere in any way. Second, Signa, the main character is insufferable. She’s naive, fickle (drools over every man she meets and envisions a future with them), and vapid. However, you’re meant to believe she’s spunky, strong-willed, and charming. That’s not ever shown though, you’re just told over and over again despite her being the definition of a damsel in distress. She doesn’t even figure out the mystery herself, the answer literally has to be spelt out for her to even register it. Maybe it’s because she spends more time obsessing over boys than she does actually trying to discover the answer? The answer was also blatantly obvious within the first few chapters, but not to Signa. Death was a great character if you just pay attention to his dialogue, but not if you actually stop and think about the fact that he has no personality. His sole purpose is to be obsessed with Signa and that’s all you really get from him. There’s no depth to him, there could have been, but it’s not in this book. His dynamic with Signa initially felt oddly paternal and not romantic, so making the jump from that to his declarations of love was uncomfortable to say the least. It was insta love, but Signa is soooo childish and “just a girl” that it really just feels creepy, not to mention that she’s literally 19 years-old. The “Little Bird” nickname did absolutely nothing to help with that either. I would have loved more of Blythe and I hear the third book is that, but I’m really not intrigued enough to continue reading this series. The writing itself wasn’t bad, but these characters were so one-dimensional and there was no true depth to the story that I found myself just trying to get through it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ladybug12793's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
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
3.5
Good Halloween read.
I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and I finished it in less than 24 hours. It’s perfect for the spooky season because it’s fantasy with a little bit of mystery and ghosts. What I didn’t like is that the romance went from 0 to 1000 in about 0.25 seconds. Then, by the end of it, I was genuinely curious what the point of it all was. Also, confused about the murder’s plot. Even with those things, I had fun reading this book. I would recommend this to anyone that wants to read an easy, cozy, slightly spooky romantasy. However, If you are looking for some literary masterpiece, then I wouldn’t recommend this book.
0.5 🌶️
I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and I finished it in less than 24 hours. It’s perfect for the spooky season because it’s fantasy with a little bit of mystery and ghosts. What I didn’t like is that the romance went from 0 to 1000 in about 0.25 seconds. Then, by the end of it, I was genuinely curious what the point of it all was. Also, confused about the murder’s plot. Even with those things, I had fun reading this book. I would recommend this to anyone that wants to read an easy, cozy, slightly spooky romantasy. However, If you are looking for some literary masterpiece, then I wouldn’t recommend this book.
0.5 🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide attempt
unboundbooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
devinjai6655's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Vomit, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
- a FMC Signa, who can't die & who has been THROUGH it
- Death is a person, who the FMC can see/touch
- they solve a mystery together!!
- slow burn young adult romance
- historical fantasy with paranormal & gothic elements
Do I think it was a little gross that Death met Signa when she was a baby & then proceeded to have a romance with her once she was grown? Ummmm yes. What in the Jacob and Renesmee lol. Did I also still enjoy parts of this? Also yes. I actually thought this was published in the early 2010's because that's how it read to me, so color me surprised when I saw this was published in 2022.
Anyway, this was fine and again, I enjoyed listening to most of the audiobook, but still find that dynamic to be a bit ..... iffy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
lizzie_b99's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-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
4.5
The world is an interesting mix of magic and Victorian England aesthetics. I found Signa's powers and connection with Death intriguing, and really enjoyed the Gothic setting.
I found there was some unnecessary repetition of main plot points, but I think that is often a feature of YA novels. The mystery kept me guessing until the end, and there are some really solid twists throughout. I'm not necessarily a fan of epilogues that are clearly introductions to sequels, but I do like how that's done here.
I found there was some unnecessary repetition of main plot points, but I think that is often a feature of YA novels. The mystery kept me guessing until the end, and there are some really solid twists throughout. I'm not necessarily a fan of epilogues that are clearly introductions to sequels, but I do like how that's done here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Grief
j_day's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Not my genre but still enjoyable enough. Predicted Sylas being death and Percy being the murderer from less than halfway through but this didn't spoil it too much - although I would've preferred not to have worked it out so quickly!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
vagrantheather's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
A fun read, but problematic at times, and not very deep or moving. Death was rather sexy. Hard to have a book about death and murder and yet not really feel that it's a dark book, but here we are.
There were a lot of plot devices I disliked. Death's fascination with (and interference on behalf of) our MC feels like grooming. A wealthy orphan girl being passed along to a home full of constant ribald parties - unlikely, given the time period, but plausible for a smutty regency book. However it doesn't go there - it ISN'T a smutty regency book where our innocent young heroine finds herself in a scandalous situation. So it feels unnecessarily edgy on part of the author.
The garden fiasco and overall vibe (mansion estate, ghosts, death, a sexy servant boy) summon The Secret Garden. And I love TSG! But the garden ends up being basically unnecessary. There's some waffley excuse that spirits can't communicate well when removed from their place of (death? Burial? Can't recall), but the whole "ahh I must find this secret garden then KILL MYSELF to gain entry" was so unnecessary. Surely the spirit could talk to you from, idk, the other side of the wall? And could you really not think of a single other way to enter a locked garden than by poisoning yourself to summon death's powers of intangibility? Maybe try looking under a rock for the key? Or ask the servant for a key? Or look for a key in the mansion? Maybe try scaling a nearby tree? Maybe stand on the horse's back to hop over? So many options that don't require summoning your professed enemy.
I was very disappointed by the author's tendency to distinguish characters by hair and skin color. The characters were mostly thin/flat.
The author puts in place a mechanism for Signa to play God by taking one life to spare another, but ultimately does very little with this theme. She was essentially A-OK with having murdered an old aunt to spare her young cousin. Sure, she didn't know what she was doing, but after finding out her power the guilt was a short lived thing, easily shrugged off. Flimsy.
It's an enjoyable read, but shallowly developed and ultimately forgettable.
There were a lot of plot devices I disliked. Death's fascination with (and interference on behalf of) our MC feels like grooming. A wealthy orphan girl being passed along to a home full of constant ribald parties - unlikely, given the time period, but plausible for a smutty regency book. However it doesn't go there - it ISN'T a smutty regency book where our innocent young heroine finds herself in a scandalous situation. So it feels unnecessarily edgy on part of the author.
The garden fiasco and overall vibe (mansion estate, ghosts, death, a sexy servant boy) summon The Secret Garden. And I love TSG! But the garden ends up being basically unnecessary. There's some waffley excuse that spirits can't communicate well when removed from their place of (death? Burial? Can't recall), but the whole "ahh I must find this secret garden then KILL MYSELF to gain entry" was so unnecessary. Surely the spirit could talk to you from, idk, the other side of the wall? And could you really not think of a single other way to enter a locked garden than by poisoning yourself to summon death's powers of intangibility? Maybe try looking under a rock for the key? Or ask the servant for a key? Or look for a key in the mansion? Maybe try scaling a nearby tree? Maybe stand on the horse's back to hop over? So many options that don't require summoning your professed enemy.
I was very disappointed by the author's tendency to distinguish characters by hair and skin color. The characters were mostly thin/flat.
The author puts in place a mechanism for Signa to play God by taking one life to spare another, but ultimately does very little with this theme. She was essentially A-OK with having murdered an old aunt to spare her young cousin. Sure, she didn't know what she was doing, but after finding out her power the guilt was a short lived thing, easily shrugged off. Flimsy.
It's an enjoyable read, but shallowly developed and ultimately forgettable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, and Death of parent