Reviews with content warning for Vomit - Belladonna

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Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

153 reviews

jennifermreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

Belladonna has had tons of social media buzz since its release, buzz that resurfaced with the release of each sequel. I was determined to wait for all three books to be out in the world before I committed to the read; I held to that promise to myself.

Aside from the books being <i>everywhere</i> on social media, I did a good job of dodging spoilers and plot summaries. I went into reading the novel with only the pieces that were shared on
Belladonna’s dust jacket. Saying that, I’d encourage you to judge for yourself how much you want to read about the story before diving into it yourself.

And, I was enchanted! I loved the gothic vibe, the murder mystery, Signa’s history, the dynamic with her new guardian and his family, and the romantic tension was swoon-worthy. It was a delightful read that, mostly, had me very, very happy I had invested in the gorgeous Fairyloot editions of the trilogy.

Ready for the “but”? I have a phrase I abhor seeing in books. I always hesitate bringing it up because will my mention of it cause it to become a red flag to you as well? This is your warning to stop reading if you hope to continue happily reading books without seeing the phrase everywhere. Here we go…There were THIRTY-ONE uses of “at once” in this novel of 403 pages. THIRTY-ONE!!! Very little, if anything, in this world (or any world) happens “at once” or “all at once.” I will often overlook one or two uses of the phrases understanding that authors wish to impart a feeling of quickness or urgency. But 31 times in a single 400-page book? No. That reliance on a phrase is lazy writing that should have been marked by the editor with a call to modify the language.

Sadly, the heavy use of the phrase marred my enjoyment of the book. I was distracted. I was pulled from the world the author had carefully crafted. And, ultimately, when I finished the volume, my first thought was “If this phrase appears as much in book two and/or three, I’m not sure I’m going to keep these beautiful editions.” If the “at once” crutch is used as much in the subsequent volumes, I do not see myself ever re-reading the stories. How could I when I would be entering the reading knowing I’m going to be inundated with things happening “at once” over and over and over? Which begs the question: how can so many things be happening “at once”? Oh, wait…they can’t.

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kwal11's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jeanettesreadingcorner's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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kitcatavo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

I loved the way Death was depicted as a character in this story. I’ve read Death described as such a booming loud presence with so much bravado and booming presence. This Death personification may be my absolute favorite. So excited to read the rest of this series 🥹

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lillygabriella's review against another edition

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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.

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thegabscast's review against another edition

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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.

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boba_nbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Spice Rating: 🌶️ / 5

This young adult gothic fantasy romance was so full of mystery, intrigue, and tension that it kept me on my toes and flying through the pages.

Ever since her parents died when she was an infant, Death has followed Signa. Each guardian she's been passed off to have always been after her family fortune but have also unexpectedly passed away. Now that Signa is 19, she's almost ready to inherit her fortune, and these next guardians, the Hawthornes, are her last hope. But when she arrives at Thorn Grove, Signa only finds more Death. The matriarch decently passed away, and her ghost claims that she was poisoned. Now Signa must discover what really happened and if her daughter, Blythe, is suffering the same fate. Signa allies herself with a handsome stable boy and with Death to try to get to the bottom of this mystery and to discover what power she might have that can aid her efforts.

Belladonna is a story that caught my attention and then fully captivated me until the very end. After being sequestered all her life, Signa is finally getting to see what life in the spotlight and in society is like, and she's not sure it's all she made it out to be. She has to decide whether she wants to fit the mold everyone expects her to fit in or if she wants to take her own path and embrace what makes her unique and powerful.

The gothic vibes in Belladonna are spot on, and even though this is technically a young adult book, the themes are very much adult--especially the way death is talked about and handled. The romance is also top tier. Though nothing is explicit, the tension and lead-up are quite steamy and well done.

Readers who love mysteries, gothic ambiance, fantasy, romance, and deeper themes will absolutely love Belladonna.

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meggiemeggie52's review against another edition

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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? No

5.0

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skyhazzard's review against another edition

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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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was so good! I’m so glad I read it even though it took me awhile (I assume cause I was reading it in multiple formats so it was throwing me off a bit).

As I’ve been in my historical romance era the last two years this felt nice going into as it takes place in the 1800’s so I was here for the vibes. We also have some mystery and intrigue with murder and poisonings. Which leads into the fantasy element because our main character Signa can see ghosts and can communicate with Death himself.

Speaking of, the tension between Signa and Death was so good!! So there is some romance as well. This book had everything it felt like.

I’m really intrigued by where the story is going to go as we do end on a bit of a cliffhanger. But I can’t wait to continue on.

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unboundbooklover's review against another edition

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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

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