Reviews with content warning for Death - Belladonna

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.

Content Warnings

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

Content Warnings

mattiedancer's review against another edition

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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

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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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teresaelj's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

Genuinely kinda made me cry at the end. For whatever reason, I found grief very well explore in this book and while the mystery was simple it did surprise me. There were a few things that you caught easily but overall i chewed this book up. I absolutely adored it. The romance took its time, made sense, was sexy, and was also beautiful. I love all of the characters. Genuinely such a fun time and an incredibly compelling time.

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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.

Content Warnings

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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