Belladonna (Belladonna, #1)

Belladonna is a captivating gothic romantasy with a twist of murder mystery. We start with the tragic demise of Signa’s parents when the entire party they were hosting was poisoned. When death came to reap their souls, he was surprised to find that Signa was impervious to death. I kept thinking that we would find out who did the poisonings and that whoever was behind it would play some additional part in the plot. For now, that seems to be a dropped plot point only there to establish she was vulnerable to abusive and greedy relatives taking her in the hopes of getting her fortune. The part about her life before she goes to the Hawthorne family reminds me a bit of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events.
Signa must stop running from her destiny once she is with the Hawthornes, to save her cousin, Blythe, from the person who is poisoning her. Signa has two love interests and for most of the book, I didn’t know if I wanted her to be with death when Sylas was such an intriguing prospect. However, Sylas was always so mysterious and his truth made for a surprising twist.
I enjoyed the setting of this story. It was a bit dark and foreboding but in a way that made me want to keep turning pages to find out the hidden secrets. The spirits were intriguing but ultimately not nearly as helpful in solving the murder as I thought they might be. Death is dark and mysterious and makes the reader curious to find out the logistics of how loving Signa could work. I was confused by the cooling off of their relationship at the end and wonder what is left for a second book. Even the surprise meeting in the epilogue leaves me unsure what the second book could be about.
Overall, this was a fast paced intriguing read great for fans of Lakesedge by Lyndell Clipstone. I’m glad the trilogy is soon to be completed and we won’t wait long for all the mysteries to be revealed in this haunting tale.

Signa Farrow has been an orphan all her life. She isn't able to die but others around her have the unfortunate tendency to do just that. She's shuffled from guardian to guardian until after the death of one of her aunts, she's sent to Thorn Hall. Once there she finds out her relative Lillian has died under mysterious circumstances and her daughter is seriously ill with the same condition. Signa once more has Death around her and they make an agreement to figure out who is behind her relative's death.

What worked: Intriguing Gothic fantasy with elements of mystery. What's unique about this fantasy though has to be the depiction of Death and a protagonist who at first seems to have Death under her finger. Death is unlike most other characters I've read. In this novel, he's seductive and is under Signa's spell. There's romantic elements that grow stronger between these two which have almost a Wuthering Heights feel though Death is much more appealing than Heathcliff. No, Death wants to help Signa and at first, seems almost infatuated with her.

The mystery behind the death of Lillian is one that Signa is determined to solve with the help of not only Death but other spirits that haunt the manor. Another unique twist in this story is how Signa is able to call on Death by eating the deadly belladonna berries. Signa is able to see between the veil separating Earth from the Afterlife.

The chemistry between Signa and Death is very strong. It's so strong that the ending is totally plausible. But this isn't the end of Signa's crime-solving! I'm excited to see how she fares with Fate.

Great pacing, engaging dialogue set in a spooky manor where Death isn't who readers might think and the girl who will do anything to help those around her. Even if that means succumbing to death herself.

I'll be honest and say that any book that has an interesting relationship with a persona of Death, is almost going to suck me in immediately. And Belladonna was no exception. Right from the very beginning, I was drawn into Signa's story. The beginning of the book did a great job of explaining Signa's situation without going into too many details. Then almost immediately her journey to Thorn Grove where death (figuratively and literally) surrounds her. At first, I was a little confused because I thought it was going to be a story of solving Signa's mothers murder but I was definitely wrong. And while Signa was trying to solve the murder of Lillian, it was more so about saving Blythe. Lillian was present in the beginning and the end, but not so much the middle. I had many theories about many different things and was pleasantly surprised that only one of my theories came true. It's fun trying to solve them and be right, but I do enjoy being wrong as well. I thought this was well written and enjoyed it very much. Once I got into the meat of the story, it was really hard to put down and I was itching to pick it back up.

I loved Signa Farrow so much. With her initial wanting of becoming into society, to discovering her true passions and who she wants to be. I do with there was a little more relationship building with the Hawthorne's themselves because it was mostly by description that Signa did care for them, but it still worked. I absolutely loved the portrayal of Death. The way that he is the most "feared" man on Earth but the beauty in his job as well. It was clear why he felt connected to Signa but I also enjoyed seeing her overcome her own stigma.

Overall, Belladonna by Adalyn Grace was a complete win for me! I loved the story and the sleuthing to find out who was poisoning Blythe in order to save her. Signa was such a great character and I her personality really shown through the pages. This was such a good example of a Death personified done right! The relationship between Death and Signa was so well done and even Death himself was done great. If you love the supernatural with a bit of murder mystery, then please pick up this book.

BELLADONNA is an enthralling YA fantasy with a strong element of mystery. From the time she was born, Signa has been surrounded by death. First, her mother and then subsequent guardians have died while she has lived with them. She has a particularly unique ability in that she can heal even from things that should kill her. Whenever this happens or someone near her dies, she can see Death himself.

Signa has decided that Death is her adversary, and so when she travels to stay with her cousins and uncle at Thorn Grove as she waits to inherit her fortune, she is determined to defeat Death, no simple task. At Thorn Grove, her mother's sister has recently died and haunts the grounds, while her cousin is gravely ill with something similar. Signa is determined to discover who is behind it all and save her cousin while also entering society and finding a future marriage for herself.

What I loved: The story revolves around a couple mysteries - one about Signa and her relationship with Death and the other around what happened to her aunt and is currently happening to her cousin. These really drove the plot, making it feel steadily paced as the reader tries to uncover all the secrets at Thorn Grove. The magical elements around Signa's power over life/death and her ability to see and talk to spirits added a lot of atmosphere on top of this large estate and its morose residents that added to the emotions of the story.

Signa is a compelling character, who feels that everyone in her life has been taken from her. Uniquely, she has abilities that can change this, and she is determined to do so. The balance of life/death is something she has to grapple with, and it is even more challenging when she does not seem to be able to die herself. Her life has been somewhat sheltered, but she dreams of doing all the normal young woman things, including having her season/debut and finding a marriage. Her desire for this is compounded by the lack of having a defined family during her childhood, and this becomes a driving force for her.

Other characters were intriguing, though the plot mostly centers on Signa and Death. Death is someone who brings an air of the mysterious whenever he appears, and he is someone I would be curious to learn more about in future books. Likewise, this seems like a series that will become stronger as it continues, and Signa really comes into her own as an investigator. Much of what happens in the book seems to be things she stumbles across, and I could definitely see her becoming more organized in the future as she comes into her own.

Other thought-provoking themes around grief/loss, family, wealth disparity, gender roles, political/monetary power, and the things that hold us down are also interesting to consider. As Signa's world broadens, she begins to understand the ways that her inheritance has changed the ways that people relate to her as well as the ways that women are limited by society - and the way that any power they do obtain can be misconstrued as witchcraft. Her prospects are compared to those around her as she begins to understand the way that wealth and politics influence the possibility of love and the ways that can be juxtaposed with survival.

What left me wanting more: The romance felt a little forced, and I would have appreciated a bit more build into it and more understanding of it from Signa's perspective to fully buy into it. Once it was happening, it felt very rushed, but it was still an intriguing relationship. Additionally, there are a couple big twists at the end, and one of them felt very obvious from the very beginning - I just wish there had been a bit more of a surprise there.

Final verdict: BELLADONNA is an enthralling and atmospheric YA fantasy mystery that I would recommend for fans of A CURSE OF ROSES, BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL, and LAKESEDGE.