Belladonna by Adalyn Grace- BOOK REVIEW

Synopsis

Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being-and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining
relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late
wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family's waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But
when their mother's restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger
and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.
However, Signa's best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he's made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful-and more irresistible-than she ever dared imagine.

BOOK REVIEW

4.75 ⭐️

Wow okay, I loved this book so very much! Exceeded all my expectations and now I’m craving more romantic mysteries!!

I’m so impressed by Adalyn Grace’s writing style. I absolutely loved how immersive it was and the way she described the entire setting. And not just that, everything had a vivid description which made me feel like I was right there, experiencing the things Signa did and it was such an amazing experience!

The vibes were IMMACULATE, FLAWLESS, SPECTACULAR, CHEFS KISS! The old Thorn Grove manor shrouded in mystery, it’s occupants with secret histories and motives, the spirits of the dead roaming free, everything had set up a very interesting premise that had me instantly hooked.

Our main character, Signa goes through huge character development and I loved her for it! I mostly loved her but I’d admit that for 50-60% of the story, I found some of the things she did/said/thought a little bit annoying (the reason for deducting 0.25 stars) but that was my personal preference and I don’t think everyone would feel the same way because the (good) changes in her character throughout the book were enough to make me fall in love with her!

I won’t be able to talk about the side characters without giving spoilers but Sylas, Lillian, Marjorie, Percy, Blythe, Elijah, Byron, Charlotte and others were all such interesting and fleshed out characters! I cannot wait to know them even better in the next book! I also loved the fact that we got introduced to so many characters throughout the book but they all had their own purpose for being there and weren’t there just for the sake of it. This made every interaction throughout the book very meaningful.

I think my favourite and the most complex character in Belladonna was of course Death himself. Despite his name, he was total cinnamon roll which surprised but delighted me because it was the exact opposite of what I expected! After the twists in the last few chapters, I’m even more intrigued by him. I have so many questions that I need answers to ASAP so the wait for Foxglove will be a torture.

I don’t have a lot to say about Death and Signa’s romance except that I thoroughly enjoyed it and am very curious about what’s going to happen next and how things will work out. I was very scared when I sensed a love triangle brewing because I hate that trope but turns out, I had nothing to worry about because Adalyn Grace handled it so well that in the end, it didn’t even matter.

I also have to mention that this was a very quick read because it was paced so well and the mystery aspect of the book kept me on my toes. I was constantly making new theories and I was right about some but that didn’t diminish the enjoyment but enhanced it because I was so proud of myself for guessing something correctly and got all the more eager to see if I could guess something else correctly too lol.

There were also some Bridgerton vibes which I was already expecting considering it’s pitched as Victorian Bridgerton meets Knives Out which I can’t agree more with!!

All in all, this was a quick and super fun read and it’ll be perfect for the fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper, Vespertine and A Forgery of Roses.

I’ll highly recommend this Gothic- infused murder mystery to everyone who loves their fantasy books sprinkled with romance and spooky vibes!

A huge thank you to Little Brown Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!