[Emily’s Review]: Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

Belladonna
Series: Belladonna #1
Pages: 416
Release Date: August 30 2022
Genres: Gothic, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy, YA
Source: Publisher
Format Read: ARC, eBook
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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.

This book has been on my radar since I read the blurb months and months ago.

Signa is twenty years old and at this point in her life, just waiting until the day she can claim her inheritance and be done with all the “caretakers” in her life. They use her for her money and they all seem to drop dead at some not so inopportune times. A fun fact about Signa, is that she can not die. She can navigate the space between living and crossing over, she can see spirits, and has a somewhat tumultuous relationship with Death himself. Signa finds herself without yet another guardian and is sent to live with her Uncle. She realizes she has arrived almost immediately after the death of her aunt, and her cousin is lying on her literal death bed. A wayward spirit approaches Signa and we find that maybe this mysterious illness that took her aunt’s life was not an actual illness at all. Perhaps it was a murder…

Let me tell you what. Belladonna did not disappoint!

This book was gothic and moody and romantic and interesting. PLUS a mystery novel to boot.

I’ll be upfront and honest with you guys.
Here is the truth: I did in fact, see the ending coming, from a mile away.
But getting there was still lots of fun and I had no problem with a single part of this plot.

Which is practically unheard of. If you’ve read my reviews before you know that It’s rare for me to not have any issues with a book. But this one was pretty dang near perfect in my opinion.

Belladonna is gothic. So it was moody and melancholic and had that creepy victorian vibe thing going on that I love so much.

Belladonna was romantic. I loved the relationships that Signa had. I loved that she wasn’t afraid of her sexuality, she was afraid of society. I especially loved when she threw caution right out the window. It was super satisfying.

Belladonna was fascinating. This book was suspenseful and paranormal and it was a murder mystery. It was an all around good time.

The characters were all very well developed, the plot had no holes as far as I could tell.

AND BELLADONNA HAD DEATH.

I mean… Death the character and death the actual act of dying.

Seriously though. Come on!
An Angel of Death who has a heart of gold.
A girl with untapped powers who gets a one on one (if you catch my drift) with the Ferrier to the underworld. There may be a little Grim Reaper sex on the menu, and honestly, what’s not to love about that? nothing.
Add in the fact that Signa is a boss bitch who don’t take shit from no one, has no need to be with a man and takes care of herself in a time period that feels very 1800th century.

The characters were really effin’ cool.
The setting and scenery was really effin’ cool.
The plot was different and kept me completely engrossed.
I just really loved it!

I can’t wait for the sequel~ Foxglove!