Week 40 Review: Belladonna

From Goodreads:

A girl confronts Death—and her own deathly powers—in this Gothic-infused, romantic young adult fantasy.

 

Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow, orphaned as a baby, 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 last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at the glittering and gloomy estate of Thorn Grove. Thorn Grove's patriarch, Elijah, mourns his late wife, Lillian, through wild parties and drink, while eldest son Percy grapples for control of the family's waning reputation and daughter Blythe suffers from the same mysterious illness that killed her mother. And when Lillian's spirit confronts Signa and claims she was poisoned, Signa realizes that Blythe could be next to die.

 

Signa's best chance of uncovering the culprit and solving Lillian's murder is an alliance with Death himself—the very man she hates most. And Death, that fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side, shows her that their connection may be more powerful than she ever dared imagine.

My Review:
This was such a fantastic read! I loved being in this world, with Death being a character that you can meet, not just a force, it was such an interesting idea. And set in this gothic atmosphere, it was a perfect spooky read, and I had such a great read!

This book was dark and twisted, and I had such a fantastic time getting to know these characters, as  Signa moves from one guardian to the next. Landing at the Thorn Grove estate, where the matriarch has passed, and her daughter is dying of the same thing. Not a good experience! 

Especially for a girl who seems cursed by death, that she doesn't die from things that should kill her, but all of her guardian's have passed. I felt bad for her and for Death, it's not like they caused it, it just is what happens in life, it's the only guarantee in this fantasy world (I don't know if they have taxes. Snort.) 

One thing that I really enjoyed watching, was how all her life she was waiting for her debut, to be a lady, and make her mother proud. But it's not who she is, she's not confided by the rules of society. And watching her break free was so great! 

Watching the investigation unfold, watching her learn more about her powers, and actually getting to know Death, and start to fall in love, yeah, that was so fantastic! All the elements of this story came together really well with the gothic atmosphere, and the magic, mystery, and romance! It was so great! And I'm so excited to read book 2,, that epilogue was so cruel! 

This was an excellent read, and I can't wait for the sequel! 

Author: Adalyn Grace
Series: Belladonna #1
Read: October 1st, 2022
Source: Ebook.bike 
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book! 
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: August 30th 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars