Review--Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

 

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.

  

Adalyn Grace writes a masterpiece of a story with Belladonna! I wasn't sure what I was going to get with this story as I didn't pay any attention to the early reviews. And wow! Just wow! This book was a mesmerizing story filled with enchantment and secrets and oh, I so can't wait to find out what happens next!

Signa is nineteen years old and ever since she could remember has always seen Death lurking over her shoulder. He's always been there for her and not in the best way either. Her parents died when she was young and ever since then, her guardian eventually meets Death too and Signa is off to her new guardian. After her latest evil guardian meets Death, Signa is sent off to an uncle she wasn't aware she had and will stay with him and her cousins until she turns twenty and can claim her inheritance.

Signa has always had the ability to see ghosts as well, after an encounter with Death as a baby she was left changed and seeing ghosts is just one of her abilities. When she sees the ghost of her uncle's wife, imploring her to essentially solve her murder, Signa feels compelled to do so. Even more so when she learns her cousin, Blythe has taken ill, much like her mother did.

Signa is also learning how to be a lady from the governess who lives with her family as well. Signa, despite being from a well-off family, did not live the life one of her status should have. But she's always made due. Her older cousin, Percy remains to be vast entertainment when it comes to dancing and learning the different routines. Then there's the stable hand, Sylas who Signa eventually recruits into helping her figure out who could be poisoning Blythe.

I will forewarn you there is a love triangle of sorts happening here! Sylas, of course is the first contender, and then Death is actually the other! Signa and Death have that odd sort of not quite enemies but not friends either stance that eventually evolves into something more! This I will tell you baffled me! Lol. I don't know why, I guess because Death never really takes on a proper persona. We know he is ancient, much like any vampire, but there are times he's nothing but shadows, so it was a little trippy watching these two have romantic interludes and whatnot.

The mystery was definitely pretty mysterious in that whodunit sense! I started making my conclusions but the plot twist that came about totally threw me off my game! Lol. That said, it was a well thought-out twist! 

Just as things were wrapping up for a nice conclusion, we're thrown a whopper of a cliffhanger at the end! While the wait will not be pleasant for Foxglove, I can say it won't drive me to the brink of insanity like other cliffhangers have! It's a pesky one for sure and you definitely wish there were more pages to turn after that, but a few hours after reading it, I find myself pretty calm...yet still dying to read the next book, but no more than usual! Lol.

Belladonna was a spellbinding, magical tale filled with mystery and forbidden romance! It is a tale that is sure to sweep you off your feet and hold you captive! It was a very intriguing read and I loved all the other ghostly encounter Signa had! This book has definitely put itself on my favorites list for the year for sure!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars