Book Review | Belladonna

Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow has been raised by a string of guardians whom have all died under mysterious circumstances. Her last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family who live at Thorn Grove.

However, once she arrives, a ghost warns her that its poison, not a natural illness that’s been killing her relatives, so Signa reluctantly teams up with Death to try and solve the murders before anyone else in her family falls prey.

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace is a deliciously gothic murder mystery with a splash of romance.

By far, my favorite aspect of this book has to be Death himself since this is a more sympathetic, complex portrait of the Reaper. He’s both snarky and slightly bitter since he’s got a tough job to do, and I also thought his relationship with Signa was well developed.

However, it’s the who-done-it aspect was not as well executed for me. I feel like characters are too quick to trust each other and divulge secrets and personal information—especially since people in the family are mysteriously dying. I would think they’d be much more cautious.

All in all, its mystery elements did not work for me, but it did still very much satisfy my love of the Death and the Maiden trope and I'm excited to see what happens in the sequel.

Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : August 30, 2022

Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

IBSN : ‎0316158232

Pages : 416

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