Reviews with content warning for Chronic illness - Belladonna

would have been obsessed with his relationship with Signa as a teenager, but as an adult I worry about things like a huge age gap and lack of common ground.

I wish we had gotten more of Signa using her unusual abilities but I can understand why they needed to be limited. There were plenty of red herrings with the murder mystery, so it wasn't too easy for the reader to solve. I do wish this wasn't a series, I would have preferred to have

everything wrapped up at the end like it was going to be, before the cliffhanger happened.

But I could see that the author wanted to do more with the characters that had been set up. I'm not sure if I'll read any sequels. This book sort of reminded me of The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause, although the plots and setting are very different.

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moonchild_cos's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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nat20charisma's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I really enjoyed the story, but I got a little annoyed with the end. It felt like the author would have a wrap up, but then the story would continue. There were probably 6 endings!

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jamiebrito's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I bought this on Ashley's recommendation and the cover of the B&N special edition 😍 I didn't read the blurb or any reviews. I loved this so much! I am obsessed! I loved the characters, world building and mystery! As I was reading it I was torn between needing to keep reading and dread at finishing it. I had a lot of predictions early on and had a great time reading and seeing if my predictions were correct or not. I am counting the days for the sequel and am sad it doesn't come out til 2023. I definitely see myself rereading this probably very soon as I'm not ready to let the characters go!

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azrah786's review

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4.25

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, blood, gore, death, death of parent, murder, suicide attempt, self harm, emotional abuse, parental neglect, grief, chronic illness, vomit, medical content, sexual content
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An addictive read that is beautiful blend of fantasy and mystery, Belladonna will enthral you from the opening pages.

The story follows Signa Farrow a girl who has been surrounded by death ever since she was born both in how the various guardians she has been taken in by have met untimely ends and in how she is able to see and communicate with Death (and ghosts) yet elude it herself.
Signa soon finds herself arriving at Thorn Grove to be in the care of the Hawthorne family, her last remaining relatives who are mourning the death of their matriarch who died of a mysterious illness which the daughter of the house, Blythe is suffering from too. However, when she crosses paths with the ghost of the matriarch who pleads her to get to the bottom of how she really died as the rest of the family could be in danger, Signa finds herself teaming up with Death to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Grace’s writing perfectly captures all the paranormal and gothic vibes that surround this page turning mystery and I honestly couldn’t put the book down. Not only was this an entertaining twisty tale but at its at heart it is a story about a girl finding confidence in herself and a place to finally belong.

Though I did find her musings a little repetitive at times, Signa’s characterisation and journey throughout was wonderfully done and I really loved the bonds she formed with other the characters from the members of the Hawthorne family, to Sylas the prickly stable hand she befriended to Death. The secrecy surrounding everyone played nicely into the mystery and really keeps you on your toes but it was also just so heart-warming to see Signa finding people who actually seemed to care for her.
The dynamic she had with Death was definitely the stand out though. They had great chemistry and banter and I just loved seeing their connection strengthen and grow.

Though I was able to guess some of the reveals, how the plot unravelled was so satisfying and the ending has me super excited for what is to come in book two!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars

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