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znrtr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Body horror, and Medical content
Moderate: Murder
melissaslibraryy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I have been wanting to be get to this book for awhile now since it’s been on my shelves for a little over a year, and Belladonna did not disappoint! I loved the who-done-it aspects of the book when it came to figuring out the murderer and their motives bc I was pleasantly surprised when it came to the reveal and the way it happened. And can we talk about the love interest Death 🤭 Signa really lucked out with him bc he does NOT play about his girl fr AHHH I was obsessed with those two.
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Gaslighting, Classism, Medical content, Vomit, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, and Grief
Moderate: Sexism, Abandonment, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual content
billykmaguiree's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A huge thank you to the team at Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an electronic arc, in exchange for an honest review.
In this gothic romance, Signa Farrow has one goal to stop Death from taking another life of someone close to her. When one of Signa’s relatives, Blythe falls ill with the same symptoms of her late mother, Signa’s determined to find out the truth about what is happening in Thorn Grove. As she hunts for answers, she teams up with Death himself to find out who is poisoning her cousin.
This is the first work that I’ve read by Adalyn Grace and it wasn’t amazing, but also wasn’t terrible. Hit the middle mark of what I expected.
The writing was okay. I liked the way that the characters were portrayed, especially Percy and Blythe but at times the plot felt like it lacked a lot of originality? I don’t know if it’s just me but there was points where I predicted what was going to happen, however the final plot twist was completely unexpected. Knowing Signa’s story with Death isn’t over makes me extremely hopeful for the next book ‘Foxglove.’
I do feel like Foxglove isn’t needed as an extension of the plot and things could’ve been wrapped up with an alternate ending.
Another area where I felt the plot was lacking was the whole build up between Death and Signa. I’m sure it’s no shocker that they fell in love, but I found the whole thing kind of creepy? From the very first page we see Death is watching over Signa as a baby, aware of who she is and what she is capable off. To me personally, Death’s grooming of Signa is not romantic but odd and should not be glamourised.
Overall: Belladonna by Adalyn Grace missed the mark for me and I am still conflicted about whether or not I’ll be picking up Foxglove when it comes out next year.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Vomit and Toxic relationship
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