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sinceraly's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Belladonna was a bit of a surprise hit for me. I picked up it's e-book copy through Libby under the recommendation of my sister, who, though we have similar tastes elsewhere, tends to like romance in books way more than I do. At first I went in with caution, understanding that it was definitely a Romance Novel, even if there was a plot outside of that, but my sister did a good job of convincing me to give it a shot anyways, so thanks, Cari.
First, we list the pros:
A great balance between plot and romance. Belladonna is a gothic mystery novel with romance intertwined, but not becoming the whole of the book. This is a big pro for me specifically. One of my biggest pet peeves in lit, as someone who isn't easily swayed by romances and is, admittedly, incredibly picky about them, is when a romance becomes the whole of a book, despite not being a tried and true romance novel. I don't have a problem with romances specifically, and will happily pick up romance-centric books from time to time, but if a non-romance-centric book has a plot that exists outside of it's romance, I expect the plot to be prioritized. I have been burned SO many times by books focusing in on a half-baked romance instead of the more interesting worldbuilding or plot.
A very visual style of storytelling. Adalyn Grace has a wonderful way of describing settings, people, actions, and emotions. In general, I found it very easy to visualize Signa, the people around her, the areas she found herself in. Grace's prose isn't too overwhelming, either - I didn't find that her prose exhausted me, or that it felt corny in that try hard manner. It was just vague enough to add to a very well written mysterious atmosphere, like any gothic should, without being tedious.
Excellent characters. When Signa was first introduced, I was worried she was going to be incredibly annoying, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually really liked her as a protagonist. She's quiet and demure around the public, but brash and bold around Death, and though it feels weird at first, how she just shifts personalities entirely, it makes sense in the context of her upbringing. Everyone around her has died when she needed stability, so it'd make sense that she'd lash out at Death, even if he wasn't the one to blame. She just wants stability, and as the daughter of a well-known, well-loved socialite, she feels responsibility to bring pride to her family name, which helps us understand why she tries to be so meek around others. Signa grows well into the plot, and I especially liked how natural her development felt as the plot progressed. I also loved the complexities showcased within the Hawthorne family, Signa's relations with them, and the blemishes that they had to work towards overcoming. I also want to shout out some of the side characters - I really wish we could have seen more of Lilian some way, somehow, because I really enjoyed both Blythe and Percy as characters, and knowing what I know now, her perspective must be something.
Death gets his own section. This book made me develop feelings for Death and I wish I was kidding. Despite not being someone who can get caught up in the cliches of "his firm chest against mine," or "his strong arms wrapped around my waist," and shit like that, Adalyn Grace surprised me by not leaning on those buzz phrases and instead growing Death's character alongside Signa's. Death is, as his name suggests, death, the grim reaper, the harvester and shepherd of lost souls. He's an immortal being that cannot be killed, and yet, he is surprisingly human in this book. He has no regrets about what he must do, because what he does brings balance to the living world. He feels the same way about it as I do working IT - unfortunate, but it must be done. However, he cannot be seen, cannot be touched, must travel the living world plucking people from loving families and relationships without knowing what it'd be like to be loved as he is. He's not shy about how lonely this is, and it's lovely to see how he thrives with the attention of someone he never expected, but wished for nonetheless. The book does a wonderful job of developing Death as a character without painting him as a malicious deity or a depressive caricature, nor does it make him into the same sort of tough guy sexyman with parent-of-your-choice issues I've come to despise in YA. The book takes a lot of caution to portray Death, the character, and death, the subject, in a very neutral light, and I think it's very successful.
A very interesting plot and creative world building. The basis of the Belladonna plot is it's murder mystery. I hesitate to call it a whodunnit, because while two characters other than Signa and Death know about the murder and murder attempts, nobody actively tries to figure it out beyond the two main characters, neither of them are detectives, and the book does not focus on it enough for me to consider it the main motivating force behind much. The plot itself is interesting, and does pick up well as the book progresses, and the Hawthorne manor and the skeletons in its closets are intriguing enough to match the pace and development of the romance. Where the romance lacks, the main plot picks up, and it does a good job of keeping Signa busy so the reader doesn't bore or resent the romance plot.
The book does have its weaknesses though, which leads us to the cons.
Adalyn Grace is not subtle. In a written mystery, it's incredibly important for the author to be subtle, and that is just not something Grace can do. Spoilers ahead in this section.
The reveal of the culprit was just so shallowly thought out. Then there's the aspect of the murder mystery itself. Though I thought it was well written enough, and I didn't dislike it, specifically, I think it dropped the ball upon reflection. It feels too convenient in a way, that the bastard stepson was the one to kill the first victim. And it doesn't exactly make sense to me either the more I think about it. So he tried to kill his disgraceful mother, who really did everything she could to be a part of his life without bringing shame to it - I guess that's understandable enough. But Lilian drank it accidentally somehow, despite Marjorie's journal implying that they didn't like each other and more than likely would not have had tea together in the first place. And then when Percy found out he had accidentally poisoned Lilian, he just... kept doing it? Knowing that belladonna left people in agony? And then he tried to kill his sister to get the attention of his dad who was already mad with grief, and already trying to get rid of the gentleman's club? How was Percy even poisoning the tea, knowing that the doctor's gave the help the medicine, and the help brought the food up? The more I think about it, the murder mystery just falls apart. Which is a shame, because up to the reveal, I absolutely thought it was well written, and there could have been so many more interesting things done.
Sometimes the chapter pacing? transitions? kinda fell apart. There's one point where the book goes from one of it's (very light, barely there) sex scenes to a new chapter that opens with talk of the accused murderer and it gave me whiplash. This isn't the only example of something like this happening, but it is definitely the funniest one, and I straight up had to stop and be like "wait, what?" for a moment afterwards. I think something to smooth over transitions between chapters was very much needed, because shit like that was just comical.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this book and highly recommend it. It's not the best murder mystery out there, but it's fun, the vibes are impeccable, and you could sell me anything with this take of Death in it. I'm so incredibly excited to read the sequel.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcohol
kcripps14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent
rdmoreland0801's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Signa is a badass and an amazing detective. While I saw some smaller twists coming, I was definitely surprised by the big twists.
I can’t wait for the showdown between Death and Fate in the next book. I’m also looking forward to seeing more of Blythe’s eccentric “charm”.
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
judyt13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It was mostly a good book.
Graphic: Vomit and Death of parent
hopkinsa3's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
katievallin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
"Your name is no curse, Little Bird. I just like the taste of it."
"You must not allow yourself to be consumed so thoroughly by death. It's not selfish to live."
"'It's exhausting,' Signa said as she looked down to her lap, 'to pretend you are something - someone - you're not.' Blythe took her by the hand. 'Then do not spend your life exhausted.'"
"To me, you are a song to a soul that has never known music, light to someone who has only seen the darkness."
"I don't want you so focused on the world of the dead that you forget to enjoy that of the living."
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Infertility, Pregnancy, and Classism
shaylee_n_20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Medical trauma and Classism
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, and Fire/Fire injury
microbemom's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Self harm, Sexual content, and Alcohol
xoxlululuxox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This story is everything I could have wanted. I love books that feature Death as a person, especially when it is done in this manner. I loved his character, and the relationship he and Signa formed throughout the story. The mystery surrounding Blythe, Signa's cousin, was also intriguing and had me guessing until the very end.
The idea that Signa has the powers of Death is also super interesting. We still don't know much about how or why, and it makes me look forward to the next books in the series to find out, but at the same time, it felt like one of the only mysteries that would carry forward.
As much as I loved this book from the start, I am a little disappointed in the ending. The story was pretty much wrapped up within the main chapters of this book; the main mystery solved and other than the lingering questions of 'how did Signa get her gift' and 'what happened at Foxglove' we aren't left with much to carry on to the next book... until the epilogue which introduces more questions. But still, I feel that having the book end reasonably neatly and requiring an epilogue to continue is not 'enough'.
This is my only complaint though, and as much as I personally don't enjoy this structure, I really did love the rest of the book, and the writing style. It was absolutely beautiful, and the cover really sells it.
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Body horror, Death, and Death of parent