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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
SÅ bra. Jag har läst för bra böcker nyligen för att ge 5, men skulle 100% läsa igen
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I had high expectations for this book but i can’t say they were matched. Although i did enjoy reading it,something felt like it was missing.
The characters were okay, i didn’t really connect with them but at the same time they weren’t completely disinteresting to me.
The writing felt a little bit immature at times,as if i was reading a fanfic but it wasn’t bad.
The plot was good! I liked the mystery,the plot twist & the way it ended , making you want to pick up book 2 asap.
Overall, the book was good, not too long so it’s easy to read and perfect for an autumn read since it has some spooky aspects 👀🩶
The characters were okay, i didn’t really connect with them but at the same time they weren’t completely disinteresting to me.
The writing felt a little bit immature at times,as if i was reading a fanfic but it wasn’t bad.
The plot was good! I liked the mystery,the plot twist & the way it ended , making you want to pick up book 2 asap.
Overall, the book was good, not too long so it’s easy to read and perfect for an autumn read since it has some spooky aspects 👀🩶
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
A literal date with date, with a domestic murder peppered in for good measure.
Were there times that I thought to myself, “What in the name of supernatural fanfiction is this?” Yes. Have I ordered the next book in the series so that I can start it immediately? Also yes.
Were there times that I thought to myself, “What in the name of supernatural fanfiction is this?” Yes. Have I ordered the next book in the series so that I can start it immediately? Also yes.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
LIKED:
- The best part of this book is the setting. Grace is able to create such illustrative visuals of the manor without the book having any illustrations of its own. It had that inherent gothic nature and didn't feel like a superficial layer just to check a box.
- I liked Signa a lot. I liked being in her head and seeing how she interacted with the characters around her. She's exhausted with living which like, same girl.
- The characters in this book are all written really well and felt really true to themselves. I'm excited to return to the world with them.
- I love the through-line of these titles. Belladonna is important, nay vital to this story and it's just a simple, resonant title.
- All of the major covers for this book and series are good. The US and UK ones are so different but both so good. The UK cover is more gothic than the US one which I think I like ever so slightly more, but I do like the evocative nature of the US ones as well. And the B&N special naked hardcovers are v good.
LAMENTED:
- You can see the twist of this book a mile away and I wish it hadn't been held off for so long. Well, there are multiple twists, but this is in particular to Signa's relationship to death. It just felt like beating around the bush a lot.
- The villain reveal is frustrating. It's less obvious, but also feels like an afterthought or maybe not an afterthought but kind of a scramble. The lead up to it felt abrupt and I wish we had had a bit more breadcrumbs leading to the reveal itself.
- I know it's YA so I'm not expecting the deepest romance in the world, but the pacing of it is what really bugged me. I liked Signa's romance her MMC but I needed more time on the page with them for it to not feel so much like it was out of left field in the end. I think the intent was slow burn, but I needed more yearning.
Elephant in the room, Signa's relationship with Death is a bit creepy. He's known her since she was a newborn. And he's also in her head. He's supposed to be older than time. And she's like 16. I know I just talked about wanting more from the romance, but I MEANT WITH THE HUMAN TEEN GUY UNTIL THE REVEAL THAT WAS OBVIOUS BUT STILL I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT.
LONGED FOR:
- A less obvious twist (to me).
- Some, hm, tweaks to the romance.
- Not my pick for villain, but I get it.
Will I read the next one? : Yessiree.
Books with Similar Vibes:
- 'The Spirit Bares Its Teeth' by Andrew Joseph White
- 'One Dark Window' by Rachel Gillig
- 'Little Thieves' by Margaret Owen
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Murder, Classism
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
No le veo todo el sentido a q pusieran a Percy como el asesino, no manejaron bien las Razos que le dieron (que te tenían un poco de sentido) pero no lo supieron aprovechar
overall rating: 3.8/5 stars ☆☆☆
slow burn pace: could have been slower as always, but it didn’t feel super rushed which i enjoyed
yearning level: i have more yearning in my left pinky than this whole book
page of first kiss: 302 out of 410
okay so first of all this was almost a one sitting read. i’m talking 10pm to 4am type shit. i’m not gonna lie i was enthralled by some of the lush descriptions and general dark gothic victorian imagery but alas, there was still something missing. a perfect autumn read for having all the candles lit and windows open. the pacing of the story was pretty good for my brain, this felt kind of like bridgerton set in the 1890’s with the looming gaze of death over it. made me feel like i was running through the halls of a victorian mansion with ghosts seeping black blood out of their mouths following close behind. my dream! signa annoyed me at times but i understand what the author was trying to do with the character slowly discovering her power and what it is she really wanted out of life. signa and death could have had a much more profound effect on me if idk. he wasn’t made of shadows for most of their meetings. don’t get me wrong the shadow f*cking was fun. but i needed more of a corporeal form out of him bc i was imagining a faceless entity. which if you’re into that’s great! it’s not for me though. spice was def YA and not super spicey which is what i like in general so i wasn’t mad at some of the fade to black, vague descriptions etc. overall a fun spooky read for fall but i don’t know that i’ll read the sequel