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A review by measlibrary
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
I am absolutely OBSESSED with this series now. Honestly I have no idea how I did not read it sooner, but I absolutely ate this book up. I had been in a slight reading slump, but I finished this book in a week while I worked 37 hours at work. I genuinely did not want to put it down and was picking it up every single chance that I got. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series and every other book that Adalyn Grace has and will write!
As I was reading this book, I was heavily reminded of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and House of Salt and Sorrows. It genuinely felt like a mashup of these two books, which was awesome, because these are two of my favorite books of all time. I loved the gothic vibes, as well as the murder mystery element to the story. It is quite literally everything that I could want in a book. It is all of my favorite tropes and components wrapped up in one book!
I also loved Death being an actual tangible person that we get to see as a romantic lead. Seeing Signa interact with him and also getting that enemies to lovers trope? Absolutely love. This is definitely where I found the comparison to Addie LaRue, as it was similar to Luc and Addie's love story. I also loved getting to explore the connection between Sylas and Signa, and then ultimately seeing how it all made sense in the end.
Getting to uncover the mystery surrounding Lillian's murder and who was also behind Blythe's poisioning was super intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat. Although I was able to figure things out a second before Adalyn explained it in the text, it was still surprising and a good reveal. Especially being a YA novel, I was able to overlook being told what I had already figured out a little bit earlier.
I also loved being able to learn more about Signa's powers and seeing her come to accept and embrace herself for who she is. I thought that was a beautiful component of the book and a much needed character development for Signa.
Lastly, I also wanted to comment on the little Bridgerton elements that we got to see with Signa's debut into society, getting to see her meet potential suitors at tea and parties, and her strict following of the expectations placed on women during that time. However, it was also super awesome to see her push against those constrictions and not follow them at times. We love a strong queen!
Favorite tropes of this book:
🖤Shadow Daddy
💘Enemies to Lovers
🔎Murder Mystery
🫖Regency Era/Courtship
Overall, I had so much fun reading this book and literally immediately started Foxglove after that ending! I cannot wait to read the rest of the series and see what happens to Signa and her family next! I rate this book 5/5 stars! 🌟
As I was reading this book, I was heavily reminded of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and House of Salt and Sorrows. It genuinely felt like a mashup of these two books, which was awesome, because these are two of my favorite books of all time. I loved the gothic vibes, as well as the murder mystery element to the story. It is quite literally everything that I could want in a book. It is all of my favorite tropes and components wrapped up in one book!
I also loved Death being an actual tangible person that we get to see as a romantic lead. Seeing Signa interact with him and also getting that enemies to lovers trope? Absolutely love. This is definitely where I found the comparison to Addie LaRue, as it was similar to Luc and Addie's love story. I also loved getting to explore the connection between Sylas and Signa, and then ultimately seeing how it all made sense in the end.
Getting to uncover the mystery surrounding Lillian's murder and who was also behind Blythe's poisioning was super intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat. Although I was able to figure things out a second before Adalyn explained it in the text, it was still surprising and a good reveal. Especially being a YA novel, I was able to overlook being told what I had already figured out a little bit earlier.
I also loved being able to learn more about Signa's powers and seeing her come to accept and embrace herself for who she is. I thought that was a beautiful component of the book and a much needed character development for Signa.
Lastly, I also wanted to comment on the little Bridgerton elements that we got to see with Signa's debut into society, getting to see her meet potential suitors at tea and parties, and her strict following of the expectations placed on women during that time. However, it was also super awesome to see her push against those constrictions and not follow them at times. We love a strong queen!
Favorite tropes of this book:
🖤Shadow Daddy
💘Enemies to Lovers
🔎Murder Mystery
🫖Regency Era/Courtship
Overall, I had so much fun reading this book and literally immediately started Foxglove after that ending! I cannot wait to read the rest of the series and see what happens to Signa and her family next! I rate this book 5/5 stars! 🌟
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol