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A review by into_the_bookish_wild
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This was lovely. The Secret Garden-murder mystery twist had me intrigued. I definitely saw the plot twists at the end coming, but it was still done well.
That being said, I had a hard time reading from Signa's point of view at times. She's so naive and ignorant, even after a life of hardship and being exposed to harsh realities. The writing delved into clichés quite often.
One of the things that bothered me most was the treatment of queer characters. I appreciate that there was an attempt to show a queer-normative world, but it felt like an afterthought. Two times, Signa sees two unnamed women dancing together and notes how romantic they are. And that's it. All the named characters are straight, and all the relationships are between men and women. Again, I like that there was at least some representation, but it felt so superficial, and the rest of the world was so focused on straight relationships that it didn't feel consistent. And I know it can be done well even if the main characters aren't queer--Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell is a great example of a queer normative world done right. If you're going to have a world where queerness is accepted, you need to commit to it, not shoehorn in a few random fragments.
Okay, rant over. Except also Death falls in love with her but has also been watching her since she was a baby??
That being said, I had a hard time reading from Signa's point of view at times. She's so naive and ignorant, even after a life of hardship and being exposed to harsh realities. The writing delved into clichés quite often.
One of the things that bothered me most was the treatment of queer characters. I appreciate that there was an attempt to show a queer-normative world, but it felt like an afterthought. Two times, Signa sees two unnamed women dancing together and notes how romantic they are. And that's it. All the named characters are straight, and all the relationships are between men and women. Again, I like that there was at least some representation, but it felt so superficial, and the rest of the world was so focused on straight relationships that it didn't feel consistent. And I know it can be done well even if the main characters aren't queer--Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell is a great example of a queer normative world done right. If you're going to have a world where queerness is accepted, you need to commit to it, not shoehorn in a few random fragments.
Okay, rant over. Except also Death falls in love with her but has also been watching her since she was a baby??