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A review by _ckarys
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
BELLADONNA may have singlehandedly become my favorite fantasy read of the year. While the book is marketed as YA, it toes the line of New Adult, which makes it perfect also for more mature readers. It has everything I could ask for in a dark fantasy read: a gothic atmosphere, a dark and mysterious love interest, a captivating murder mystery that allows you to make new theories with each chapter. If those all sound like things you would enjoy as well, I highly recommend this book!
Signa and Death’s story swept me away from the very first page and didn’t let me go. With the prologue alone, the author set the tone for the rest of her novel: haunting, deadly, captivating. I loved thetwo main characters. While I can’t say I 100% identified with Signa, she was still very easy to sympathize for and I fell in love with her immediately. Her loneliness and need to belong were palpable, and I really appreciated the fleshed out struggle between the picture perfect lady she thinks she should be and the magnetic pull of Death’s dark powers. Death himself completely ruined me for all other love interests! This is a figure that is often depicted as a villain, but while it can’t be said that he is exactly a hero in this novel, there was definitely nuance. If romance is dead, it’s because it’s Death. Pun intended. Every interaction between these two was charged with tension and banter and the darkest sort of sweetness. I haven’t shipped a couple with this level of desperation for quite a long time and it felt so good!
Apart from the exceptional romance, I also really appreciated the mystery element. I’m not very good at keeping up with investigations, but the cast of secondary characters was so interesting, I ended up making new theories with each chapter. I’m happy to see I was a very good detective this time around!
In short, this book is amazing. There’s many laughs, some tears, and quite a few gasps. The biggest one comes with the ending, which left me in a desperate state of need for Foxglove. I cannot wait for the next chapter in this series, which is bound to become an all-time favorite!
Signa and Death’s story swept me away from the very first page and didn’t let me go. With the prologue alone, the author set the tone for the rest of her novel: haunting, deadly, captivating. I loved thetwo main characters. While I can’t say I 100% identified with Signa, she was still very easy to sympathize for and I fell in love with her immediately. Her loneliness and need to belong were palpable, and I really appreciated the fleshed out struggle between the picture perfect lady she thinks she should be and the magnetic pull of Death’s dark powers. Death himself completely ruined me for all other love interests! This is a figure that is often depicted as a villain, but while it can’t be said that he is exactly a hero in this novel, there was definitely nuance. If romance is dead, it’s because it’s Death. Pun intended. Every interaction between these two was charged with tension and banter and the darkest sort of sweetness. I haven’t shipped a couple with this level of desperation for quite a long time and it felt so good!
Apart from the exceptional romance, I also really appreciated the mystery element. I’m not very good at keeping up with investigations, but the cast of secondary characters was so interesting, I ended up making new theories with each chapter. I’m happy to see I was a very good detective this time around!
In short, this book is amazing. There’s many laughs, some tears, and quite a few gasps. The biggest one comes with the ending, which left me in a desperate state of need for Foxglove. I cannot wait for the next chapter in this series, which is bound to become an all-time favorite!