A review by foiblesandfiction
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • 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

3.0

gothic romance is the way to my little emo heart. somewhere there's a myspace picture of me at warped tour wearing a green studded belt. i still know the words to every song on three cheers to sweet revenge. and somewhere on the internet is the search history of 14 year old me trying to find phantom of the opera fanfiction at 2am.

so let's just say i was really excited for this book - a ya gothic mystery with romance and a death daddy love interest.

but where i was expecting crimson peak, instead i got eddie murphy's the haunted mansion. which isn't the biggest disappointment because god knows that movie is entertaining as hell, but it's still a disappointment.

- too much telling, not enough showing
- too little character interaction, and what there was had little substance
- inconceivable plot twists that felt contrived.

as this is the first in a series, i would be interested to read the next book in hopes that my complaints would be resolved with character development and world building.

ETA
realized i did truly enjoy the observations and commentary about the expectations of women in society, particularly of their purity and demureness. though she was faced with solving a murderer, signa's main dilemma was actually choosing whether or not to meet societal expectations. could she have what she wanted - belonging and community - without being mired and hidden amongst female social norms? is that even true belonging?

now THIS is some good stuff, and i especially love this in a ya novel. thumbs up.
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