Belladonna by Adalyn Grace had been sitting on my shelf for months and I was determined to read it before the year was up. I’m so glad that I picked it up because I absolutely adored it. This beautifully crafted period romance is perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber’s Once Upon a Broken Heart and V. E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
“You are no soft thing to be coddled… You are bolder than the sun, Signa Farrow, and it’s time that you burn.”
Belladonna is an atmospheric gothic YA fantasy romance with an intriguing murder mystery and coming-of-age story woven throughout. When we first meet Signa Farrow she is nursing a china cup filled with tea laced with poison, however, the crushed belladonna berries pose no threat to her; Signa Farrow cannot die. Orphaned as a baby, Death seems to cruelly haunt Signa. Each guardian who has taken her in, albeit each more corrupt than the last, has met an untimely death. She believes that Death is taunting her and with each sip, she can feel his icy breath approaching. Is she cursed to live a life of loneliness or will she finally make her debut, find an eligible husband and live the life every budding socialite aspires to?
I was absolutely enthralled by this paranormal fantasy. Signa is naive yet determined and bold despite her incessant need to fit into high society. Her twisted relationship with Death was spellbinding and I loved watching the two become intertwined in one another’s lives. The romantic element of the story was incredibly dreamy; gentle yet surprisingly sensual. As a fan of Bridgerton, I also really enjoyed the vibrant Regency-era setting. I had no idea who the murderer was so I was pleasantly surprised by how clever and creative the ending was. Belladonna was witty, fast-paced, eerily creepy, and simply enchanting. I couldn’t put it down and I’m very excited to read the next installment in this ongoing series – Foxglove coming August 22, 2023.
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace is available to purchase HERE.
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