Belladonna (Belladonna #1) by Adalyn Grace

 

Summary (from the publisher): A girl confronts Death—and her own deathly powers—in this Gothic-infused, romantic young adult fantasy.

 
Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow, orphaned as a baby, has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at the glittering and gloomy estate of Thorn Grove. Thorn Grove’s patriarch, Elijah, mourns his late wife, Lillian, through wild parties and drink, while eldest son Percy grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and daughter Blythe suffers from the same mysterious illness that killed her mother. And when Lillian’s spirit confronts Signa and claims she was poisoned, Signa realizes that Blythe could be next to die.
 
Signa’s best chance of uncovering the culprit and solving Lillian’s murder is an alliance with Death himself—the very man she hates most. And Death, that fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side, shows her that their connection may be more powerful than she ever dared imagine.

Review: Signa Farrow is orphaned as a baby and raised by a succession of guardians, all clearly motivated more by her wealth than an interest in her. Now, her only surviving relatives are the distantly related Hawthornes who live on the great estate of Thorn Grove. The father, Elijah, is still deep in mourning for his late wife Lillian. Son Percy is pining for control of the family's business daughter Blyth is dangerously ill with the same mysterious illness that killed her mother. Little do they know but their new ward has a special connection with Death and can see the spirits of those who have passed on. 

This had a really intriguing premise and the whole Death and connection to the underworld made me feel like this was a great read for spooky season. This had great gothic themes, and I loved the murder mystery element of it that felt almost like a game of clue. This also had a very unique fantasy premise, with Signa learning to summon death through trying to kill herself to get him to appear before her. Over time, she learns she has a special connection to him and abilities that no one else has. This had some really surprising twists and I did not expect the ending. I did appreciate that many elements were tied up nicely instead of leaving everything in one big cliffhanger like so many series like tod do. 

There were some plot holes in this, and some elements were difficult for me to believe. Even after finishing it, I didn't understand why she in particular had this connection to Death or why he was drawn to her out of all the mortals out there. I also thought it was sort of ick that Death reveals he has been waiting on her for years (they first meet when she was two months old) and it was giving grooming, I'm sorry. 

I switched back and forth between my Kindle and the audiobook for this. The audio was a single narrator but was well done. 

Just a head's up that this has one scene that was open door. It wasn't overly explicit, but it was very clear what they were doing, and I was surprised to see it in a book labeled Young Adult. I personally don't think this should have been tagged as Young Adult if it included that content. 

Stars: 3