Belladonna
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 out of 5 stars
Title: Belladonna
Author: Adalyn Grade
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Format: ARC audiobook
Publication: 30th August 2022
Signa, orphaned as a child, has grown up handed over from one guardian to the next. The wealth and the high social position she is supposed to inherit upon maturity make her relatives more interested in her money than her wellbeing. Moving to Thorn Grove to live with the eccentric Hawthornes, she soon understands there is more to this family than meets the eye. They all mourn the recent death of Lillian, the wife and mother, while the mysterious illness that claimed her life now affects her daughter. When Lillian’s ghost appears to Signa, claiming she was poisoned, the girl starts an investigation.
I loved this novel. The plot is exciting and keeps the reader involved in the story. The characters are complex and vivid. There are mysteries and secrets in this book that make you want to read faster to reach the end and find out all the answers. I think the most fascinating was the character of Death and the uncertainty that surrounded him. Was he an enemy or an ally? Was he responsible for Signa’s “curse”? While never too far away, he keeps secrets under the cover of darkness…
Belladonna is a brilliant fantasy novel with Gothic elements. The Victorian setting of an old manor, mysterious death and illness, complicated family relations and most of all, the appearance of ghosts add the charm of traditional Gothic fiction to this story. I would recommend it to all the fans of fantasy and supernatural.
A bookish daydream 