Belladonna

Belladonna, Book 1

By: Adalyn Grace

Narrated by: Kristin Atherton

Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

For as long as Signa Farrow has been alive, the people in her life have fallen like stars....

Orphaned as a baby, 19-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her wellbeing—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy.

Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family's waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother's restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realises that the family she depends on could be in grave danger, and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

Signa's best chance of uncovering the murderer, though, is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he's made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.

From New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace, Belladonna brings to life a highly romantic gothic-infused world of wealth, desire and betrayal.

©2022 Adalyn Grace, Inc. (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critic reviews

"A deliciously deadly Gothic romance." (Stephanie Garber, Sunday Times best-selling author of Once Upon a Broken Heart)

A fun romance with a whodunit in the background

Belladonna is a lovely, whimsical, victorian romance and a pretty good murder mystery. The characters and dialogue are sometimes a bit cheesy, but a romance book is to be enjoyed, not to be deconstructed in lit class, so I struggle to take that into consideration in my rating. The pacing was wonderful and the author has a great talent for painting beautiful views and architecture with her words. The narrator also did a great job at giving everyone a distinct voice, and (compared to some other romances I've listened to) she also didn't sound *too* cringy when trying to sound like a man. Lovely, lovely book. I truly can't wait for the sequel.

A good book

I enjoyed very much the plot. I liked the main caracther and how death was portayed. In certain places it was funny to imagine it, kind of stretched and some elements very predictable (like the mistery stable boy :) ), but even like that it was an enjoyable, entertaining, well written book, perfect for an autumn crisp night.

Didn't like female narrators until this. Chapeau!

I really enjoyed this book. The story is beautifully written and captivating, with a romanctic plotline, mysteries to solve, unexpected turns of the story and a great cast of interesting characters.

I think, I'd really liked this book as a print, but the audiobook means experiencing it on a higher level.

I usually don't like listening to female narrators too much, mostly because I'd how they speak male voices.
BUT THIS!
I still can't believe this was all spoken by one and the same person. Kristin Atherton has a beautiful voice to speak all those female characters, but the guys... I'm honestly impressed by the capability of the narrator to change her voice like that. None of the male voices has this cringy "woman lowering her voice and signs funny moments". Death's voice is even utterly sexy!
I want more.

Who knew Death could be so hot

This is not the kind of book you get into immediately hanging on every word. The interactions between Signa and Death were well balanced. I think the narration of Death brought a sexiness to the character even when he was found to be terrifying. I don’t think this perception of Death would be possible, if not for the narrator. All in all it was a good read, and I would recommend it to some but find it would not be a book for all.

It made me feel so many things

The story is excellent! I can't wait for the next book. The way the narrator makes Death's voice... Chills. i love it

Not your typical YA fantasy

Absolutely loved it.
The mood was gloomy with a side of fun, the mystery kept me guessing and Death was to die for. Signa was such a loveable heroine and I couldn’t help but support both her rights and wrongs. YOU GO GIRL!
Ngl, didn’t expect it to get spicy but I was aaall for it.

I hope for new adventures

As off this moment I dont know if this book is part of a series, but I hope so🙂