Ashley's Reviews > Belladonna

The romance was the least interesting part of this gothic, young adult fantasy. I was here for Signa and her affliction, and the atmospheric, ghost- and poison-infused setting. The fact that the central plot was a murder mystery certainly didn't hurt.

Signa is an orphan of unusual circumstances. When she was a baby, her mother and everyone in their house was poisoned at a party. She was the only survivor, despite being poisoned herself. In fact, Signa cannot die. She can be poisoned, injured, or ill, and she will continue on without crossing to the other side. She can also see Death, who has plagued her for her entire life, taking her guardians one by one. She has lived a lonely life, passed from guardian to guardian as they neglect her, only wanting her for her inheritance. This book kicks off when she seems to finally have arrived at a home that wants her. They have no need for money, as they have their own, but the family is troubled nonetheless. Signa's relative, a cousin, has recently died, leaving her son and daughter and widower. The daughter is presently dying of the same illness that took her mother. Because she likes these people, Signa gets involved and tries to figure out what's going on, as the "illness" and its effects look suspiciously like poison.

I thought this book was well written, had atmosphere in abundance, and the worldbuilding and mystery kept me hooked. As mentioned above, I wasn't a fan of the way the romantic element played out, but that wasn't the biggest part of the story so it was easy to sort of just accept it and enjoy the rest. I pre-ordered Foxglove before I even read this book, and I hope I can get to it soon, because this ended in an intriguing way that gives me hope that the one part of this that didn't fully work for me (the romance) could get more interesting.