Happy Friday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for BELLADONNA! I’m so excited because today I have an interview with Adalyn Grace to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I’m so excited to for you to find out more about it!
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace Series: Belladonna #1
Published on August 30, 2022 by Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, YA
Pages: 416
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram
New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.
Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa 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 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 realizes 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. However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer 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.
What would you do if you spent the day with Signa? Where would you go to eat, hang out, relax, etc.?
First of all, I love these questions. I imagine that if Signa and I were to spend the day together we’d probably kick it off by eating our weight in delicious scones and drinking lots of tea. After that I think we’d probably journey into the woods, or perhaps go horseback riding through the moors. Later in the day perhaps we’d go into town to shop and visit the apothecary, or see if we can sleuth out any curious mysteries! Finally, we’d end the night by the hearth, cozied up with a book and a drink of choice.
If Signa were to hang out with other fictional characters, who would they be and why?
I think her and Lou le Blanc would have a fantastic time spending a full day exploring the city and eating mountains of sticky buns. She’d probably also have a great time solving seemingly paranormal mysteries with the Scooby Doo cast!
If there was one fictional place you could travel to for a day, where would it be and why?
So many fantastic questions! I think the School of Wundrous Arts would be a ton of fun. I’d also selfishly like to go to the island of Mornute from All the Stars and Teeth! Neverland would be amazing minus the killer mermaids, and also the Kanto or Johto region of Pokemon! You know what, that one wins. If I could have my own Pokémon, I would totally transport myself to that world immediately. Though, it wouldn’t be for a day. I’d find a way to stay there forever.
If you buried a time capsule with three items inside, what three items would you choose and why?
Is it a time capsule for me? If so, this is such a tough question because I feel like I’m not the type of person to forget things. If I truly love something, I love it forever. Growing up, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, and Miyazaki movies were my love language. Kingdom Hearts is one of the most nostalgic things to me ever. But I still love all of those so much! I could never do a time capsule because I’d really just want to pack my entire house and all the things I love. But then I wouldn’t actually pack them because I wouldn’t want them to go away for years! Hahah, I didn’t know I had so many feelings about this!
If it’s a time capsule for other people, I’ll put in one Nintendo Switch system with wifi for people to get access to games, a full box set of Avatar: the Last Airbender, and a copy of Belladonna. Ha!
What was your favorite bit of research you ended up not using?
I actually think I used the large majority of my research! I researched very intentionally, and while there were a lot of courting facts that I didn’t necessarily utilize to their full extent, I tried to fit the most fun bits in. For example, the way a lady would hold or use a fan (much like how she would use her gloves) was basically its own secret language that could convey messages of love, hate, apology… So many things! I have hints of this on the page, but I didn’t have the chance to go deep into this.
What is your favorite quote, scene, or moment from Belladonna?
It’s impossible to pick one, so I’m choosing a few! I love the masquerade ball, the quiet scenes with just Blythe and Signa, the scene at the bridge with Death and Signa, and the high tea scene with the ladies. As for quotes, there are a few I really love, but I think there’s one that wins for me personally. I’ve always loved this one, but when I listened to it read out loud via the audiobook it was performed so perfectly that I got chills, which means it’s now my favorite!
“Spread your wings, and oh, how we’ll fly”
takes the cake, but a close second is
“You are no soft thing to be coddled. You are bolder than the sun, Signa Farrow, and it’s time that you burn.”
About Adalyn Grace
Adalyn Grace is a New York Times bestselling author of All the Stars and Teeth, which was named “2020’s biggest YA fantasy” by Entertainment Weekly.
Prior to becoming an author, Adalyn spent four years working in live theatre, acted as the managing editor of a nonprofit newspaper, and studied storytelling as an intern on Nickelodeon Animation’s popular series The Legend of Korra.
Local to San Diego, Adalyn spends her non-writing days by watching too much anime, and by playing video games with her dorky dog.
What do you think about Belladonna? Have you added it to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!
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