Belladonna (Belladonna #1)

Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow forms an alliance with Death in this atmospheric tale by Grace (the All the Stars and Teeth duology) set in an alternate industrial-era England. Signa, who was orphaned as an infant when her wealthy mother was poisoned, believes she cannot die; every time she arrives on Death’s door, be it purposefully or accidentally, he refuses to take her. Her slew of guardians are not as lucky, each succumbing to varying inexplicable fatalities until she’s sent to stay with distant relatives, the Hawthornes. The family is reeling from the sudden death of their matriarch, Lillian, and struggling to navigate Lillian’s daughter Blythe’s mysterious ongoing illness. Seeking answers, Signa successfully summons Death, who allows her to speak with Lillian’s spirit. When Lillian reveals that she was murdered and Blythe’s illness was caused by poison, Signa enlists two unlikely allies—Death, who is kinder than he seems, and snarky stable boy Sylas—to search for the killer. While a predictable plot and dropped threads occasionally distract from Grace’s lush and deliciously eerie prose, Signa’s burgeoning attraction to both Death and Sylas lends heady romance to the ethereal read. All characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Peter Knapp, Park and Fine Literary and Media. (Aug.)