Wisteria Review: Blythe's Story Wraps Up the Belladonna Trilogy

Wisteria Brings Adalyn Grace’s Belladonna Trilogy to a Close By Shifting the Series’ Focus

Though Wisteria is the final installment in author Adalyn Grace’s Belladonna trilogy, it might surprise some readers to find out that its story is not about original heroine Signa Farrow. Though the series may have begun as the Gothic tale of a girl who could see (and fell in love with) Death, it ultimately blended many genres into one story, mixing magical elements with a murder mystery plot to create something refreshingly different in the YA fantasy space. But as the story has continued, Grace’s trilogy has grown in scope and scale to encompass a much larger story of magic the supernatural, and a family whose history and future both seem inescapably entwined with them both.

Though its story follows the events of Foxglove, which both introduces Death’s brother Fate and serves as a bridge from Signa’s story to Blythe’s, Wisteria still manages to feel like a cohesive and self-contained story in its own right. However, the series’ final volume, has several big changes, most notably that individual POV chapters have been abandoned in favor of a more straightforward third-person narrative. Though Signa still appears, Blythe is Wisteria’s main character, and it’s her desires and feelings that drive the bulk of the story story. Fans of Belladonna who initially fell in love with Grace’s series because of its focus on the relationship between Signa and Death may find this final installment frustrating, simply because the two appear only sporadically at best throughout this story.

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True, the pair still play thematically significant roles, and Signa’s friendship with Blythe is a key element of her journey throughout this novel. But the Signa and Death romance definitely takes a back seat to everything else that’s going on in this book, and outside of a few glimpses of sweet, small moments here and there, there’s not much going on between them. On the plus side, at least they seem very happy with one another. (Though if you were hoping to see more of Signa learning what it means to be a reaper, you’ll be disappointed there too.) But Wisteria is, without doubt, Blythe’s book, so go into reading it with that in mind.

Picking up where its predecessor left off, Blythe Hawthorne has now irrevocably bound herself to the immortal Fate, cleverly thwarting his plan to entrap Signa—who he believes to be the reincarnation of his wife, Life—-into marriage. Now, however, she must marry him herself, and move into his sweeping mansion known as Wisteria Gardens no matter how little either of them wants to share their lives with one another. Fate is determined to make sure their marriage is anything but a fairytale, while Blythe vows to be a thorn in her new husband’s side for as long as possible. Romance readers will already have guessed where this is all going next, as all our favorite enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and reincarnation tropes all combine to form a compelling, insanely slow-burn romance between two characters whose chemistry has been blazingly apparent since their first interaction.

Blythe has been one of Grace’s most interesting characters since the trilogy’s initial installment, and it’s lovely to see her finally take center stage as Wisteria’s primary protagonist. The novel’s story isn’t just about Blythe and Fate’s romance—as lovely as that is to watch unfold—but her coming into her own as a woman, and making decisions about what she wants her second chance at life to look like. Smart, unconventional, and sharp-tongued, Blythe isn’t interested in the sort of life or relationship society has told her she’s supposed to want. So perhaps it was always (ahem)…fated that she’d end up with someone like Aris (Fate’s name in the human world), who may have the capability to turn her life upside down, but who is certainly never boring. Throw in a bit of mysterious magic, the possibility of reincarnation, and intriguing details about Fate’s past relationship with Life, and the end result is a sprawling magical mystery that digs into Blythe’s past even as it charts a new future for her.

Grace’s worldbuilding remains lush and compelling, and her gift for writing entertaining romantic banter shines as brightly as ever. Blythe and Fate’s romance remains utterly swoon-worthy even though we all saw this story’s big twist coming the better part of a book ago, it’s still satisfying to watch unfold on the page in front of us. Thankfully, Blythe and Fate’s dynamic is different enough from Fate and Signa’s to feel that Grace is doing something more than returning to the well that worked for the earlier installments of this series. Wisteria’s ending manages to be both bittersweet and satisfying, all while still leaving the door open for Grace to write further stories in this universe should she feel so motivated. Though the stories of Signa, Death, Blythe, and Fate feel fairly resolved by the book’s end, Wisteria will almost certainly leave you curious about the story of Sigma’s mother, as well as those of the other mentioned immortals like Chaos and Time. Could we see this world again? Here’s hoping.

Wisteria is available now wherever books are sold.

Lacy Baugher Milas is the Books Editor at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter @LacyMB

Wisteria Brings Adalyn Grace’s Belladonna Trilogy to a Close By Shifting the Series’ Focus