This book is alright (though probably not $29.00 USD alright if I'm seeing the price correctly). It has an interesting enough plot with interesting enough characters, but I honestly want more from my books than that. I'd recommend it to someone who doesn't read a lot, since it's a pretty standard YA, but it didn't stand out to me. The premise of death/necromancy sounded so good, but this didn't really deliver.

The Foxglove King was a wonderful atmospheric read. I enjoyed the high fantasy element, even though really high fantasy isn’t always for me. But I was more impressed with TFK than I have previously been with the author’s work!

The fact that it took me a month to read this book is really no reflection on the quality - more so on the fact that wedding planning and moving has been really taking a toll on me. Anyhow, I LOVED this book! I highly recommend it for fans of fantasy and dark vibes.

Set amongst a gothic citadel and spooky spooky catacombs, this book is rife with necromancy magic, politics and spies, and courtiers drug-seeking and hoping to live forever. The world-building was so fun and truly added to my enjoyment of the book. A deeply religious society is run in equal parts by the god-touched monarchy and the death magic channeling clergy. Each chapter begins with a quote from the world’s scripture or proverbs which overtime creates a lot of nuance and context to the world and the religion.

The characters were all interesting as well. Lore, the main character, begins the story as a drug-runner and spy but is quickly pressed into instead spying for the king himself. Interesting court politics are also at play with the kingdom on the brink of a war. There’s a bit of romance too, but like, just a bit.

Read this one!!! I loved it. Thank you kindly to NetGalley for providing the review copy.

Atmospheric, creepy and gothic, this book was such a delightful read. The Foxglove King is one of my favorite 2023 releases - this book was SO fun. The setting? The pacing? The romance? The magic? The characters? The vibes? All are *chefs kiss*.

Read for:
- Necromancy
- A love triangle that doesn't take away from the plot
- Court intrigue/strong political plot
- Forbidden love
- Religious commentary

Fans of romantasy won't want to miss out on this one!

----5/5 stars!

Thank you to netgalley and orbit books for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to really love this one but sadly, I just like it. There wasn't anything wrong with it, it just didn't live up to expectations. Also, it really reminded me of Serpent and Dove. There were a lot of similarities to that book so if you liked S&D, definitely check this one out. I liked the world building, and the magic was cool and interesting, but the middle got a little repetitive and slow. I will probably continue the series to see what happens.

The Foxglove King was such a fun original world that I'm shocked it's the same author that wrote For The Wolf/For The Throne. Her imagination for this book flourished and I loved all of it. I'm a sucker for anything that takes place in France, especially a Fantasy France-esque world. The magic system was so interesting albeit a bit confusing. I'm still not sure what is going on with the Gods and the prophecy?

Lore was a really well developed protagonist to follow, she's vastly different than Whitten's past characters showing how much her writing has grown. I loved that she was older (23 turning 24) since this is an adult book and not YA. I NEED more books with older female main characters (aka not 18). Her motives were more realistic for her age than some 18 year old running around pretending to be the savior everyone needs.

Bastian and Gabe were not as well developed to me, I still have questions about them both and wish we had more scenes with the two of them. Also... I saw everywhere this was a romantasy love triangle book. But there was not a single kiss before 80%. The romance was a sub sub plot, I would not call this a romance but I enjoyed it a lot anyways. Just don't go in expecting romance to be a main plot.

Overall, fantasy lovers will really like this world and these characters. I can't wait for the next book in the series, hoping it clears up some of my confusions! Thank you NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Hannah Whitten for my advanced copy. Pub Day is March 7th, 2023.

Eh, this just wasn’t it for me. I feel like a lot happened, but also nothing happened. The pacing was super slow. I feel like I spent entirely too long reading this just for everything to happen in the last quarter of the book. The ending also felt a bit disappointing. I did enjoy the world building, and the characters were alright. Bastian was a favorite. Those were the main reasons I didn't DNF. It def reads very YA even with the characters being in their mid-twenties.

The Foxglove King was just as good as Hannah Whitten's Wilderwood series! The magic, lore, and intrigue in this book were delicious. Though it started out slow and had a lot of world building, it was necessary to follow the rest of the plot.

I really enjoyed this one. Death magics is one of my favorite types of magic to read about and I thought that the way Hannah wove it with life magic was very unique. I thought there was going to be a bit more romance, but I can't wait to see where the relationships go in the next book.

Lore is a young woman that escaped a cult and has the power to control the dead. She stays relatively out of sight until one day she is forced to use her ability. She is quickly taken as prisoner and forced to use her abilities to help determine the cause of multiple deaths in an outlying city.

This a captivating story. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships with each other. Lore is such a unapologetic, strong character. The ending fell a little flat for me but I am hoping for more in the next book.

3.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the ARC of this!

This was a fun, dark and death themed, fantasy, and even though it wasn’t short it felt like it flew by. The chemistry between the characters was phenomenal- please someone tell me we’re getting an enemies to lovers throuple in the sequel. I can’t wait for more, I think this is great for fans of Belladonna, Serpent & Dove, and The Cruel Prince.

3.5⭐️

<b>You are the wildfire necessary for the forest to grow, the destruction that brings rebirth.</b>

Lore is a poison runner with a unique talent for her ability to control Mortem, or death itself. She’s a deathwitch who can reanimate corpses, and after accidentally revealing her abilities, she is taken to the Sainted King and the Exalted Priest. They want Lore to use her abilities to spy on the Sun Prince because they believe he may be trying to start a war. Lore is introduced to court with Gabe, a monk who has a past within the court but joined the Presque Mort when his traitorous father was struck down. Gabe pretends to be Lore’s cousin as a cover as they try to get closer to the Sun Prince to find out his true plans.

This book was incredibly confusing, and I am still confused as I write this review. I did enjoy the characters and the overall vibe of this book though, and it’s super cool that Lore is a deathwitch. The story is very heavily influenced by Catholicism and Versailles, but the lore is hard to keep up with. Also, Lore is a horrible spy. She’s so bad that it’s almost laughable. She’s not able to play coy, and the Sun Prince, Bastian, is always a step ahead of her (but honestly I still love her). There is also kind of a love triangle that also doesn’t make much sense to me. Gabe is protective of Lore, sure, but otherwise his personality is so lacking that I was genuinely confused why Lore seemed to be so drawn to him. Bastian’s character is a lot better developed and likable. The ending was even harder for me to grasp and I’m hoping that the next installment offers a bit more explanation.


<b> “Abandoning me would absolutely save your hide.”

“And yet.” The dance ended; they stood motionless, still locked together. “You’re stuck with me. Whatever comes next.”</b>

I just love everything Hannah writes. In The Foxglove King, Lore escaped a cult in the undergrounds of the city she lives in when she was thirteen. She can manipulate Mortem, magic released by death. When she ends up revealing this, she's taken to work for the king. In doing so, she has to put on one of the greatest performances of her life.

I thought this book was great. Lore was a fantastic female main character. The relationship between her, Gabe, and Bastian had me grinning. This is definitely a must read. Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book! While I've heard a lot of discourse about the author's other books, this was my first read by Hannah Whitten. Overall, it was an entertaining read with an interesting magic system, a love triangle and more than a few twists and turns. This book has all the elements that would make a hit for lovers of fantasy, but for me it just fell a bit flat. I didn't really end up caring too much of the characters and both Gabriel and Bastian fell a bit short as love interests. I was entertained but a bit disappointed because the potential was there! I will say that I really loved the magic system described and the idea of Mortem and Spiritum in duality. I'm giving it three stars because I would honestly read the second book if it comes out!

I would like the next book now please. If I ask really nicely that means I’ll get it right??!! LOL this book was awesome! The court intrigue and twist was so interesting. The character dynamics of Lore, Bastian, and Gabe were fascinating, I cannot wait to read more. I cannot pick which guy I like better! She should have both! I highly recommend this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the Ebook arc in exchange for my honest review.

This surprised me in the world building, it really was an epic fantasy and felt larger than one book. It took some getting used to the names of towns and cities, the magic and the groups of people involved but the action keeps a stellar pace and unknowns interesting. The romance is sultry and intriguing, the banter top notch and Lore is a badass MC. It's gritty yet so beautifully written. Romantic, and dark. The beginning keeps you intrigued, curious to learn more, the middle pulls you in and the end leaves you yearning for more. I thoroughly enjoyed the hard choices the characters are forced to make and how they must live them. I'm looking forward to book 2, an incredible start to an exciting series.

Political intrigue, romance, and necromancy all come into play in this new fantasy.

Lore has had magic from a young age. She begrudgingly gets in a situation where she is used for her power by high ranking officials. She is setup to spy on Prince Bastian. The church sets her up with a handler, Gabriel, to make sure she stays on task. Lore knows there is a lot more going on then what it seems and is determined to find out.

I’m giving this 3.75⭐️. It took me a little bit to get into it but I really enjoyed it overall. The first half of this month was a little crazy for me and maybe the beginning of this book was better than I felt. Maybe, had I read it now it would have been 4 stars but I’m going to count it as a like not a love. But it won me over in the end and I am 100% in for the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ten years ago, Lore escaped from a cult in the catacombs. Now, she is working undercover as a poison runner. Lore has the ability to wield Mortem, a form of death magic. The church has prohibited its use, allowing only members of the Presque Mort to channel it.

I adored For the Wolf and For the Crown and was super excited to be approved for this ARC. I was a little hesitant after the first chapter because it didn't draw me in the same way that the others did, but I'm glad. I loved t his one more than I was expecting and I loved it more than the other 2 books.

I loved how flawed and perfect Lore was. she is strong, and fierce and a little terrifying. I was super jazzed that there wasn't a lot of romance, but did enjoy the romance that was present. Gabe was also a Gem.

I can't wait for the rest of the Trilogy to drop!

ARC Provided
4/5

I’m not going to lie, I struggled with this book and its rating at first.

Being a relatively high necromancy fantasy book there was a lot of world building interwoven in the first 100 pages. Lots of names and terms that took quite a bit of rereading to completely understand. At points some of the scenes felt drawn out. However, it was a really cool world to dive into and I believe this book is setting up for a wild next two books. I’m excited to see where these characters go and what small seeds were planted in this book that might be followed up in the coming books.

There are a lot of things that i would like to say about this book. Starting with the setting. I loved the setting of this novel. I thought it was just complex enough to paint a clear picture without being too heavy on the world building. I enjoyed the different districts, and i would have loved to hear more about the catacombs, so I am hoping that comes to pass in the next books. I found the characters to be complex and interesting. i really liked the complicated relationship between Lore and Gabe and had hoped it would turn into more than it did. Bastian is a real treat, and his witty banter was a breath of fresh air. The magic system in this book is fantastic. I loved every intricate part of it. I would not put this down I was completely immersed into this tale. the writing style is lush and fantastical and made it easy to get lost in it. I cannot wait for the next book!