4.25

*I received this as an eARC. Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit.

This is my first Hannah Whitten book! I really had planned to read For the Wolf before this but alas publication day was rapidly approaching. I binge read the entire book over 2 days. It has a relatively slow start, and I had a little bit of difficulty getting into it, but once I was in, I was absolutely hooked.

Characters:
- Lore has a strong personality that translates well into the circumstances she is thrown into. I wouldn't say she's the brightest, but she is definitely crafty enough to get herself out of sticky situations. She is comfortable in who she is as a woman and knows (mostly) who she is, the magic being another thing entirely.
- Gabriel/Gabe is our deuteragonist and a pretty good one at that! A prude monk! If you've read The Wolf and the Woodsman, I would say Lore and Gabe have a similar relationship to those 2 MCs. Sometimes I did want to slap him silly but other times I could sympathize with the difficult situation he was constantly put in. Stuck between loyalties.
- Bastien/The Sun Prince. He took some time to grow onto me as Gabe held my affections, but he truly is a deeper character than a charming prince and Whitten did a really good job of unveiling him that way to the readers.

Plot:
- Slow moving. I forget that political intrigue barely moves but alas that is the way it is. I would say this is a good political fantasy with underlying mysteries.
- Whitten's writing style was intriguing enough that I was able to keep on keeping on.

World Building
- I would say this could have used more delving into, but I would hope we learn more with the following books. The magic system is deeply rooted in religion and learning a whole religion is a lot to take on in one book.

It does NOT end in a cliffhanger thank goodness, but The Foxglove King sets up for a sequel very well, knowing that this is going to be a trilogy. Quite frankly I don't know how this plot is going to go on for 2 more book, but I will be reading the sequel when possible!

While it was slow for me in the beginning, I grew to really enjoy it. The timelines of Lores time in the citadel was most confusing, and how the relationships didn’t feel genuine and relied on some ‘feeling’ to try to make it not feel rushed. However. I was surprised by the end and can not wait for the next book to see what she does next.

I was so happy to read The Foxglove King, having read Whitten's previous For the Wolf. I gave the latter a 2.5/5, so I felt like a para-social proud mother hen seeing how much her storytelling has improved.

The writing reminded me quite a bit of the much-loved Barduro, so I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves the Shadow and Bone universe. The rules of magic in Lore's world are slightly more vague, but not enough to become confusing. One thing that did throw me off was that this world has guns! A detail that's not relevant to the story, but did make me feel some type of way.

This is definitely a long book, but I don't think it needed to be edited down--in fact, the ending felt somewhat rushed and I wish Whitten had taken her time more. Also, the characters 180-ed a few times in ways that didn't feel believable. There is a love triangle in this story, but I was willing to overlook that because it seemed clear to me who Lore preferred... until suddenly she's all about the other dude, which left me scratching my head! And I probably would have been more interested in a sequel if the epilogue had not made the good-at-heart Bastian into a Joffrey Baratheon wannabe overnight.

Overall I think this is the start of a series with a ton of potential, and I would recommend it to fantasy fans.

Thanks to Whitten, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I first thing first, I’m a mood reader, so this took an ungodly amount of time for me to read. That being said, I highly enjoyed it. The magic system was easy enough to follow, it had forbidden love trope going on(which I adore). It wasn’t too harsh, it felt like some parts were light and easy flowing. Our main character didn’t feel like she lost herself throughout this story. I will be picking up the others from this author.

Aside from the characters swearing and a few innuendos, this could have easily been a typical YA fantasy book. It relies very heavily on tropes and feels like a story I’ve encountered many times before.

Described as a “lush romantic fantasy” is a stretch. There is hardly any romance and the characters don’t set themselves apart. Not to mention the writing is very straight forward. This isn’t a bad thing, but when a book is described as “lush” it evokes an idea of beautiful prose.

Overall, I feel like this had a lot of similarities in characters to Throne of Glass with the MC being thrown into court life, and being torn between the crown prince and a guard. Because of so many similarities with other books, I don’t think this one stands out enough to be memorable.

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what this author releases in the future.

5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for offering an eARC for review.

Did I just possibly read my favourite book of the year so far? This was so much more than I thought it was going to be, and I'm so thankful I went into it blind because it was so so much more than I was hoping for and I couldn't be more happy.

I think the thing that made me love this book the most, aside from the dedadent writing and skillful use of building tension, is the way in which the author creates and is consistent with her characterization. Not once did I ever feel like the actions of the trio of main characters were inauthentic, and it was such a breath of fresh air! I loved the relationships between characters, as well--and the LOVE TRIANGLE? Friends, THIS is how you write complicated webs of relationships and emotions. It's at times like this where I stop and think to myself "hm, I actually really like love triangles, don't I?" It's THAT good. Oh, and the MAGIC SYSTEM? Wonderful. Amazing. Incredible.

This book is lush and rich with French-inspired history and magic, is full of religious symbolism, and stunning writing that is sure to leave you wanting more. I absolutely cannot WAIT for the next book, and I'm so excited that we already have a title! There's lots more that I could say and praise about this book, but honestly? Take it from me: read it. Hannah Whitten has such a talent, and I'm so excited to see what she does next.

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten is the first in The Nightshade Crown series and you can bet I will be picking up the next one as soon as I can get my hands on it.

The story focuses in on Lore, an orphan living in a city where if someone finds out about death magic, she's dead. As a poison runner, she knows what's at stake and has learned early on that everyone looks out for themselves but when a run goes wrong, she knows she can't just run and leave her partner behind. Unfortunately for her, this decision puts her into the hands of the Presque Mort, a group of warrior-monks sanctioned to use Mortem (the magic borne from death) working for the Sainted King, and King August. Left with the decision to either use her magic to help the King or die, Lore makes the only decision she can.

This book has politics, romance, and plenty of action to keep the reader turning the pages. And of course, there's Bastian and Gabriel. Lore's backstory and the world building done by Whitten created a story I didn't want to put down and I of course needed to learn what was going to happen next for all the characters involved.

If you're looking for a new YA Fantasy, consider picking this one up. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next one in the series!

Such an amazing read! I couldn’t put it down! From the very beginning I was captivated! Definitely one of my top reads this year!

Thanks NetGalley + Orbit Books for the ARC!

I absolutely loved this book. I really do have a thing for dark magic systems, creepy locations, sassy FMCs and the occasional sarcastic, hot prince.

The magic, the characters, the world-building, and the overall plot were lush. I love Hannah's writing style and all of the small details that she includes within this story. I was obsessed with the overall story and loved the dark magic systems and history.

I also love Lore - she is a strong, sassy, and capable FMC that I was rooting for the entire time.

Will definitely read more from Hannah and cannot WAIT for the next book in this series.

I’m torn with this book. I really enjoyed the plot and the worldbuilding. It was a dark and mysterious gothic fantasy novel with intriguing, strong characters. Lore doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what she is, even when she is playing the role of a noble. Gabe and Bastian were fun to read with their back and forth arguing and taunting. I didn’t even mind the love triangle.

What did bother me was the pacing. I found myself reading a few pages and then putting it down for the day even though I was enjoying the story. I still haven’t quite put my finger on what was stopping me from continuing on or what was missing. But I did push through and finally finished it, and I still enjoyed the overall story. I am interested in continuing on with the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and Hannah Whitten for an e-arc of The Foxglove King in exchange for an honest review.

I just couldn't get into this book and I love fantasy novels! The writing was a bit too amateur for me. I really wanted to like it. The world-building was a bit all over the place for me and when you're kicking off book 1 of a fantasy series I feel that's super important. Better luck next time!

Huge thank you to Orbit Books for the digital ARC of 'The Foxglove King', which was everything the description promised it would be.

I was excited to read another book by Hanna Whitten, after reading and loving her previous duology. 'For the Wolf' and 'For the Throne' are both lovely, and 'The Foxglove King' follows in the same vein. It is slower to start than the other novels, but it works to it's advantage. The only thing I did not enjoy was how little agency Lore, our main character, seemed to have over any situation. Stories where events happen to the character, rather than the character driving them, are not my favorite, but Lore herself is an enjoyable protagonist wrapped in mystery and intrigue. Any issues I had with pacing resolved themselves around the halfway point, and it almost felt like a race to the end as I finished. Couldn't put it down, and I am very excited to see where it goes!

Possible spoilers after this point.

Having the characters in their mid-20s made the story more comfortable in its content (nothing explicit), but Lore herself seemed much younger, despite growing up rough, being a spy, and working as a poison runner. Bastian was an excellent character with layers and nuance, while Gabe (despite also having many facets of his character) never came off the same- he was almost insufferable, and I couldn't understand Lore's attraction to him beyond the classic "I can fix him". Characters not communicating isn't the best trope, and understandable when it's in a novel about spying, loyalties, and treason I suppose it can be excused. As mentioned previously, I'm not for stories that don't give their characters agency, even when those characters appear to be reincarnated gods/new versions of those gods. There was a lot of reading, a lot of sneaking, and not a lot of politics in what gears up to be moments of court drama. Neither here nor there on it.

Hopefully any sequel will resolve nicely, and overall I had a great time.

Netgalley Arc - March 7, 2023

The story had a bit of a confusing start. It does proceed very quickly and gets past the confusing part pretty early but it was a little abrupt.

I’m really enjoyed Lore as a character and I found myself much more interested in her and the world in this story than I was for For the Wolf.

I did feel like Lore started considering Gabe a friend much faster than she really should have given her character’s history and the amount of time they spent together not being very large. I know it was explained a bit more later on but I felt it wasn’t enough. I feel like a reveal in the next book will make it feel less rushed but since I have not read the next book yet, that is just a guess.

The magic system of Mortem and the religion created are very interesting and definitely add to the feel of the novel.

There is a love triangle brewing which I was really enjoying. I grew up in the era of love triangles and though they can be really terribly written, the elements here seemed to work well.

At the beginning, I couldn’t fully see where the plot was going, in a good way but I could definitely tell which topic was going to be central.

I did like that Lore didn’t just get over being dumped by her adopted family. I feel like a lot of books skim past that kind of family trauma and basically forget about the character’s family once the plot gets moving.

The ending was solid and compelling and made me want to read book two. I have so many theories as to where the story is going and I want to know if I am right!

The Foxglove King was not at all what I expected in the best of ways! Hannah Whitten created such a wonderful and original world. Necromancy, a possible love triangle, a one-eyed monk, a poison runner girl and a rakish prince. There is so much to love about this book.

If you like a good necromancy story, then this is definitely a book for you. Even though I don’t particularly like love triangles, I still enjoyed this book, so don’t let that stop you. Gabe, Lore and Bastien are all such lovable characters in their own ways and you want them all to win. They are so real, with imperfections and immoral greys.

There are not many people that I would not recommend this book to. If you can’t get past love triangles or do not like books that are part of a series, then those are the only reasons that I can think of to not read this. I loved so many things about that.

I can’t wait for the next book in this series and will be reading more of Hannah Whitten. I will continue to recommend this book to anyone that loves fantasy. Definitely a book you can reread time and again.

This was such a fun read!

The world created was beautiful and the dynamic between the characters and the FMC was well written. The plot of the book was well written but I felt like I kept waiting for some big turn of events to happen but never really came.

Overall an atmospheric and entertaining read and still looking forward to book two!!

I adored this book. I had never read Hannah Whitten before but I'm so glad I took a chance at this one. The cover itself is evidence enough of what a great book it is (the artwork is what initially caught my eye) but the story itself had me hooked as soon as I started. I thought the world and the characters were well crafted and plot was excellently laid out. I think my only comment was that I would have liked to get a little more insight into what's going on with this tension/ connection that Lore keeps noting between herself, Gabe and Bastian.

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC of this book!

I almost DNF'd this about halfway through. I couldn't figure out where the plot was going and I was getting lost on the overly detailed descriptions of setting.

There were also some glaring editing errors like spelling and grammar that got through the cracks.

I can compare this to the same thematic thread of the Fron Blood and Ash series, as it deals with the politics of the church and state as well as the gods.

All of the main characters are morally grey and you have no idea who is good and who is bad even at the end.

But it does have some great tropes. Hot Priest. Bi-prince. Corsets. Love triangle. Star crossed lovers.

Overall, 3.5 stars out of 5. I will absolutely read the next in the series.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

With visceral imagery & a strong sense of dramatic tension, Hannah Whitten’s fantasies know how to really grab a reader.

The Foxglove King features another badass heroine—Lore can actually use Mortem (basically death energy, I would call it) as a necromancing weapon. In other words, she can use the Death in something that’s dead to temporarily bring it back to twisted life.

This gets her into a bit of trouble of course, & against her will she’s captured by the Presque Mort monks (a body associated with the Church that regulates Mortem in society-sanctioned ways) & brought to the attention of the royals.

Throughout the fantasy Lore has unique experiences & relationships with the more visibly angsty monk Gabe & the supposed charmer Prince Bastian, both of whom can offer Lore something & both of whom she has some reason not to run to.

There’s lots of actions in this fantasy, lots of tension, & Whitten handles the emotions with skill. It’s always emotionally affecting when a lead wants someone they know they shouldn’t, & Gabe’s turmoil is both captivating for the reader & frustrating.

The ending offers a small sense of reprieve but also uncertainty—I have no idea where this story is going next & I love that.

Check this author out if you want fantasy with some smooching.

4.5 ⭐️. Out now!

[ID: the ebook is on a wood table. Above it is a vase of red tulips & to the left is a white tote bag that says “my weekend is all booked.”]

I received an e-arc of this book from Orbit on NetGalley. I discovered Hannah Whitton last year with her Wilderwood duology which I really loved. So I was excited for this book. There is court/political intrigue, an interesting magic system and a love triangle. The world is building is well done though I felt the first 25% of the book dragged a bit. This had to do with the amount of world building. The characters are complex and I’m interested to see how these characters develop in the next book. My one issue is that it was a bit predictable.