I absolutely loved this one! I was hooked from chapter one, and didn’t put it down for hours. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

This book was and wasn’t what I expected.

I expected this book to be more fast-paced, a little steamier, and more entrenched in the customs and visuals of Louis XIV’s Court. Instead what I got was a much slower paced (sometimes predictable), angst-filled fantasy that takes place in a loosely based Versailles-esque world.

So then why did a I enjoy this book so much? Probably because the author does a good job of providing a fun plot and developing her characters. True some of it is predictable and tropey, but it’s woven into a super cool and new magic system and presented in an easy to read and approachable style that just keeps you coming back for more.

While I do admit that the start was a bit slow, the book truly picks up in the latter half and finishes on a cliffhanger. At times it does feel like this book is a set-up for what is to come, and that may be the reason for the early slowness, but I think the love triangle, subtle angst, sass, creepy magic system, baroque-ish atmo vibes, and badassery of the MFC made me grow fond of the book as time went on.

I’ll admit that I figured out quite a bit of the plots early on, but still felt like I having a great time running around with the gang. Some of the characters became what they were working so hard to fight and that totally hurt, but I can imagine that it will be part of their character growth in the next books. Even if I saw the ending coming though, I still feel like there are many unknowns I want to pursue in book 2 (Gabe is definitely one of them). Overall, I thought it was a decent start to the series and I certainly want to keep reading. I’m hoping for more intrigue and maybe some more spice in book 2, but was pleasantly surprised by book 1.

In the fantastical world of Auverraine, Lore scrapes by solo after escaping from a death magic cult. She uses what little magic she has on small crimes, but when a job goes wrong and she’s caught, Lore is offered a choice: Die or use your abilities to spy for the crown. She chooses the latter and catapults into high society, mingling with princes and high priests. But something is rotting beneath the glamour of the city and Lore’s nefarious past may be the only thing that will save them all. “The Foxglove King” is a lush and gorgeous series opener.

Wow! Loved the characters, the magic system, the secrets and the twist along the way. It pulled me in quickly and continued to build upon itself drawing me further into this new and intriguing world. I appreciated the fact it wraps itself up nicely in the end but makes it clear that big things are on the horizon. I'm eager to see what is next!

The premise was initially quite engaging. I was pretty interested in the magic system of life and death, and how the church and state were so intertwined due to the history of this magic. I also liked the way the main character Lore was set up. She had a carefreeness to her, and she seemed independent and confident and resourceful and snarky.

Then they introduced the two (UNBELIEVABLY HOT) male characters. And I think I just slowly started to hate it. First of all, I hate the "this person feels familiar to me, so now I'm love with them" trope, because it does nothing to make me understand why this romance is happening. Second, I felt like Lore just became less intelligent around these men. The book initially sets her up as someone who has confidence in using her sexuality to get what she wants. Around the two male protagonists, she starts ogling at their backs and blushing every time they get within two feet of her. And I wish I could say that the male characters were nuanced, but they really aren't. Gabe astonished me with his stupidity, and his over-protectiveness of Lore was insulting and infantilizing. Bastian actually had some depth to him, but I feel like it was undone in the last 20 pages?

And THEN, besides the horrible contrived romance, the plot twists felt like they were supposed to be surprising, but then weren't. I won't go into details, but they spend a whole bunch of time researching the magic system and trying to figure out who might carry a specific power, and this person that they're looking for is just traipsing around in broad daylight being SUPER obvious. I honestly thought there would be some kind of reveal where everyone knew all along, but no - they were just that oblivious.

Received a free copy from Netgalley.

My first Hannah Whitten and I'm def looking forward to reading her other duology and for the rest of this series.

This book is immediately so interesting right from the get-go. I find it hard to describe when writing is not good, but on the contrary when it’s THIS good it just works and is so easy to read. The world building is top notch, like I was not confused at all (beyond that this is a very mysterious book so obv there are things left out on purpose).

-Court Politics
-Gods Mythology
-Necromancer Magic
-Love Triangle
--With a priest fighting his religious vows
--With a prince who hides his pain with humor
--...Personally, I am team throuple

5/5 stars
2/5 spice

Content Warnings:
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Animal death
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Classism, Genocide, Drug use, Addiction, and Child death
Minor: Death of parent, Sexism, and Violence

An interesting story full of twists, turns, fun characters and overall a book I would consider reading time and time again.

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to and felt like it was the perfect mashup of some of my favorite reads of 2022. I felt like it had the slow pacing and dark magic mystery vibes of Ninth House, the poison and death magic from Belladonna and some more godly and religious elements From Blood and Ash.

This book is told in a limited third person omniscient point of view that follows out main character Lore, who is a brash and naive survivor, as she tries to solve a mystery and navigate court politics. There is some chosen one trope and forbidden romance trope. I enjoyed the magic system the author established and thought she did a great job explaining the magic through the story and weaving the imagery of the magic into my mind.

Throughout the book it feels like there are small strings of fate pushing our main character through danger and there are questions on the meaning and interpretation of religious texts and prophecies of the gods. These motifs establish themes of destiny and the origin of religion for the reader. Additionally, there are themes of striking your own path as well as the strength in coming together rather than apart.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a lucious and dark new fantasy series that has a few good twists and turns and some romance elements. I would not recommend this to anyone who is looking for a spicy read, a short fantasy read nor an intense fantasy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with a free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The immersive and original world building was absolutely stunning to read and learn. I was entirely drawn in from the start. Our main character Lore is so relatable, which you wouldn’t think at first, due to the trauma and suffering she’s been through and how she still perseveres. The background and history we’re fed absolutely sucks you in for more, every single morsel. The magic is super unique and interesting to discover, Mortem being in all of us but needing a special something to come out. Our MC being able to draw on more and detect it around her is what leads to our main court politics story line after she’s brutally betrayed to the church. If you’re looking for creepy gothic catacomb vibes with court politics and intrigue this is most definitely an immediate pick for you! Especially if you’ve got a thing for love triangles because this one will have you pulling at your hair and demanding she listen to you through the pages.

I absolutely adored this book! I loved For the Wolf and For the Throne, and the writing in The Foxglove King was even better which seems impossible to me, but there it is. I would honestly read Hannah Whitten’s grocery list, I love her writing so much.
I really loved Lore as a character and how she navigated her world, because if I’m honest I would probably have made some of the same choices she made. I loved how the magic system worked and while I’m normally not a fan of overly religious characters in my fantasy, I did like the discussion of religion and politics and how the should or should not interact.
I also loved the relationship that Lore, Bastian, and Gabe had, and with all the reveals we got around them and their powers I am DYING for the second book. I’ve got so many questions that I can’t wait to get answers for, and finally, the aesthetic of this whole story is perfection!
If you can’t tell, I loved this and can’t recommend it enough and I can’t wait to get all the beautiful editions once the release date arrives!

I received and ARC of this book and unfortunately I DNF’d it around 63%. I really try to push through and finish all the ARC’s I receive, but I couldn’t get past the discombobulated themes and ideas that were “The Foxglove King”. This premise was really cool, but very predictable (unfortunately). The characters in this novel were all pretty basic and had no discernible traits, to the point where I couldn’t tell who was who.
I loved everything else she’s written, but this wasn’t it for me.

Awesome start to this fantasy series, a unique story with detailed and interesting world building. The characters are well thought out, and I love the protagonist lore as well as my guy Bastian. Fun and exciting twists and turns in the story. Will definitely be reading the next one. Thank you NetGalley and Orbit books publishing for an advanced copy of this intriguing story!

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First off, what a gorgeous cover! The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten is an adult fantasy about a young woman who has the power to raise the dead. The story revolves around Lore, a 23 year-old woman with death magic. In the world that Lore lives in, death magic is highly valuable and traded in black markets. When her secret power is revealed, she is taken to the dangerous court of the Sainted King, where has to deal with romance, politics, and magic. Will she survive the Sainted King's court?

Here is an excerpt from the opening chapter that introduces us to Lore:

"Apparently, a crosshatch of silvery scars from back-alley knife fights didn’t deter the man when presented with bare skin.
She had other, more interesting scars. But she kept her palm closed tight.
A cool breeze blew off the ocean, and Lore suppressed a shiver. Pierre didn’t seem to spare any thought for why she’d exited the house barely dressed while mornings near the harbor always carried a chill, even in summer. An easy mark in more ways than one.
“Pierre!” Lore shot him a dazzling grin, the same one that made Michal’s eyes simultaneously go heated and then narrow before he asked what she wanted. Another twist against the doorframe, another seemingly casual pose, another bite of wind that made a curse bubble behind her teeth. “It’s the end of the month already?”"

Overall, The Foxglove King is a lovely adult fantasy that you must add to your TBR list! One highlight of this book is the highly original worldbuilding. It made me feel like I was there. Another highlight of this book is the main character. I really liked Lore and rooted for her. Also, she has such cool powers.

If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that I wasn't really invested in the storyline until about halfway through. However, the book has an absolutely amazing and exciting climax. I couldn't tear my eyes away. I can't wait for the sequel! If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy books in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in March!

This book is high fantasy with a lot of action, a forbidden romance, religious based, politics, and full of dark magic.

It was a slow start but about half way through I was hooked. The book felt overly descriptive at some points but was a fun read with all the twist and turns.

Lore’s backstory was very intriguing. I enjoyed the characters and their banter. The author does a great job wrapping the book up but leaves the reader wanting more and eager to jump into the next book.

This was good, really good!
Thank You Orbit & NetGalley for the ARC.
I liked Whitten’s For the Wolf and I loved her follow up For The Throne even more .
The Fox Glove King , the first in her new series is so different I quite honestly am surprised its by the same author. Hannah really comes into her creative writing talents here with Fox Glove King’s world and characters being so much more defined and fleshed out than in her previous series. I loved the complexity of the main three characters’ relationship and quite honestly can’t wait for the sequel to see what direction this goes.
Our female mc Lore is a young woman with the power to raise the dead, a power that puts her in the centre of a political and religious maelstrom and a love triangle , one forbidden whichever direction it goes. An intriguing and addictive start to a new series.

Following her debut with the fantastic Wilderwood duology, Hannah Whitten is back with The Foxglove King, the first in a brand-new fantasy series that feels loosely inspired by the court of Louis XIV, but with just enough magic to keep things interesting.

The story follows Lore, who weilds the power of Mortem - or death - which isn’t unheard of, but hers manifests in a unique way. So unique, in fact, that when the scale of her power is realized, she is brought to the court of the Sainted King, and made to act as a necromancer to uncover the reasons behind mysterious deaths in outlying villages along the nation’s border.

As the mystery proves to be far bigger than Lore could have imagined, the world of politics, religion and courtly intrigue sweep her away into a life she’s never had to live, but to which she has to adapt quickly. Along for the ride are her guard, the Preque Mort monk-slash-duke Gabe, and Bastian, the Sun Prince, who has just the perfect amount of rakish, I-can-fix-him-or-possibly-make-him-worse energy.

Unlike Whitten’s two previous works, which jump headfirst into the central conflict and let the world build around it, The Foxglove King really takes its time building out Lore’s world, and the world of the Sainted King’s Citadel so that by the time the action picks up, the reader is just as immersed in things as Lore is. It admittedly takes a while for the central mystery to emerge through the haze of Lore’s panicked bid for survival, but none of that time ever feels like time wasted. I’d be hard-pressed to find some part of the story that isn’t served by the world-building in the first half.

The dynamic between Lore, Gabe and Bastian is wonderfully done. Too often, it can feel like a group presented as a trio don’t actually read that way, and it would have been all too easy to build both Gabe and Bastian’s relationships to Lore, while not including much of a dynamic between the two of them. But by giving them a history of their own, it strengthens their overall dynamic. If you’re a fan of enemies-to-lovers, let’s just say this trio offers those vibes in three different flavors. As the three of them move forward throughout the rest of the series, I cannot wait to see where the story will take them.

I can’t say too much about the plot specifically without giving things away, but suffice to say if you’re looking for a court-intrigue-packed fantasy with just enough romance to hook you along, then The Foxglove King scratches that itch.

The Foxglove King is out March 7, 2023. Special thank you to Orbit Books for an advance copy for review purposes.

A romantic and mysterious start to a dark gothic fantasy series. I've always been a fan of Hannah Whitten's writing style, but she has drastically improved since her Wilderwood duology.

The Foxglove King has a unique magic system, political intrigue, and religious elements. The characters were so well written and developed. I don't think I've ever been more obsessed with a MC as I was with Bastian & I have no clue why. Don't get me started on the forbidden romance between a celibate monk and necromancer, then toss a flirty Prince into the mix. I have never been a fan of love triangles, but Hannah Whitten has changed my mind with this one. The tension between everyone was PALPABLE. I couldn't help but switch sides and root for everyone involved. The ending is laced with plots twists and betrayal that you will not see coming. One of my most anticipated reads of the year and I was not let down. I CANNOT wait until the next book is in my hands.

Thank you to Orbit Books for an ARC!

Love fantasy books so I was excited to receive this arc. I really enjoyed this one and was fascinated at the world Hannah Whitten was able to create. The complex system of magic was very intriguing from the very beginning and the characters were also very detailed and I was able to connect with Lore right from the start. The story does start off a little bit slow and takes a while to get started, but it is worth the wait. The plot development was great and I enjoyed the story. Another issue I had was that the main love interest was a little bland. I loved the love-triangle, but the main love interest was boring and dry. Yet, other than that, the story was great.

Thank you to Orbit Books & NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC

Did I just potentially read my favourite book of 2023?! It’s quite possible, as I’m still feeling bewitched a full day after finishing it.

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten is a perfectly stunning gothic fantasy with necromancy, court politics, fanatical religion, and romantic tension.

I don’t want to spoil a thing, so bare bones (pun intended) the story follows Lore, a girl with the secret power to raise and control the dead.

Once the world is established, the settings and characters are rich and the dynamic (and banter) between Lore, Gabe, and Bastian is perfection.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy.

Admittedly, this took me awhile to get into but once I did, I was completely sucked in. I really enjoyed the author's writing style in this book and it was very easy to imagine the world the she builds. One thing that stuck out in particular though was the time period. I couldn't quite get a sense of the time period because there were some scenes that felt awkwardly modern compared to the majority of the book, especially in the dialogue. In terms of plot, it was definitely intriguing and I'm very much looking forward to seeing how the author will develop the rest of the series. I did see the plot twist coming though.

As for the characters, I was invested in most of them. I also usually despise love triangles but I feel like it was done it a very subtle yet obvious enough way that was enjoyable. However, I feel like the first proper interaction we get between Bastian and Lore/Gabe happened very late in the book. I didn't realize how funny and witty Bastian was until about halfway through the book because it was such a slow build and I'm not really sure why it took so long for her to get close to Bastian, especially considering the circumstances. The dynamics between the trio was very interesting to read as they all complement each other in one way or another and I did switch between Bastian and Gabe as my favorite character for a bit (although I think Bastian ultimately won) but I'm very excited to see how their relationships turn out.