I haven’t had the chance to read Hannah Whitten’s other novels, but just from this book alone I think I found a new favorite fantasy author. We have an awesome FMC, a great amount of lgbt representation (although I hope for the next novel they become more key players rather than just in passing), and an easily understandable magic system that doesn’t dumb it down for the readers.
If you were disappointed in Serpent and Dove like I was, this is a much better replacement!

And yes I will be shipping Lore with both Bastian and Gabe. Love triangles should just be throuples and this book proves it!

I will say I have one very petty criticism that has literally nothing to do with the plot or characters. It involves TERRIBLE archival/library practice written in this book. As someone studying preservation and management of objects, wearing gloves while handling books is quite literally the most dangerous thing to do cause you are more likely to rip the paper!!! Gloves make it harder to feel the paper and turn pages, so having a whole chapter devoted to characters putting on gloves to read old books just had me 😫 😭🤬 all you need is clean, washed hands!! Like I said super petty, but it bothered meeeee

The Foxglove King is the story of Lore a spy and necromancer witch. Where did her powers to control Mortem come from? What are those powers useful for? Hannah Whitten builds a world where there is major discrepancy between the rich and the poor. There is a powerful King who's brother is the head of the church. Both trying to control....Both power hungry.
Into Lore's world comes the handsome Priest Gabe and the sun king Bastian. Both come with their own traumas and both for some reason Lore feels like she has known them before.
This was my first Hannah Whitten book. I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the second installment. Im curious how Lore, Bastian and Gabe maneuver through their new world.

Okay, I thought I loved Hannah Whitten before but now…W O W. Holy fucking hell I loved this book and her writing has grown tremendously from For The ThroneIt was the right mix of magic systems that we haven’t fully figured out yet (it gave me similar vibes to Tasha Suri’s the Jasmine Throne with the intricacies of the magic system which was waaaaay more developed than Whitten’s Wilderwood Duology).

Lore’s character was absolutely incredible. And the tension with both Gabe and Bastian was amazing. Whitten’s storytelling leaves every stone unturned, but reveals even tinier stones underneath just waiting to be revealed. There are so many ways this story could go given it’s ending and the relationship(s) between the three of them (Lore, Bastian, and Gabe) is so intriguing to me and I am so interested to see what Whitten does with it in the coming books. I have SO many questions:

What happened to the undead army? Are they still laying inanimate in the catacombs where Bastian and Lore left them?

Are Lore and Bastian now in flux with the magic they wield? Do they hold equal power over life and death now?

Was it Aire’s name Gabe was yelling in the throne room when they August tried to kill them?

How exactly were the villages murdered? The Night Priestesses? That felt a little unclear.

Bastian and Lore’s relationship feels very platonic but like…I also am not a fan of her and Gabe. Lore’s a fucking beast on her own. The definition of I don’t need a fucking man (so really it doesn’t matter to me I guess?)

Also, don’t get me wrong - I love Gabe’s character and he’s integral to the story but in terms of the prophesy….why is he relevant? “a Traitors child”……? Seems minimal next to Bastian and Lore, but maybe that’s a major point of exploration in the next book?

Also, in terms of both aesthetic and direction, I loved the decision to include a quote/proverb at the beginning of each chapter. Very NK Jemisin, and I loved it.

All of this to say, I am SO thankful for NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC!

In Dellaire, ingesting poison can prolong life and its use is restricted by the Church and the Crown. Lore is a poison runner, providing poisons to the slums of her city. When a run goes wrong, Lore displays her talent for channeling Mortem- the power of death. She is taken captive by Presque Mort and presented to two powerful brothers: the King August and the Head of the Church Anton. The brothers present Lore with two choices: work for them as their spy, or face execution or imprisonment. Lore agrees to spy on the crown prince Bastian. One of the Presque Mort is assigned to watch over her and act as her cover while she takes up a new identity as a courtier. Gabriel entered the Presque Mort after his father committed treason, he has no wish to enter court life again, but will do so to appease Anton, the man who took him in after the death of his father. Lore must use her wits to discover whether Bastian is behind the treasonous plot his father seems to think he is, all while fighting against newfound feelings for her watch guard Gabe.

The Foxglove King is Hannah Whitton’s best book yet: a tale of dying gods, courtly intrigue, noble monks and devilish princes. A must read for fans of Wicked Saints, Serpent and Dove and Nevernight.

"Every shape of affection can maim
But a triangle's formed most like a blade"

Unpopular opinion: Love triangles aren't that bad. There was apparently a meeting where everyone cool decided that we would all band together and despise them, but I was not invited. I stand on neutral ground.

The Foxglove King is gorgeously dark and captivating. The magic system was equally awesome and terrifying. I loved the visualization of Lore's powers, channeling the essence of death (definitely creepy as hell, but also COOL). Random note: I really liked how "poison" was utilized in the story, especially how poison use was viewed differently depending on the caste and wealth of the person using it, the reason why people used it, and the repercussions they faced if any. It's really easy to draw a parallel to substance abuse in our world.

I am thoroughly invested. I adore Lore, I feel her desire to just survive, her anger, her betrayal. I hurt for Gabe who has experienced both religious trauma and plain old trauma trauma that no one should have to go through. And I love the puzzle that is Bastian (his banter is also delightful). The tension is amazing, and THE ENDING! I was hoping it would actually be a little bit more unhinged, but I was not disappointed. I am absolutely desperate to know what happens next! I have a sneaking suspicion that at least one of our characters will become more morally grey in the future and I'm here for it.

A few things kept this out of reach from being a 5 star read from me. One of them being, the quotes at the beginning of the chapters were sometimes a little bit of a spoiler for the chapter, kind of took away some of the shock value from the twists and revelations a little bit. The setting could have been more unique I guess. I mean we have a fascinating history and magic system in the world, so the atmosphere came up a little bit short in comparison. And Lore, though I love her, was supposedly a spy for a living before our story unfolds, but she's like a very subpar spy. She doesn't put things together very quickly and her acting skills... She forgets her own made up origins, she should be used to making up lies on the spot but she's not very good at it, and she is kind of obvious in her sleuthing. Made me wanna shake her just a little.

Overall, absolutely going to buy the next installment in this series, and absolutely would recommend to anyone who likes a darker magic system in their adult fantasy. ** Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the free copy in exchange for an honest review <3**

I have been a fan of this author's work for a while now (started with For the Wolf) and this book is a great start to a new fantasy series. I enjoyed the world-building, the characters, the magic system and the forbidden romance. I found myself rooting for the characters (esp Lore). Usually I'm not a fan of love triangles, but this one was well written and had me interested and invested in all parties. Tysm for the opportunity to read and review this before it releases.

A difficult book to rate for sure.

I really loved the idea of this novel. So. Epic. Sucking death out of someone and then USING it, was pretty fantastic, and *tragical* (tragic and magical) in my opinion... but there was something that failed to click with me. I'm not sure what, because Whitten's prose is clear, concise, and paints a beautiful image. Her characters were lovely and weren't lacking depth. I just felt a disconnect, which could be a *ME* thing.

So I admit that this book took me a little while to get into. A lot of information is thrown at you in the beginning which is a little overwhelming. Even though it took me a few days to get into the book, once I got to around the 45% mark, I couldn’t put it down and finished it in a day! I thought the Mortem storyline was unique. I had to keep reading to see how everything was going to turn out for Lore, Gabe, and Bastian. I can’t wait for the next book to see more of Lore’s powers.

Thanks Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC!

A great but at times confusing fantasy! I loved the use of magic and the magic system overall. I thought the religion part was not fleshed out enough for my understanding. The writing was good, the characters intriguing. I really like Lore and Bastian. I guessed the twist but only just before it was revealed in the book. I cannot wait to read the next one in the series!

Foxglove King is the first novel in The Nightshade Kingdom series by Hannah Whitten. It is a high fantasy novel that features an intricate magic system, court politics, and, last but not least, forbidden romance.

Lore is a lowly, poison-runner and spy who suddenly finds herself in a role at court spying on the kingdom's prince and potential traitor, Bastian. And all of this just because of her ability to wield Mortem. Lore must work with the young and handsome Gabe, a member of Presque Mort (basically a monk soldier who can also control Mortem), to get close to Bastian. But the tables turn when Bastian catches on to their ruse.

Foxglove King is dark, unique, and well worth the read. It continually kept me guessing on who was in cahoots with who, who the true villain was, and how it would end. I did wish there was a bit more "oomph" to the romance, but I do tend to read romance heavy novels. The religion that plays a heavy role in the magic system was a bit much for me, however, I think that it will play quite a bit into future books in the series which I am excited to see how it influences the plot.

This book has officially been dubbed my first 5/5 star read of the year and I am thrilled I was given the opportunity to arc read this novel. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Orbit Books (Hachette Book Group). I am very much looking forward to book 2 in the series.

Thank you to Orbit and Net Galley for the e-arc!

I might come back to this review after I’ve had a chance to parse my thoughts, but I just flew through the last 11% of the book, and wow, the last 50ish pages and where the story left us bumped my rating way up!

I’ve read both For the Wolf and For the Throne, as well as the short story “One Lane Bridge”, and I think this is Hannah Whitten’s best book yet. Dellaire and the Mortem-cursed country of Auverraine is a fun, glittering, and bejeweled world of recreational poison use, dead gods, and courtly politics and espionage. The characters are fun and I enjoyed following Lore as a protagonist, but shout-out to Bastian—the seemingly irreverent, moderately dastardly Sun Prince—who was my favorite character to read. That’s not to count out Gabe, our Golden Retriever-esque monk whose too loyal and upstanding for his own self-preservation, but right now, I’m firmly Team Bastian (but giving myself the choice to change my mind whenever Book 2 comes out). I’m a sucker for love triangles, too, and am waiting to see what shenanigans this trio gets up to in the books that follow.

I don’t read much high fantasy where intricate court politics and royal espionage are involved, but this level of intrigue, mystery, and machinations suited me fine, and the twists keep the pages turning.

The pantheon of gods was by far my favorite element, and I’m hoping we can dig more into the mythology of the world as we move further into the series. (And maybe get some backstory for what really happened before redacted!!

This definitely feels like a first book in a trilogy and therefore has some of the standard conventions of getting a series off the ground: slower-paced world building and character development to get you invested for when the puzzle starts coming together. And a lot of the earlier pages are spent setting up the world, the court, and the key players in the mystery. But by the end of the book, the chess board is set and the pieces are in place for whatever Book 2 has in store, and I can’t wait to see how the game plays out from here!

*Will share feedback on other sites closer to the publication date.

Lore works for a group of poison runners. Her main task is to go undercover and spy on other poison runners. With each new assignment, she takes on a new identity and leaves the old one behind. When asked to make a poison run, Lore is taken by surprise. She doesn't make runs anymore. In the end, she does what she is asked. When the run goes wrong, Lore worries about the other runner who has a family. She uses mortem to help him escape. The price of illegally using mortem, death. Luckly or maybe unluckily for Lore, the king wants to use Lore and her power. Lore has to figure out to navigate the king's court and find someone she can trust when she is surrounded my people who shouldn't be trusted.

Hannah had a beautiful and vivid way of describing things. It was one of my favorite things about the book. I have a love/hate relationship with the characters. We were given enough information about them that I feel we got a good grasp of who they were and why they were the way they were. It didn't help me like them but at least I understood why they were so frustrating. I really loved Gabe's ex-girlfriend and truly hope we see more of her in book 2. I enjoyed the plot and can't wait to see what trouble these three get into in book 2.

The beginning started off really slow. The magic system was confusing at first. I feel like it could had been explained better and maybe tweaked just a little. The characters were extremely frustrating. At several points, I wished I could reach in and knock them up-side their heads. The only character that seen any kind of growth was Lore and that was minimal. I really hope in book two, these characters have a lot of growth! I also wasn't a fan of the romance. I avoid books with love triangles, and I didn't realize it was in this one.

The Foxglove King was such a great read! Definitely the best I’ve read in awhile. The characters, the world, the plot….this book had it all. There were a few things that were predictable, but overall plenty of intrigue to keep you hooked. I can’t wait for the next to come out!

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2023 and I can safely say it lived up to every expectation I had. The characters, the world building, all of it just sucked you in from page one. I loved For the Wolf and For the Throne and this might have been her best book yet

This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me. The ending left me feeling empty and I can’t wait for the second book!!! I’m trying out a more systemized review system (especially for arcs), so here we go:
*Plot: We follow Lore, a necromancer, with a very special ability to chanel Mortem (death). She works as a spy and, basically, a drug dealer. She is discovered and taken to the Citadel to spy on the Sun Prince, accompanied by a very hot, but very pious man. There, chaos unfolds.
*Characters: I just loved the characters. The main character is a tough lady, but at the same time had this soft side, this vulnerability, she let show very often, which I liked. Gabriel (our holy man) was very cool, as was Bastian, a charming and funny prince. I really liked their interactions and the complexity of the relationships between them (not only the romantic ones). I also like Allie and the court ladies, and I hope we get to see more of them in the next books.

**Romance:** I’m not the biggest fan of love triangles, but I’m so invested in one of the relationships. I loved how it evolved from friendship and companionship to more and I hope that in the next book, they’ll develop this one more and settle it. THE YEARNING WAS SO GOOD!!! The other triangle part should just remain as a friend.
*Writing: The first 2/3 chapters were complicated to get through, I thought that the writing was confusing (and that coupled with the world-building turned this into a rough start). After that, the writing became beautiful and descriptive - I could visualize all the places and the scenes so well, which doesn’t always happen.
*Pacing: It was pretty good, I was never bored.
*Worldbuilding: Loved it. The world, the vibes and the magic system were just so cool, and after getting into it, not that hard to understand and keep up with.
*Themes: There is grief, complicated family relationships and lots of LGBT characters (including one of the main guys, who is bi).
*Recommendation: Yes, I recommend it so much!!! It has similar vibes to Serpent and Dove (some kind of witch and a redhead holy man?), but thankfully the resemblance ends there. I thought this was actually a pretty original story (although it has tons of cliches, normal in fantasy), with a cool storyline and interesting characters. Read it if you love that, and tons of betrayal.
*Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I voluntary read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Orbit Books for providing me this arc via Netgalley.

Lore can channel death magic, use it to temporarily raise the dead and control them. The Auverraine King and his Priest Exalted want to use her power to find out why villages are being completely wiped out. That’s not the only thing they’re out for - they also want Lore to spy on the Prince to find out how he is working with a rival kingdom and bring him to justice. Turns out the story is much more complicated than that.

Death magic, life magic, forbidden love, a bit of slow burn make this a pretty good read. Looking forward to the next installment!

Gifted this book by Netgalley in exchange for a review.

As a reader of this author’s previous duology (and someone who wasn’t the biggest fan of it), I really wanted to give this author another go. The writing does seem to have improved in this new release; however it didn’t captivate me like I wanted it to.

Whitten has improved in providing the reader with just enough detail without the writing feeling “info-dumpy,” but I still wasn’t the biggest fan of the execution of the book’s concept.

UGH THIS BOOK!?
Okay so in the start, I couldn't get into it. It was SLOW. Brutally slow, and also confusing. I felt like there was so much to take in and it didn't all make sense, UNTIL about 20% of the way into the book, and then I was like OHH OKAY YES, and I devoured it. The further you get into this book, the more plots you seem to uncover. It's should probably come with some trigger warnings, and it might although I didn't get any with my ARC. ( None of the triggers bothered me though) The story does include a lot of substance abuse, LGBTQ content as well as a a lot of religious stuff. The world is a bit confusing to understand. I did have to re read stuff occasionally just to get a better understanding. The magic system was great and easy to understand, I also liked that it was a darker form of magic and not the typical fire or other element.

Lore. Ugh I was very back and forth with liking her and not liking her. She is the typical sassy and confident MC that we all love, HOWEVER.. I feel like she also has a very selfish and rude side, and not in the cute bratty way. I mean she was willing to let the whole village burn so she wouldn't have to die.

Gabriel. While I understand and do pity him for being controlled by Anton for years, I hate him.
He is a very complex character, Hannah wrote him beautifully however. He is too untrustworthy and I feel like for him the church will always come first.

Bastian. UGH Loved him from the start. He is so misunderstood. Hes conceited but caring. I love how blunt he can be, and how he puts everything hes thinking out into the open with out shame. He isn't afraid to be who he wants, and as a Prince, with so much judgement being put on him, that's amazing to see.

Overall this book was good. I can't say I loved it but it was good and I did enjoy it. I will be reading the next books in the series. This is a book you'd like if you're a fan of "Throne of Glass" (Keep in mind the triggers!) As this book does have darker elements to the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. This book was fantastic and amazing as fuck. I was sucked in by the world with the author's writing and prose. It flowed and the world building while also driving the plot was well done. I greatly enjoyed this book. Cannot wait for the next if there is one. I will be buying this for myself and my friends. I don't have the words. Just wonderful.

this was absolutely entertaining stayed up til 4 am to finish i was so invested. compared to her previous novels which i liked, i enjoyed this much better. although the world building in the beginning was a little bumpy, i am very intrigued by the mystery, the religious and court politics. all the elements of the story are the stuff i just eat up every time and the death magic system was so cool.
i am a little weary and suspicious of the love triangle as i am with most, especially with how they just “know” each other. the repetitive fated elements of the relationships grated me, i get why with Chekhov's gun and how they’ll lead up to important plot points in the next books but it’s just a bit much. better to show not tell instead of the glaringly obvious set up. but i still really enjoyed the the twists in the story and can it wait to see how it’ll play out in the next book. i am left with much anticipation.

*Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing a copy of the book*