3.75/5

This was my first Hannah Whitten read and I was very content with it.

I truly enjoyed the magic system of mortem and spiritum. The magic system wasn't convoluted and easy to understand. It was intriguing since I've read next to no books on necromancy, so this was new to me and I felt it was a great introduction.

I loved that Lore was a morally gray mc. I especially liked that she decided she wanted to live more than sacrificing her life for some prophecy. Good for her.

The love triangle was alright- nothing spectacular but not bad as far as angst goes. It was all a bit too instalove-y for me. They were all mooning over each other immediately "just because" and not for any good reason.

This book was enjoyable overall, just a bit slow in some areas so it took me a while to get through. I was glad this was my introduction to Hannah Whitten. I'm excited for the next book in this series and to read this author's other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Publishing for providing me with an eARC of the book for my honest review!

The Foxglove King is a romantic and haunting start to a new dark fantasy duology. The gothic fantasy world was the perfect setting for this story of love, loyalty, and power. The story follows our main character Lore who is a poison runner who is hiding her abilities to control mortem, essentially death that flows in all objects and people. When her powers are discovered she is thrust into the court with the help of a surly monk to get close to the prince to unravel the mystery of why entire cities are dying overnight. Hannah Whitten is a genius.

The Foxglove King is a YA fantasy novel set in the city of Dellaire and follows Lore, a young female who works as a poison runner in secret to hide her power of channeling mortem, magic born from death. When a poison run goes awry, Lore's power is revealed, and she is arrested and forced to choose between being killed because of her power or using it to help the King. As Lore is thrust into working for the King, she becomes entangled with court politics, religion, and magic.

The overall storyline was light on romance, and like many fantasy books, this one was heavy on world-building and settings. However, I enjoyed the magic system within this story; I found it fascinating and thought the author did a great job of not overcomplicating it.

The descriptions of the mortem and how it affected Lore and her surroundings were very well done. The author did a great job of giving a different spin on necromancy magic. The parts where Lore used her gift to channel mortem were some of my favorite features of the book.

You can tell the author took little bits of inspiration from other books, which gave the story a nostalgic feel. For example, I saw bits of Serpent & Dove with the relationship between Lore and Gabe and The Hunchback of Notre Dame regarding Lore's background and the church's power. All these bits of inspiration created an exciting and lush story that was easy to immerse yourself in.

While the characters were enjoyable to get to know, I would love to have had many more leading female characters as it felt that besides Lore, most of them were predominantly male. Also, I hope the author brings stronger female side characters and more prominent female main characters in future books. In this story, Lore could use another woman to rely on.

Even though there weren't many strong female leads in this book, I did love that Lore's caretakers were two women after escaping the catacombs. In addition, I appreciated seeing the small sapphic representation within the story.

The author also did a fantastic job of portraying the seedy underbelly of the church and how religion can often be used to manipulate and hurt others. As someone with religious trauma, I felt the author nailed this aspect of this story perfectly.

The love triangle could have been a bit stronger. But unfortunately, the characters only had a few opportunities to build that natural progression toward romance, which made it feel out of place. I believe the author was hinting toward the trope of "fated/past mates," but this made the romance feel a bit forced and less authentic in my eyes. However, with the ending, I have hope that there will be plenty of opportunities in future books for these relationships to have their chance to flourish.

In addition, the plot was heavily geared towards moving the storyline of why people were being attacked within villages, making this more of a fantasy book with a tiny sprinkle of romance. I found that, like many fantasy books, this one grabbed my attention and started to pick up with a lot of action towards the end of the book.

And lastly, the author did a great job wrapping up this book and giving it a good ending. There is plenty of room for future books, but it wasn't a complete cliffhanger that frustrated me. It was the perfect place to leave off where. I look forward to reading more in the future, but I'm not devastated that the second book isn't out yet.

Overall, the book was enjoyable if you're looking for an immersive fantasy book with an exciting magic system.

First of all, thank you so much NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. I just finished it, so I’m definitely still coming down from the high of it all, but I love this book. Phenomenal world building, unique magic systems, queer representation, and characters that pull you in, all tied into one. My only complaint is that I feel like I finished the book with more questions than answers, but I guess that just perfectly sets it up for book 2, which I will devour.

Overall 5
Spice 3.75

Points over Paragraphs


• OMG the sexual tension is explosive.
• Gothic Vibes complete with catacombs
• Hannah Whiten can literally do no wrong
• Strong borderline selfish FMC
• Love Triangle
• Good Guy Priest/bodyguard vs Bad Boy Prince?
• Court of Versailles-ish vibes with the intrigue and politics
• Strong Magic System
• Light vs Dark but without the ideology of good vs evil “necessarily”
• Secrets with a touch of miscommunication
• Best Book of 2023
• Adult Fantasy
• Book 1 in a new series.
• Cliffhanger

Thank you to Orbit Books, Orbit and Netgalley for a ARC of the FoxGlove King by Hannah Whitten

I Love Hannah Whitten. She writes in a way that is accessible and engaging for the reader. using this unique modern writing style allowing us readers to seamlessly slip into the narrative. The Wilder Wood was one of my favorite duologies. so when I got the ARC for The Foxglove King the first book in her new series The Nightshade Kingdom I couldn’t contain myself and I immediately read it. It did not disappoint. Hannah has grown as a storyteller taking the tropes I grew up with as a teenager in the early 00’s and building them into something truly enjoyable for an adult audience. It’s perfection itself. That ending though has me wishing I could turn forward to the clock for the next book!

Hannah Whitten once again writes a book that I completely fell in love with. I was a huge fan of the magic system, with a life (Spiritum) and death (Mortem) based magic, where of course Mortem is illegal. One of my favourite world-building aspects is that the people of Dellaire use poisons as recreational drugs to kind of extend their lives in a weird, death-like high. When her powers are discovered by the Presque Mort, a group of warrior-monks that have been allowed the use of Mortem working for the Sainted King, she gets whisked away to the palace court to help the king using her powers, rather than face death. We then follow as Lore goes from street-rat to the tumultuous court, with one of the Presque Mort keeping her in line, while she gets closer to the prince.

I read Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf when it first came out, and it was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2021...and it did not disappoint. The writing was lush and the romance was great and I enjoyed it a lot.

This book is so different!

You can see how the author has grown as a writer. Gone are the dense, lush passages - which worked for For the Wolf (and I really enjoyed), but wouldn't have worked here. Instead, there's a more intricate plot and a story filled with intrigue. I loved all of the characters - Lore, Gabe, Bastian - even though they're not the "best" people. I enjoyed watching Lore grow as a person and as a deathwitch/necromancer/Mortem-user. And that ending...ugh. I can NOT wait for the sequel!

Thank you for NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 40%.

I was disappointed by For the Wolf when I tried to pick that up and I was disappointed by this too. It's my own fault - Whitten's concepts are just so cool that I get my hopes up and then am disappointed by the stories. Like, she thinks of exciting setups but then I feel like I've read the story before.

Maybe just not the author for me.

This was my 100th book of the year for 2022, and oh my god - it was so worthy of it! Automatically became one of my top ten books of the year. Hannah Whitten does a brilliant job building this fantasy world and it's very unique magic system. I loved the different types of death magic, the uniqueness of the characters, the internal politics, the threat and history of wars, and the religious orders. The level of intrigue, intricate high fantasy elements, in addition to forbidden romance, kept me hooked the entire time.

The Foxglove King follows Lore, a young poison-runner who has unique powers around channeling Mortem and her powers keep her intricately tied to the city she lives in, and the catacombs that provided her with the powers. In Dellaire, Mortem is the high-priced and illicit commodity that is magic borne from death - and despite the fact that poison running keeps her fed and sheltered, the runs can easily go wrong. On one such run, Lore's secret powers become revealed and she is taken by the Presque Mort, who are the religious order in Dellaire. They have all experienced near death experiences that allow them to legally channel Mortem. After her display of power, Lore expects to be put to death - but King August has different ideas for her usefulness. The Sainted King gives her a choice: use her powers to find out why entire villages are dying overnight, at random, or she'll be put to death. He also wants her to investigate his son, the beloved Sun Prince Bastian who the King believes is a traitor. Under the tutelage of one of the Presque Mort who used to be a noble in the court, and eventually sparking a friendship with Bastian filled with flirtation, Lore begins to prove her usefulness at court. But she begins to uncover expected secrets and political rivalries that make her rethink where her loyalties will eventually lie and how long she will be able to avoid the call of the catacombs.

I can't believe only book one of this series is out! I want more of the fantastical world of the Nightshade Kingdom - especially more of our Sainted King, the Death Witch, and our Priest Exalted!! Lovers of Throne of Glass will definitely be intrigued by this book, and I think they will fall in love with the magic systems completely. I also loved the subtle inclusion of LGBTQ+ side characters that were so important for the story but the focus wasn't on their sexuality - authors we need more of this normalization in fantasy and romance books!

Can't wait for more! Kudos to Hannah Whitten for a beautifully written book. I want to thank Orbit Books, Netgalley, and Hannah Whitten for this amazing e-ARC and from all I've heard about Orbit Books, I'm looking forward to reading more from this publisher!

I don't think Hannah F. Whitten is for me. I thought her first book was good, second book was not good, and this one I can't bring myself to finish. I am bored, underwhelmed by the characters and their motivations, and I'm struggling to understand the world building. DNF at 42%.

I really enjoyed this! I liked this author's first duology, too, but could definitely see the improvement in this novel. I liked the characters and the romance was well-realized. I also really loved the setting and way that things were described. Overall, really excited for more in this world and more by this author!

The Foxglove King is a romantic and haunting start to a new dark fantasy duology. I love the gothic fantasy world it was the perfect setting for this story of love, loyalty, and power.

The critique of organized religion and theocracy was a surprisingly strong element in this book. The history of the gods and the magic system made a very interesting exploration of how history can be rewritten by those in power.

However, the beginning was quite slow. One thing I didn't like was the predictable plot twist which then again also made the story feel slower. Maybe it's just me, but I saw the plot twist coming somewhat immediately.

I also wish the epigraphs hadn't been included because they made the foreshadowing to me kinda unbearable. It was like they either repeated the same theme or spoiled the events for the chapter.

Though The Foxglove King has a slow start, it builds to a heartwrenching conclusion that is sure to promise a powerful sequel. I can't wait to read the next book!

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an advanced copy!

Unfortunately, I think <i>The Foxglove King</i> is a great idea with only an OK execution. Hannah Whitten got me really hyped up with all the aesthetic posts and reels on Instagram, but the book itself didn't contain any of that decadent gothic feel that appealed to me so much in those posts.

The pros:

- Interesting magic system. Death magic/necromancy isn't something I've read a lot about, so it was cool to see it play out in this book and witness how these people live with a literal decaying Death God that occasionally leaks out deadly magic living under their city.

- Disaster Bi Prince Bastian. By far the most compelling character in the book. I love a character with layers and he had tons of them. Watching him navigate the court while tending to his own plans was a lot of fun.

- The mystery. Trying to figure out what the heck was going on with the dying citizens and what it had to do with the King and High Priest was compelling. Some of the teasing out felt a bit convoluted at times but it was mostly fun to follow.


The cons:

- The world building. This is supposedly inspired by Versailles/French aristocracy, but I got none of that. The potential for a really rich, lush setting was so high but fell so flat. As other reviewers have noted, the really modern speech utilized by the characters felt out of place and gave the whole story a very YA feel. Unfortunately, Hannah Whitten's writing just didn't feel up to the task to achieve what this book could have been. Overall, I just expected the story to have a much darker feel than it ultimately did and I wasn't as immersed in the world as I hoped I would be.

- The love triangle. Listen, I love a well-done love triangle, but this one just didn't feel very well-done. I liked Gabe at first but he really failed to develop much throughout the book, meanwhile Bastian is a consistent scene-stealer. Ideally, Lore, Gabriel, and Bastian will just be a throuple at the end of this series, because the scenes shared by all three of them were the most enjoyable.

- Poison. This could have been really interesting, but it felt way too convoluted in its execution. People poison themselves to...get high and live longer? But the Mortum it produces eventually turns them to stone? Why would anybody choose to do that?? Note that I have included the magic system in the list of pros, but in conjunction with the poison element it started to feel messy. I think that if taking poison enhanced a person's ability to control Mortum it would have been much more interesting. Having to weigh the short-term benefit of stronger abilities with the long-term consequences of TURNING TO STONE would have made more sense to me.


Overall, this book was just OK for me. For the Wolf is still my favorite book by Whitten, but this was definitely better than For the Throne. I'll probably continue this series, but my excitement for it has dwindled a bit. I think Hannah Whitten has really interesting ideas, so I'd love to see her writing continue to develop in order to do those ideas proper service.

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me an E-ARC of this book

Giving 3 stars but it's more like a 2.5

I had to convince myself to finish this book. Bastian was the only character who was interesting sort of. I also had issues with the plotline but my main issue was the writing style. Maybe that was the reason I didn't like anything else but I did manage to finish the book

A very interesting tale of mortem & spiritum, the magic behind it. The church. The court & royalty. The politics. And of course deception, betrayal.

I found the beginning a little slow while trying to grasp the world building and how the magic in this unique world worked. Once it started to pick up though I couldn’t stop reading!

I wasn’t sure if I should give The Foxglove King a 3.5 or a 4. Some area’s just fell a bit flat for me, but it held my interest and the characters are likeable. There are hints throughout the book that made me form my own theories and I feel like I have more questions than answers now. Very intrigued to learn more about Bastian, Lore and Gabe in the coming books.



LGBTQ rep (side characters)
Love triangle



Spice Rating
🌶️

I really liked Whitten's For the Wolf/For the Throne duology and there was a sneak peek of this book at the end of For the Throne that got me pretty hyped about it. Main character Lore is a poison runner with a secret - she was born in the catacombs beneath the city and she can control mortem, the magical death force that exists in all people and most things. She's managed to keep her power of necromancy hidden, but one day she's caught by the Presque Mort, who are basically highly trained fighting monks who can also control mortem. She's threatened by the Priest Exalted (Anton) and the Sainted King (August) with exile if she doesn't start spying on August's son, Prince Bastian, who is suspected of possible treason. She poses as the cousin of Gabriel, a former Duke who become a member of the Presque Mort. I found the three main characters really compelling - Lore, Gabriel, and Bastian form a (sometimes tenuous) alliance and try to figure out what Anton and August are really up to, all while navigating some confusing and conflicting feelings. The world building, religious mythology, and the nature of the magic were all really interesting as well. I hope there's a sequel! Content warning because death magic requires death and there's some fairly gruesome stuff described.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book.

I discovered Hannah Whitten's other works last year - For the Wolf and For the Throne. Like those, this story has a gothic, melodious feel to it. Its hard to describe, but I really enjoy Hannah's way with words. She can certainly make you feel as though you're there in that world with the character. Having said that, with this being book 1 of a new series, there was tons of world building. That did give this story a bit of a slower start. Here are some things I really enjoyed:
- Lore, the fmc. I like that she's tough and whip smart!
- Both mmc - at this point, I can't choose! I also really liked the way the 'love triangle' has begun to unfold. Feels organic.
- Great political and religious intrigue elements. Also court intrigue!

I think this is a super start to a new fantasy series - can't wait to read book 2!

This one was SO fun to read! If you’re into eerie magic, great banter, and characters that always keep you guessing, then this book is for you! It is completely different from The Wilderwood duology, but still has that magical writing that Whitten achieves every time. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book!

The Foxglove King is a romantic and haunting start to a new dark fantasy duology. The gothic fantasy world was the perfect setting for this story of love, loyalty, and power.

Hannah Whitten may be the only author who can write a love triangle that I actually enjoy. One of the main reasons that the love triangle didnt bother me is that I loved all of the characters individually, Lore is a really strong protagonist and she doesnt lose her personality after the love interests are introduced. She is strong, selfish, and determined. There also wasnt a clear "winner" in the love triangle like their normally is. I personally swtiched teams multiple times throughout the book. Both Bastian and Gabe are complex and interesting characters.

The critique of organized religion and theocracy was a surprisingly strong element in this book. Though this is a relatively common theme in fantasy books, the history of the gods and the magic system made for a very interesting exploration of how history can be rewritten by those in power. This theme is coupled with politics and scheming in a decadently rotten court. I am excited to see how Whitten expands on these themes in the sequel.

The book really found its footing at the very end and I am incredibly excited to read book two. However, the beginning was quite slow as we were introduced to the characters, the magic, and the world. The majority of the book felt like exposition for the conflict that was introduced at the end of the book. The incredibly predictable plot twist also made the story feel a lot slower. I havent seen it mentioned in other reviews so it may have been a personal thing, but I saw the plot twist coming almost immediately. The foreshadowing in this book is heavy handed, especially with the incredibly obvious epigraphs at the start of each chapter. When the reveal is obvious all of the foreshadowing weighs down the story and it started to get a bit tedious. I honestly wish the epigraphs hadnt been included because they made the foreshadowing particularly unbearable. They either repeated the same theme or spoiled the events for the chapter.

I hope we get more of an explanation for the magic system in book two. Spiritum and mortem are such a unique way to explore death magic. I love have visual Lore's magic was and I cannot wait to see how she grows into her powers in the next book.

Though The Foxglove King was a bit of a slow start, it builds to an heartwrenching conclusion that promises a powerful sequel.

3,5 stars - 4. stars. I can't decide on a rating yet.

The Foxglove King was the first book that I have read by Hannah Whitten and the first book in a new fantasy trilogy. For not having read previous works by the author I did enjoy this book and I'm excited to pick up her other works.

In the Foxglove King , things I enjoyed were the politics and court intrigue as that made the story interesting. I also adored the characters, Lore, Bastien and Gabriel., they really made the book very enjoyable and I liked Lore and Bastien a lot more than I thought I would. Things I didn't like in the book was that the world building and magic system was kind of thrown around and it was hard to follow at times, however it was a very interesting and unique magic system. I hope the explanations get better as the series continues. There is also a love triangle, which I know many people are not a fan of. I personally don't mind the love triangle trope, but I found the romance to be unnecessary at times. I love a good fantasy romance but some moments just felt forced .

Overall, this was a good start to a fantasy series and I am excited to continue the rest of the series to see how everything plays out.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this e-arc!