3.5 stars rounded up

It started off so strong but then lost me in the last 25% of the book.

The story follows Lore, a poison runner that can control death magic known as Mortem. However it is illegal and can have very steep consequences. When a friend/fellow runner gets in trouble and his horse is killed by the guards. Lore harnesses her power to bring the house back to life.

The guards seizes her but instead takes her to the castle. As her special ability is wanted by the king. The king wants Lore to figure out what is killing villagers and to spy on his son Bastian with another guy named Gabe.

This is one of those fantasy's that blends genres with mystery. It was fun most of the book to follow Lore and he companions as they try to solve the mystery. Lores character was ok, she just seemed a bit helpless. I just didn't get the feelings that she is super capable on her own

My favorite character was Bastian. His character was fun and roll with the punches. Unfortunately, Gabe was insufferable for me. He just came off super whiney and annoying. I feel like this book would have been fine or better with out Gabe.

My favorite part of this book is the magic system. I thought the mortem was super interesting and was described really well when it was in use. It was a different idea regarding magic and I'm here for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for this advanced readers copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites at the time of publishing.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book! The idea is arresting, but the exposition is very heavy and a couple of items need to be fleshed out, most importantly, the world itself and the POV.

Those who follow my reviews know that I am a "HUGE" fan of Orbit Books. It truly does not matter the book, nor the author, if it's a book by Orbit or affiliate, sign me up. I'm there and ready for it, no questions asked. And Hannah Whitten proved again why Orbit reigns supreme, with her book "The Foxglove King"

Now I will admit, this particular book took me a lot longer to read than usual. HOWEVER!!!
Due to after affects of Covid and memory retention playing a part in delay, the first 20_25 pages had my ADHD mind wandering.
So, I had to give myself a reset, I read an author that I had previously put on hold for this book, and then returned to The Foxglove King
Well! Thank goodness I perservered!!
Whitten writing is exactly why Orbit is my favorite. They have only the best Authors.
Whitten is "Badassery!, And this book is so mesmerizingly good, I can barely put words to it. But I will give it a go.

Whitten's book starts out with Lore working as a poison runner who also has the ability to channel mortem.,(Although not fully,) because she has never been trained properly, she knows she's able to do something..
When, one day her secret is discovered while trying to protect another of the poison runners who has a family. In order for him to escape, Lore channels mortem into Horse, which of course gives the two of the them the out they need to escape. Only problem is, that Lore is set up and turned over to the Presque Morts the Citadel where King Augustus rules..
Lore is then told that in exchange for her life, she is to get close to the Sun Prince Bastian. King Augustus Heir who is believed to be a traitor and responsible for the deaths of the neighboring villages that has been befalling them with no explanation.
Lore under duress agrees, only to find she also is assigned a babysitter, Gabe, a priest who has been exiled from the Citadel, due to his father's traitorous acts.. Gabe and Lore are to pretend to be cousins while at the Citadel.
But things don't go as the King has planned, because he underestimated his son who figures out who Lore is almost immediately.
Bastian demands Lore tell him what his father has planned,
But other than Augustus wanting his own son killed, he's far more treacherous than any of them could have imagined. And Lores consecration is the 🗝 "KEY" to everything.
(pondering silently to self)
SOOOO!!!🤔
Mortem + Spiritum + SP+ L = LUNATIC KA
(AHA!!! 😊
But this is where I must leave you, because it's truly one you just have to read for yourself.🤐❤️

Whitten gives readers mystery, magic, and religion all wrapped up in one spell binding read.

Each character you find yourself rooting for in some shape or form. While also wondering if they are who they really say they are.

Whitten's fantastical world of Nightshade Kingdom is impeccably descriptive, Especially the mortem garden that Gabe takes Lore to see.

Whitten's word-building is stellar and flows effortlessly throughout her book.
The only thing left to do is wait patiently and wonder, what's next??

Now that we have the
"PRIEST EXALTED"
"THE SAINTED KING"
AND "HIS DEATHWITCH"

DID ANYONE ELSE SEE THAT ONE COMING?
I DID NOT SEE THOSE TWO TOGETHER.
BUT! THIS IS A CONVO AFTER BOOK 2 I'M SURE.


"WHITTEN YOU ROCK"

#KUDOS FOR A JOB SPLENDIDLY DONE!!

"WHITTEN IS RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE BEST OF THE OF BEST!!"

#ORBITBOOKS.US
#ORBITBOOKS
#ORBITBOOK.ORBIT
#💜HANNAHWHITTEN

Thank you, NetGalley \Hannah Whitten\Orbit Books.Orbit \ for this amazing eARC, for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

Hannah Whitten does it again! The Foxglove
king is the first a lush high fantasy series that features a fascinating magic system and a love triangle that will keep me up at night.

Lore runs poison, an illegal drug that can extend the lives of its users. She also has a magical affinity for Mortem—death magic that seeps from the tomb of a fallen goddess. When her magic is revealed, she makes a deal with the Sainted King to spy on his son, Bastian. Gabe, a monk atoning for his father’s sins, is chosen to work with her even though he’d rather be reciting prayers. Their story is as intertwined as their feelings for one another.

The ending! Whoa! I loved The Foxglove King. The story is so interesting, the characters were likable, relatable, and layered, and the magic system was fascinating. I also really enjoyed the religious aspect of the story and the world of Dellaire. Whitten used her characters and world building to question religion and power in a way that I appreciated and could relate to.

I have two gripes about the story/writing that bothered me while I was reading it, enough to where I’m taking a star off my rating. Number one, it felt like I was being beat over the head with the familiarity between Lore and Gabe and Lore and Bastian. It was mentioned A TON. I just wanted that to be more subtle. I can guess where it’s going and I didn’t need to be done as many times as I was. Number two, no one ever bathed or washed up in this book, despite going through a lot and wearing fancy Court clothing and attending fancy events. Cleaning of their rooms/apartments was mentioned more than once, but a quick wash up from anyone was never mentioned. If they can talk about cleaning up their chambers, then we can splash some water on our face, right?

Overall, I loved this book and am anxiously awaiting its release and the next in the series! It gets a 4/5 from me. Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Hannah Whitten for the opportunity to read and review The Foxglove King.

Hundreds of years ago, the gods abandoned the mortal world, leaving behind a single family to rule over the kingdom. Now, centuries later, poison and decadence rule the streets of Auverran, and those who can sense the threads of Death are holy. In a land where the Goddess of Death and the God of Life have left the world behind, their bodies fuel the magic of the world until entire villages turn up dead. Enter Lore, a poison runner from the underground who is thrust into the intrigue of the Court and tasked with spying on Bastian, the playboy crown prince. Aided by Gabriel, a duke turned monk who teeters on the edge of religious belief, the three will be plunged into a world of mystery and danger they didn’t know existed.

If that description of The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten sounded confusing, good, because that is accurate to the book. From the beginning, more time was spent developing worldbuilding than developing characters. There are chapters in which our three main heroes sit in a library and discuss theology, or go to a tea and discuss, you guessed it, religion. While the world was very fleshed out, the plot itself was lacking, needing massive amounts of info-dumping to make any sense. It was clear that the world had been created before the plot, which can work in some instances, but the author spent more time explaining irrelevant details of her fictional universe than she did telling a good story.

As for the characters, they were stereotypes. Bastian was every playboy prince ever written in YA/NA fantasy. There was nothing unique about him, and he lacked depth behind his glittering façade. Gabriel was no better, filling the role of a supportive friend turned love interest who had qualms about the main character’s powers. Lore was the standard badass female heroine who had a higher destiny, caught between two love interests she didn’t have chemistry with. Speaking of which, the love triangle was unnecessary because there was no spark with either Bastian or Gabriel. It felt like the author was attempting to use the overused romance trope to heighten the tension of the story, only to end up making all three characters look back.

There was so much foreshadowing in this novel that it became tiresome watching the characters fumble for the obvious truth. 150 pages were wasted as Lore slowly realized what had been obvious to the audience all along. Once she finally figured it out, the book got good. The last 10% of this novel was entirely unrecognizable from earlier sections, and while it was predictable, it was well-written and fun. I’m also able to make critiques about larger-scale storytelling aspects because every small detail was in place. The writing was good, the dialogue felt realistic, and while the pacing was off, the fight scenes were well-written.

Overall, The Foxglove King read as if someone took Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass, made it French, dumbed down the characters, and added different world-building. There was nothing new about this novel, and while some elements were executed well, the story was poisoned by its worldbuilding, unable to expand into what it could have been.

This is a deliciously dark, incredibly lush fantasy brimming with romantic tension and set in a world of necromancy and religious strife. It really spoke to the lapsed Catholic in me, and I fell in love from the first page.

THE FOXGLOVE KING is a most read Fantasy novel of 2023. I had previously read FOR THE WOLF and FOR THE THRONE from Hannah Whitten, so I was so elated to read this title. This book was such a beautiful fantasy novel with incredible world building elements and fantastic characters. Lore was so well fleshed out and her character truly leapt off the page. I cannot wait to see what Whitten writes next!

Hannah F. Whitten delivers another addictive, lush fantasy world, this time filled with poison, intrigue, fallen gods, and death magic.

How much did I love this book? A lot. It has brought me out of a late in the year reading slump with tension, characters I'm in love with, and a world that feels too real by at least half.

Every time I thought I'd reached a point where I could take a break, I got dragged into a fresh chapter, and I'm not mad. The dynamic between Lore, Bastian, and Gabe was fantastic. There was a smart, sharp dimensionality to the world and characters alike that make them feel innately real.

In a world full of fantasy that blends together, The Foxglove King is going to stand out.

My only question is...when do we get book 2?

The Foxglove King
By: Hannah Whitten
4/5

Lore is a woman desperately trying to escape her dark past. This isn't easy due to the fact that she can use mortem, magic of death, and it ties her to the city. she ends up running poison, a high priced commodity to keep herself alive. one dayshe is tricked and her magic is revealed. She is taken by the Presque- Mort, a sect of warrior monks trained to use mortem. she is then
thrust into the glittering court of the sainted King, under adisguise and given one task, follow the prince. lore ends cp tangled in the politics, religion and familydrama of the court. But there is one problem, people keep dying in alarming numbers, and her power keeps growing. Can she solve the mystery and stay hidden from her past?

I was lucky enough to relieve an ARC of this book from Net Galley. This is my first book by Hannah Whitten but her other books have been on my TBR shelf for a little bit. I was excited to read this, because I have heard such good things about her writing. it was fantastic! I loved it. The magic system is so intriguing, and I enjoyed the political and religious intrigue, and the secret missions! I didn't know who to trust all the way up until the last page, there are some serious plot twists! I loved the writing and the characters, I kept flipping back and forth on who I was rooting for ( as per usual with love triangles). I really can't wait for the next one, whenever that may be! Hannah Whitten is a great and talented story teller!

I dont think I can properly talk about how much I loved this book! The characters, the world! Everything was so beautifully dark and I loved the relationship between our three main characters. Whitten has a way of writing that instantly draw me into the story and I have a hard time putting it down. Absoluetly amazing.

The Foxglove King is a unique fantasy novel about a poison-runner named Lore, who has powerful magic that can raise the dead. I have never read a book quite like this one, which features political intrigue, religious zealots, a rich magic system, and of course a little bit of romance. Hannah Whitten has really grown as a writer because I really didn’t like her first series For the Wolf, but this book was nothing like it. My only criticism is I finished reading and still have a ridiculous amount of questions and I don’t love the direction the series is taking, but we will see how this all progresses next book.

I definitely recommend this book, especially if you like fantasy novels with court schemings like The Cruel Prince.

The Foxglove King is a decent read with a unique twist on the dark fantasy genre. The magic system in this world is based on death (Mortem) and life (Spiritum). Mortem is carefully regulated by the Church, and Mortem users are obligated to work under the Chuch. Lore was raised in the catacombs with an affinity for Mortem, and she is a poison-runner, smuggling Foxglove poison for people seeking that near-death high or using it in small quantities to extend life. When she is caught on the job, she is employed by the King to investigate his own son, Prince Bastion. Lore is overseen by Gabriel, one of the Presque-Mort employed by the Church.

The Foxglove King is full of court politics and morally-grey characters. Each character is well developed, and the love triangle is entertaining. The pacing of the book is a bit slow towards the beginning, but quickly becomes fast-paced as the story proceeds. Although the plot twist at the end is somewhat predictable, this is still an enjoyable story.

This was and wasn't as bad as I'd suspected it would be.

Has Hannah Whitten improved as a writer with this book? Yes, and noticeably so.
Has Hannah Whitten kept her weaknesses as a writer with this book? Also yes, and noticeably so.

I'll go with the positives first: the author has become a better storyteller. She had this raw talent that shows in her first book, but she wasn't that good at writing or at characterisation. Her writing was very tropey and meandering, with basic prose though lovely descriptions, and she would stretch a plot for too long. But at the same time she had intriguing ideas and was able to set up the atmosphere and world with little effort, she excelled at description and at immersing you in her stories, which compensated for her weaknesses.

She also writes unpretentiously, she isn't a belle prose writer, she writes like a contemporary person talks. Her dialogues are very modern, with slang and turns of phrase very typical of American English, and she doesn't pretend it to be anything else. This book might be inspired by Louis XIV's Versailles, but the people's attitude and language are those of modern Americans and she doesn't want it to be otherwise. She doesn't pretend they're "people of the times." I think it's quite bold. Personally, I prefer that when authors take a European setting as inspiration, they keep to the European feel, but I'm not a stickler for it in Fantasy as I am for Historical Fantasy; so long as it's not excessively modern as to include street slang, it's fine by me. This book isn't quite Versailles, it doesn't have the customs and culture and mores and protocols that characterised the Sun King's court, and to be honest if you hadn't told me this was inspired by Versailles, I'd not have made the connection. Because the world isn't all that developed, it's kind of generic Urban and Court setting, with all the typical tropes and expectations.

So, if there's nothing especially spectacular about the setting and writing, what does set this book apart? The plotline. It has an interesting magic system based on Mortem, a power to raise the dead that has a counterpart in Spiritum, the power of life. This power is highly regulated, only the Church can wield it, so when they catch Lore, an unauthorised Mortem user, she has to work for Church and Crown to uncover some mysterious deaths in which this magic is suspected to have been used. Forced into espionage, she is escorted around by Gabriel, a Presque Mort or priest that can channeld this magic, and comes to be close with Bastian, the Sun Prince she's supposed to spy on. What these three uncover is unexpectedly more than they thought but not quite shocking as you could already see that final development from afar.

Personally, I didn't care much for the magic system because, to be frank, the whole fallen gods and Church storyline reads like Catholic Church fanfiction written by someone who isn't Catholic. And because of that, it relies on stereotypes. I can tell the author comes from an Evangelical background based on how she has created her in-world Church. Compare it to Margaret Rogerson, who has a Catholic background and also used the Church for her fictional one in her books, but you can tell she knows the institution inside and out. Whitten doesn't, and it shows. The whole religion arc in this book isn't well handled, it's made up very superficially and based on stereotypes anyone can come up with.

It's this superficiality what's bothered me the most from this book. The feeling that nothing here goes beyond skin deep. Versailles? Superficial inspiration, we don't see how the royal palace is like beyond a few generic descriptions. Louis XIV-like king? Hardly a nod or two and mostly in copying his titles. Court life? Very cliché, indistinguishable from any generic Fantasy court regardless of time period. The aristocracy? Cliché, and they have no set of rules of behaviour and a court culture beyond the generic "decadent nobles" trope. The commonfolk? You don't see anything but the generic fighting & drug dens and a few lowlifes here and there, no overall feel for what kind of society this is. The ethnicities? Generic whites and the distant exotic and evil peoples... It's all so superficial.

The second thing that bothered me the most was the love triangle. There's an underlying "fated to be together" theme to this book's triangle. Why does Lore feel attracted to Gabriel? She doesn't know, she feels like she "knows" him since forever. Why does Lore feel attracted to Bastian? She doesn't know, she feels like she "knows" him since forever. And of course, the two men feel the same because they just "know" her. In other words, there's no earned trust, no earned respect, no earned love. It all happens because those two men are hot and she "just knows" in her gut that they're destined for something. And conveniently, a prophecy is revealed at the eleventh hour that confirms that these three are fated for something grand. Yeah, right. You can't choose, so you need a prophecy to validate your indecisiveness.

To her credit, Whitten doesn't drag the angst and hand-wringing for too long. Oh, there is angst, but it's subdued. And yes, she does resort to lame excuses to have Lore kiss both men at different points. Whoever says the author handled the triangle very well must have a high tolerance for triangles or they're just thankful this isn't so bad as your typical YA triangle. Yes, this isn't as bad as YA love triangles go, but that's a low bar. Comparatively, it isn't so bad. On its own, it is bad.

Characterisation-wise, this book has a better female lead than her previous duology, and this together with the improved storytelling is why I say Whitten has improved as a writer. Lore is a freer woman, more sure of herself, less burdened by silly mindsets. She's very refreshing in that sense, and that makes it all the more irritating that she's brought low by a triangle. Someone like her shouldn't be lusting after two guys; she's the type to bed 'em and kick 'em afterwards, a no-nonsense gal who is comfortable with her sexuality and isn't ashamed of it. So why does she have to be subjected to this triangle for no apparent reason other than Fate? Why can't authors not resist the need to undermine a woman's confidence by making her go stupid in the presence of two hot dudes?

The book ends on a cliffhanger, although not one that particularly bothers me because I could see it coming and can guess where it's going, but in case there's other readers out there that don't tolerate cliffhangers, I'd say wait until the next book is out to start this. This first book is a lot of set up, it's not quite a standalone, it is slow at the start, and Whitten's stories are generally better when you read all the books in a row.

I’ll immediately start by saying that I cannot wait for book two. Even though this didn’t quite get 5 stars from me, it is still one of my favorite books of the year!

Lore left the mysterious catacombs under the city as a child. With a past heavy with burden and secrets she does her best to provide for herself by helping her adoptive mothers smuggle the city’s most sought-after item…Foxglove Poison.

Whittling years off of death and inducing feelings of euphoria, Foxglove is openly enjoyed amongst the ton, while being criminalized in the lower levels of society.

After Lore is caught during a heist and has no choice but to use her powers, she is sanctioned by the King and his priest brother to spy on the King’s son, Prince Bastian.

Gabriel, a man of the church with as equally a storied past as Lore, is stationed at her side to aid in the spying. Together they are set to uncover a traitor to the kingdom.

Lore immediately feels a pull toward both Bastian and Gabriel. A tether between them all that she can’t wrap her fingers around. While she and Gabriel cavort around society, masquerading as members, they discover secrets they wish had remained buried.

The question is, will they bury them in shadow or bring them into the light?

The Foxglove King was a wonderfully mysterious and tension-filled read. The characters have great chemistry with one another even though they are completely foolish and haven’t the slightest idea what they’re doing. The magic system is unique and well-explained. The political and societal unrest in the story really add to the overall immersive quality of the world Hannah Whitten has built.

I genuinely can’t wait to read the next installment!

The Foxglove King was a good read with a great premise and decent world building. I feel like it was a little slow, but overall it was a decent series starter. My one major complaint was the author would give show us something and Lore would ignore or rationalize it away instead of exploring it and moving the story forward. It made the story slow and made her look dumb. How many times do we have to be shown the same thing about a character before you think its something other than your eyes playing tricks on you??? It was so frustrating for me. However, I would still pick up the second book to see what happens next. I would definitely still recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. These are my own thoughts:

The Foxglove King, book 1 of the Nightshade King, is a life vs death romp in a kingdom where death magic is well known and wildly abused. I enjoyed the foreshadowing that didn't spoil the ending. My only grievance was Horse. It took me until Horse to really get invested and want to keep reading.

While a touch too mature for my high school classroom (primarily language, although there is one scene), I personally enjoyed this. I like that even though it is suggested this is part of a multibook series, the story ends. I am looking forward to a second book, but I'm not mad that there isn't one yet.

Foxglove king is Hannah Whitten’s newest dark fantasy that follows Lore, a girl that can pull and manipulate the essence of dead beings or inanimate things. In a world that people use poison to extend their live, we begin her story as she working for a sort of “poison dealers”. In this world, anyone that has had a near-death experience can channel this Morten power. However, Lore is a bit different.
In this world, we also have a king that worship Apollius, the Sun God (or God of Life) and is being threatened with war from a neighboring kingdom. Additionally this same king is having to deal with mysterious massive deaths of villagers in his realm.
Everything changes when, during a raid, Lore is caught in a hard situation and manages to raise her horse from the death. Of course it will brings the authorities’s attention on her and she is taken to the palace and forced to work for the king to discover who/what is leading the villages deaths and to spy on the King’s son, that has been on suspicion to be working with the rival kingdom.

There is a little bit of pacing issues specifically at the beginning of the story during the world building. However, it picks up from the middle to the end of the book. I really like the whole environment of the book, its mysteries, side characters and magic system. It depicts a society addicted to the idea of living forever even though the cost is very high.
The romance in this book works as a subplot but it is well developed between Lore, Gabe (her “guard” and priest Morten - he is part of a religious faction in the story that are also able to manipulate Morten) and Bastian (the king’s son and Appolius chosen). I really enjoyed how the characters are layered and has very complex dynamic due to their past that we discover throughout the book.
This book also contains an interesting political intrigue plot with several underlying mysteries that we discover together with Lore.
It’s a book that fans of dark fantasy and YA fantasy (it does not have much spice scenes in this book)
I am really excited for the follow up of this story!

A new dark and mesmerizing fantasy series that I was sad to finish!

The Foxglove King is a story about 23 year old poison-runner and necromancer Lore, who, when the use of her death magic accidentally comes to light, is given the choice between burning on the pyre and working with the Sainted King and disgraced Duke-turned-monk (Gabriel) to spy on his son, the Sun Prince (Bastian), who is suspected of inciting war with a neighboring kingdom. The story plays out amidst a backdrop of court politics and intrigue with a medieval setting so darkly rich and opulent that you want to just live there forever as you try to unravel the link between Lore’s history and magic system that is wrapped up into both the city’s faith/spirituality and monarchical political construct. Whitten leads you expertly alongside main character Lore on her journey to determine which side is the right side and who exactly is on it - which you may suspect but will not know for sure until the very end!

The characters are complex and nearly ALL morally-grey which fits superbly with the general feel of the story and yet with the knowledge given of their histories/backgrounds/childhood trauma you feel like you know exactly why each character may tow that line of villain/hero. The love-triangle subplot is not forced and even after finishing the book, I STILL do not know who I am rooting for to win Lore’s affections - and I sure as hell know that Lore doesn’t know at this point yet either!

If you love morally-grey main characters, a magic system made up of the juxtaposition of light and dark, queernormative settings, court politics, and forced-proximity love triangles teaming with sexual tension and witty banter (with just a tiny sprinkling of spice) this book is for you.

This book does read slightly more like a YA novel (no shade - because this still gets 5 stars from me and I’m not a YA lover in general). My only critique is that at times the “narrative voice”, especially during the witty banter, does not match up to the medieval setting as the characters sometimes speak more like 21st century young-adult Americans and this did sometimes pull me out of an otherwise completely engrossing story.

The only downside of reading an advanced reader copy of an amazing book one in a new series is the length of time you have to wait for book two! Thank you netgalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read this novel as e-arc.

Please note that I will be holding off on my goodreads and tiktok full review until 2 weeks prior to release as requested.

Slow start but once the world building and characters started to be fleshed out, it got interesting quick!! I love the opposites attract theme between Lore and Prince Bastian. I also like that Lore is attracted to both her monk protector and the golden prince. I wish we would have gotten more romance and see who she really wanted to be with. I like that her magic is death because it’s different and dark. Lore is essentially a necromancer with a conscious….. but she could be the apocalypse in human form. I really can’t wait to read
Book 2.

Necromancy? Masquerade balls? Hints of religious trauma? This book had everything I didn't realize I'd love and knitted it together into a fantasy book I'm desperate for more of!

I won't lie, it took a hot minute to figure out the magic system and while romance is a developing subplot, it's quite light in this first book. I can definitely sense how it might escalate in the next two books though. Like most trilogies, this first book is full of set up, establishing the world, characters, and tensions before it can be developed more fully.

With that in mind, the first half of this book was a bit slow for me, but laced with just enough worldbuilding and intrigue to keep me going. Once the plot kicked in though, it KICKED. The last 100 pages had me hurdling towards the ending, desperate to find out what happened. While it's a bit of a cliffhanger ending, it sets up the next book wonderfully, and I can't wait to follow along to find out what happens next!