Cover isn't what dragged me to this book. The Blurb is what caught my eye. I dont think I have read anything by this author before I think but they have a new reader . I couldn't put it down at all. Kept me pulled into it, highly recommend this book. 5 star book. Absolutely loved it and might reread it next year.

I enjoyed Whitten's debut and was excited to receive the first of a new duology from netGalley. Lore is able to manipulate Mortem (death magic) and is pulled off the streets by the king and high priest to help figure out why people in towns are dying overnight. There's romance and court intrigue and magic and it is just so so wonderful. I eagerly await the followup.

Rating: 3 / 5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Hannah Whitten for the eARC in exchange, for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the magic in this book I’m reading all about that it was super interesting. Other than that I just couldn’t get into this book I finished it I just had trouble focusing while finishing it

This is the first book I have read by this author, but it will not be the last! I could not put it down! Such an incredible fantasy world that she created, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I loved the characters, the romance, the idea of our heroine who can raise the dead! An excellent, excellent novel that anyone of any age (teen, adult, Sarah J Maas fans, etc )would enjoy the twists and turns and the brilliant original plot. Wonderful, captivating writing gives this novel the depth and ability to pull in any reader. I highly recommend this and I can't wait to own this novel in print.

If I could rate any book more than five stars, it would be this book. I finished reading it three hours ago, and am still reeling from the destruction that this book left in its wake.

Oftentimes, fantasy can be quite telling. While the worlds change, the paths these characters take can often be similar. This book however, left me anticipating one action but reading another entirely. Whitten keeps readers on their toes throughout this entire novel, with twists and turns that I'm sure even shocked her in her writing process. The angst between Bastian, Lore and Gabe, was enticing and left readers wanting more. The world building was simple yet so appealing and multi-leveled. The magic was fantastical but held that most vital human entity, the fear of death.

All in all, I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone who enjoys high fantasy. There was quite literally nothing about this book that I did not enjoy.

This was everything I wanted and more. Atmospheric, enchanting, sexy and wholly unique. This is a book that seems to be built on vibes, but the foundation is strong. Hannah Whitten is so good at taking things we already recognize we like—gothic themes, reluctant allies, murder mystery, necromancy, love triangle, and more—and creating a story and cast of characters that are fun and new.

I realized about halfway through that this book is a reallllllly slow burn, slower than The Wilderwood duology. But I was having such a good time that it didn’t feel like it was dragging. And boy did that slow simmer pay off in the end. What an ending this was. Normally I despise cliffhangers, but I’m not even mad about this one. Because the story is complete and I look forward to reading the next part.

It took me a bit to get in to this book at the start, but I’m glad I stuck with it. I liked the characters and the relationships between them. The world was also interesting and I’m looking forward to the next part in this series! I also really liked the setting. The end felt a little rushed to me for some reason, but considering it’s part of a series I don’t think that’s a huge deal.

I really struggled with the FoxGlove king and did end up DNFing it. It was a great concept but the writing style felt awkward and juvenile. It took awhile to ramp up.

I knew upon reading the synopsis of this book that it would be right up my alley. I knew it. And reader — I was right. I had been desperately waiting for my ARC copy to arrive in my email ever since Orbit had announced this book was coming. And I know I really should have waited until closer to The Foxglove King‘s publishing date to read it, but uh, I could not wait any longer.

Despite my ongoing reading slump, I found myself diving into The Foxglove King. It is so good. It reads like the best YA adventure novel out there — and I do not mean that as a dig in any way whatsoever. I know people like to rag on YA novels, but they are a lot of fun most of the time. The Foxglove King is NOT a YA novel, but it definitely has the same feeling. There’s a lot at stake here in the plot, and the three main characters are all pretty high up on the so-called totem pole, if you will.

We have Lore, who is something of a necromancer. She’s got a mysterious past that we don’t see very much of in this book, but I fully expect to see more of in the incoming books. I really liked Lore. She never took anything for granted, and was rather fully on her own side. But she also had real feelings, and dang do you feel sorry for her the more you read.

Next, we have Gabe, who is a duke/monk in a death…related…cult? It’s hard to explain without spoiling anything. I promise it makes total sense in the book. He’s got his own reasons behind everything that he does or allows to happen, and while I wanted to like him, and you really really do want to like him, he is so manipulated that you really aren’t surprised by certain things that occur.

Lastly, we have Bastian, the Sun Prince. I love, love, love Bastian. I’m a sucker for a pretends-not-to-care, parties-all-the-time, but-actually-cares-a-lot character. That’s Bastian to a T. I cannot wait to see more of him. His dad is the King (obviously) and wow, do you hate his dad as soon as you meet him.

And yes, there is a bit of a love-triangle situation going on between the three leads. I know who I’m rooting for, but we’ll see where it goes. The romance is NOT a huge part of the book, though, for those of you that are worried about it. It is very much a minor subplot. Lore is not at all worried about her heart when her death magic seems to be strengthening. She has her priorities straight, I promise.

I loved the magic that Whitten included. I love the little hints of the gods that we see — this was actually one of my most favorite parts of the book. The gods are dead, but not, and they seem to be influencing things to go a certain way. It is so vastly interesting, and mysterious without being infuriating that I am now waiting with bated breath for the next entry into this series.

I enjoyed reading this book. The first 50% of the book was mostly palace intrigue and politics, then the next half picks up more action and suspense. I didn’t get the love triangle vibe others say, but that’s probably because I’ve rooted for one male character from the beginning. Main characters were morally gray, I couldn’t tell which way the plot would sway. The end was such a cliffhanger for me. I’m looking forward to learn how it ends.

The Foxglove King was such an excellent unexpected read for me. The plot felt like something new and refreshing for the genre and had me sucked in from the start. The world building created such a rich and engaging backdrop to support the story without overpowering it, while still making me want to explore more of it. Character development was solid, each one was well fleshed out and deliberately crafted. At no point did I find myself getting bored with the plot or disinterested in the characters, I only wished there was more, but I suppose that’s what book 2 is for, and I honestly cannot wait. The Foxglove King has definitely breached my top 5 reads for the year.

This seems like it's going to be a really great book and series. But it was a DNF for me because it was just too dark. I guess I should have known that from the summary, and I am genuinely interested in what happens, but I can't get past the dark themes. That being said, if you are a fan of dark fantasy with a complex religious structure and complex characters, I think you would enjoy this book.

I enjoyed this book at the start - the worldbuilding, the magic, and the characters were all compelling. By the end, I was disappointed in the direction it took - Lore and the love triangle she was involved in could have stepped out of any fantasy romance. Maybe it'll go in a more interesting direction in book two.

Below is my review from Goodreads, I will create and link my reviews on instagram and tiktok 2 weeks before publishing as requested by Orbit!

I was SO excited to read this but I honestly didn’t think I could love it more than For the Wolf, I WAS SO WRONG!!! Hannah Whitten is an absolute GENIUS and this entire book is a masterpiece. There’s so much to love so I’ll just jump right into it.

Whitten’s ability to create such an immersive and lush world right from the jump is so impressive to me I felt lured into this world right away. She’s so descriptive but it’s not overdone, everything was perfectly crafted and I could picture everything perfectly. This book is dark, moody, atmospheric, intense, suspenseful, and 500 other words I could use but I won’t go on. Her use of epigraphs was MASTERFUL and so incredibly satisfying. I love when books have these but I’ve never seen an author use them as well as she did here. (Seriously, pay attention to them when you read!!)

The magic system is SO cool. We’ve all seen necromancy in fantasy books before but the way it’s described here is SO unique and being able to learn more about it as our main character did and grew into her powers was perfect.

Speaking of main characters, our main trio were all SO complex and dimensional and I LOVED THEM ALL SO MUCH (or loved to hate them at times, I’m looking at you Gabriel 🤨) I’ll start with our leading lady, Lore. Lore is my morally grey icon (it isn’t apparent just how morally grey she is until the end, so just trust me on this)! She will do WHATEVER it takes to survive, her sense of self-preservation and survival instincts never falter and I love that about her. She sticks to her guns and she isn’t afraid of a battle or getting her hands dirty. She has her own sense of what’s right and wrong and she will not be dissuaded by anyone. But despite of all of this, she’s also vulnerable, has a soft side, and wants to build connections with people even when logic tells her otherwise. I absolutely adore her wit, humor, and intelligence and I don’t care what she does, I will always love her!!

Next we have Bastian…..BASTIAN THE MAN THAT YOU ARE!!!!! I am on my KNEES I love him so much. Arrogant, but charming; calculated, but caring; misunderstood, but always persevering. From the second he was introduced I knew I was in trouble!!! We’ve seen characters like him in fantasy books before but something about him is just DIFFERENT I don’t know how to fully explain it. He’s so charming and magnetic I was fully obsessed. He’s also so smart and he always kept me on my toes! Theres so much I could say specifically but I really can’t talk too much about him without getting into spoilers so that’s all I’ll say for now!!

And lastly, we have Gabriel. Admittedly, he is my least favorite of the trio. However, he is so well written and so complex and I really enjoyed his character arc and seeing how his past really affects and plays into his present and future. He sticks to what he believes is right and once he has his mind set on something, it’s clear he cannot be driven off track. He annoyed me a lot, and I didn’t agree with a lot of his decisions but everything made sense, ya know? I think a lot of people will absolutely adore and root for him. And you know what? I’m rooting for him too, in a way. Similarly to Bastian, I can’t say much else without getting into spoilers so I’ll leave it at that.


As for the plot, I was SO engaged. The first 20% was a little slow but I DEVOURED and binge read the last 80% in less than 24 hours it was that good. There’s so many twists and turns, and even when some were predictable, it all played out in such a well executed and satisfying way. This book could be pretty dark and disturbing at times but it also had so much heart in it and UGH I love this so much, absolutely in my top 5 books of the year without a doubt!!

I really could go on and on but we don’t want that so I’ll just end it by saying, READ THIS BOOK WHEN IT COMES OUT IN MARCH!!!! Thank you SO so much to Orbit and NetGalley for providing me with and eARC!

- if I didn't have other obligations, I like to think I would have flew through this in a few days. Hannah Whitten's style is incredibly accessible and easy to digest - I seem to remember having a similar need to breeze through For the Wolf. A Goodreads review describes her style as "familiar," and I think that's the easiest way to describe it.

- While I've rated this high, simply because of my attachment to the characters (they too feel familiar, but the shifting relationship between them is enough to make Foxglove stand on it's own, in my opinion) I do see the complaints, from other Goodreads reviewers, that it reads like a generic fantasy. Hannah Whitten's descriptions are lush and beautiful, but the characters' dialogue has a modern lean. There are a few points where the dialogue did take me out of an otherwise well-crafted world.

- Why are love triangles coming back in 2022-2023? I'm convinced there's some sort of poly energy between Bastian, Lore, and Gabe though and I'm willing to die on this hill. The three of them deserve to hold hands. They're all so fun, together and on their own, and while I got a little tired of the angst between Gabe and Lore by the end, I'm so looking forward to seeing where book 2 takes the three of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and OrbitBooks for the opportunity to read The Foxglove King.

If you like court intrigue, unique magic systems, well developed characters, and mystery this is the book for you. Hannah Whitten creates an interesting world where individuals who have had near death experiences are able to control Mortem or the energy that is released by dying things. The Buried Goddess is releasing large amount of Mortem which requires the Presque Mort to take charge to channel this to other areas. It is believed that the Bleeding Heart God has chosen the royal family to be able to control Spiritum which is life energy.

The three main characters were my favorite part of this book. Lore is a poison runner with a mysterious past who has the ability to control a vast amount of Mortem without having ever had a near death experience. After being caught after a bad run Lore is taken to the Citadel where she is placed under the care of a Presque Mort named Gabriel who used to be a Duke. Gabriel lost his eye after his father turned traitor and is trying to right his fathers sins. Gabe and Lore are tasked with getting close to Bastian the crown prince who acts like he doesn't have a care in the world but this is just a mask he uses.

Slowly throughout this book the mystery of Lore, Gabe, and Bastian is discovered as well as the mystery of what is happening in outlying villages. Filled with mystery, betrayal, and an understanding on oneself this book was hard to put down.

Wow! This book is thrilling and exciting. I could not put it down. The world that was built and the love triangle that goes on an adventure is just written at its best. I need more!

This was such an excellent book! I loved the subtle mysteries woven in throughout. A book can really be elevated when I'm asking questions and making guesses throughout!

I loved the characters, the implied love triangle, how the magic of necromancy worked in this world combined with it's opposite.

The ending was such a finale! the whole book was fast paced. I would say the first 2-3 chapters were confusing because there were a lot of names and no understanding but it took off from there and never stopped.

I need the next book!

Hannah Whitten is a fantastic writer and I was excited to read The Foxglove King. The magic system was interesting and the characters were great. I’m craving the next in the series already.

Thank you for the opportunity to read The Foxglove King early!

If you loved "For the Wolf" odds are you will adore "The Foxglove King".

In a world of gods and kings, Lore finds herself in an odd situation. She can control death. It's her greatest curse and also her greatest power. Found out, she must align herself with a monk and the king's heir to figure out what's killing villagers nearby. There's a constant question of who can be trusted and what the end game really is. This one kept me intrigued until the very end.