I enjoyed this sequel but not as much as Book 1. I found that some of the initial fun of the constant back and forth between the three main characters was a bit lost. However, I’m still very invested in the series and excited for the final book!

I had a good time with this. It’s spooky, it’s got an A+ cult leader villain, and I desperately want the love triangle to become a throuple.

However, this definitely had a little bit of middle book syndrome. Pacing struggled in the middle here—this could have been 75-100 pages shorter, if I’m honest. I also think that the trickle world building generally works but I’d like a bit more. The elemental gods, for example, felt very shoehorned in to the whole thing.

But ultimately I enjoyed reading it and will eagerly pick up book 3. (begging… BEGGING the author to have this end in a throuple).

This book was already published but it gets 5 stars from me. All the vibes, excellent setting, interesting characters, kinda creepy. Loved it!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Romantasy
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: April 9, 2024
📖 470 pages

I actually enjoyed The Hemlock Queen more than book 1! The pacing is much faster, and the world-building is much more complex. If you enjoy gore and horror elements in your fantasy, you'll absolutely adore this series.

I really loved Lore and Bastian's banter, at least initially. Things became complicated very quickly, and, without spoiling anything, Bastian goes through so much in this book. It hurts because I love his character. I understand why Lore cares for both him and Gabe; however, I dislike love triangles and the "why choose" trope, which it feels like the author might be leading up to.

I love Allie. She's such a fun and sweet side character, and it makes me happy that Lore has someone she feels she can depend on.

Anyway, I'll be running to read The Nightshade God because the cliffhanger has me sobbing 🥹

⚠️ use of language, some sexual content (not explicit, but open door), toxic relationship

Nothing I can say that hasn't already been said! A great book! I got this ARC to prepare for the 3rd book to come out later this year!

Oh how I missed Bastien and Gabe. Oh man this story is so fast paced with so many twists and turns. I love where the story is going and I never knew what's going to happen next. I'm in love with Gabe but I can't help feeling for Bastien. Maybe this will end in a Poly or true triangle. I can't wait to dive in to book three now.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book post-release in anticipation of the release of The Nightshade God!!! I'm absolutely ecstatic to catch up and read the newest!

Okay, IDK why it took me so long to read this book but it's INCREDIBLE and I can't wait for the final book. Bastian and Lore and Gabe is the only love triangle I want to read about.

This second book by Whitten was a huge disappointment. In the first book Lore was a strong woman who did what she thought was the right thing. In this second book, she does not stand up for herself at all. She was transformed from a strong woman to someone who just goes along with whatever the prince pushes her into. The romance in the book felt forced and it very much detracted from the rest of the story. The underlying bones of the story are intriguing, and I think if it wasn't for the way the characters are written in this, it could have been a solid sequel.

While I didn’t love this quite as much as the first book (which is often the case with second installments), I still really enjoyed stepping back into this world and following these characters again. This series is a great pick for romantasy readers who crave a darker, magic-laced setting.

One of my favorite aspects was the way the author painted the sky throughout the book. The attention to the shifting colors between day and night was beautifully done, making those transitions feel almost like a character in themselves:

"Lore watched the sky through the window, honey and lavender and encroaching indigo. No moon tonight."
"Night fell like layers of veils, each darkening the sky further. Lavender became indigo became midnight-blue, pricked through with stars."

That said, I did find the pacing a little slow in the beginning, and it wasn’t until about halfway through that I felt fully pulled into the story. Once the mystery started unfolding, I was completely hooked, devouring the hints and revelations scattered throughout. However, I do wish the early chapters had included more misdirection—more suspicious behavior, red herrings, or unexpected twists to keep the tension simmering. By the end, we had all the answers, but the characters couldn’t openly acknowledge them, which made for some frustrating moments. A bit more intrigue in the first half would have added to the suspense.

Speaking of tension—this book had plenty, and I was eating up every ounce of it. The signs are all pointing toward a love triangle, but I’m still holding out hope for a throuple. The flashback memories gave just enough of a glimpse at what could be, and considering all the sacrifices Lore has had to make for survival and the greater good, I’d love to see her embrace a “why choose” moment. She deserves it.

I also appreciated how this book pulled more of the side characters into the main plot. Alie, in particular, is fascinating, but I’d love to get deeper into her psyche. She always presents herself as composed and noble, but I want to see what really drives her beneath the surface. I’m also looking forward to seeing more elemental magic in the next book—while spiritum/mortum magic and poison use played a role here, it felt much more restrained compared to the first book.

A huge thank you to Orbit and Hannah Whitten for providing this ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Foxglove King left us with a world and story that seemed cracked open, with the potential for almost anything to emerge. This left The Hemlock Queen with some big choices to make, as it would shape where the series would end up going and what came out of that intense first book. I was quite surprised (but extremely pleased!) by the way the plot ended up moving, and I’m excited to see how this story concludes in book 3!

The Foxglove King left us with plenty of questions, and luckily The Hemlock Queen started giving us some answers pretty quickly, though it is not entirely always clear where those answers are coming from and how much they can be trusted. In a way, this book starts working closely with themes of fate and pattern as both the history of the world is revealed and relationships between our main characters are further developed. It starts an interesting discussion on the role and effect of fate and pre-determination and looks at how freedom of choice does or does not exist in moments of cyclic repetition (and if this even matters in the end, as even if a moment or feeling is fated, it does still happen and it is still felt). I enjoyed how closely these parts of the story were interwoven together, and it made both the world-building/plot and the character relationships feel richer as a result.  

I also enjoyed how the magic system was shaped and altered by this shift in plot and struggle as well. The first book was more classically magical, with physical manifestations of magic on the page and an exploration of the effects of this magic in a physical sense. The Hemlock Queen ends up being much more of an internal story, and the shift to more mental magic and conflict within this more mental space fits that story better. We did already see glimpses of this back in The Foxglove King too, so the shift also felt like a natural one.

Overall, I enjoyed this sequel immensely, and it cemented this series as a favorite, beyond something that I just had fun with to something that I can see sticking with me for longer! I am absolutely terrified of the final book, though, as there are just so many ways it can go.

Hannah Whitten does it again. I don’t think I have ever read a book by her that was not absolutely immaculate. I am eagerly awaiting the final installment

I absolutely loved this book, it was fast paced and written really well. Hannah Whitten is a world-building powerhouse! The Sainted King's court feels like a glittering chandelier--bright and brilliant to behold, with faceted edges sharp enough to kill

After reading the first book in this series, when I saw this I knew I had to get my hands on it and I was so excited to be approved for the ARC. I love the magic system that is in this book. It is very unique with the MFC abilities. This book also picks up right where the first book ends so it makes a smooth transition for the readers. I really appreciate the authors devotions to the "religious" aspects of this book with their gods. You can see a lot of parallels with some religions we are all familiar with as well.
Thank you for the ARC

I loved The Foxglove King. I couldn’t wait to read this one. Unfortunately, I really struggled with it. I think it was a case of the right book at the wrong time. I’m going to give it another read because of how much o enjoyed the first book.

I thought this was just going to be a duology, but I'm so glad it isn't. Fingers still crossed for a poly-romance

I thoroughly enjoyed this read! Captivating, intriguing and left me wanting more. I cannot wait to read more from this author

My only real issue with this is the way that lore is strong and capable in her own but Sebastian takes such a huge role in protecting her.

I did enjoy that this expanded more in the romance aspect of the first book. And am looking forward to the conclusion to see how everything wraps up

The first book in the series was beautifully written, easy to read, and painted an atmospheric scenery inside my mind. The Hemlock Queen was very hard to get into because it felt so different from the first one. The characters felt flat, the beautiful scenery turned dreary, and the storyline was incredibly boring. With 100 pages left until the end, I didn’t care how it concluded and stopped reading and listening. I will not be reading the third book.

Wasn’t sure my feelings here - I feel like compared to book 1 it fell a little flat for me. It was interesting, and definitely helped with the backstory of things - but not as plot moving as the first. Which is something I enjoyed.