I can't believe I got to read a copy of this before publication date!!!! HUGE thanks to NetGalley, Orbit books, and Hannah Whitten for making it available and giving me this opportunity because waiting was TORTURE AHHHH!!!

SPOILER WARNING!!!

Now to the good part- THIS BOOK. My heart. I need more honestly is the only reason it didn't get 5 stars from me. The first two books were a little faster paced, and while I liked the ending a lot I just needed to see more of Lore, Bastian, and Gabe since so much of this book is spent where they're not together! So it just felt a little more leisurely overall (Except that pre-epilogue ending my goooooooodd) and a little less frantic/ big feelings/ big angst from the three of them. But I loved loved loved having different points of view included in this book and having the world expanded a bit. I honestly think Whitten could have written a fourth book and drawn this out even more because there's so MUCH to this world that just needs focus!!! I just loved it. I think book 1 will always hold a special place in my heart but this was a beautiful ending to a trilogy that captivated me and brought me so many wonderful characters. Thank you thank you please write more books!!!!!!

I read the first 2 books and while there were some plot holes and timing issues the characters were still loveable enough to hold the books. This one just dragged on and not much happened. It felt the ending was rushed and could have been so much better.

This was probably my favorite of the trilogy. I liked seeing more of the world and more of the other gods and the Fountain. The fountain is fun idea and the ending was unexpected and satisfying. I also loved our new character Finn and that the epilogue expanded to included everyone happily ever after. I also am with Gabriel and will also déteste Lore’s birth mom. I do wish the three of them got to interact in person more, and that we saw more of their personal relationships grow and flesh out their issues but they had more pressing issues to deal with. So I’m
Happy that it ended the way it did. Overall it’s an interesting and fun fantasy read.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I enjoyed the first two, but found myself having a hard time getting into the third one.

Fell a little flat for me. Nevertheless, I love Whitten's writing style.

Beautiful conclusion to a complex, compelling and imaginative trilogy.

I enjoyed the themes of connection, personal relationships, complex religious trauma and the small dose of imperialism/colonization that also continues. It didn't quite hit 5 stars for me - the pacing felt slow to me and I had a hard time staying focused (also trying to read it during a busy time, so that's probably part of it). The emotional damage just didn't hit quite as hard as it felt like it should, partly due to those frequent breaks (and look, I will ignore my other responsibilities to read a book if it is compelling enough).

That said, I love Lore, Bastian and Gabe and appreciate the existence for a romantasy adjacent fantasy story with a true love triangle. While I understand why the nature of the story made it so, I do wish we got a little more time with them all together.

Still an excellent series and one I will continue to recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an advanced electronic copy of this story.

Favorite Quote: The magic itself was not evil. It was what you did with it, how you shaped the tools given to your use.

Story Synopsis: After everything Lore, Bastian, and Gabe did, their worlds still imploded. Now exiled to the Burnt Isles, Lore mines the land in hopes of finding something to keep her alive one more day. Bastian is pushed down in favor of Apollionius - god of everything - wearing Bastian’s body like a suit and undoing all the work Bastian did. Gabe and the others work to find a way to restore Bastian and Lore to their rightful places as King and Queen, but they face untold obstacles. When Lore finally channels Spiritum and Mortem, she uncovers her task: to take down Apollonius by repairing the Fount.

Why does this book beguile?: I was excited to get approved for this ARC since I’ve read the others as ARCs too! The Nightshade God starts slowly. It took me quite a bit to get through the first half, and THEN it got really good. There was a lot of court intrigue, game-playing, and sneakiness from our characters, so I found it challenging to know and trust their motivations, but once the action picks up, you won’t be able to put it down. I loved this trilogy!

I was lucky enough to snag the ARC on this one and I am eternally grateful to Orbit books for letting me finish this fantastic story ahead of the release.

The nightshade God is the 3rd and final book in the Nightshade Crown series. I took my time reading, there’s a lot to unpack and a lot of emotions to feel. Hannah Whitten did another wonderful job building the new settings in this story and this book really made me connect with some of the characters I struggled to in the first books.
It was devastating in the best ways and the ending, I had no idea how she was going to end this series, but she did it so well.

I don’t want to add any spoilers, which is really hard because of how it all unfolds. But I urge you to finish Lore’s story and see how the world is changed.

did I love foxglove king? Yes. Did I love hemlock queen? Yes. Did I love this? Eh.

listen, I’m a bastian girlie till the day I die, and this just wasn’t what I wanted for him. lol I get why everything happened the way it did, I get the way it wrapped up, I think the story was decent, it’s just not what I wanted if that makes sense. So objectively, the story was fine, but I don’t know, I just wanted it to wrap up differently. I don’t think I can even tell you what I would have preferred, but the story boiled down to one basic simple human point… and as a human, I didn’t need that point to be made.

This was the best ending to a trilogy I have ever read.

I was given the privilege to read and review this trilogy by Hannah Whitten and I have to say it blew me away.

The writing is fantastic, the world building is intense and enjoyable. You will absolutely fall in love with the characters and all of their flaws.

The ending was a perfect conclusion to Lore, Bastian, and Gabriel. The larger message of the story rings true today. That to make a better world we need to continuous be kind, hold onto one another, and not lose our humanness

4.5 Stars

Thank you so much NetGalley for this advanced reader copy!

This was truly a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. At some points I thought I knew where the plot was going, and then it would take a surprising turn (that made it all the better!). This book has a *true* love triangle that I frankly haven’t actually seen in anything else I’ve read. I loved this trilogy for its unique plot that didn’t feel just like every other fantasy book on the market right now, and this book didn’t disappoint. Whitten’s writing is easy to follow while still being descriptive and eloquent.

Hannah Whitten has done it again. What a wonderful, albeit heartbreaking, end to this trilogy.

The end of a battle that was so full of hope. At around 70% I grew uneasy with how well things were going, knowing that it was all too good to be true, and boy was I right!. I think I cried the last 20% of the book, but I would do it all again for these characters.

There is always hope, and good to find in people. It may be cliche, but be the hope you want to see in the world. Thank you Hannah Whitten for writing such amazing worlds and stories. Thank you Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for granting me access to this review copy, in exvhange for an honest review.

Ehhh. I LOVED the first two books of this trilogy and this was one of my most-anticipated releases of 2025. Very little actually HAPPENS in this book which is, I remind you, almost FIVE HUNDRED pages long. Not a lot happened in the second book, either, but 1) that is sadly kind of to be expected in the second book of a lot of trilogies, and 2) the second book had those delicious interpersonal dynamics to keep me hooked even when there wasn't a lot of plot to look at. This book doesn't have a lot of plot to look at, but it ALSO doesn't have those interpersonal dynamics to keep it going, because Lore, Bastian, and Gabe are separated for almost the entire book. So there's just a lot of...waiting, and a few fetch quests thrown in to kill time.

Does it stick the ending? Eh. There is an HEA so some people will be psyched to see that, but it felt a LOT like Whitten walked back a few of the main tenets of her worldbuilding/magic system in order to make it happen, which feels very sloppy from a craft perspective.

Overall I'm glad I held off buying the first two in hardback, despite how much I loved them, until the third one came out, because I'm pretty disappointed in it. I don't think Whitten fully knew how to land this plane.

In this third and final book, lore finds herself imprisoned on the island, Gabe is on the run and bastian is fighting a god for control of his body. Everyone is searching for pieces of the fount… And the plan is to repair it and give the magic back to the elders. This book was very fast paced with lots going on. Now that lore no longer has Mortem she needs to rely on her wits more than ever. I love the flashbacks to the lives of the gods and I loved when the characters could come together on the beach and talk about their plans. I also loved the resolution of the lore/ Gabe /Bastian love triangle. This was one of my all-time favorite fantasy series and I love anything she writes! Thank you, NetGalley for the digit all opinions are

I really liked the first two books in this series - but I just couldn't get in to this one. The ending was satisfactory in that it all gets wrapped up neatly, but I just really wasn't wowed by this last entry in the series.

Thank you to Publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 – Beautiful ideas, but the execution fell short

The Nightshade God had a lot of promise—dark, lush atmosphere, intriguing mythology, and complex emotional undercurrents. Hannah Whitten clearly has a talent for world-building and lyrical prose. However, for me, the story didn’t fully deliver on its potential.

The pacing was uneven, with moments that dragged and others that felt rushed. I found it hard to stay fully invested in the characters, even though their dynamics were central to the plot. The emotional stakes were there, but they didn’t always land as strongly as I hoped.

That said, there were flashes of brilliance—some scenes were hauntingly beautiful, and the core themes were compelling. It just didn’t quite come together in a satisfying way for me. Worth a read for fans of gothic fantasy, but it might not be for everyone.

The conclusion of this trilogy will likely take so much time for me to fully process and comprehend. The character arcs and journeys presented in this finale were beautifully crafted. The action and pain and love are so well written. Lore, Gabe, and Bastians I have no words. The ending was beautiful, and I don’t want it to end. Hannah knows what she is doing. Will forever recommend Hannah and her writing.

A great end to this Trilogy! I love Hannah writing, and this book was everything I wanted. I will miss this world.

Wow. Wow wow wow. I don’t even know what to say other than what an amazing conclusion to this trilogy. To say I was stressed the entire time would be an understatement, I was constantly terrified for the fates of our trio and their friends and if they’d be able to overcome the odds and stop the apocalypse. While I wish the end went a bit differently, I feel like it’s the only one that really made sense without playing too much into fantasy tropes and having everyone survive (or revive) even when they really shouldn’t. I would’ve loved to see a longer epilogue because I just want to see my trio live their best bisexual lives but I’ll take what I can get. Hannah Whitten really is an amazing storyteller.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for this ARC.

4.5 ⭐️
What a ride! This series was excellent storytelling. The added POVs felt seamless and they each had a fresh voice that was essential to the story. The romance sub plot took a backseat in this one a bit but the stakes were so high! I will be honest that I didn't love the last 15% because a choice the character made was so aggravating. HOWEVER, it was written so well and made so much sense for the themes and story she wanted to share, I just wanted it to go different LOL. Lore had to work for that HEA and boy would I love an extended epilogue.... Whitten is a new autobuy author for me after this series!

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for allowing me to read this ARC.

An excellent conclusion to this trilogy. Hannah Whitten did the impossible and actually made me like Gabe by the end!! In a world full of flawed gods and humans we find the conclusion to the epic battle against Apollius and what that means for Lore, Gabe, and Bastian and their loved ones. Once again Hannah sets the stage for this battle throughout the first 3/4 of the book and at the 75% mark you have to hold on for dear life to get to the end. I loved this book, and whitten’s authors note at the end made me tear up because in today’s world her words of trying to remember kindness and empathy really hit hard. I laughed and cried at the end. I especially liked Alie’s character arc. Hell I loved all the characters, this was a vibrant rich world and I’m sad to leave it. I loved the addition of several points of view in this book and that each character got an ending that was satisfying and at times heart wrenching. It’s evident that Whitten had a plan for all the books and knew how she wanted to execute this story and that kind of story telling is rare but always appreciated. Bastian is a perfect angel baby and the way he FOUGHT in this book for his people made me love him even more, hell he made me like Gabe! What?! I will definitely purchase a copy when it comes out and will reread this entire series in the future.