The Nightshade God is the thrilling conclusion to Hannah Whitten's The Nightshade Crown Trilogy. Its definitely for the more niche reading tastes, full of dark magic, religion, death, and chaos. My favorite part is our three main characters, Lore, Bastian, and Gabe, who belong together. In my head, and thankfully in this book, there is no Lore x Bastian or Lore x Gabe. There is only Lore x Bastian x Gabe. The three of them belong together. the epilogue was a fantastic ending and the perfect way to wrap up this series. Thank you for the eARC!

I love Lore, Bastian & Gabe so much. I don't know how else this could have ended, but I selfishly want more time with them. I want to know their life. I loved this book, but it didn't have the same emotional pull for me as the last one did. I need mooooore

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC. It was torture waiting to read this as life continually got in the way. I'll never forget it, though

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Eek! The Nightshade God was one of the most amazing conclusions to a trilogy, and I can't believe that it's all over now :( I love this author and can't wait to read what she writes next. Her writing is SO engaging, and I love the blend of world building and complex characters that keep you invested. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

I loved this 3rd and final installment of the series. Though I am sad to say goodbye to Lore and our boys I'm ready for the next adventure. Hannah does such an incredible job with her explanations with detail and making the reader feel immersed. I felt like i was with each character in their world the entire time.

The Nightshade God is the third and final installment in author Hannah F. Whitten's The Nightshade Crown trilogy. While Lore is the main character, the author also uses Allie, Bastien, and Gabe to tell her story. The Nightshade God picks up immediately after the cliffhanger ending of The Hemlock Queen, with the trio of protagonists—Lore, a deathwitch; Gabe, a duty-bound priest; and Bastian, the arrogant king of Auverraine—scattered across the continent, each grappling with their own struggles and divine influences.

Lore is banished to the brutal Burnt Isles, a prison colony where she must rely on her street-honed survival skills as well as a curious assortment of characters like Dani, who has her own agenda. Gabe is on the run in Caldien with Malcolm and others, fighting to resist the pull of his own lesser god, while Bastian is fully possessed by the life god Apollius, reduced to a puppet in his own mind. The central plot revolves around their mission to collect the scattered pieces of the broken Fount, the source of all divine power, to destroy the gods corrupting their world.

However, as Lore’s magic grows stronger, she faces the temptation to keep this newfound power, adding a layer of internal conflict to the external stakes. The narrative structure shifts from the single POV of the previous books to multiple perspectives, including Alie, a secondary character whose arc adds depth to the story. This multi-POV approach is a bold choice, effectively reflecting the characters’ physical and emotional separation while allowing readers to witness their individual journeys toward the climactic showdown at the Golden Mount.

Whitten weaves these perspectives, ensuring each voice is distinct and adds layers to the narrative without feeling disjointed. If you are a reader who enjoys love triangles, you get your wish, and more in this book. One could say that all three characters involved are bisexual and leave it at that. Lore’s fierce determination, Gabe’s journey from religious subservience to self-acceptance, and Bastian’s fight for autonomy are deeply compelling, with each character’s arc reaching a satisfying, if heartbreaking, conclusion. Alie’s expanded role adds a fresh perspective, her development surprising and welcome, though some might find her POV less essential to the core narrative.

There are no spoilers in this review; however, I am not a fan of the ending. The author hints that Lore is going to make a stunning decision, and she does, and maybe it was the best choice for her, but not for those around her. Again, no spoilers - read the book and figure out what I'm talking about yourselves.

I am honestly so obsessed with this trilogy. I loved this one so much. It had great character development. It also kept me interested the entire time. I can’t believe I waited this long to read these books..

I am super appreciative to have received an ARC of the Nightshade God. I think I struggled with this book because it felt like there was a lot of plot filler and not advancing quick enough. Over all I have loved the magic system in these books and the complexity of the relationships between Gabe, Sebastian and Lore. I unfortunately did not finish this book prior to the release date as I really was having to take it in chunks to keep myself reading it. Hopefully at some point I will be inspired to come back to it.

*ahem*

(In my best Janice from Friends voice)
Oh. My. God.

What an end to this incredible trilogy. When I tell you I was STRESSED until the very end. Whitten has really found a sweet spot with her pacing in this one. Even during the storylines where fewer big plot events were unspoonly quickly, I was still utterly gripped nearly from start to finish. Her characterization, as ever, is impeccable; I am so utterly in love with the entire cast of ‘Nightshade.’

I hesitate to go into too much detail for fear of spoilers, but suffice to say that I could think of no better ending to this achingly beautiful trilogy.

Eternally grateful to Hannah, Netgalley, and Orbit for the opportunity to read an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to receive this eARC after reading the entire Nightshade Crown series via NetGalley, so it's been YEARS in the making! I was greatly looking forward to finding out what happened to beloved characters in Lore, Bastian, and Gabe.

Let's start with the positives: my favorite part of this series has always been the *actually* believable love triangle/polyamory. While many fantasy series have attempted this, I found Whitten to write three characters and a situation in which this actually made sense. Though these three were separated for parts of this book, I did find myself enjoying the times they were together, even if it was just two of them at a time.

Unfortunately, the rest of this book completely failed to hook me. I was not invested in the story, and found myself not really caring what happened; I think I could have skipped this book and not been left wondering where everyone ended up. I know it has been some time since book 2 was released, and I don't feel like the beginning of the book did a good job refreshing the reader on what was happening. I was a little lost and barely pieced everything together by the end.

Overall, this is a solid fantasy series, with a slightly lackluster ending. This could be remedied if someone were to read all three books back to back. Huge thanks to Orbit, Hannah Whitten, and NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars!
~Warning - This review contains spoilers from the first two books in the Nightshade Crown Series ~
Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hannah Whitten emotionally wrecked me in this final installment of what is now one of my favorite dark fantasy series in 2025. The continuation of fantastic world building and the meditation on divinity and who deserves to wield true power were what truly stood out to me. The Gabe-Lore-Bastian dynamic was also explored so beautifully. Never in my 31 years on this planet, have I rooted for a throuple dynamic like this. I needed them to finally confront their ever-present love for each other, and I shiver just thinking about their ending. The tension between them has sizzled like a crackling fire in books 1 and 2 and book 3 had excellent payoff especially relating to Gabe's interactions with both Lore and Bastian.

We start the novel with our four main characters split apart: Lore, exiled to the Burnt Isles for treason against possessed Bastian, Gabe and Malcolm escaped Delaire and head to neighboring province called Caldien, while Ali remains at the Citadel attempting to extract information from Bastian when he's not fully possessed. She's also tasked with distracting Jax, the emperor of Kirthyian empire and her betrothed. With multiple POVs, the readers are invested in each of the characters quests to find and reunite the separate pieces of the Fount in order to remake the vessel that could hold all the power and banish the god-like avatars from their earthly bodies. Bargains are made. Unlikely allies are formed in order to obtain the secret shards of the Fount and also uncover Apollius's earthly resting place in order to give him his first death.

The tension escalates and escalates as the group finally converges at the Golden Mount to confront Apollius once and for all, but it's not without heavy sacrifice. Bastian, Lore and Gabe are confronted with a looming apocalypse, a terrible, power-hungry god, and the fragility of their own mortality. The twists in this book were legitimately shocking and worlds collide as myth and reality intertwine causing history to repeat itself. The characters absolutely don't walk away unscathed. Be prepared for tears.

Overall, this was a stellar end to the lush dark fantasy series. Even though the pacing was a little slower that the first two novels, Hannah Whitten does not disappoint and provides a satisfying and emotionally gripping ending.

Hannah Whitten does it again! The fear of each character is so relatable. Lore is just as resourceful as she always is, Gabe maintains his self-hatred, and Bastian is fighting for his life. I usually don’t like when main characters aren’t together through most of the book, but Hannah made it work.
Each of the gods from the pantheon are capricious and afraid of their own mortality. She never becomes a good liar but she clearly feels deeply for those she loves. Even when the end of the world is near, she wants to protect everyone in her circle.

Nothing else to say but this series is a must read.

I loved the first two books in this series, but this one was a bit of a letdown. For at least 90% of the book, the characters aren't even remotely together. They are all on a scavenger hunt for the pieces of the Font. Only able to communicate in a dream world, and even then, it's only a couple of them there at a time. Then, when they are finally all together, it's at like the very end when I'm expecting this like epic battle that wasn't really a battle at all. I just wanted more action, I think, and more interaction between Lore and Bastian.
I did like Alie, who was someone whom I overlooked in the previous books; she surprised me a few times.
Then, when it was all over, we got an epilogue, which was beautiful but somewhat of a letdown, since we didn't even get to experience everyone back together.
Hannah Whitten always brings beautiful writing and amazing atmosphere, but I just didn't get the character interaction or the amount of action I was hoping for with a finale.

The Nightshade God is book three in The Nightshade Crown Series by Hannah Whitten.
Whitten did not disappoint! The world building, the magic system, these characters… this book was pure fantasy perfection.
One of the best books I’ve read this year!

The Nightshade God is a spectacular and satisfying conclusion to this trilogy! I enjoyed every minute. And the whole last 30% of the book had my heart pumping. So so much going on. I have fallen in love with these characters. The author makes them suffer soooooo much, but it made the world and story and payoff that much richer. I have nothing negative to say about this series. I love it.

The audiobook is truly fantastic - it's crisp and clear. It's single narrator and she does wonders with the voices, keeping everything so easy to follow. This is one of my favorite series ever. So happy I have the audiobooks and beautiful special editions for my shelf.

Thanks Hachette Audio for the advance listening copy! As always these opinions are my own.

4.5⭐️ Rounded Up

What a way to end this series! It really is a bittersweet feeling knowing this is over. I have enjoyed every chapter of this trilogy. The dark, gothic vibes are so good, the world building and history are intricate and layered, and the characters are all infuriatingly lovable in their own ways.
I LOVED the fact that we got so many POVs in The Nightshade God. It kept me on my toes, and it was incredibly satisfying when all the different storylines started coming together. This was extremely well written and executed.
Lore, Gabe, and Bastian are separated in the final installment of the series and they each had to come to terms with who they were, who they are, and who they’re becoming. They all go about it in their own ways, but they all wind having really good development and growth. Allie also gets some of the spotlight in TNK and it made me like her even more. To me, she felt like the one keeping it all together and making things possible for the rest of the storylines.
The overall plot was great, as always, and kept me wanting to know what would happen next. There were a few spots that really surprised me, as well as a few that hurt my heart a little. The ending is very poignant. It left me a mix of sad and happy.
All in all, a great book to end a great series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC opportunity!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC of this book.
So I have to start by saying that I should have reread book two because I was very lost for the first 40 pages….which is entirely my fault.
Now I love seeing Bastian fight back against Appolius I love my baby Bastian and if anything happened to him I would riot. I liked learning more about Allie. She did the right thing even when she was scared, she was very brave through the book. Not to spoil but that push was awesome, and shocking . The story was great. The way we got the gods memories and wove their story with our MC, or the avatars the gods embodied. Loved the Why chose and the we saw Gabe and Bastian finally getting together. Really wish we would have got more of the three of them together.
I didn’t love the epilogue it just felt prolonged for no reason.
Overall a great third book to finish of this great series

Lore failed to save herself and Bastian from Apollius and now she's separated from her friends and trapped on the Burnt Isles. She, and her friends, must fight the gods living in their heads and try to stop the cycle before the world they know is destroyed.

I loved getting the perspective of all the main characters. I had mixed feelings about the ending, but overall I enjoyed the conclusion to the series.

thank GOD. in every way that that phrase can be interpreted in regards to this book haha. i was not emotionally well before that epilogue

the way wittenberg was able to tie this in a neat bow but also show that war and the pursuit of godhood has ultimate sacrifices was beautiful and such a parallel to the real world

i enjoyed that the PINING FINALLY PAID OFF DEAR LORD. slowest burn in all of slow burn.

also the gays :)

Damn you, Hannah Whitten. I have not outright bawled over a book like this in a long, long time. That ending? It shattered me. I’m writing this through the blur of tears, heart cracked open and bleeding for every word I just consumed.

Let’s start with the practical before I spiral again: if you haven’t re-read The Hemlock Queen recently, prepare for a rough reentry. There’s little in the way of recap, and with the sprawling cast and scattered plot threads, it took me a hot minute to get my footing. But once I did? This plot moves. There is never a dull moment - every chapter is a heartbeat, every page a blade. While the main arc is clearly signposted (you know what’s coming), Whitten weaves in smaller threads that surprise and haunt. A certain man overboard moment? Expected the event, not the source. Lore’s frenemy? Deliciously complicated.

And then... that ending. I kept waiting for the magic to fix it. For the gods or the world or the writer to pull back. I waited for mercy. Instead, I got wrecked. Whitten didn’t flinch. She let it happen. And as I sat in shock and rage and disbelief, she layered more. More pain. More purpose. More truth.

I hate that it had to be Lore. But gods, who better? Who better to teach a cruel world kindness than the girl it never gave kindness to? Who better to bear the burden of salvation than someone forged in abandonment and fire?

This book destroyed me. But I think maybe the world needs more stories like this. More Lores. More girls who burn and still choose softness. Who break and still choose love.

Hannah Whitten, you broke me. And I’m grateful.

What is there to say really we’ve come this far and Whitten delivers as she always does. One note I needed less switching of POVs in this one it took me out of the story too much as all three characters were so far removed from one another.