I found this book very hard going, normally i would finish a book like this in 2-3 nights, but this took me over a week.
The story seems a little all over the place. It starts off framing the story around a poison a lot of people take for a high which also may extend their life a little, and the black market surrounding that. But then switches to a story about what is basically the royal family, their relationship with the religion of the area, and the terrible relationship between the King and Prince. With randoms mentions about the 'drugs' thrown in.
I'm finding the drug aspect a bit pointless, i thought maybe it'd become more important as the story progressed, but honestly, i didn't feel like it did.
I'm not finding any of the characters particularly engaging, so i'm not really cheering for anyone in partcular in the story. There are 'bad guys' who I dislike, as they are made to be really unlikeable, but I also dont find I like the main characters (Lore, Gabriel and Bastian) all that much either.
There are some aspects of the story that i'm finding interesting, like Lore's power to resurrect the dead, and how it's being manipulated by someone. And this is really the only reason I kept reading.
I did find the end interesting and it was probably the most enjoyable part of the whole book, but I felt like it was such a slog to get there, and i found myself not wanting to pick this book up and continue. So overall, it just wasnt for me.

Love, Love, Loved this book!

It's dark and magical with an engaging story and characters.

Lore is a spy for a poison runner gang in the city of Dellaire, she also has the power to wield mortem, the magic born from death. Gabe is a member of the Presque Morte a church sanctioned group of warrior monks and Bastian is the Sun Prince hated by his father.

An unlikely trio bound together.

I can't wait to read the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book for the ARC.

I was so excited to read „The foxglove king“ and happy that i received an e-ARC. The cover is so beautiful and the blurb sounded so very interesting. I started reading straight away and I was able to really get into the plot. But after a while it got a bit boring. I won't say I lost interest but there was so much detailed information about the world and everything else. That was a bit much for me and the characters and their development got lost a bit. I would have wished for a better balance.

Lore is an interesting character and I was very curious as to where she came from and why she perceives Mortem so intensely. I had a few good and interesting reading hours and the other characters also aroused my interest. In addition to Lore, these were Gabriel and Bastian. The investigations of these three were very interesting, but the plot was a bit lost because of the amount of information.

„The Foxglove King“ was an ok start for this series and i hope that the second book focuses more on the characters and that you can understand their emotions better.

I was jumping between 4 and 5 stars for this. In the end I decided 5 purely because of my enjoyment level.
While this was a little slow starting, as we meet the characters and discover to world/magic system. I never found myself bored. Instead I wanted to keep reading to discover more.
Lore was an interesting character to follow. A strong and confident woman who doesn't change for either man she is around.
I may have a current favourite among the men but that could change in future books.
The magic system was well explained as the story progressed. I never found myself confused or lost.
Sometimes I felt the epigraphs gave a bit too much away but at the same time they added to the story. Giving you an insight to things before they happen.

The ending has left me wondering what is next for these characters and this world.

“𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚁𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗."
"𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗?"
"𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚟𝚘𝚠 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚢."



🍷🍷🍷.5 / 5

🌶️ / 5

»»————-✼————-««

Review:
A huge thank you to the author and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

I want to start off by saying I NEED the sequel right now and honestly I don’t know how I’m going to wait more than 5 minutes for it😭

The Foxglove King starts off at a slow place, almost easing us in; then as the confusion thickens the pace does too. Almost like being poisoned, at first you don’t feel it, but then it suddenly hits and you can’t get enough! I don’t know if this was intentional but it was absolutely brilliant and added that extra layer to the story. This was my first book by Hannah Whitten but it was great and I definitely see myself reading more of her work in the future! One note I would say, I feel like the characters where a wee surface level and I would definitely love to delve a little deeper, and maybe have a deeper description of the setting.

I loved the magic system, and the relationship each of the characters have with their magic. Hannahs use of death magic or Mortem was incredibly interesting and I have a feeling it’ll be explored on a much deeper level in the next book, I can’t wait to learn more about it and the extent of what it can do. I also found it really interesting how different people harness it in different ways, and how that effects its outcome.

With power comes responsibility (amen to that Peter Parker🕷️🕸️) and the men in charge haven’t really figured out the whole responsibility thing just yet, which lead to countless betrayals and plots keeping me on the edge of my seat. I liked how in the beginning a lot happened, but there wasn’t really a big plot moment if that makes sense! In fantasy they often have to go on a quest and the book follows their journey and overcoming problems along the way, right until the big battle and then the resolution. I didn’t really feel like we had that in a way? Like A and B had to happen so C could occur and then X and Y happened as a result of C but then lead to Z happening; again idk if that makes sense either? The point being I felt swept along with the plot, but also being kept in the dark like Lore and Gabe and Bastian; I had no idea why certain things happened which made the final betrayal so much better. I will note I was slightly confused in the last 5 ish chapters; I was surrounded by distractions, but I went back and reread them again and it made a lot more sense!

Lore was so interesting, having been manipulated and betrayed her whole life she definitely has that air of caution but also that ‘I have nothing to loose’ energy, resulting in more than a few moments that nearly gave poor Gabe a heart attack! I actually really liked Lore, I adore her banter with both Gabe and Bastian; and although he did some shitty things, I’m still rooting for Gabe in this love triangle (it’s something about the broken man, scarred in more than one way, that speaks to me… idk okay😅).

Bastian kept me on my toes through the plot and I’m still not really sure what I think of him? I think Hannah was portraying him as the hero in the end but he is very much a villain in my eyes? I’m not sure if anyone else agrees with me? Maybe I’ll reread the whole book now I know the ending and it’ll help me make up my mind? I’m not sure but I do love his banter with Lore and their easy friendship, that could be more but also I’m still rooting for Gabe (I would be perfectly okay if she ended up choosing both of them tbh… can’t have everything I suppose). Anyway I’ll update you all on my opinion of Bastian once I reread in a few months😅

Gabe is my baby, I adore him; I know he betrayed her but he’s very much caught between his duty and his desire and that is somewhat forgivable by my standards (as long as he grovels and we get some good tension and spice from it😉). It breaks my heart that he’s been repenting for the sins of his father and that he’s basically been manipulated every day since😭 his restraint is admirable, I definitely wouldn’t have kept mine like he did; low key wish he hadn’t so we could get some spice…😅 anyway I’m hoping he’ll properly redeem himself in book 2 and that him and Lore can work things out! I also hope him and Bastian can sort out their issues too I think they could be really good friends if they got over themselves…

I will say Foxglove King does discuss the use of drugs and drug abuse which could be triggering to some reads, make sure you check the trigger warnings before you read; remember to look after yourself!💜

For lovers of:
- Magic & Death magic
- ‘Fated lovers’
- Love triangles
- Fantasy
- Romance
- LGBTQ+ side characters

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publishers but all thoughts are my own.

I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. I just knew that I'd enjoyed Whitten's work before and I was not disappointed here.

It follows Lore, a spy with a necromancer's powers, as she is forced into helping the King. The country is on the brink of war and the King suspects his son so Lore has to get close to him and find out if the prince is a traitor, all the while learning more about her powers.

When I started this book I was pretty sure I knew what would happen but I was just enjoying the ride. Turns out I had no idea how it would turn out. I was kept on my toes at every twist and turn.

I really love the worlds Whitten creates and her characters are really fun and well rounded.

I did think that the chemistry between Gabe and Lore was a bit lacking but I don't think that really mattered to me too much.

The protagonist of The Foxglove King is Lore, a twenty-three-year-old with the death power of Mortem, the essence of death, the power born of entropy, and the only way to use it is to nearly die. Mortem also makes it impossible for Lore to leave the city of Dellaire, but she must hide her power and hope that the cult that she escaped when she was a child will never find her. But she is discovered by the Pressure Mort, a group of monks who, under orders of the Sainted King, are allowed to use the death power. Lore is presented with a choice: help the king figure out who is killing entire villages at the border and, at the same time, get close to his son and heir Bastian to prove that he is working for their enemies. If she refuses, she will die. The choice is simple, so Lore is introduced at court as the cousin of Gabriel, the duke who turned a monk following his family’s betrayal to the crown. Together, they will have to figure out the truth, while the threats of a war and the cult loom closer.

I was deeply immersed in this story. The world-building is incredible with its magic system, the political intrigue, the religious order, and the forbidden romance. The characters are well-drawn and intriguing: I loved Lore with her determination and her survival skills, Gabriel, who carries the guilt of his family’s betrayal, and Bastian, who is not at all who he seems.

I enjoyed the author’s previous novels, but I must admit that I am a bit obsessed with The Foxglove King. It’s addictive, dark, suspenseful, and riveting. The Foxglove King is easily one of my favourite books of the year and I am already looking forward to the sequel: I can’t wait to see what happens next!

3–3.5*

My full thoughts on The Foxglove King are still pending because I’m finding it difficult to decide how I feel about this book, so this is review is more a ramble of thoughts. This will probably be a book I’ll reread to cement my thoughts.

If The Foxglove King was just vibes and banter between Lore, Gabriel and Bastian, it would have easily been a 5-star read. Their interactions were often my favourite moments in the story. The descriptions of the world were vivid and I felt grounded in the physical feel of this French Court-inspired world, even though the language wasn't always consistent with the world created. This didn't detract from my enjoyment of the world.

However, although the magic and its history were intriguing, I did occasionally find it confusing that I didn’t always feel established within the magic system, which does have a relatively large role in the story. In addition, I found the setup of the main plot to be thin and required some disbelief for plausibility. There was also quite a bit of repetition that at times lost my attention and lead me to skimming portions of the book. Although I didn’t take to Lore immediately, mostly because I didn’t get a sense of who she was as a person, eventually towards the end, she did grow on me, and I'm interested to see how her character changes and grows throughout the series.

Overall, it’s a fun read despite the elements that didn’t work for me, and I'm intrigued to see where the story and characters go in the next two books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orion for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5373041269

Easy to read fantasy novel which is quite close to young adult in tone. I liked a lot of things about it - the characters, the world building, the story arc, the love triangle - but they all felt a little derivative of other books I've read and not a patch on something like the Sarah J. Maas Crescent City series. The ending also felt a little rushed/abrupt. I will probably read the second in the series though, for a good bit of escapism.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Lore is a poison runner a spy and can also raise the dead. At first she seems like an adult in a relationship with this man but as the novel plays out she seems to appear more like a teen. Not sure if it's the dialogue or just the style of writing but this book is marketed as an adult read but the style and themes are more young adult and for me it let's the book down. Not helped by the fact many books I've read lately seem to be marketed as one genre but read like another.

It's a shame because it's intriguing story and fantasy world with it's own legends which make me want to learn more and reminded me of the game of thrones legends. But the style and romance let's it down.When I first started reading I enjoyed the story and the writing, there is a dark scene which was a unnerving I loved it and the mystery was interesting.

The characters are realistic and stand out Bastien interested me he seemed funny and charming and well drawn until the end. The plots intrigue twists and turns down paths you might not see. However there was some scenes I wanted to skip to find out what was going on as I wasn't interested in the drama and the minor characters, the main plot was intriguing but I didn't enjoy the romantic side of things. Seemed like they had feelings far too quickly and possibly setting up a love triangle which is overdone and the apocalypse and chosen people thing very much YA themes which wasn't what I expected in this book meant to be adult fantasy.

Not sure what to think of the end.

It seemed very melodramatic like a b movie almost in the final scenes but I guess that's unavoidable in the circumstances of the story. Somethings I questioned but I can't say avoiding spoilers. The end is obviously left open for another book but I prefer it when things are ended properly not left open so you will read the next book.

Disappointed as the premise was intriguing and I did l like some of the characters I feel like this could've been better. There's not much political intrigue it's overshadowed by the romance which I don't get the point of springing from nowhere and not really having a purpose. I did enjoy the ideas but not sure I can read another book with scenes that end up not meaning anything croquet games and fighting pits.
This book is too much like young adult fantasy for me in the tropes, the ending that remains open for another book. The romance that comes from nowhere.

I did enjoy some of it and it's sad that my review has ended up being so critical but this is just how I felt. It could've been so much more and a better ending but that's just my opinion. Maybe it's marred by me expecting an adult fantasy not a YA.

The Foxglove King is a gothic fantasy novel which I had the opportunity to read as an ARC from Netgalley. This is actually my first time reading a book by Hannah Whitten, having already published a fantasy duology. I think Whitten is a brilliant story-teller, the plot was very creative with the magic system which was still easy to understand. I really liked the idea of Spiritum and Mortem, channelling life and death, and even the interesting affects of drugs/poison in this world.
Being book #1 in the series, there was a LOT of content and info-dumping to set up for the rest of the series. It took me a long time to get through this book, and for 500 pages I definitely read it slower than my usual reading speed. There was a lot of religious and political content, with the basis of the book being Church vs. Crown. For me it's just not my personal preference. However I really loved the characters, Whitten really developed all of the characters in my opinion and I thought they were great, especially as a reader not knowing who to trust. It was very enjoyable getting to know these characters and I really liked Lore, she was a great protagonist.
I am also confused if this is classed as an adult or YA series, however I would personally classify this as YA. The romance in this book mainly centred around a love triangle, which I dislike as a trope so the romance was a miss for me in this book.
A trilogy series is planned at the time of writing this review, known as The Nightshade Crown, and I would like to continue on with this series now that the characters and magic systems have been established in book #1.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5
Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and Hannah Whitten for sending me this digital review copy.

Review posted to Goodreads and Amazon.

A marvellous read by Miss Whitten indeed. A book that is gothic magical fantasy where a world of mortem can extend peoples life’s. Lore is our main character who gets involved with the king and has the task of finding out who is responsible for the deaths, as she is a poison runner and really shouldn’t be alive at all.
The king suspects his own heir and in the midst of the story Lore falls head over heels into a love triangle.
It’s a good read and I look forward to seeing more from Hannah.

Lore escaping the catacombs as a child was raised by her adoptive mothers, Mari and Val who work in the illegal poison runner business. Poison is the drug of choice in Dellaire, and is consumed to bring out the Mortem in humans in order to bring them to the edge of death and extend ones life. Those who have a near death experience are able to control mortem, Lore is the exception having never experienced this but has power over the death magic. Lore's power seems to be growing and she doesn't know why, so when a drug smuggle goes wrong and lore is captured by the Presque mort patrols, in an attempt to escape she reveals herself as a mortem wielder.

Lore is taken before King August and the high Presque mort and is given the choice to become his spy and help him uncover who and what is responsible for killing off entire villages or be imprisoned. Lore chooses to become his spy and is first tasked with finding as much information as she can about the kings son Bastian, who is believed to be a traitor to the kingdom. Lore enters the court in disguise as a noble woman with one of the Religious Presque mort Gabriel acting as her 'cousin'.

When Bastian reveals that he knows she is not what she claims to be, things start going south, and the stress on lore increases when more and more villages are slaughtered.

Fist off, I did enjoy this book but maybe not quite as much as I would have liked. The story line and the world/ world-building was delightful! The main characters are very well developed, with a nice background, however some of the other side characters could have been introduced better as we know very little about them. I loved the world, but I would have liked a more details on the war that Dellaire in involved in being a plot point it is mentioned but not really talked about.

Whilst I enjoy a good love triangle, this one in the book seemed to fall a little flat and at times was very 'eye roll', which made me hate this aspect of the book. I think this was solely down to the character Gabe, as there was very little interaction on his part and we are just told how Lore feels about him it just didn't feel organic.

The plot line in this book was very good and mostly well developed, I just didn't like the double surprise at the end. I enjoyed the first plot twist, but the second one seemed rather under developed and didnt seem to fit into the book. I am looking forward to seeing where this story goes.

Thank you to Net galley for an ARC of this book.

This book was such an unexpected good read for me. Well, I hoped I’d like it and the plot seemed good but since I’m not usually one to like a lot of politics or religion in my fantasy reads, I was a little hesitant at first. But there was obviously no need to worry because I was completely captivated from the first chapter. It’s a solid fantasy book with a nice world building, intricate, complex characters and a strong plot.

However, what I liked most about this book was the unique magical system. The idea of having some sort of “death-energy” which is possible for people to wield, but only if you’ve been really close to death but managed to survive. It’s a dark magical system but it’s so fitting because this story takes place in a rather dark world where it’s hard to know who to trust and everyone has their own agenda.

The only negative thing I have to say about this book is the love triangle. Since I don’t want to spoil anything, I won’t write any names, but while there was some obvious and very real chemistry between two of the characters (which I very much ship by the way), there’s this third person who I guess is also supposed to be a love interest but I got more brotherly/friendly vibes between the MC and him. So the entire love triangle idea felt a little forced in my opinion. But that’s just a minor thing compared to how incredibly good this book was otherwise!

All in all, if you’re looking for a well-written fantasy book with action, plot twists and dark magic then you should definitely check this book out!

[Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an eArc of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review!

Wow what a read. I thoroughly enjoyed the world Hannah Whitten has created and just kept finding myself wanting to read more and more. Whitten does a really good job of creating characters that are both lovable but morally grey. Normally I don't like the love triangle trope but here it just worked. The world building is great, the magic systems are really interesting and everything was really accessible to readers. The story has really dark elements in it and it gave me really gothic, dark fairytale and fantasy vibes. I would recommend this book to anybody that loves fantasy, morally grey characters and tense story themes. This is a grown up fantasy and I love it.

This took a little while to warm up, but once I got into it, I was very into it. The lies, the manipulation, the secrets and betrayals! This book was a ride. I honestly don't think I could have predicted what was going to happen at any point in the book!

The magic and the way the gods came to play in it were my favourite things about the book. The death magic was so creative. I really liked the idea of threads of death and the idea of mortem and spiritum. I liked the balance between them a lot. It really spoke to me.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes next from this series. The way the book ended definitely left me intrigued for more.

4.5 stars
The Foxglove King was truly a perfect read! I've been waiting for this book for ages, and being able to preview it thanks to Netgalley was truly fantastic!

Without talking too much about the plot, I'll tell you what this book contains: court intrigues, a gothic world building, perfect writing, very well characterized and vivid characters, an interesting and very dark magical system, a strong protagonist (Lore), full of anger but also fears, and a love triangle with two perfectly characterized and so handsome male characters (Gabe and Bastian) that during the book you won't be able to choose which side to take!

I also loved the atmospheres, very gothic and dark with that touch of luxury and magnificence of the courts that mixes with the spectral setting of the catacombs and ghostly landscapes.

I can't wait to read the sequel and I can't wait to get a physical copy of this book... some fairies have told me that a "fairy" edition of this book is coming soon and I can't wait Now!!

Highly recommended if you are looking for a High-Fantasy with dark vibes, necromancy, political intrigues, a lavish court that hides many secrets, a strong protagonist and a love triangle in which you literally won't know who to choose because they are all amazing!

Thanks to Netgalley, Orbit Uk and Hannah Whitten for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Can't wait to read the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this incredible book!

Well, that's it. I am never going to shut up about this book. Watch me make this a part of my personality. This books has it all, mystery, suspense , a beautiful gothic world with a very interesting magic system and romantic tension (and there is spades of it).

While this book started off slowly, my enjoyment only increased with every turn of the page. Also, I don't know if that ending was evil or genius but I am keenly waiting for the second book. If you enjoy a haunting mystery with a touch of romance, a complex magical system you will really enjoy this. H. Whitten has a talented voice, and she weaves it into this beautiful gothic tale filled with court politics, deception and desire.

So this is going to be a series of book’s which is going to make me even more broke 😂 a perfect Fantasy novel which doesn’t really copy any of the novels already out in the fantasy genre. A Job goes wrong which means Lore has no choice but to join the royal court in order to spy and use her abilities for the kings advantage.

I would recommend this book to any fantasy genre readers/lovers as I feel this has potential to be a good series

Thank you for this arc!
I think it’s no surprise that I’ve loved this book much I mean after for the wolf and for the throne

I think she’s on my fav author list at this point
You have all the mix you need
Dark magic
Love
Court intrigues
😍😍😍