I don’t think this book was for me, I found the world building quite confusing; hard to follow and very info heavy. In the end I decided to audiobook it to help with that, which didn’t help much but helped me get through it a bit quicker.

I found that there was no character development, Lore sounds like a great FMC but she fell really flat. She was meant to be an incredible spy but continued to be a mess the entire book? I can appreciate the magic system although I still don’t really understand it.

I didn’t love bastian but gabe seemed genuine enough that you wanted to root for him a little bit but overall the characters were boring.

The writing style was okay and was very descriptive even the dialogue seemed realistic to the characters they just lacked depth.

Overall, this was a bit of a slog to get through and if I hadn’t picked up the audio I would have probably DNFd this at about the 30% mark.

2.75⭐️

Thank you NetGalley & Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC 💖

Think I enjoyed this gothic, dark & opulent court based book.

Bastian & Gabe's complwx character development is good, reflects angst within the love triangle. However the foreshadowing is too clear & repetative, the world building is a somewhat slow set up for the next book.

I enjoyed the concept of this book, and was looking forward to the darker themes explored by the author. Unfortunately, I found the political machinations a little flat and underwhelming, and the characters underdeveloped. Nevertheless, the author has a lot of potential, and I look forward to reading more of their work.

I am mildly disappointed in this book, to be completely honest. It is not that it is bad, because we have some good things going on in there. I loved the magic, Mortem is such an interesting concept, and the world is interesting. The author managed to make it real for us, and I felt like I was walking for the city of the castle, and this was so neat!
And let's not forget about the characters. Lore is a good MC, she is not in the best place ever, and she is trying her best, not only to stay alive but to also do some good while she is at it. Sure, doing good is not what moves her, but still it's there. Gabe and Bastian are interesting, too, I enjoyed spending time with them, and I appreciated that each one of them has is unique voice and personality. And up to this point sounds all good, right?
But then you really need to suspend your disbelief, strongly, because the king is the most stupid king ever, and I can't for the life of me understand how it is possible that he stayed king for so long. The best example of that? Well, the fact that he wants Lore, who is as far as a noble as you can find and still remains inside the city, to pretend to be a noble and start spying on his son. And without context, it may seem maybe not the best idea but still doable. Sure, but the transformation from gut-rat to noble is done in a day, or was it from morning to evening? they basically took her from the streets and said to her "Here, now you are Gabe's cousin, go and play pretend". It is simply not done. You can't in a day transform a criminal into a noble, especially if said criminal is not used to being amongst the noble. You can excuse some things saying that she is provincial sure but... come on! From the gutter to the castle without any sort of preparation. And it went all extremely well. So yeah, the king is stupid, and the author pretends that the readers are stupid too. Not so nice! And what's more, Lore is a spy, and pretty good at that, but did the king listen to her? No! She said "This may not be a great idea" and the king is "Well, I am the king, you do as I say" and again, nothing bad happens and all goes as planned. And it is not believable. At all. The king is a fool, and the author took us as fools, too.
And yeah, I may be holding a grudge here.
Basically, if you just want a decent book with good relationship development, actions, and twists and you are ready to suspend your disbelief, you can enjoy this one immensely.
But if you are attracted by the "poor masquerading as a noble who infiltrates the court" then I recommend you go with "The Mask of Mirrors"(The Mask of Mirrors) and if you are more interested in the magical system of this kind, I'd suggest "City of Dusk" (The City of Dusk
So all in all I think that it is a decent book, but nothing more, and I won't continue the series.

Lore was born able to do something any other person will only be able to do after a near death experience: she can work Mortem, the death magic that's in everyone and everything. When she's captured on a failed mission and imprisoned, the priest exhalted, leader of the Presque Mort, offers her her life in exchange for an undercover mission into the Court. She has to pretend to be one of the higher born Presque Mort's cousins and befriend the prince - her mission is to find out how and why whole villages around the border just seem to drop dead. Soon she realizes that she was told even less than she thought and that not only she is just playing a role at court ...
I really wanted to love The Foxglove King! I really enjoyed the general worldbuilding and the setting, even though I would have liked to hear more about the magic system and the politics. The main characters I didn't enjoy as much. In my opinion, we have a pretty typical love triangle with the very typical opposing male love interests and quite a cliché female lead. The romance therefore also felt very cliché to me and thus didn't really help the story. I didn't really connect to the characters and it took me a very long time to get through this book even though the premise sounded really promising. All in all, I think it really had potential that sadly wasn't used to it's full capacity, but it still had a good base and a sound plot in general. I might pick up another book by the author if the plot sounds interesting, but this one wasn't for me!

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!

Review published on the blog on 9th March 2023: https://bookafterbook.blog/2023/03/09/bookreview-the-foxglove-king-by-hannah-whitten-hwhittenwrites-orbitbooks/

"Good night, Mort"
"Good night, Heretic"

Lore has worked her way up, from living in the slums, to helping run a poison cartel for the two women who took her in and gave her a family. She's spent her life trying to survive, using her impeccable wit, and stealth as a spy to always be one step ahead of the law, especially with her illegal and dangerous affinity as a Necromancer. However, when one of her jobs goes awry, Lore finds herself at the mercy of the Sainted King and his warrior monks, and with villages on the outskirts of the Kingdom being massacred overnight by a sinister phantom, King August gives Lore a proposition, use her magic to resurrect the victims, and find out what's been murdering them, or face burning on the pyre. Now, thrust into the treacherous and suffocating life of court, she must navigate her way around the dangerous and intricate web of politics, religion and betrayals to help solve the King's mystery and survive.

Lore is a stubborn, hard-headed and strong FMC, a survivor, she knows how to turn any situation to her advantage. As one of the few remaining necromancers within the Kingdom, her magic has been outlawed and is considered dangerous, and she tries desperately to hide her powers under her unflappable, stoic façade. However, when she's cornered by the presque-mort, the Sainted King's warrior monks, she finds her power her only chance of survival. I felt so deeply for Lore, she has never truly lived without constantly analysing every situation she finds herself in, searching for potential dangers, and she honestly just deserves the world. Intelligent, witty, and resilient, Lore really leans into her power, and it was beautiful to see her take back control of her life after being forced to follow someone else's order just to keep herself alive.

Gabe... phew he had me REELING , this man... A monk who originally comes off as a rule follower, but slowly comes out of his shell, and becomes an absolute bad-ass, especially when it comes to protecting Lore, which was electrifying to witness. However, he does find it hard to separate his need to do what's right, and his unwavering loyalty to Anton for saving his life, even if Anton's decisions may not be the right ones. The fire he harbours under this meticulous and pious demeanour he shows everyone else, had me gasping. Gabe has had one of the most painful and agonising lives, surviving not only his father's assassination for treason, but also losing his eye as penance for his father's crimes at the age of 10 (1o!) he lost his home, his family and became a social pariah all in the space of a few moments. So when he's taken in by the presque-mort, he sees a new hope, and determination to clear his name. I adored seeing a darker, more confident side of him coming out as the plot progressed, he is utterly delicious and I'm excited to see more of him in the next book.

Bastien.. oh he also had me in a chokehold. This arrogant, cocky and smirking sun Prince, had me giddy with his flirty and witty banter. He wears this unflappable mask, exuding swagger in front of others, but underneath it all is a deeply hurt and flawed individual, who harbours a deep resentment and anger towards his father, and cares deeply for the innocents his father is meant to protect. He's just a little boy whose never felt loved or accepted, raised by a father who is forever looking for a way to be disappointed or to get rid of him. The insurmountable pressure and constant scrutiny Bastien faces, never able to let himself be vulnerable and be who he is, and the exhaustion of all that weight shows as the cracks begin to fissure in the masks he wears in public, especially when he meets Lore, who holds space for him to be who he is completely, and gets the pressure he's under.

The three main characters go through this incredibly journey in both character growth and development, they find kindred spirits in each other, all trapped in the moulds thrust upon them or built around them throughout their lives. Each individual is lonely, lost and never quite letting anyone in for fear of losing their strength, however, being around others who've built up their own armour to face the world that's determined to bring them down, brings out a kind of vulnerability, warmth and connection they've never experienced before, and it was so powerful and heart-warming to watch.

Gabe is a little self-righteous at times, and overly protective of Lore, which tracks with the trauma he's faced, and his deep, innate drive to reclaim his honour, and do what he thinks is right. However, he quickly stops communicating whenever Lore does something he doesn't agree with, which begins to erect a barrier between them, which leads to Lore losing some of her self-confidence and esteem which was gut-wrenching to watch, and made me so livid. On the other hand, Bastien accepts Lore for who she is, flaws and all, and encourages her, rooting for her throughout it all, and allowing her to make her own decisions and take matters into her own hands. He frequently empowers her in a way she's never truly felt before. The complex and intricately woven destiny that unwinds between Lore, Bastien and Gabe was really intriguing and kept me thoroughly enthralled.

'The Foxglove King' is a gothic, gritty, and gory fantasy romance, brimming with intricate and complex world-building that will immerse you seamlessly, court and religious politics, and overflowing with secrets, mystery, and a refreshing magical system all wrapped into a dark and sinister world ruled by power hungry and selfish men. This was atmospheric, transportive and so thought-provoking, with a heart pounding and thrilling plot... with two MC's who have a darker, confident and possessive side ( HOLY SH*T )... it will sneak up on you, and dig deep into your heart.

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten is the story of Lore, a young woman who has been living by her wits since childhood, hiding a deadly secret while working as a poison runner for the cartel that took her in. When a mission goes wrong and she is captured by the King's warrior monks she assumes she will be sentenced to death, but the King has other plans. Instead he sends her to spy on his son who he thinks is plotting to overthrow him and so Lore finds herself in a world of glamour, scheming, politics and religion on a mission that she has had no training for.
I had high hopes for this book, the world of necromancy and death magic sounded intriguing and while I do not love a love triangle I'm not opposed to them either. I liked Lore as a character but both of the male love interests felt a little flat and one dimensional . The pacing was also slower than I would like with a lot of exposition and explanation of the religion that lies at the heart of the plot.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher , all opinions are my own.

I went into this book with such high hopes. It has intrigue, dark magic, and a love triangle - what more could you ask for? While the story was interesting, there were points were the plot felt predictable or forced. That being said, I did find myself needing to read on, despite my attention wavering in the first half when nothing much was happening. There's a lot of setup, and the magic system and world lore was a little overwhelming at first, but if you're willing to push through then the narrative does pick up and become a lot more gripping!

I found myself drawn to the main three characters right from the start, and despite their questionable loyalties towards the end, somehow I was torn between rooting for Bastian or Gabe! The ending felt a little rushed, but that's perhaps because the pacing had been pretty slow until then. While there were times when I almost DNFed this book, I'm glad I pushed through, and will definitely be reading the sequel to find out what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was fantastic! Lore was an amazing and compelling protagonist and I really enjoyed seeing her infiltrating court society to find out what is happening in the villages. The death magic was a really creative touch and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I would definitely recommend this to any fantasy fans or people wanting to read a dark, magical mystery.

Sometimes you read a book cover to cover and when you finish you question why you didn't just DNF it... It doesn't happen to me often, usually I just DNF it when it doesn't feel right, but this one fooled me into thinking it was going to be interesting. The ending was so anticlimactic.

The writing was decent enough. The plot was a bit strange and all over the place. I'm not a big fan of religious plot lines and this one was all religion and no other things to focus on.

The characters were pretty flat. Bastian was pretty funny at times, love me a relentless flirt, but still very flat. Where are their personalities? I could barely keep all the characters straight because they all read the same.

I'm sure there are many bookdragons out there who will love this book, but it wasn't the book for me.

Book Review 📚
The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten - 4/5 ⭐

Now this had become a pretty anticipated book and that always makes me dubious and skeptical. But, I went for it anyway because the cover was beautiful!

And surprisingly, I absolutely loved it. I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was the first book of a series, so more greatness to follow. The main thing that sells me about this whole thing is how much it has the Throne Of Glass Vibes. And I say this knowing I'll get some hate, it was better then ToG!

Bastian - I will love you forever. You have become the new Rhysand/Zade (depending on your genre). Absolutely brilliant character development and storylines. They really suck you in and keep you intrigued.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

Thankyou NetGalley for an arc copy
I really enjoyed this book, the storyline was good, although the worldbuilding was a little confusing at times, the magic system was unique.
The vibes of the book was quite dark/gothic but all in all a very good read, I will definitely be reading the second instalment

When starting this book I really hd no idea of what to expect. I hadn’t heard much about and I wasn’t really sure what it was about, but I enjoyed it so much!

This book follows Lore, a poison runner who acts as a spy for her adoptive mothers in a city ravaged by an addiction to poison that can extend your life. However, the past that has spent the past eleven years running from is about to catch up with her. She was found by her mothers when she was 13 having recently escaped the catacombs she has lived in up to that point, a place plagued by dark magic that she was born with the ability to channel.

One day, when a run takes a turn for the worst, Lore uses her repressed power to cause a distraction and finds herself hauled away to the citadel to await her fate. However, while the punishment for her magic is usually death or exile she finds herself faced with a different offer; to stay in the citadel pretending to be the cousin of a member of the court and befriend the Sun Prince. A rise in strange deaths have been occurring and they want her to see if the Prince is responsible, using her skills as a spy.

Little does she know that fate and forces out of her control are guiding all of them like pieces on a chess board in something greater than solving the mysterious deaths.

I throughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. The world building was exceptional and I found myself drawn to the characters for their complicated personalities and faults as well as the things that made them badass. Lore, Gabe and Bastian are all complicated and intriguing characters fighting their own battles within themselves and the world around them. While I’m not usually a fan of live triangles the one hinted at in this book kept me hooked as the draw they all feel to one another is seemingly beyond their control.

It’s safe to say I can’t wait to get started with book 2, The Hemlock Queen!

This is perfect for Romantasy fans who like things a little darker like Belladonna and One Dark Window.

This book surprised me in a good way.

I thought the storyline and especially, the magic system were well developed. The characters too were memorable and made a lasting impression. That said, I definitely could have done without that love triangle and I would have loved to see some more world development in general.

Overall, I'd say this is one of the books which could be a good entry point for the adult fantasy genre. Looking forward to reading this series further.

I’ve been eyeing this book for about a year and I don’t know why I waited so long to read it, because it was really good!

The beginning was great and easy, I honestly was prepared for worse. I can’t really say I was constantly hooked throughout the whole book, though I also wouldn’t say it fell flat or that I was particularly bored.

The book did not only deliver the vibes, but also a solid plot to go along.
There’s a cult, a (questionable) church, a court where no one can be trusted, necromancy and gods. And betrayal. Everywhere.

Generally, I really enjoyed the characters! The combination of Lore, Bastian and Gabe did something to me. Especially Gabe. I will say though, the maybe-maybe not love triangle was…? I didn’t particularly hate it, but I am also glad it didn’t evolve into more than what(ever) it was.
What I would have really loved to see were more one on one scenes of Lore and Anton (head of the church). I think this could have been some great passive aggressive dialogues.

The ending was great, especially the epilogue. I’m really excited for the sequel!

Thank you for gifting me this arc to review. I had heard such incredible things about the book and it did not disappoint. I have now purchased on my kindle to read again. Would highly recommend

DNF @ 33%. I may come back to this one but for now I've found it very difficult to get into, and mostly just cliche situations and characters. I have read other reviews saying it gets better, but for now I'm putting this down.

Received via netgalley as a free arc to review

Author has shown improvement in this book from previous, unfortunately it still falls flat.

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley and Orbit UK for providing me with an ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Foxglove King is the first instalment in the Nightshade Crown series in which we follow Lore as she is taken by the King of Dellaire, who asks her to find out why villages in the kingdom have been dying overnight with the help of her magic.

The actual synopsis is way better than the once-sentence one I tried to come up with, but let me tell you: I really enjoyed this book. I requested this book on NetGalley because I kept seeing good reviews of this book, and it did not disappoint.
The plot is really interesting, full of magic, necromancy, betrayals, treasons, mysteries, court intrigues and religion. It feels heavily inspired by France because of the names of the characters and the worldbuilding elements that are in latin or French, and French royalty, but don’t even ask me which Louis it is because there are too many of them (I would say Louis XIV though, because he was really into Christianity and religion). I do suggest reading the trigger warnings on the author’s website before reading this one because there are quite a few. The worldbuilding is what amazed me the most, as there are two very distinct kinds of magic, and each one has its purpose! The three main characters (Lore, the Mortem-wielding lady ; Gabriel, a duke turned Presque Mort (litt. Almost Dead) and monk ; Bastian, the arrogant heir to the throne) have a really interesting dynamic/relationship and I loved seeing them together because there is a love triangle between the three of them. The reason I gave this book four stars and not five stars is because the pacing felt really slow at times.

The Foxglove King is an adult romantasy, perfect for fans of Belladonna and Vespertine! The second book in this series, The Hemlock Queen, will be out on April 9th, 2024, so don’t forget to pre order your copy!