If you’re looking for a unique and intriguing gothic fantasy, this one’s for you!

From the outset this was beautifully written and wildly entertaining. Lore is a character I rooted for so deeply and the bonds and relationships she made were to die for! The plot and Lore’s specific powers kept me on the edge of my seat absolutely desperate for more until the very last moment. I can’t wait to read the sequel!

Such a gorgeously dark, decadent gothic fantasy!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for letting me read and review the eARC of The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten.

I have ALOT of mixed feeling about this book, hence the average rating. But firstly, I want to make it clear to any potential future reader: this book is completely young adult and should not be classed as an adult.

See, I enjoyed the plot and 80% of the writing, of which you could physically see improve as the book manifested. But the first 30-40% of the Foxglove King was dangerously close to making me DNF. I will give it to Hannah Whitten though, the plot had a level of intrigue in it that did make me want to know how it all tied up. I wanted to know more about Lore's powers, more about Mortem, more about their gods, about everything. I am glad I stayed, and I will likely continue the series as I do want to know this world. It is an amazingly thought up one.

But the main character, oh my lord. She just seems childish, I dont know if it's the growing up in the catacombs or something but gosh, sometimes I wanted to scream grow up! Now I don't know if I class it as character or writing but the whole 'my boobs are too big for me to be inconspicuous' thing just aggrevated me. I didn't expect writing like that from a female author, not going to lie.

Apart from Lore, the other characters were lovable. Gabe is a complicated soul, who is struggling with who he is, who he trusts, and his image. Bastian, is a lovable flirt who's trying to survive. Both characters are trying to right their fathers wrongs and are childhood friends but would rather not be in the same room....unless it was with Lore. I do hope Lore never chooses between the two, and may just choose both. (Take note!)

Overall, The Foxglove King has the plot, the intrigue, a loveable flirtatious side-character, but also an annoying, childish main-character and a young adult plotting advertised as an adult one.

The foxglove king was a 3.5 stars for me, an intriguing read but with something to be desired! The world building gave way to a stable foundation to build on. The details on the magic system and religious order kept me gripped throughout.
“It was natural to sense Mortem in something dead, no matter how unpleasant, and at this point she could hide her reaction, keep it contained. She’d had enough practice.
But she shouldn’t feel Mortem in a living man, not one who wasn’t at death’s door”
Learning about her powers for mortem and how they shaped her character helped me create a liking for Lore and how her story will continue to play out. Even if there was quite some info to retain at times I had no issues understanding the hierarchy or character motivations and their roles within the book.

My only issue would be with how you can tell it’s a foundation for a series. It’s a great foundation but I’d love to see more developments and a progression of the story within the rest of the series.

Overall a good read and a promising start to what I hope will be a great series!

Hannah Whitten is truly my favorite new author out there. This story was magical. The world building and magic was done so well. The characters were perfect. If Whitten is writing it, I’m reading it.

The Foxglove King is a fascinating gothic fantasy weaving court intrigue, necromancy, espionage, religious fervour, and forbidden romance together so minutely that I was absorbed from the first page. Within this story, we follow Lore, a nobody that is the only person born with the power of Mortem - death and darkness, Gabe, the son of a traitor who was offered redemption in the form of joining the priesthood, and Bastian, a prince and heir to a kingdom he has no wish to rule.

While the pacing is on the slower side, the plot is so intricate that I don't feel the pacing needs to be rushed. We're discovering everything through Lore's POV, who is in the dark about everything happening, that the slow reveals creates the tension you could only expect her to be feeling at each moment. And yes, you're still turning pages frantically, wondering how she's going to wrap this up in the few pages left, as they are disappearing rapidly, but it just sets the sequel up perfectly! These characters are left sitting in a form of stasis in my mind while I sit here hungering to know what will happen to them next.

The obvious love triangle forming throughout this book is extremely satisfying, even for someone who doesn't really feel drawn to them, like myself. You are routing for all sides of this romance, and I honestly can't say there will be a way to make me unhappy about whichever outcome that may occur.

Lavishly seductive, dark, and compelling, I'm left counting down the days until the sequel!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Oh wow.this was totally unexpected. I have not read this author before but it has definitely left me wanting more.There is a lot of effort put into the world building which is great but I like it more when the focus is on the plot rather than descriptions themselves. Nothing wrong with it just my preference.Also, the love situation is not one of my favourites so I'm looking forward to the book 2 to see how it all plays out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It took me a little while to wrap my head around the magic system in this world, but the characters are really what drew me into the story. Bastian is easily my favourite, I love his whit and charm and determination to do the right thing despite the dangers he faces. Lore has a strong sense of self right from the beginning, but it still left room for her to grow throughout the book as she learns more about her powers and her role in the fate of her kingdom. I am not typically a fan of love triangles, and fortunately this one hasn't technically evolved to that yet, so I think the fact that I didn't dislike it in the book goes to show how much I liked the characters. The pacing at the end was great with a surprising (although not actually that surprising for Bastian) ending and I can't wait for the next book!

This book took me three tries to actually get into, but then I loved it! Once I understood the world, the characters and their surroundings, I really fell for this story! It was such a complex world, surrounding death and resurrection (to some extent). It was definitely worth the read, I'm so glad I didn't give up on it. I thought there would be a few spice scenes, but its's all very closed door (at the moment). But I cannot wait for book two and will definitely get it as soon as it comes out!

Overall, I had a lovely time reading The Foxglove King. The book felt romantic and dark which I adored, with elements of court politics, discussions on religion and theocracy and a love triangle that I actually was intrigued by. Lore is a strong yet flawed character and following her journey was delightful. The magic system felt creative and interesting, I loved the necromancy element of it. My only critique was the slow beginning, it felt like the book took a couple hundred pages to find its footing. That being said, the ending left me extremely exciting for the second book.

Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten has everything I love in fantasy:
⭐️ A kingdom that hangs on the brink of conflict with a neighboring, jealous empire;
⭐️ A king who does not want to give up his place to his successor at any cost;
⭐️ A power-hungry High Priest who tries to dominate the inhabitants through religious doctrines.
Add to that the sassy 23-year-old Lore, who turns out to be no ordinary citizen, the disgraced monk prince Gabriel, and the overconfident and cunning heir to the throne Bastian, and you get top-notch entertainment that will keep you up all night to find out what adventures await them.

I don't want to write too much about the plot itself, because I feel like it's very easy to create a spoiler, but what's most noteworthy is the world presented in the book, especially its unique magic system. The magic here is based on two main forces:
Mortem - the magic (essence) of death
Spiritium - the magic (essence) of life
and on elemental magic. According to legends, Mortem comes from the body of the goddess Nyaxos, who was cast down by the god of light Appolin. The entire mythology and doctrines on which faith is built are based on this story.

So if you like themes:

🥀 epic fantasy with elements of romance
🥀 political game
🥀 court intrigues
🥀 love triangle
🥀 predictions
🥀 comprehensive magic system

Foxglove King is definitely a book for you! 🔥