A strong sequel. I really enjoyed how the world has been expanded a bit in this one and I think the author has set us up quite nicely for the crescendo of the third installment!

Perfectly good book, different from the first and I didn't love it as much as it was my own personal taste!

Love the character still, I would like to wrap up Lore and protect her from all the nasties.

📖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 📖 ★★★★☆
𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Hemlock Queen, Hannah Whitten
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Gothic Fantasy
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: Kindle

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲:
• Gothic Fantasy
• Love Triangle / multiple interests

Interesting magic set up. Mortem is death and some have the ability to channel it, however only the church is allowed to. Religion is taken very seriously by many and the church is as powerful as the monarchy. Book one got a 3.5 ★ from me as I did find the magic system intriguing but found it was overly descriptive in places and slightly info dumpy.

Book two I enjoyed more as I understood the world more and although it felt like it was a long read we learnt so much about the gods and the start of all the magic. Seemed like they were going to vanquish evil only to be thwarted and exiled instead. Interesting to see how this trilogy concludes!

I had loved the first book but sadly the sequel didn't live up to my expectations.
The pace is rather slow which is not a problem but here my issue was that the characters, especially Lore are very passive. Gabe, whom I loved from book one is barely present.
For reasons inherent to the plot, the interactions were frustrating at best and even disappointing.
The writing, as always with Hannah Whitten is pleasant, but the plot and the character growth were a miss for me.

The first one was not my favourite and I rated it quite low, Which meant I went into this with low expectations. I'm not sure this series is for me. Again, I enjoyed it but did not love it. I am not sure whether I will continue the series, as I would definitely recommend it to some people.

A really well written sequel to one of the best books of 2023.

This book begins right after the ending of The Foxglove King, which I do appreciate, but to be honest it is a little on the slow side. It takes a little too long to get going as there's a lot of looking back on what happened previously. Which I suppose is not always a bad thing, but I had also read the first installment before reading this one just to catch up a little bit.

But, just as with the previous installment, this book also picks up the pace a lot after the inital slog and presents a fast paced and gripping story that's hard to let go of.

The Hemlock Queen doesn't just give us what we loved about the first installment in the series, but expands on it. This book is everything AND more. More character development, deeper into relationships, more information on magic and the world and the lore around it all. Questions that were left unasnwered by the end of The Foxglove King gets answered and explained. And, of course, more questions are added in, more tension and more intrigue. Everything that makes you eager to read the final installment in the series.

The writing is great as usual and the reading experience is nothing but fun and entertaining. A fairly straightforward book perhaps, but that's just what I like. Another hit for me.

I was sent a copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.....for a full review please see my Amazon and Goodreads accounts

Rating: ★★★★☆
Hannah Whitten's "The Hemlock Queen," the second installment in her lush, romantic epic fantasy series, delivers a captivating journey through the perilous and opulent world of the Sainted King's royal court. The novel seamlessly blends elements of political intrigue, dark magic, and romance, creating a narrative that is both gripping and richly detailed.

The story picks up with the death of the corrupt King August, and Prince Bastian ascending the throne with Lore, a necromancer and former smuggler, by his side. Their mission to cleanse the corruption in the heart of the court and aid the people of Dellaire is met with resistance from all directions. The nobility sows seeds of dissent, the Kyrithean Empire poses a looming threat, and Lore's old allies are drifting away. The transformation of Prince Bastian from a hopeful, charismatic leader to a reckless and domineering figure adds layers of complexity to their relationship, making the political landscape even more treacherous.

Whitten's prose is both elegant and evocative, drawing readers into a world where danger lurks around every corner and whispers of dark power echo through the catacombs. Lore's journey of self-discovery and the haunting voice that reveals hidden truths about her power adds a thrilling depth to the narrative. As Bastian's coronation approaches and enemies close in, Lore must navigate a web of intrigue to protect herself, her prince, and her country from an impending catastrophe.

Whitten's ability to balance romance, magic, and political drama ensures that this installment is a worthy continuation of an already enchanting series. Highly recommended for fans of epic fantasy with a dark, romantic twist.

A FANTASTIC follow-up to The Foxglove King! I absolutely loved how The Hemlock Queen expanded on the world of the gods - not only within our characters' heads, but also their own backstory and dynamics. This book truly kept me on my toes from start to end in the best way possible.

Sorry for the late review, I had some health issues but now I am getting back on track.
I loved the second book even more than the first! I just love Hannah's writing and the unique world she created! These characters are now some of my favorite characters ever too! I can't wait to read the next book in the series and read more from this author!

I love Hannah Whitten, but this sequel just felt like filler to me. Lots of waiting and set up for the climax of the novel without much to push the plot along in the meantime. Could this have been a duology? Potentially, but we'll have to wait until book 3 to see. I did love all the dives into the magic and lore that drives this world, how our main cast are being used as puppets and Bastian's pain during this book was beautifully done and incredibly palpable. I just wish that we weren't just waiting for most of the novel for something to happen. I will definitely still be completing the series though.

Dnf at around 30% - I just found this fell flat for me and couldn’t motivate myself to finish - the writing is beautiful but personally I just didn’t love the plot.

Oh Boy am I late to the party, but just as I did with Foxglove King, I had a great time with The Hemlock Queen!
It didn’t suffer from „middle-book-syndrome“ in my opinion, the pacing was well done and it was easy to follow. I liked the atmosphere, the dynamics, the tension, the not-knowing and THAT ENDING? Can‘t wait for the third book and see what happens to Lore, Bastien, Gabe, Alie and their.. you know who!

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the e-Arc!

The Hemlock Queen picks up not long after the events of the Foxglove King (which I really loved) and the world is completely turned on its head as we see our three MC in completely different positions of power.

There are lots and lots of wonderful elements to this read; First and foremost is Whitten’s writing - I personally find it really engaging and so easy to just sink into this world and lose myself. Attached to that is some really good world building - something that unfortunately feels like more and more of a rarity in the oversaturated market of romantasy these days. I also think Whitten does a great job for building atmosphere but some of the poisonous setting felt lost here.

My biggest gripe was that it felt like we completely lost Lore here. She was completely passive and it felt like I was reading a completely different character to the first books - where was her personality? Her strength? Her attitude? While I understand the logic was that she wanted to be taken care of for a change it didn’t read like that - it read like her character changed overnight which I just didn’t buy. At all.

As for the romance.. I struggled a little with this in the first book but it was even more of an issue for me here. I love a slow burn but this didn’t even feel like that. It was incredibly light on the romance and I can’t help but feel so much more could have been done here. I’ve seen a couple of reviews talk about the emotional angst and tension being devastating but I can’t help but feel we were reading different books on this one. I needed way more actual interaction for me to feel invested in this romance.

My other complaint is the plot. Urgh there was so much potential here, but I felt like nothing actually got enough depth. The court entrigue - I feel like so much was set up here in the first installment but nothing manifested itself here. War threatening - really nothing changed here from the first book, there was no ramping tension, no suspense. Honestly it just all felt so predictable? I feel like there were meant to be a couple of ‘reveals’ and twists and turns - but i saw them all coming from the very start.

I am honestly unsure on whether I will read book 3. There is so much I liked but Lore’s complete change in personality really made me feel disconnected..

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

I really enjoyed The Foxglove King- it was a fun, fast read with some great characters. In The Hemlock Queen we return to the story but everything feels heavier and slower.
I liked the way the author reminded us of events from the previous book without getting into a detailed recap - I really appreciated this as it was a while since I read The Foxglove King. I still like the characters, and I am keen to find out what happens next. It just felt a bit like we were going round in circles at times but I am hopeful the third book will be more focused.

Thank-you to NetGalley and Little Brown for the opportunity to read an eArc of this book.

I really liked this book. I've ready it quite some time after finishing the Foxglove King but it wasn't really hard to catch up with the plot.
I love how much Bastian and Lore we have in this book, however I really hope for a HEA for all of them!
The book was a little bit too long for me. I was also a little bit irritated that Lore is not quite herself. She was thinking so much about doing some stuff but eventually she just gave up. Please bring back this sassy, strong character back!
Can't wait to read the next book in the series.

This series has me hooked! I can’t wait for the next book! I need to know what happens next…
The characters are so well written I feel like I’m standing in front of them sometimes.
I love the magic developments and look forward to reading more.

3,25 / 5

To say “I am confused” would be an understatement in every way, shape or form.
I read ‘The Foxglove King’ in February this year (so about 4 months prior to picking up ‘The Hemlock Queen’ and a reasonable period between books if you ask me) and I can't really say if it's a me thing or if it's the book, but it took me forever to get into this. At least until the 40% mark, but probably more. After the first couple of chapters I was immediately hit with the thought of ‘Did I skip a book?’, because it sure felt like it.
Honestly, I am even hesitant to say if I got into it at all.
Maybe it’s just one of those series that needs to be read back-to-back to properly make sense. I don't know.

My biggest issue, especially in the beginning, were Lore and Bastian, because it almost felt as if they drifted into completely different people after and especially compared to how ‘The Foxglove King’ ended. I guess, after finishing the book, you can say that Bastian’s behavior makes sense, Lore however ?
At one point my confusion just got more confused.
The only character who seemed “normal” was Alie. Bless her. Actually, I really, really came to like her.
I was also missing more of Gabe. The somewhat love triangle between Lore-Bastian-Gabe, again, if you read this book, will somewhat make more sense, but can’t say that I was enjoying or routing for this back and forth between them.

One of the few really good and interesting parts of the book was the backstory of the gods somewhere in the last 30%.
That last third was also the part with the most moments I wish had happened more sprinkled in throughout the book, which maybe would have helped for me to be more invested.

I was so excited when the Kirytheans early on suddenly got involved and kinda disappointed when they were abandoned up until like the second to last chapter. I feel like exploring them more would have been a great plot point.

If you enjoyed the vibes of ‘The Foxglove King’, I do think ‘The Hemlock Queen’ delivers very nicely on that.

Besides the last 3 chapters (before the epilogue), which seemed for whatever reason to go on forever in a mouthful-like writing, the ending/epilogue was good. Really good actually and I am interested to see how it will all play out in the last book of the series.
Until then, I will debate if I should reread The Foxglove Kind and The Hemlock Queen before book three releases.

The Hemlock Queen is the second in a trilogy (the first being The Foxglove King). I found the main character Lore became more mature in this book, and the other characters, Gabe, Bastian, Alie and Malcolm also have taken on more serious roles. I thought it was a decent second book but found the first half quite slow with not a lot happening. The second half picked up and then there was lots happening raising lots of unanswered questions. I thought the direction of the love triangle a bit unexpected too, never saw any attraction between Gabe and Bastian and it felt a bit forced and not one that made sense to me. I enjoyed the book and am glad that there was less swearing too. I look forward to reading the final part

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

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I want to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book.

🔺Love Triangle
🖤Power
💫Possession
🌩️Gods

This book did what any second book in a series should do, set the reader up for an epic battle or quest. Whilst this book was a little slow I am intrigued enough to read the next one. The history of the Gods and how that affected our leading characters were my favourite parts.

⭐⭐⭐💫