ARC Review : The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

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The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten
Series : The Nightshade Kingdom #1
Genre : Fantasy
Publisher : Orbit Books
Publication Date : March 7th, 2023
In this lush, romantic new epic fantasy series from New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten, a young woman's secret power to raise the dead plunges her into the dangerous and glamorous world of the Sainted King's royal court.

When Lore was thirteen, she escaped a cult in the catacombs beneath the city of Dellaire. And in the ten years since, she’s lived by one rule: don’t let them find you. Easier said than done, when her death magic ties her to the city.

Mortem, the magic born from death, is a high-priced and illicit commodity in Dellaire, and Lore’s job running poisons keeps her in food, shelter, and relative security. But when a run goes wrong and Lore’s power is revealed, she’s taken by the Presque Mort, a group of warrior-monks sanctioned to use Mortem working for the Sainted King. Lore fully expects a pyre, but King August has a different plan. Entire villages on the outskirts of the country have been dying overnight, seemingly at random. Lore can either use her magic to find out what’s happening and who in the King’s court is responsible, or die.

Lore is thrust into the Sainted King’s glittering court, where no one can be believed and even fewer can be trusted. Guarded by Gabriel, a duke-turned-monk, and continually running up against Bastian, August’s ne’er-do-well heir, Lore tangles in politics, religion, and forbidden romance as she attempts to navigate a debauched and opulent society.

But the life she left behind in the catacombs is catching up with her. And even as Lore makes her way through the Sainted court above, they might be drawing closer than she thinks.

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I'd discovered Hannah Whitten's Wilderwood duology last year and I really liked it, so I was quite excited for her new release - The Foxglove King. I just finished reading the ARC and it was such an interesting entry into a new series with a unique world building and a magic system that was different from the others! Also for some reason, I thought this was going to be a very dark fantasy(lol I think it was the cover and stuff) but apart from the atmospheric writing and the necromancy part of the magic system it wasn't as dark as I'd imagined - and it worked out well here!

Set in a world where the magic born from death - Mortem and poisons are commonplace, Lore has been trying to fly under the radar while helping out her adoptive mothers(and poison runners) who had rescued her after she escaped from the catacombs below the city. When a job goes wrong and Lore ends up being captured by the Presque Mort - a group of religious monks and the only ones who are allowed to control Mortem, she's brought before their head - Anton and his brother August - who's the king(so it's a setting where the monarchy and church exist side by side). She's tasked with an espionage mission as the residents of entire villages near the border have been dying mysteriously and told to approach August's heir - Bastian, to find out whether he's been leaking secrets to the enemy while she poses as the cousin of the duke/monk - Gabriel.

The writing pulled me in from the beginning and I loved how we slowly got to discover the world, the magic system and the different characters. I felt like the lore about the Gods had allusions to some of the Greek ones and with a cult like religious group(I think that every organized religion is a cult🤣) - it definitely made for some interesting moments especially when one of the major characters is sort of a brainwashed follower hehe. I really liked Lore - she was independent enough but vulnerable at the same time too and the plot was very intriguing! Though there isn't much of a romance, there's a bit of a love triangle happening here and I've already picked a team(I'll go down with this ship!) and in case you can't tell I'm not a fan of the other love interest and I can't feel the connection between them🤣

Anyway, this was a promising start to a new series with a fascinating new world and I'm kinda looking forward to what will happen next after the way this one ended! Hope we get to see more character development and more about the gods and the magic in the next ones!

You can also find my review on my bookstagram here


*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

You can also find my reviews of the author's other books here



Hannah Whitten has been writing to amuse herself since she could hold a pen, and sometime in high school, figured out that what amused her might also amuse others. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, making music, or attempting to bake. She lives in an old farmhouse in Tennessee with her husband, children, two cats, a dog, and probably some ghosts.

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