Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Foxglove King

This book started slowly but had some interesting developments and I'm very curious to see where book two goes. A fairly hit you over the head with it religious imagery on themes like separation of church and state. I thought the poison element was interesting but wished mortem was laid out more clearly.

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cdoubet's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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bex_readz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I'm sorry, but where was the romance in this book? I think if something is nominated for the best romantasy book in 2023, then there should be at least a medium presence of romance within the storyline. Two subpar kisses and zero chemistry/banter/etc. does not make a romance book.

The plot of this book felt promising. The magic and world building did feel a bit different than other books I have read and I enjoyed that. What I was not expecting was having characters that felt flat and had no chemistry, bumbling through the plot line. Many of the plot twists were VERY easy to spot, and yet the characters were clueless throughout. No chemistry AND dumb. The best part of the book was like the last couple of chapters, because at least then some of the characters had the possibility of being interesting.

I just don't know. I feel like this book had potential but the execution was done poorly.

Plot- 3/5🔆
Spice- 0/5🌶️
Romance-0/5💗

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jaynovara's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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clairew97's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Writing: 4.25⭐️/5

The writing was more than serviceable: it was woven into the narrative, supporting it without taking away from it. Several times while reading I found myself enthralled by the words themselves. At other times, the writing was sufficient, technically lacking nothing but in want of something more.

Characters: 4.5⭐️/5

The characters were incredibly fun to read without feeling like caricatures. I loved Lore’s mind, loved to see her interact with her world in such a unique way. And, though the guard-and-prisoner-forced-together trope could feel tired, I appreciated the nuance that refreshed it. I liked reading about Gabe and his history. And our two male interests were distinct and individual, with Bastian, the King, contrasting strongly against Gabe.

Plot: 5⭐️/5

A spy born in the catacombs is traded to the King in exchange for a legal contract after she reveals herself as a deathwitch, a person who can manipulate the essence of death. How can you not love that plot? Or, at the very least, be enthralled by it. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this plot, and I eagerly await the sequel.

Who Should Read This Book?

Fans of darker, but not dark, fantasy books
Fans of love triangles
Those looking for an interesting high fantasy read with a heavy focus on gods
Fans of fantasy romances where the love interests are forced together
Fans of an intriguing fantasy world

Content Warnings?

Drug abuse, murder, child death, death, death of parent, torture, blood, confinement,

Post-Reading Rating: 4.75⭐️/5

I would like to see the next book please.

Final Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

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camiclarkbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I loved Hannah Whitten’s “For the Throne,” so I was very excited to read “Foxglove King.” Now that I’ve read it, I’m feeling kind of let down.

It was long…too long, in my opinion. There was some repetition of story beats that felt unnecessary, like they had been added just to lengthen the book. By the 70% point, I was just trying to power through and couldn’t give an accurate summary.

All I kept thinking through the book was, “this is ‘Serpent and Dove’ but in a palace and with a lot more dead people.” And I stand by that.

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warlocksarecool21's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I knew going in that I was probably going to like this book but I was surprised by how good I thought it was. Whitten’s writing is captivating and I couldn’t put the book down. There were some minor issues I had with the physical formatting and editing I had of the paragraph lengths, but other than that I did like the author’s style.

I thought Lore was a really interesting main character and I never got irritated by her narration. The overall world and magic system was so unique to me, even though it drew parallels to various mythologies. It was very much a slow-burn book in terms of plot, but it paid off, as we got to see Lore learn more about the court and her magic all while uncovering the mystery at hand.

I was weary about the love triangle being set up between Lore, Gabe and Bastian but both of the boys were so compelling and the tension was so good. Gabe’s character honestly broke my heart, even though he made poor decisions trying to help Lore. The angst that comes with his character was so well-written and I’m excited to see where his journey goes. Bastian was a delight and I loved how complex he was. I was a little surprised by how unhinged he was at the end; but I suppose the pieces to that reveal were built up as the story went along. I honestly was kind of gleeful when

he crowned himself King. While I’m mildly concerned for Bastian’s sanity and everyone’s well-being bc of it, I think he deserved that power after everything that went down. Not to mention Lore’s power!!!! Like she’s basically the vessel for a goddess now and honestly good for her. I was pleasantly surprised when she saved her life and power over the supposed greater good of the world with Anton’s weird lil prophecy. Seldom do female characters get to choose themselves and their power in fantasy novels so I was glad to see it. I did predict parts of Anton’s plan, I knew early on that he was plotting against his brother and that the Spiritum magic was going to be used but I honestly did not expect the entire ending and for Lore and Bastian’s connection to be revealed. I had an idea that Gabe would give in to his loyalty to Anton but damn it still hurt

.

Overall, I thought this was a very good start to the series, and I hope we see even more of the gods and the magic system in the next book. I am anxious to see the direction of where the dynamic between Lore and the boys will go, and I am honestly not sure how I hope it will turn out. I’m excited to see where all of this leads in the next book, and I can’t wait for it.

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