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A review by whatmandyreads
The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
***Thank you so much to Hannah Whitten and Orbit books for allowing me to read and review this ARC. I have been so excited to get to this book!!***
This was my first Hannah Whitten novel and she is now a must read author for me! I will be purchasing some of her previous work in the new year. I love the way she weaves her words into a story that seems both delicate and fierce at the same time.
When reading a lot of high fantasy novels in short succession, plot sometimes becomes generic and predictable with character development becoming the only unique attribute. This is NOT the case with The Foxglove King. I am newer to the sub genre of necromancy but this book has very distinct plot in addition to expert character development!
In full transparency the book was a solid 3/5 star for me until the final 25% of the book. The first three quarters was quite a bit of mundane world building and historical accounting. This is not necessarily a bad thing because I’ve found that many high fantasy series have a first novel in series that really has to be powered through to make it to the meat of the drama. Some aspects of the world and character building bordered on generic and predictable in the beginning but as the novel drew closer to the arc of the story, The Foxglove King definitely distinguished itself as a very unique story. I wish that this didn’t take up 75% of the book. I feel like that is a lot of work for a small reward; however I am hopeful that the series building will pay off and future books will be packed with drama and action.
The last 25% of the book hooked me into the series. It went from driving on a straight country road to a winding road with many obstacles and turns—some predictable and some surprising. It was light on the romance in this book but I can see so many ways that might evolve over the coming books. The last chapters of the book elevated my rating to a 4/5 and made me want more!
Who is this for? YA readers, those that love high fantasy with necromancy and darker death themes, and fantasy readers.
Trigger Warnings: child death
This was my first Hannah Whitten novel and she is now a must read author for me! I will be purchasing some of her previous work in the new year. I love the way she weaves her words into a story that seems both delicate and fierce at the same time.
When reading a lot of high fantasy novels in short succession, plot sometimes becomes generic and predictable with character development becoming the only unique attribute. This is NOT the case with The Foxglove King. I am newer to the sub genre of necromancy but this book has very distinct plot in addition to expert character development!
In full transparency the book was a solid 3/5 star for me until the final 25% of the book. The first three quarters was quite a bit of mundane world building and historical accounting. This is not necessarily a bad thing because I’ve found that many high fantasy series have a first novel in series that really has to be powered through to make it to the meat of the drama. Some aspects of the world and character building bordered on generic and predictable in the beginning but as the novel drew closer to the arc of the story, The Foxglove King definitely distinguished itself as a very unique story. I wish that this didn’t take up 75% of the book. I feel like that is a lot of work for a small reward; however I am hopeful that the series building will pay off and future books will be packed with drama and action.
The last 25% of the book hooked me into the series. It went from driving on a straight country road to a winding road with many obstacles and turns—some predictable and some surprising. It was light on the romance in this book but I can see so many ways that might evolve over the coming books. The last chapters of the book elevated my rating to a 4/5 and made me want more!
Who is this for? YA readers, those that love high fantasy with necromancy and darker death themes, and fantasy readers.
Trigger Warnings: child death
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death