A review by mylynn
The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten

dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

 I know I say “this is one of my most anticipated books of the year” all the time, but I guess I anticipate a lot of books! Sue me. 

BUT FOR REAL, this is one of my most anticipated books and I’ve been dreaming of reading this book ever since I finished The Foxglove King!!! (Also Hannah has lowkey been edging us with her weekly insta posts, and honestly, I’m not mad about it.)

The vibes while I was reading this book??? NERVOUS. This book was so creepy and atmospheric. The way that Hannah Whitten writes and describes things can be so visceral, and gave me a creeping sense of dread the whole book. 

The worldbuilding continues to be great in this book, and I love all the additional lore we get on the Bleeding God and the Buried Goddess. I’m a fiend for lore, and I always want more.

Also the angst??? If you thought The Foxglove King was angsty...well, The Hemlock Queen said "that's cute". The tension between these three????

 I love all of our main characters so much and the tension between all three of them is just UGHHGHGHG SO GOOD. The chemistry??? through the roof. Love triangles, in general, are not for me BUT this one is an exception. 

Lore remains great and funny and I love that we are mostly in her POV. Her powers are cool, and I love how we see more of them... BUT also she’s just a really well-written main character and I love her.

I went into this book as a Bastian lover and this book just reinforced my love for him. His journey in this book is heartbreaking. (it’s very hard to not say more about Bastian, but spoilers, ugh) (feel free to cry with me in my DMs) 

Gabe remains partially a mystery to me, but I've softened a little to him (no one is more shocked or disappointed by this than me). I took Gabe’s actions in The Foxglove King very personally and it’s hard for me to get over them lol.

I did feel like things got a little repetitive and I think that the repetitive bits could've been reworked to feel less so, or just cut. Also, I think that some of the reveals (one in particular) were underwhelming and I wish it was more of the surprise for the readers as it was for the characters.

 Overall, super enjoyable read and I cannot wait for book 3!! I have no idea where we're going next and I am ✨nervous✨ but also very invested. 

Thank you to Orbit for this ARC!!!