Book Review | The Foxglove King

Lore is cursed with the power of a disgraced death goddess, so when she’s caught by a group of monks, she’s offered an ultimatum: she can either work for them or be burned at the stake.

Not wanting to die, she accepts their offer and agrees to infiltrate the Court of the Citadel and spy on the Sun Prince himself, forcing her to navigate the deadly court.

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten paints a gothic and decadent dark fantasy filled with secrets and catacombs.

For me, I’m a huge sucker for stories with death magic, so I thought this book’s worldbuilding and magic system was conceptually really cool. For instance, beneath the city lies a buried goddess who leaks mortem (the essence of entropy/decay) and monks constantly have to redirect and channel her power into inert matter. Otherwise, the whole city will deteriorate.

However, what I didn’t like was the lack of subtle intrigue—especially since Lore herself brags about being an excellent spy, yet she proceeds to be non-stealthy and very obvious with her line of questioning. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Game of Thrones, but I would’ve liked to have seen more cunning from the characters.

I’m still intrigued enough to see what happens with sequel though.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : March 7, 2023

Publisher : Orbit

ISBN: 031643499X

Pages : 480

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