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The Nightshade Crown #2
The Hemlock Queen
In the second installment of New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten's lush, romantic epic fantasy series, a young woman who can raise the dead must navigate the dangerous and glamorous world of the Sainted King's royal court.
The corrupt king August is dead. Prince Bastian has seized the throne and raised Lore—a necromancer and former smuggler—to his right hand side. Together they plan to cut out the rot from the heart of the sainted court and help the people of Dellaire. But not everyone is happy with the changes. The nobles are sowing dissent, the Kyrithean Empire is beating down their door, and Lore's old allies are pulling away. Even Prince Bastian's changed. No longer the hopeful, rakish, charismatic man Lore knows and loves, instead he's reckless, domineering and cold.
And something's been whispering in her ear. A voice, dark and haunting, that's telling her there's more to the story than she knows and more to her power than she can even imagine. A truth buried deep that could change everything.
With Bastian's coronation fast approaching and enemies whispering on all sides, Lore must figure out how to protect herself, her prince, and her country before they all come crumbling down and whatever dark power has been creeping through the catacombs is unleashed.
The corrupt king August is dead. Prince Bastian has seized the throne and raised Lore—a necromancer and former smuggler—to his right hand side. Together they plan to cut out the rot from the heart of the sainted court and help the people of Dellaire. But not everyone is happy with the changes. The nobles are sowing dissent, the Kyrithean Empire is beating down their door, and Lore's old allies are pulling away. Even Prince Bastian's changed. No longer the hopeful, rakish, charismatic man Lore knows and loves, instead he's reckless, domineering and cold.
And something's been whispering in her ear. A voice, dark and haunting, that's telling her there's more to the story than she knows and more to her power than she can even imagine. A truth buried deep that could change everything.
With Bastian's coronation fast approaching and enemies whispering on all sides, Lore must figure out how to protect herself, her prince, and her country before they all come crumbling down and whatever dark power has been creeping through the catacombs is unleashed.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published April 9, 2024
About the author
Hannah F. Whitten
8 books3,562 followersHannah 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 Tennessee with her husband and children in a house ruled by a temperamental cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,273 reviews
May 31, 2024
Betrayal, lies, and deadly secrets invigorate this poisonous sequel to the Foxglove King, as Lore battles a war within her own heart and a divine force intent on overtaking the entire kingdom. The Hemlock Queen elevates the stakes of The Foxglove King, barbed with court politics and fraught dynamics between its core trio, now at odds. Still reeling from the fallout of book one, Lore comes to terms with her new role and fights the cost of her own survival. Whitten bridges the world of gods and humans until they meet on a knife edge, where they remain until its heartwrenching conclusion. It’s safe to say Hannah Whitten knows how to write epic sequels. This twisted high fantasy trilogy continues to astonish and The Hemlock Queen shifts it from sensational to absolutely legendary.
thank you to edelweiss for providing the arc.
Read my full review here
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thank you to edelweiss for providing the arc.
Read my full review here
Follow me on Instagram
April 14, 2024
"Life and death are inextricable from each other. Through darkness, light is brightened. Through light, shadows deepen. One may not exist without the other. They must rise together, equals once again, and never be parted."
This series delivers:
✔️ Adult gothic romantasy
✔️ Epic magic system (death/life magic)
✔️ Forbidden romance
✔️ Love triangle
✔️ Warring gods and goddesses
✔️ Political conflict
✨ The Hemlock Queen takes place immediately after the ending of book 1. I love the gothic, dark feel of these books which partly cure my depression after finishing the Shepherd King duology. One of my issues with book 1 was the world building but the sequel delves more into the magic system and gods. While this does make the pacing slower it didn’t bother me and I loved the added inclusion of the gods which are the driving force of the conflict.
✨ The romance was also expanded upon in book two which I loved as book one only had some glimpses. There’s minimal spice in these books (more in book 2) but the angst and tension was not lacking. Love triangles aren’t a favourite of mine but this has a potential to be a poly relationship and I’m excited to see what happens in the next book 👀 There's been SOOO much foreshadowing and I will feel like someone stole my candy if it doesn't happen 🤭
✨ Lore is outspoken and a strong FMC but she did take more of a passive role in the sequel. She’s fiercely protected by Sebastian, the sun prince and Gabriel, a duke-turned-monk, bound by his vows to the church. Gabe is more involved in the first book and while he does have a presence in this book, I loved getting to know Sebastian more. I didn't love Sebastian at the beginning but I find myself leaning more towards him at the moment (but I love them both). They are both incredibly sexy and we love men that beg 🧎♀️ You get the sense there is an unknown tether tying the 3 of them together.
✨ I was still confused at some points due to the large amount of information you are consuming but I’m definitely invested in this series. The characters and magic system are the main appeal to me and I can’t wait for the conclusion after that cliffhanger!
Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK & Netgalley for sending me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
This series delivers:
✔️ Adult gothic romantasy
✔️ Epic magic system (death/life magic)
✔️ Forbidden romance
✔️ Love triangle
✔️ Warring gods and goddesses
✔️ Political conflict
✨ The Hemlock Queen takes place immediately after the ending of book 1. I love the gothic, dark feel of these books which partly cure my depression after finishing the Shepherd King duology. One of my issues with book 1 was the world building but the sequel delves more into the magic system and gods. While this does make the pacing slower it didn’t bother me and I loved the added inclusion of the gods which are the driving force of the conflict.
✨ The romance was also expanded upon in book two which I loved as book one only had some glimpses. There’s minimal spice in these books (more in book 2) but the angst and tension was not lacking. Love triangles aren’t a favourite of mine but this has a potential to be a poly relationship and I’m excited to see what happens in the next book 👀 There's been SOOO much foreshadowing and I will feel like someone stole my candy if it doesn't happen 🤭
✨ Lore is outspoken and a strong FMC but she did take more of a passive role in the sequel. She’s fiercely protected by Sebastian, the sun prince and Gabriel, a duke-turned-monk, bound by his vows to the church. Gabe is more involved in the first book and while he does have a presence in this book, I loved getting to know Sebastian more. I didn't love Sebastian at the beginning but I find myself leaning more towards him at the moment (but I love them both). They are both incredibly sexy and we love men that beg 🧎♀️ You get the sense there is an unknown tether tying the 3 of them together.
✨ I was still confused at some points due to the large amount of information you are consuming but I’m definitely invested in this series. The characters and magic system are the main appeal to me and I can’t wait for the conclusion after that cliffhanger!
Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK & Netgalley for sending me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
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April 2, 2024review to come 👀 it’s after 1am and I just finished, I must sleep
June 2, 2024
The Hemlock Queen is a gripping, angsty follow-up to one of my favorite reads of 2023.
With the reveals at the end of The Foxglove King, the story is all set up to really get started in this installment. The beginning is a bit slow as the characters kind of wait and reflect on what happened in book one. But the story quickly picks up with lots of drama and tension.
The Hemlock Queen builds on the events of The Foxglove King perfectly. We dive deeper into the magic, the politics, and the character relationships. I love how the book shifts to focus a bit more on Bastian’s character and Bastian and Lore’s relationship. The increasing presence of magic in the kingdom adds a new level of tension and angst to the court. Hannah Whitten is absolutely taunting me with the scenes between certain characters in this book. I am highly anticipating what I hope will be incredible payoff.
One thing that has bugged me about both of the installments in this series is just how long it takes the characters to come to obvious conclusions. The heavy-handed hints aren't quite as bad in The Hemlock Queen, but the unreasonable obliviousness only weighs down the story.
The ending was explosive and wild; leaving me on the edge of my seat for book three. I’m really curious to see if we get more POVs in the next book given the… chaotic nature of the ending.
Hannah Whitten excels at writing books that get me out of a reading slump. There is nothing particularly groundbreaking about the topics covered in this series. The book is focused on delivering a fun, entertaining experience and it succeeds.
Note: Not totally pleased with this review, but I felt like I owed people more than a "review to come" note. It is really hard to talk about what I love about this book without getting into spoilers for either this book or The Foxglove King.
Thank you Orbit for the advanced reader copy
Links to my TikTok | Instagram
With the reveals at the end of The Foxglove King, the story is all set up to really get started in this installment. The beginning is a bit slow as the characters kind of wait and reflect on what happened in book one. But the story quickly picks up with lots of drama and tension.
The Hemlock Queen builds on the events of The Foxglove King perfectly. We dive deeper into the magic, the politics, and the character relationships. I love how the book shifts to focus a bit more on Bastian’s character and Bastian and Lore’s relationship. The increasing presence of magic in the kingdom adds a new level of tension and angst to the court. Hannah Whitten is absolutely taunting me with the scenes between certain characters in this book. I am highly anticipating what I hope will be incredible payoff.
One thing that has bugged me about both of the installments in this series is just how long it takes the characters to come to obvious conclusions. The heavy-handed hints aren't quite as bad in The Hemlock Queen, but the unreasonable obliviousness only weighs down the story.
The ending was explosive and wild; leaving me on the edge of my seat for book three. I’m really curious to see if we get more POVs in the next book given the… chaotic nature of the ending.
Hannah Whitten excels at writing books that get me out of a reading slump. There is nothing particularly groundbreaking about the topics covered in this series. The book is focused on delivering a fun, entertaining experience and it succeeds.
Note: Not totally pleased with this review, but I felt like I owed people more than a "review to come" note. It is really hard to talk about what I love about this book without getting into spoilers for either this book or The Foxglove King.
Thank you Orbit for the advanced reader copy
Links to my TikTok | Instagram
April 20, 2024
The Hemlock Queen suffers from middle book syndrome.
It begins shortly after the events in The Foxglove King, with the three main characters suddenly in positions of power.
This book was extremely slow in its pacing. I don’t mind slowly-paced books if it’s building up to a big climax or if it focuses on character development, but not much of either happened here. Lore was very much a passive participant compared to book one. She wanted to take a back seat and be taken care of, but the way it was presented didn’t make for a compelling read.
The romance was also a slow burn. The spice is mild. For a romantasy, it’s very light on the romance.
The political challenges didn’t seem as pressing as the conflict between the three main characters. I think this book was spread too thinly by trying to touch on political challenges, court intrigue, religious history, internal conflict, and the love triangle. None of them felt particularly urgent, but some were repetitive. Focusing on a few conflicts would have tightened the plot.
As with the first book, every time Gabe appeared, the focus was on his singular eye. At one point, his eyeball was referenced four times in one page. It started to grate after a while. Everyone else glares, stares, or pierces with their eyes, but Gabe does it with “his one eye.” After two books, surely you can trust the reader to remember this information. I don’t understand why it’s constantly mentioned.
Unless the next book gets rave reviews, I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series.
However, YA readers looking to try adult fantasy might enjoy this series as it could serve as a bridge between the two.
Thank you to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
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It begins shortly after the events in The Foxglove King, with the three main characters suddenly in positions of power.
This book was extremely slow in its pacing. I don’t mind slowly-paced books if it’s building up to a big climax or if it focuses on character development, but not much of either happened here. Lore was very much a passive participant compared to book one. She wanted to take a back seat and be taken care of, but the way it was presented didn’t make for a compelling read.
The romance was also a slow burn. The spice is mild. For a romantasy, it’s very light on the romance.
The political challenges didn’t seem as pressing as the conflict between the three main characters. I think this book was spread too thinly by trying to touch on political challenges, court intrigue, religious history, internal conflict, and the love triangle. None of them felt particularly urgent, but some were repetitive. Focusing on a few conflicts would have tightened the plot.
As with the first book, every time Gabe appeared, the focus was on his singular eye. At one point, his eyeball was referenced four times in one page. It started to grate after a while. Everyone else glares, stares, or pierces with their eyes, but Gabe does it with “his one eye.” After two books, surely you can trust the reader to remember this information. I don’t understand why it’s constantly mentioned.
Unless the next book gets rave reviews, I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series.
However, YA readers looking to try adult fantasy might enjoy this series as it could serve as a bridge between the two.
Thank you to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
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December 21, 2023
I just wrote a really long review that I was so proud of, and PER USUAL, goodreads glitched and threw me out of the app.
I’m too mad to rewrite it, so I will just say this:
Bastian is still baby girl
I want Gabe in a biblical way. A fleabag type way.
If you understand me….
And Lore is still my precious angel I love her so much she is so soft where she needs to be and selfish where most main characters are not and I LOVE HER.
The world is dazzling. The writing is immersive.
My jaw is still on the floor.
I can’t wait for everyone to read this
I’m too mad to rewrite it, so I will just say this:
Bastian is still baby girl
I want Gabe in a biblical way. A fleabag type way.
If you understand me….
And Lore is still my precious angel I love her so much she is so soft where she needs to be and selfish where most main characters are not and I LOVE HER.
The world is dazzling. The writing is immersive.
My jaw is still on the floor.
I can’t wait for everyone to read this
August 18, 2024
Is it bad that I want all three of them to end up together??
August 4, 2023
Hannah Whitten is a world-building powerhouse! The Sainted King's court feels like a glittering chandelier--bright and brilliant to behold, with faceted edges sharp enough to kill. I was dazzled.
July 12, 2024
HANNAH CAN YOU FUCKING CHILL WITH THE CLIFFHANGERS oh my god. etc when i can gather my thoughts holy shit
May 13, 2024
The character of Apollius is not as complex and entertaining as that of Bastian hence replacing the sun prince with the sun god ensured this book to be less engaging than the first.
April 9, 2024
I had tons of fun with The foxglove king, and the exact same thing happened with its sequel, The Hemlock Queen. In an over saturated market of romantasy, this story feels original to me, and I’m invested in the series.
The story picks up immediately after the events of the first book, and we immediately start learning more about the magic, the gods and their power.
The pace of this book was a bit slower than I would have preferred, but the worldbuilding and plot remain interesting, full of manipulation, scheming and twists. I must say Hannah Whitten is doing a great job regarding the character development. I care so so much for everyone (of the good guys) in this story that it’s almost unbearable.
For the romantasy readers, the tension and angst in this book is palpable and off the charts. I had so many feelings, particularly regarding one particular character who is making my heart ache. I’m devastated!
I’ve said on my first foxglove king review that I hate love triangles but that Hannah put me on board for a poli relationship between Lore, Bastian and Gabe. I’m even more on board for it now! I love them all and I just want to see these damaged characters healing and experiencing a bit of happiness. Unfortunately, I’m not convinced there would be a HEA in sight, but I’ll have to wait and see.
I can’t wait to see what Hannah is planning for the third book!
I would like to thank Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story picks up immediately after the events of the first book, and we immediately start learning more about the magic, the gods and their power.
The pace of this book was a bit slower than I would have preferred, but the worldbuilding and plot remain interesting, full of manipulation, scheming and twists. I must say Hannah Whitten is doing a great job regarding the character development. I care so so much for everyone (of the good guys) in this story that it’s almost unbearable.
For the romantasy readers, the tension and angst in this book is palpable and off the charts. I had so many feelings, particularly regarding one particular character who is making my heart ache. I’m devastated!
I’ve said on my first foxglove king review that I hate love triangles but that Hannah put me on board for a poli relationship between Lore, Bastian and Gabe. I’m even more on board for it now! I love them all and I just want to see these damaged characters healing and experiencing a bit of happiness. Unfortunately, I’m not convinced there would be a HEA in sight, but I’ll have to wait and see.
I can’t wait to see what Hannah is planning for the third book!
I would like to thank Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 9, 2024
➵ 4.5 ⭐️
I don't know if I can say much about this sequel without spoiling too much (and trust me you don't want that lol) so I'll keep this short (or I'll try? 😂)
The Hemlock Queen picks up about a week after the epilogue of The Foxglove King and I definitely recommend rereading the first book especially if you don't remember much. Hannah doesn't really rehash the events from TFK even when they are referenced and you'll probably pick up on some foreshadowing during your reread 👀👀
If you loved The Foxglove King I'm confident you'll love the sequel too.
Like its predecessor, The Hemlock Queen starts off preeeeetty slow, so just brace yourself for that—the first 120 pages really felt like filling. But then once you pass a certain point and you start catching up you'll realize that the beginning of the book, as slow as it was, is necessary to build the foundation for what HW is trying to do, to flesh out the contrast between one thing and another better. (can't give any context, we'd be getting into the spoilers here, so just trust the process 😌😂)
Once things started falling into place, it got really good. I love where HW took the story with Bastian and Lore and I wasn't exactly expecting her to put such spin on it.
Speaking of our MCs — I was surprised that Lore took such a passive role during the first half but it made sense for her character. She definitely has a lot of abandonment issues, always struggling with finding a place where she belongs, not wanting her dark and terrible power so it made sense, especially after the way TFK ended that she'd want to feel safe, will want to rest and let someone take care of her. I was expecting she'll snap out of it sooner but it took her some time to figure out what was happening.
Bastian.... my baby Bastian 🥹🥹🥹 he went through so much in this book and I can't really speak about any of it but I love him even more.
The thing that was a little weird to me in The Hemlock Queen was some of the romance aspects, and I'm not talking about Lore and Bastian or Lore and Gabe but when it came to the three of them and I'll explain. (So maybe if you don't wanna know anything even just a little spoilery stop here)
Because we don't get the guys' POVs, it felt like Bastian and Gabe started pining after each other out of nowhere. It could've always been there, since they were young but we're never in their heads and that just isn't fleshed out for the reader.
Now, there has aways been a fantastic sexual tension in this triangle but the connecting point has always been Lore and even though there's definitely been tension between Bastian and Gabe, the vibe between them was often strained. There's lot of mistrust and suspicion there because of their past, specifically on Gabe's side, so imagine my surprise when his longing starts showing after he's barely showing his lust for Lore throughout TFK.
Gabe kinda takes a backseat in this sequel which makes sense after everything at the end of TFK.
I'm curious to see what his character development will look like because we see the seeds being planted here but there's still a lot he struggles with. He still looks at Lore and her power with disgust and contempt even after everything, even with wanting her so badly, the way he reacts to her in certain situations.... let's just say it really annoyed me in THQ. You'd think he'd be more understanding, even used to it by now but instead he's as always pretty fucking judgemental and it just left me baffled. And then he has the audacity to give Lore attitude.... Sir, you need to figure out what you want, make a choice and live with it, gods dead and dying, enough is enough.
Debatable but we'll see. Especially now that there is another secret Lore is keeping from him, I truly have no idea how he'll get past it when he finds out what she's done.
The side characters were, again, great. I was surprised where Hannah took their arcs as well and the twists surrounding one character in particular really shocked me.
I love how HW expanded on the world and learning about the gods and how it all began was particularly interesting.
The ending, again, really surprised me. I'm probably saying this a lot 😂 but really, I expected it to go one way, in the direction it was hinted, and it took a sharp turn leaving my jaw on the floor.
I'm excited to see how this trilogy will conclude and my babies better be okay at the end, Hannah!!
eternal gratitude to netgalley and the publisher for the arc
all quotes are from an advance copy and may differ in the final publication
"I love you," Lore said around all that sweet crystalline water. "This is us. This is mine."
I don't know if I can say much about this sequel without spoiling too much (and trust me you don't want that lol) so I'll keep this short (or I'll try? 😂)
The Hemlock Queen picks up about a week after the epilogue of The Foxglove King and I definitely recommend rereading the first book especially if you don't remember much. Hannah doesn't really rehash the events from TFK even when they are referenced and you'll probably pick up on some foreshadowing during your reread 👀👀
If you loved The Foxglove King I'm confident you'll love the sequel too.
Like its predecessor, The Hemlock Queen starts off preeeeetty slow, so just brace yourself for that—the first 120 pages really felt like filling. But then once you pass a certain point and you start catching up you'll realize that the beginning of the book, as slow as it was, is necessary to build the foundation for what HW is trying to do, to flesh out the contrast between one thing and another better. (can't give any context, we'd be getting into the spoilers here, so just trust the process 😌😂)
Once things started falling into place, it got really good. I love where HW took the story with Bastian and Lore and I wasn't exactly expecting her to put such spin on it.
Protection was just control, in the end. A leash held by a benevolent hand was still a leash.
Speaking of our MCs — I was surprised that Lore took such a passive role during the first half but it made sense for her character. She definitely has a lot of abandonment issues, always struggling with finding a place where she belongs, not wanting her dark and terrible power so it made sense, especially after the way TFK ended that she'd want to feel safe, will want to rest and let someone take care of her. I was expecting she'll snap out of it sooner but it took her some time to figure out what was happening.
"You need me," Bastian answered, low and easy. "Just like I need you. It's why you're still here." He gave a slight shake of his head. "If we were different people, Lore, you would've been long gone by now."
Bastian.... my baby Bastian 🥹🥹🥹 he went through so much in this book and I can't really speak about any of it but I love him even more.
"It's always been me," Bastian murmured against her lips. "I want you to know that. Every time I've kissed you, it's been me."
The thing that was a little weird to me in The Hemlock Queen was some of the romance aspects, and I'm not talking about Lore and Bastian or Lore and Gabe but when it came to the three of them and I'll explain. (So maybe if you don't wanna know anything even just a little spoilery stop here)
Because we don't get the guys' POVs, it felt like Bastian and Gabe started pining after each other out of nowhere. It could've always been there, since they were young but we're never in their heads and that just isn't fleshed out for the reader.
Now, there has aways been a fantastic sexual tension in this triangle but the connecting point has always been Lore and even though there's definitely been tension between Bastian and Gabe, the vibe between them was often strained. There's lot of mistrust and suspicion there because of their past, specifically on Gabe's side, so imagine my surprise when his longing starts showing after he's barely showing his lust for Lore throughout TFK.
"Tell me to stop," he breathed. "Tell me to stop, tell me you want him instead."
His voice hitched on him, a longing he couldn't hide, not this close together.
"I can't," she murmured. "And neither can you."
Gabe kinda takes a backseat in this sequel which makes sense after everything at the end of TFK.
I'm curious to see what his character development will look like because we see the seeds being planted here but there's still a lot he struggles with. He still looks at Lore and her power with disgust and contempt even after everything, even with wanting her so badly, the way he reacts to her in certain situations.... let's just say it really annoyed me in THQ. You'd think he'd be more understanding, even used to it by now but instead he's as always pretty fucking judgemental and it just left me baffled. And then he has the audacity to give Lore attitude.... Sir, you need to figure out what you want, make a choice and live with it, gods dead and dying, enough is enough.
"You made a choice," she murmured. "That night in my room. You left me, and then you betrayed me. Whatever could've been between us, you stomped it out. If you regret that, you have no one but yourself to blame."
"And I do." His mouth was so close to hers, now, so close she felt his breath across her lips, took it in as he gasped it out. "Every fucking night, I do."
Debatable but we'll see. Especially now that there is another secret Lore is keeping from him, I truly have no idea how he'll get past it when he finds out what she's done.
The side characters were, again, great. I was surprised where Hannah took their arcs as well and the twists surrounding one character in particular really shocked me.
I love how HW expanded on the world and learning about the gods and how it all began was particularly interesting.
The ending, again, really surprised me. I'm probably saying this a lot 😂 but really, I expected it to go one way, in the direction it was hinted, and it took a sharp turn leaving my jaw on the floor.
I'm excited to see how this trilogy will conclude and my babies better be okay at the end, Hannah!!
eternal gratitude to netgalley and the publisher for the arc
all quotes are from an advance copy and may differ in the final publication
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May 7, 2024DNF/SKIM FINISH - Didn’t like as much as the first so I’m trading them both in.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Want to read
August 2, 2023I stg, if Bastian in made into an ass as an scapegoat excuse type Chaol/Tamlin for Lore to be with boring Gabe, I am going to be hella angry.
April 12, 2024
Overall I really liked this! As with almost all second books, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first one but I still enjoyed revisiting these characters and their world again. I believe this series is perfect for romantasy readers who want a magic-infused world with a darker tone.
I absolutely loved how often the sky was described. The author really brought attention to the transitions between day and night and the colours of the sunsets and rises were written so beautifully:
"Lore watched the sky through the window, honey and lavender and encroaching indigo. No moon tonight."
"Night fell like layers of veils, each darkening the sky further. Lavender became indigo became midnight-blue, pricked through with stars."
If I'm being honest, this did feel a bit slow to get going for me personally and I didn't feel fully immersed in the story until about the 50% mark. After that, I became swept away by the mystery and clues being dropped left, right and centre by the author. I wish there had been more suspicious activity and characters to throw the reader off the scent and keep things interesting in the early stages. By the end we knew for definite what was happening, who was joining forces and who could be trusted but the characters just couldn't speak openly about it and I would have enjoyed some more detective work, suspects or twists thrown in along the way.
"His throat ticked as he swallowed, hard, shifting his eyes between her and Gabe. For a moment, he looked like someone on the edge of a confession, as if the space between his deathwitch and his Priest Exalted was the only safe place to let his guard down."
"That triangle, again, three points that left them all bleeding."
I spent most of the book on the edge of my seat and eating every bit of sexual tension I could get. I know all the signs are pointing to a love triangle but I'm still holding out hope for a throuple. I said this in my review of the first book and we got such a tantalizing glimpse of what could happen through the flashback memories. Lore has had to make choices for the greater good or survival her whole life - she deserves a why choose era.
I enjoyed that this book started to draw some of the minor characters from the first book into the spotlight and plotlines. I really like Alie as a character but I would love to learn more about the inner workings of her mind and her motivations, as we so often see her behaving gracefully and acting noble. I'm excited to see more elemental magic in the next book, as the spiritum/mortum magic system and poison use was minimal and purposefully performative in this book. which was a bit of a let down after how well it was utilized in the first book.
Thank you to Orbit & Hannah Whitten for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I absolutely loved how often the sky was described. The author really brought attention to the transitions between day and night and the colours of the sunsets and rises were written so beautifully:
"Lore watched the sky through the window, honey and lavender and encroaching indigo. No moon tonight."
"Night fell like layers of veils, each darkening the sky further. Lavender became indigo became midnight-blue, pricked through with stars."
If I'm being honest, this did feel a bit slow to get going for me personally and I didn't feel fully immersed in the story until about the 50% mark. After that, I became swept away by the mystery and clues being dropped left, right and centre by the author. I wish there had been more suspicious activity and characters to throw the reader off the scent and keep things interesting in the early stages. By the end we knew for definite what was happening, who was joining forces and who could be trusted but the characters just couldn't speak openly about it and I would have enjoyed some more detective work, suspects or twists thrown in along the way.
"His throat ticked as he swallowed, hard, shifting his eyes between her and Gabe. For a moment, he looked like someone on the edge of a confession, as if the space between his deathwitch and his Priest Exalted was the only safe place to let his guard down."
"That triangle, again, three points that left them all bleeding."
I spent most of the book on the edge of my seat and eating every bit of sexual tension I could get. I know all the signs are pointing to a love triangle but I'm still holding out hope for a throuple. I said this in my review of the first book and we got such a tantalizing glimpse of what could happen through the flashback memories. Lore has had to make choices for the greater good or survival her whole life - she deserves a why choose era.
I enjoyed that this book started to draw some of the minor characters from the first book into the spotlight and plotlines. I really like Alie as a character but I would love to learn more about the inner workings of her mind and her motivations, as we so often see her behaving gracefully and acting noble. I'm excited to see more elemental magic in the next book, as the spiritum/mortum magic system and poison use was minimal and purposefully performative in this book. which was a bit of a let down after how well it was utilized in the first book.
Thank you to Orbit & Hannah Whitten for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
March 23, 2024
Good god yall I can’t finish this now. Maybe I’ll get audiobook later.
Book one was a gothy atmospheric adventure with a fun little love triangle woven between the creepy shit. I made it halfway through the second installment it’s cut and paste romantasy. Which boy will I choose? The edgy boy is being charming yet aloof. The dark sad boy is being dark and sad. Friend characters are introduced but they are empty hollow people who only serve to waste pages. Nothing has happened. Why HAS NOTHING HAPPENED. The story has barely moved. The characters have not grown or become more complicated. This book is like simulating your time being wasted.
Extra painful because this was a strongly loved book of mine last year
Book one was a gothy atmospheric adventure with a fun little love triangle woven between the creepy shit. I made it halfway through the second installment it’s cut and paste romantasy. Which boy will I choose? The edgy boy is being charming yet aloof. The dark sad boy is being dark and sad. Friend characters are introduced but they are empty hollow people who only serve to waste pages. Nothing has happened. Why HAS NOTHING HAPPENED. The story has barely moved. The characters have not grown or become more complicated. This book is like simulating your time being wasted.
Extra painful because this was a strongly loved book of mine last year
Read
April 5, 2024im giving up.
Unfortunately this one was not up to the standard that the foxglove king was. I ADORED the foxglove king. Gone were the fierce characters i fell in love with in the first book. instead we got a mopey, traumatized Lore, a completely different character in Bastian and Gabe was just.. no. I feel like this book wasn't written by the same author and it makes me very sad.
At the current moment, I am not sure I will read book three due to how different this one was.
Unfortunately this one was not up to the standard that the foxglove king was. I ADORED the foxglove king. Gone were the fierce characters i fell in love with in the first book. instead we got a mopey, traumatized Lore, a completely different character in Bastian and Gabe was just.. no. I feel like this book wasn't written by the same author and it makes me very sad.
At the current moment, I am not sure I will read book three due to how different this one was.
July 16, 2024
I don't get the point of writing reviews for books that you didn't read, as it's not out yet, and may not be worth those stars. Like why?
Edit:
I swear I've read a book with a story similar to this one. Still, it was a good read with moments I wasn't expecting. Could've done with less of the love triangle angst, though.
Edit:
I swear I've read a book with a story similar to this one. Still, it was a good read with moments I wasn't expecting. Could've done with less of the love triangle angst, though.
April 14, 2024
Hannah Whitten I was not familiar with your game.
The Hemlock Queen sees us return to the events of The Foxglove King a few weeks later. Lore, Bastian, and Gabe struggle both with their new roles and with the weight of their shared history, combined with a heightened focus on politics and the magic system.
While book 1 was an easy 4.5 stars, I struggled a bit more with this one. The beginning of the book feels a bit aimless, as the characters have to resettle and find a new purpose. I’m wondering if HW has trouble with starting books, as this seems to be something consistent with her writing. But once she finds her stride, the book really gets going, hitting those same notes that I loved so much from TFK.
Something I really appreciate in this series is how much it respects the reader. We’re here for some high-stakes fantasy romance fun, some elevated CW show, and Whitten WILL be delivering. The reveals are generally obvious because they are supposed to be, and the book doesn’t waste your time with pretending to be coy. This also makes the real plot twists more rewarding.
I also continue to love the romance in this series!! Book one focused more on Gabe, so it feels right that we spend more time with Bastian here. I’ve previously guessed that book 1 feels more YA because it’s taking its time to gear up for later books. That definitely became true here. Everything is a bit gorier and a bit sexier than before MWAH
A few more scattered thoughts I had while reading this book:
- Lore occupies a more passive role in this book, which isn’t necessarily something I wanted even if it makes sense contextually. This also improves over the course of the story.
- Loved loved loved the historical flashback sequences
- Bastian new pathetic loser yearning babygirl
- The scope here gets broadened to include more of the country and larger world, which I really liked
I can’t wait for book three, I expect anyone who enjoyed The Foxglove King will find equal delights here
The Hemlock Queen sees us return to the events of The Foxglove King a few weeks later. Lore, Bastian, and Gabe struggle both with their new roles and with the weight of their shared history, combined with a heightened focus on politics and the magic system.
While book 1 was an easy 4.5 stars, I struggled a bit more with this one. The beginning of the book feels a bit aimless, as the characters have to resettle and find a new purpose. I’m wondering if HW has trouble with starting books, as this seems to be something consistent with her writing. But once she finds her stride, the book really gets going, hitting those same notes that I loved so much from TFK.
Something I really appreciate in this series is how much it respects the reader. We’re here for some high-stakes fantasy romance fun, some elevated CW show, and Whitten WILL be delivering. The reveals are generally obvious because they are supposed to be, and the book doesn’t waste your time with pretending to be coy. This also makes the real plot twists more rewarding.
I also continue to love the romance in this series!! Book one focused more on Gabe, so it feels right that we spend more time with Bastian here. I’ve previously guessed that book 1 feels more YA because it’s taking its time to gear up for later books. That definitely became true here. Everything is a bit gorier and a bit sexier than before MWAH
A few more scattered thoughts I had while reading this book:
- Lore occupies a more passive role in this book, which isn’t necessarily something I wanted even if it makes sense contextually. This also improves over the course of the story.
- Loved loved loved the historical flashback sequences
- Bastian new pathetic loser yearning babygirl
- The scope here gets broadened to include more of the country and larger world, which I really liked
I can’t wait for book three, I expect anyone who enjoyed The Foxglove King will find equal delights here
Read
May 17, 2024I skimmed this nobody ask me any questions I just wanted to see if two people kissed ok bye
April 14, 2024
i have a lot of thoughts.
the setting: it felt like it wasn’t fully realized. the city of dellaire didn’t feel like a living things, it was just a lifeless prop.
the palace and the church felt the most real, but they were still mostly just shells. the catacombs actually felt the most tangible and alive, but there was so little of them and they didn’t exactly feel like catacombs, just tunnels.
it felt like someone was using the skeleton of louis xiv’s france with very little research beyond bare aesthetics. there are catacombs. there is poverty in the city and luxury in the palace. very little substance of feeling.
the love triangle: it’s gonna end in a throuple. i’ll put that on here first. it’s a love triangle that will end with a throuple and i would not in any scenario care what happens. the only thing that made me stop hating it was that i started liking priests a little too much halfway through reading it.
the fact that the triangle participants are reincarnations of mortal gods that were also in a toxic love triangle, and whose feelings and attachments were also reincarnated, kills the vibe. you can save a lot of time by explaining away their initial attachments as “there’s just this *magic* feeling drawing them together.” like, there is no friendship. it’s immediately a romantic attachment.
the problem this presents (i.e. their feelings are not their own, but imposed on them by the gods in their heads) is only considered in one or two paragraphs in book 2 and immediately settled by the fmc, lore, deciding “no this is mine” and that’s it. no more thinking. there’s an opportunity there for complex emotional development that would strengthen the writing, but the book is already 460 pages of her wandering around empty parts of the palace and church grounds.
another problem of the throuple is that: there is no indication that the boys feels any attraction to each other in book 1. in fact, one vehemently hates the other all throughout book 1 and then book 2 slaps you with that boy all of a sudden saying the other’s name with longing as they talk about him thinking that lore has chosen that other boy. literally what. what do you mean. he’s been jealous of and angry with them and then all of a sudden he’s pining after him? mind you, they never resolve why he hates the other boy. just,,
for 900 pages of books, for both the romance and setting to be so poorly developed is disappointing. hope the plot/themes make up for it!
plot/themes: they don’t.
this is where i feel that, where the author underdeveloped the romance and setting, she overcomplicated the plot and themes. she was trying to juggle several complex things and just couldn’t handle it. in the words of ron swanson: don’t half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing.
the author should have picked a struggle: sick fantasy, evil gods who want to take over and also there’s magic, or a deeper commentary on cults and organized religion using fantasy as a vehicle and also there’s romance and personal trauma. doing both really didn’t work in the story’s favor. those things don’t mesh well! the mortal gods and death magic and fantasy elements don’t translate well (at least in this case) to real world commentary of religion and cults. (vespertine by margaret roberson does this really well for catholicism!)
the other aspect that hurts the story is that author doesn’t seem to really understand cults OR organized religion. it feels like a really shallow and misdirected commentary with very little substance. there are parts i could identify as potential criticisms (i.e. merging the church and crown like henry viii did with the church of england) but the narrative seems to take no stance on anything. if there’s even a little bit of an opinion, it’s unexplored, and only explained as bad feelings that lore has.
apparently the author grew up around evangelical christianity. i can definitely see that influence, but the religion in the story feels like it was written by someone who only ever had an outside perspective. (makes sense, the fmc isn’t religious.) problem: an outsider is not likely to fully understand the mechanics of a religion or cult. the mortal gods’ first followers start believing in them as gods bc idk they’re npcs so they’re just going to. even the monks and clergy of the church don’t even fully believe in their mission. the one monk character who shows a true devotion is a pretty normal believer by irl standards, but is implied to be fanatical.
her use of catholic aesthetic is also disappointing. book 2 repeatedly uses a confessional booth as a set piece. the description of the confessional drove me wild. i don’t think she searched for confessionals on google images. confession is an odd choice, too, since evangelicals don’t do confession that way (with a priest). the stained glass was used, but that’s an easy one. that’s kind of it. i think she implies there are mass services, but i can’t recall. i think there’s also reference to stigmata, without calling it that. can’t be sure.
it all just feels like a big ol’ mess.
it also really suffers from Middle Book Syndrome. there are entire pages of the fmc wandering around and “thinking.” or empty pages of stuff happening that does little to develop any parts of the story. it took me twice as long to read this as it took for me to read dune.
the prose is beautiful, tho. some of the metaphors and similes don’t super make sense, but it was good enough for me to give it a few stars.
900 pages should be more than enough to at least partially develop any or all of these aspects. i guess she did, but it just wasn’t very good. the good doesn’t really outweigh the bad. i probably won’t read the conclusion of the trilogy.
the setting: it felt like it wasn’t fully realized. the city of dellaire didn’t feel like a living things, it was just a lifeless prop.
the palace and the church felt the most real, but they were still mostly just shells. the catacombs actually felt the most tangible and alive, but there was so little of them and they didn’t exactly feel like catacombs, just tunnels.
it felt like someone was using the skeleton of louis xiv’s france with very little research beyond bare aesthetics. there are catacombs. there is poverty in the city and luxury in the palace. very little substance of feeling.
the love triangle: it’s gonna end in a throuple. i’ll put that on here first. it’s a love triangle that will end with a throuple and i would not in any scenario care what happens. the only thing that made me stop hating it was that i started liking priests a little too much halfway through reading it.
the fact that the triangle participants are reincarnations of mortal gods that were also in a toxic love triangle, and whose feelings and attachments were also reincarnated, kills the vibe. you can save a lot of time by explaining away their initial attachments as “there’s just this *magic* feeling drawing them together.” like, there is no friendship. it’s immediately a romantic attachment.
the problem this presents (i.e. their feelings are not their own, but imposed on them by the gods in their heads) is only considered in one or two paragraphs in book 2 and immediately settled by the fmc, lore, deciding “no this is mine” and that’s it. no more thinking. there’s an opportunity there for complex emotional development that would strengthen the writing, but the book is already 460 pages of her wandering around empty parts of the palace and church grounds.
another problem of the throuple is that: there is no indication that the boys feels any attraction to each other in book 1. in fact, one vehemently hates the other all throughout book 1 and then book 2 slaps you with that boy all of a sudden saying the other’s name with longing as they talk about him thinking that lore has chosen that other boy. literally what. what do you mean. he’s been jealous of and angry with them and then all of a sudden he’s pining after him? mind you, they never resolve why he hates the other boy. just,,
for 900 pages of books, for both the romance and setting to be so poorly developed is disappointing. hope the plot/themes make up for it!
plot/themes: they don’t.
this is where i feel that, where the author underdeveloped the romance and setting, she overcomplicated the plot and themes. she was trying to juggle several complex things and just couldn’t handle it. in the words of ron swanson: don’t half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing.
the author should have picked a struggle: sick fantasy, evil gods who want to take over and also there’s magic, or a deeper commentary on cults and organized religion using fantasy as a vehicle and also there’s romance and personal trauma. doing both really didn’t work in the story’s favor. those things don’t mesh well! the mortal gods and death magic and fantasy elements don’t translate well (at least in this case) to real world commentary of religion and cults. (vespertine by margaret roberson does this really well for catholicism!)
the other aspect that hurts the story is that author doesn’t seem to really understand cults OR organized religion. it feels like a really shallow and misdirected commentary with very little substance. there are parts i could identify as potential criticisms (i.e. merging the church and crown like henry viii did with the church of england) but the narrative seems to take no stance on anything. if there’s even a little bit of an opinion, it’s unexplored, and only explained as bad feelings that lore has.
apparently the author grew up around evangelical christianity. i can definitely see that influence, but the religion in the story feels like it was written by someone who only ever had an outside perspective. (makes sense, the fmc isn’t religious.) problem: an outsider is not likely to fully understand the mechanics of a religion or cult. the mortal gods’ first followers start believing in them as gods bc idk they’re npcs so they’re just going to. even the monks and clergy of the church don’t even fully believe in their mission. the one monk character who shows a true devotion is a pretty normal believer by irl standards, but is implied to be fanatical.
her use of catholic aesthetic is also disappointing. book 2 repeatedly uses a confessional booth as a set piece. the description of the confessional drove me wild. i don’t think she searched for confessionals on google images. confession is an odd choice, too, since evangelicals don’t do confession that way (with a priest). the stained glass was used, but that’s an easy one. that’s kind of it. i think she implies there are mass services, but i can’t recall. i think there’s also reference to stigmata, without calling it that. can’t be sure.
it all just feels like a big ol’ mess.
it also really suffers from Middle Book Syndrome. there are entire pages of the fmc wandering around and “thinking.” or empty pages of stuff happening that does little to develop any parts of the story. it took me twice as long to read this as it took for me to read dune.
the prose is beautiful, tho. some of the metaphors and similes don’t super make sense, but it was good enough for me to give it a few stars.
900 pages should be more than enough to at least partially develop any or all of these aspects. i guess she did, but it just wasn’t very good. the good doesn’t really outweigh the bad. i probably won’t read the conclusion of the trilogy.
April 12, 2024
I am not against fun fantasy books (though fun doesn't quite fit the vibe here). The first book in this trilogy, The Foxglove King, is the exact type of mindless fantasy I enjoy: sassy female leads, lots of political intrigue, and pining.
The Hemlock Queen threw all that away and replaced it with Lore's internal monologue about how "she loves them both."
I detest love triangles, but in the first book, it wasn't that bad. Bastian, Lore, and Gabe were fleshed out well enough as individuals that the love triangle was on the back burner. But, oh boy, in this book? A paragraph couldn't go by without mentioning Lore's repetitive spiral of wanting to be with both of them.
A solid plot would have made up for the abysmal romance, but nothing happened til the last quarter. Lots of intriguing back story is finally dropped to explain how magic and gods came to be. It would have been more engaging if it was evenly spaced throughout the book. For the most part, Lore is just going for walks and ruminating.
It's a shame this book falls prey to second-book syndrome, but hopefully, the third one will be more action-packed like the first. If you liked the first book and love constant pining, this one will be a better fit for you than it was for me. Even so, I will be reading the third one. The ending was just good enough to hold my attention.
Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books, for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
The Hemlock Queen threw all that away and replaced it with Lore's internal monologue about how "she loves them both."
I detest love triangles, but in the first book, it wasn't that bad. Bastian, Lore, and Gabe were fleshed out well enough as individuals that the love triangle was on the back burner. But, oh boy, in this book? A paragraph couldn't go by without mentioning Lore's repetitive spiral of wanting to be with both of them.
A solid plot would have made up for the abysmal romance, but nothing happened til the last quarter. Lots of intriguing back story is finally dropped to explain how magic and gods came to be. It would have been more engaging if it was evenly spaced throughout the book. For the most part, Lore is just going for walks and ruminating.
It's a shame this book falls prey to second-book syndrome, but hopefully, the third one will be more action-packed like the first. If you liked the first book and love constant pining, this one will be a better fit for you than it was for me. Even so, I will be reading the third one. The ending was just good enough to hold my attention.
Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books, for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
April 30, 2024
I've been going back and forth over the last several hours trying to decide what to rate this book, and I've officially settled on 2⭐. This book low-key sucked.🤷🏼♀️ I'm super bent out of shape about it, too, because I'd been waiting for The Hemlock Queen to come out for months. It was one of my most anticipated new releases for 2024.👀
Whitten took Bastian and kind of whittled him down to nothing. I get it! He wasn't himself. But even in those moments when he was, his character lacked luster and had very little of the personality you see in the first book. There was no cheekiness to him. I sort of hated him from the first page in this sequel. You know it's bad when you're rooting for the chaste monk to get the girl.😬 At least Gabe's Groucho demeanor didn't change a whole lot. We still stan him and his Eeyore ass. He is honestly the strongest developed character in this book, and I stand by that.
Lore, too, was much less of a power to be reckoned with in this book. She was meek, frightened, indecisive, and extremely passive. Which I hated. Whitten tore down her character as well. She was so sassy and driven in The Foxglove King. What happened to that girl?
The romance between the characters was so immature, too. It's a love triangle still, but it's become more of a "I love him, but wait... I love him, too" situation. Girl, this is not the fucking Bachelorette.
The Hemlock Queen also had absolutely no worldbuilding. We left that all behind in book one, I guess!🙄 Having no worldbuilding immediately ruins the vibes of a good fantasy novel. It has to be there or it doesn't work. Without it, the book's chakras aren't aligned. If you can't imagine yourself in the world, then what's the point?
With that being said, the magic system was strong and well-developed. The idea of Mortem and Spiritum magic was still interesting to read about and how Whitten has her characters use it in different ways is fascinating. The magic system is honestly the saving grace of this sequel.
Overall, I'm not sure I am going to continue reading this series. I felt like there were plenty of chapters I just skimmed through and I just am not invested in the characters or the world anymore.
⭐⭐/5
Whitten took Bastian and kind of whittled him down to nothing. I get it! He wasn't himself. But even in those moments when he was, his character lacked luster and had very little of the personality you see in the first book. There was no cheekiness to him. I sort of hated him from the first page in this sequel. You know it's bad when you're rooting for the chaste monk to get the girl.😬 At least Gabe's Groucho demeanor didn't change a whole lot. We still stan him and his Eeyore ass. He is honestly the strongest developed character in this book, and I stand by that.
Lore, too, was much less of a power to be reckoned with in this book. She was meek, frightened, indecisive, and extremely passive. Which I hated. Whitten tore down her character as well. She was so sassy and driven in The Foxglove King. What happened to that girl?
The romance between the characters was so immature, too. It's a love triangle still, but it's become more of a "I love him, but wait... I love him, too" situation. Girl, this is not the fucking Bachelorette.
The Hemlock Queen also had absolutely no worldbuilding. We left that all behind in book one, I guess!🙄 Having no worldbuilding immediately ruins the vibes of a good fantasy novel. It has to be there or it doesn't work. Without it, the book's chakras aren't aligned. If you can't imagine yourself in the world, then what's the point?
With that being said, the magic system was strong and well-developed. The idea of Mortem and Spiritum magic was still interesting to read about and how Whitten has her characters use it in different ways is fascinating. The magic system is honestly the saving grace of this sequel.
Overall, I'm not sure I am going to continue reading this series. I felt like there were plenty of chapters I just skimmed through and I just am not invested in the characters or the world anymore.
⭐⭐/5
February 15, 2024
i was so excited for this one and miss hannah did not let me down.
so fast-paced, action packed, spooky, and devastatingly romantic. the only love triangle i have ever loved was will/jem/tessa (it’s been fourteen years and i’m still not over it), and while i wouldn’t necessarily put bastian, gabe, and lore on that level - my heart bleeds for them. i flew through this one - this is romantasy at its most entertaining and atmospheric. it gets a little convoluted at times, but it moves so quickly you really just blast through the confusion, so no major gripes. and the magic system and world building in this one is just chef’s kiss. can’t wait to see how it wraps up!
super massive thank you to the kind folks of orbit for the arc love y’all mean it !! the hemlock queen is out april 9th my friends so get excited !!
so fast-paced, action packed, spooky, and devastatingly romantic. the only love triangle i have ever loved was will/jem/tessa (it’s been fourteen years and i’m still not over it), and while i wouldn’t necessarily put bastian, gabe, and lore on that level - my heart bleeds for them. i flew through this one - this is romantasy at its most entertaining and atmospheric. it gets a little convoluted at times, but it moves so quickly you really just blast through the confusion, so no major gripes. and the magic system and world building in this one is just chef’s kiss. can’t wait to see how it wraps up!
super massive thank you to the kind folks of orbit for the arc love y’all mean it !! the hemlock queen is out april 9th my friends so get excited !!
April 13, 2024
Considering I adored book 1, I’m not too sure what happened here.
This isn’t a bad book and I think the majority of people who liked the first one, will love this one. It just didn’t hit right for me. Definitely a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ book.
I didn’t love where they storyline was going and found the pacing to be a bit all over the place. The first part of this book I really struggled to continue and I really didn’t enjoy my favourite characters anymore.
The writing style is just as good as book 1 but I just didn’t connect with the story this time around.
I received an advanced copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This isn’t a bad book and I think the majority of people who liked the first one, will love this one. It just didn’t hit right for me. Definitely a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ book.
I didn’t love where they storyline was going and found the pacing to be a bit all over the place. The first part of this book I really struggled to continue and I really didn’t enjoy my favourite characters anymore.
The writing style is just as good as book 1 but I just didn’t connect with the story this time around.
I received an advanced copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Want to read
August 24, 2023Loved the first book but I'll be so upset if Bastian is being set up to where she ends up with Gabe who is a pathetic excuse for a man, he bored me so much in the first book and literally hated his character.
March 17, 2024
★★★★★ - 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten
Book 2 - The Nightshade Crown
༘Spoiler free ༘
⭐️4.1875/5
🌶️ A Little Spice
Fantasy, Romance, New Adult
Multi POV
➳ Love Triangle
➳ Character Driven
➳ Enemies to Lovers to Enemies
➳ Betrayal
➳ Deadly Secrets
➳ Plot Twists Galore
➳ Fate
➳ Prophecies
✨ “Maybe they could put all the mess of a month ago behind them for the greater good.
Lore had never been very interested in the greater good.“ ✨
Hannah Whitten delivers a character driven, action packed sequel to The Foxglove King filled with banter, plot twists, a bit of steam and lore.
📚📚📚
❧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*❦*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧❧
I’d like to preface this review by saying, i’m not a fan of love triangles. At the end of the day I always have a clear winner i’m shipping and am annoyed if they take long to end up together. Well… Hannah Whitten you devious little minx… for once i don’t actually know who to support. I’d like to say i can see where we are being led and how things will play out in future books but if there’s one thing hannah whitten loves… it’s a plot twist that leaves you shutting the book and pacing frantically around the room for a few minutes.
Some “second books” in trilogies manage to outperform and beat out the first book, and some fall short. This sequel definitely did not fall short and somehow managed to pack in loads of lore and set ups for the final book of the trilogy.
I struggled to list out any of the tropes as i generally would in my reviews because it felt too spoilery to do so. What i would like to do is squash anyone’s fears that Bastian is changed from the loveable dark horse from the first book. There were no character assassinations here. We still love him… quite honestly, more.
The ending was a kick in the teeth and has left me eager to get my hands on the final book…
Fans of throne of glass(especially Dorian)… for reasons i will not expand on to prevent spoilers… this is a good read for you.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
💖
LIKES:
⋆ Dark Magic
⋆ This book really expanded on the lore from the first book.
⋆ Conspiracy/History rewritten. without giving spoilers if you’re a fan of characters discovering they’ve been lied to about their history… read this book.
⋆ chosen *ones* instead of a solo chosen character to fight fate. This crew really does work better as a team when they’re willing to work together.
❤️🩹
DISLIKES:
⋆ This is me being fussy… but i would love if this didn’t end up as a love triangle/why choose trilogy, but i know that why choose is a popular trope for a reason and that may very well be the reason readers love this book.
Fantasy Scoring
Worldbuilding ➷ ✅ 4/5
Foreshadowing ➷ ✅ 4.25/5
Plot ➷ ✅ 4/5
Relationships ➷ ✅ 4.5/5
Thank you to the Hannah Whitten, Orbit, Hachette Book Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide my honest opinion on the ARC of this book.
The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten
Book 2 - The Nightshade Crown
༘Spoiler free ༘
⭐️4.1875/5
🌶️ A Little Spice
Fantasy, Romance, New Adult
Multi POV
➳ Love Triangle
➳ Character Driven
➳ Enemies to Lovers to Enemies
➳ Betrayal
➳ Deadly Secrets
➳ Plot Twists Galore
➳ Fate
➳ Prophecies
✨ “Maybe they could put all the mess of a month ago behind them for the greater good.
Lore had never been very interested in the greater good.“ ✨
Hannah Whitten delivers a character driven, action packed sequel to The Foxglove King filled with banter, plot twists, a bit of steam and lore.
📚📚📚
❧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*❦*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧❧
I’d like to preface this review by saying, i’m not a fan of love triangles. At the end of the day I always have a clear winner i’m shipping and am annoyed if they take long to end up together. Well… Hannah Whitten you devious little minx… for once i don’t actually know who to support. I’d like to say i can see where we are being led and how things will play out in future books but if there’s one thing hannah whitten loves… it’s a plot twist that leaves you shutting the book and pacing frantically around the room for a few minutes.
Some “second books” in trilogies manage to outperform and beat out the first book, and some fall short. This sequel definitely did not fall short and somehow managed to pack in loads of lore and set ups for the final book of the trilogy.
I struggled to list out any of the tropes as i generally would in my reviews because it felt too spoilery to do so. What i would like to do is squash anyone’s fears that Bastian is changed from the loveable dark horse from the first book. There were no character assassinations here. We still love him… quite honestly, more.
The ending was a kick in the teeth and has left me eager to get my hands on the final book…
Fans of throne of glass(especially Dorian)… for reasons i will not expand on to prevent spoilers… this is a good read for you.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
💖
LIKES:
⋆ Dark Magic
⋆ This book really expanded on the lore from the first book.
⋆ Conspiracy/History rewritten. without giving spoilers if you’re a fan of characters discovering they’ve been lied to about their history… read this book.
⋆ chosen *ones* instead of a solo chosen character to fight fate. This crew really does work better as a team when they’re willing to work together.
❤️🩹
DISLIKES:
⋆ This is me being fussy… but i would love if this didn’t end up as a love triangle/why choose trilogy, but i know that why choose is a popular trope for a reason and that may very well be the reason readers love this book.
Fantasy Scoring
Worldbuilding ➷ ✅ 4/5
Foreshadowing ➷ ✅ 4.25/5
Plot ➷ ✅ 4/5
Relationships ➷ ✅ 4.5/5
Thank you to the Hannah Whitten, Orbit, Hachette Book Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide my honest opinion on the ARC of this book.
May 15, 2024
2.75 stars rounded up (No where near as good as the first, middle book syndrome galore)
This installment was much slower and more repetitive than the first, and the reveal of the borderline cartoonish villain was just not it for me.
The romance went nowhere, which is a major book sin for me, because everyone was too caught up in what was going on with Bastian. And because Bastian was possessed by the evil sun god king for 95% of this book, we didn't even get his comedic relief to balance out some of the more darker moments that took place in this book. Basically, my favorite character couldn't be himself and it made me mad even though it kind of made sense for the plot.
I'm not even sure if I can call the romance shared between the three main leads a "slowburn" at this point, because the characters say how much they love each other, but they never really show it, at least in terms of physical love ect. It's pretty annoying if I'm in two books into a self proclaimed MMF romantic fantasy series and the three main leads have only kissed. I know books aren't all about spice, but if I'm reading a new adult romantasy series I have expectations. Especially if the plot is weak, I need some spice to make up for it.
This installment was much slower and more repetitive than the first, and the reveal of the borderline cartoonish villain was just not it for me.
The romance went nowhere, which is a major book sin for me, because everyone was too caught up in what was going on with Bastian. And because Bastian was possessed by the evil sun god king for 95% of this book, we didn't even get his comedic relief to balance out some of the more darker moments that took place in this book. Basically, my favorite character couldn't be himself and it made me mad even though it kind of made sense for the plot.
I'm not even sure if I can call the romance shared between the three main leads a "slowburn" at this point, because the characters say how much they love each other, but they never really show it, at least in terms of physical love ect. It's pretty annoying if I'm in two books into a self proclaimed MMF romantic fantasy series and the three main leads have only kissed. I know books aren't all about spice, but if I'm reading a new adult romantasy series I have expectations. Especially if the plot is weak, I need some spice to make up for it.
Read
April 30, 2024I see how many of you are loving this and I love that for you but unfortunately my feelings are a lot more complicated.
I have no idea how to rate this book, so I won't try. I'll definitely finish the trilogy, and I'd say I'm actively looking forward to the next book. The last quarter or so of this was very good, leaving me with a good overall impression and hitting some notable highs, but it never quite managed to negate how frustrated I was by the unbelievably drawn out first three quarters. Like, yes I tore through the last hundred pages in one sitting, but I still felt like I was forcing myself to pick this up through a huge chunk of the middle - you know?
I suspect that if The Nightshade Crown had been a duology instead of a trilogy, this would have been a slam dunk 5 star second book; as it is, The Hemlock Queen suffered from a textbook case of middle book syndrome. This book exists to bridge the fallout from the end of book one with the conflict that needs to be set up and occur in book two. At the end of the day, I doubt I will remember basically anything about it, other than the fact that it did that successfully.
I'd like to keep this as spoiler-free as I can for as long as I can, so here are some very vague context-free critiques:
-Around the early middle of the book, the main character makes a MASSIVE change to the world that should fundamentally alter how quite a lot of things in their society work as well as alter herself, personally. This moment finally caught my interest after struggling through the slow start because I was really interested to see the ramifications of this event explored, and it just... isn't. It's totally shelved for the vast majority of the rest of the book. And the main character conveniently experiences literally no repercussions. Genuinely, why did that happen?
-Sometimes the characters are painfully slow on the uptake and take hundreds of pages to figure out very obvious things, and sometimes they make leaps and bounds to figure out/accept some outrageous things very rapidly with lackluster evidence.
-There were certain choices made regarding... certain consequences for the end of the last book. Those consequences were executed in a way that wasn't particularly satisfying. That's probably so vague that no one has any idea what I'm talking about, even if you read the book. Let me try again: I think that the manifestation of certain supernatural elements in this story completely nerfed the opportunity for interesting character development.
Since I didn't hate this book but it probably sounds like I did, here's what I liked!
-The general vibe and aesthetic of this world continued to be a standout
-The angst and tension were both dialed way up from book one
-I really enjoyed exploring the foundation of their religion and the history of the gods. I also enjoyed the historical flashback sequences.
-We got a true sex scene in this one, and I loved the way it was utilized to its full potential for character work. Not enough authors take advantage of the way that intimacy can be used to develop characters and their relationship in meaningful ways.
Spoilers past this point!
I'm not blurring them out because it hides the whole review on mobile. Spoilers past here, for real.
---
-I'm sorry I did NOT like the choice to do the return of the gods Jekyll and Hyde style. Why were there like three hundred pages of just:
"oh no, I think Bastian is getting more evil!"
Bastian: *Winks in a very evil way with gold eyes and his eyes are gold and he is evil*
"uh oh, it's getting worse"
It was kind of fun and dramatic for a minute but it got so repetitive and honestly boring,,, I'm so sorry. It feels like a choice prioritizing maximum angst over opportunities to develop and add depth to the characters, since that conflict dominated the book so thoroughly that it left very little room for the characters to do literally anything else more interesting than just agonize over it. I think that I would've been more on board if Apollius and Nyxara were more interesting characters, but they were both very one-note and flat in their motivations.
-Also, why did the entire Summer Progress sequence happen? That could have been completely eliminated and it wouldn't affect anything else at all. So much of what happens in this book for around the first 65% or so feels like it exists just to fill pages.
-Also when Lore stumbles across Amelia sobbing in a garden and just thinks "I assumed it was family drama or something" and walks away without asking or even wondering? OOH I was so annoyed. If I'd had a physical book I would have thrown it. Idiot plot fr. I guess that was the point of the Summer Progress?
Altogether: I didn't hate or love this. I think it's probably a fine second book. Maybe my expectations were too high for it.
I have no idea how to rate this book, so I won't try. I'll definitely finish the trilogy, and I'd say I'm actively looking forward to the next book. The last quarter or so of this was very good, leaving me with a good overall impression and hitting some notable highs, but it never quite managed to negate how frustrated I was by the unbelievably drawn out first three quarters. Like, yes I tore through the last hundred pages in one sitting, but I still felt like I was forcing myself to pick this up through a huge chunk of the middle - you know?
I suspect that if The Nightshade Crown had been a duology instead of a trilogy, this would have been a slam dunk 5 star second book; as it is, The Hemlock Queen suffered from a textbook case of middle book syndrome. This book exists to bridge the fallout from the end of book one with the conflict that needs to be set up and occur in book two. At the end of the day, I doubt I will remember basically anything about it, other than the fact that it did that successfully.
I'd like to keep this as spoiler-free as I can for as long as I can, so here are some very vague context-free critiques:
-Around the early middle of the book, the main character makes a MASSIVE change to the world that should fundamentally alter how quite a lot of things in their society work as well as alter herself, personally. This moment finally caught my interest after struggling through the slow start because I was really interested to see the ramifications of this event explored, and it just... isn't. It's totally shelved for the vast majority of the rest of the book. And the main character conveniently experiences literally no repercussions. Genuinely, why did that happen?
-Sometimes the characters are painfully slow on the uptake and take hundreds of pages to figure out very obvious things, and sometimes they make leaps and bounds to figure out/accept some outrageous things very rapidly with lackluster evidence.
-There were certain choices made regarding... certain consequences for the end of the last book. Those consequences were executed in a way that wasn't particularly satisfying. That's probably so vague that no one has any idea what I'm talking about, even if you read the book. Let me try again: I think that the manifestation of certain supernatural elements in this story completely nerfed the opportunity for interesting character development.
Since I didn't hate this book but it probably sounds like I did, here's what I liked!
-The general vibe and aesthetic of this world continued to be a standout
-The angst and tension were both dialed way up from book one
-I really enjoyed exploring the foundation of their religion and the history of the gods. I also enjoyed the historical flashback sequences.
-We got a true sex scene in this one, and I loved the way it was utilized to its full potential for character work. Not enough authors take advantage of the way that intimacy can be used to develop characters and their relationship in meaningful ways.
Spoilers past this point!
I'm not blurring them out because it hides the whole review on mobile. Spoilers past here, for real.
---
-I'm sorry I did NOT like the choice to do the return of the gods Jekyll and Hyde style. Why were there like three hundred pages of just:
"oh no, I think Bastian is getting more evil!"
Bastian: *Winks in a very evil way with gold eyes and his eyes are gold and he is evil*
"uh oh, it's getting worse"
It was kind of fun and dramatic for a minute but it got so repetitive and honestly boring,,, I'm so sorry. It feels like a choice prioritizing maximum angst over opportunities to develop and add depth to the characters, since that conflict dominated the book so thoroughly that it left very little room for the characters to do literally anything else more interesting than just agonize over it. I think that I would've been more on board if Apollius and Nyxara were more interesting characters, but they were both very one-note and flat in their motivations.
-Also, why did the entire Summer Progress sequence happen? That could have been completely eliminated and it wouldn't affect anything else at all. So much of what happens in this book for around the first 65% or so feels like it exists just to fill pages.
-Also when Lore stumbles across Amelia sobbing in a garden and just thinks "I assumed it was family drama or something" and walks away without asking or even wondering? OOH I was so annoyed. If I'd had a physical book I would have thrown it. Idiot plot fr. I guess that was the point of the Summer Progress?
Altogether: I didn't hate or love this. I think it's probably a fine second book. Maybe my expectations were too high for it.
March 3, 2024
3.5/5 ⭐️
Honestly, I don’t know what to say about this book. It was okay. There were definitely intriguing moments that carried me through the entirety of the book, but often I wanted to DNF. I think the main problem was that Lore was a passenger to this story, not really an active participant. She wasn’t really steering the car, she was being dragged along, scraping against the road. But here are some of my other notes I took while reading this:
They all think bastion’s action as irrational but they all seem perfectly reasonable to me. Maybe the rest of y’all need to get your heads out of your asses & learn to play in the Game of Thrones big leagues. Everyone but sometimes bastion felt like little kids playing at big powerful adults. It was annoying.
Are we going to do a throuple? Although, honestly, the love triangle is only living on in Lore’s head in my opinion. Like Gabe who? He only shows up in her internal monologue.
Can’t tell how to categorize it? Comes off with the tone of YA, yet content & language of adult. Yet lacking the gravatous of an adult. Although the tone and style of writing reminds me of ACOTAR.
I think I would’ve liked a few subtle reminders about past events & character details from the last book here. Like do it in a way that it doesn’t feel like an aside but I would’ve liked it cause I was so lost and didn’t feel like rereading the first book.
The use of “fuck” thrown around didn’t really add anything to story, rather it felt like a teenager first learning the word & using it flippantly
There’s certain details like lamps and lighters and gas lamps that don’t mesh with like the 1700s Louis XIV vibes I thought this world was.
Overall, it wasn’t the worst book. It was fine. But to me, I think it had the serious potential to have been excellent if a few things were different.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.
Honestly, I don’t know what to say about this book. It was okay. There were definitely intriguing moments that carried me through the entirety of the book, but often I wanted to DNF. I think the main problem was that Lore was a passenger to this story, not really an active participant. She wasn’t really steering the car, she was being dragged along, scraping against the road. But here are some of my other notes I took while reading this:
They all think bastion’s action as irrational but they all seem perfectly reasonable to me. Maybe the rest of y’all need to get your heads out of your asses & learn to play in the Game of Thrones big leagues. Everyone but sometimes bastion felt like little kids playing at big powerful adults. It was annoying.
Are we going to do a throuple? Although, honestly, the love triangle is only living on in Lore’s head in my opinion. Like Gabe who? He only shows up in her internal monologue.
Can’t tell how to categorize it? Comes off with the tone of YA, yet content & language of adult. Yet lacking the gravatous of an adult. Although the tone and style of writing reminds me of ACOTAR.
I think I would’ve liked a few subtle reminders about past events & character details from the last book here. Like do it in a way that it doesn’t feel like an aside but I would’ve liked it cause I was so lost and didn’t feel like rereading the first book.
The use of “fuck” thrown around didn’t really add anything to story, rather it felt like a teenager first learning the word & using it flippantly
There’s certain details like lamps and lighters and gas lamps that don’t mesh with like the 1700s Louis XIV vibes I thought this world was.
Overall, it wasn’t the worst book. It was fine. But to me, I think it had the serious potential to have been excellent if a few things were different.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.
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