Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

23 reviews

rubyredders's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

The premise here is  - When the cult becomes a state religion and makes the world worse and creates new types of mental illness <3

Definitely reads YA/NA with a hint of spice. The plot isn't overly complex, the author definitely set-ups everything she plans to do out (a good thing, not a read here) and this does mean that you often figure things out before the characters

The whole Lore and Bastian being tied to Mortum and Spiritum thing was so quickly obvious I was like LORE, GIRL, PLEASE SEE WHAT I SEE HERE

BUT there was still enough of suspense to keep me reading. Could I predict certain plot beats? Yes. Did I know what these characters were going to do next? Absolutely not, our main cast are all 20 somethings with childhood trauma and the other characters comprise of bad dads, schemers, religious zealots, peasants just trying to get by, thugs, and rich people who don't know the genre they are in but by god they hope it's a romance.


Bit baffled by the love triangle of it all.

The author wasnt super subtle about Lore and Bastians ties to Apollius and Nyxara but she clearly laid out that Gabe is tied to Hephastraeon or however you spell the fire god. If Apollius and Nyxara are the whole husband/wife duo who are opposites it seems kind of obvious where we're going - nevermind that she tried to kill him and ended up dead.

Feels like author is trying to get the spicier scenes with Gabe in to really amp up how 'look there's really a chance for them' but I am not buying it. 
Unfortunately, there didn't feel like there was much tension between Lore and Bastian and whatever enemies to lovers vibes the author might've been aiming for fell flat. They went into trusting each other too quick for it to work. 

The magic was interesting and the premise started out strong but this didn't quite hit 4 stars for me. The characters just felt a little underdeveloped as did the love triangle. I would've preferred more time spent on developing their characters, building a trust between them and then working on the romance in a future book or in the latter chapters but I get that that might not really sell with the publishers. 

Will still check out the second book to see where this goes, there's definitely potential, with both Lore and the magic/religion, but whether I finish the trilogy will depend on how I feel after that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Blood, and Religious bigotry

Minor: War

caffeinated_sunshine's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Sexual content and War

rowyn_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

A brilliant dark fantasy showing corruption within society. The world building is amazing and also has some casual queer representation such as a bi/pan major character and a non-binary god. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Violence, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

sarahsbooklife's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Gore, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

mandersdraws's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I found this book absolutely gripping. It immediately grabbed me because the protagonist is an underworld spy (and with a terrible secret, my weakness as a reader lol), but slowly but surely Whitten sprinkled in world building and character tidbits that got me absolutely hooked. Characters feeling the pull of ancient magic. Lore seeing underneath Bastien’s princely facade. Gabriel stuck between his guilt, his sense of justice, and his desires. A mystery that revolves around the remnants of old gods. 
Simply put, I love this shit!! I read it twice, once with an audiobook and then again with an ebook. It got me theorizing and highlighting the text like I’m trying to solve a cryptogram. I don’t even mind the love triangle (though I do hope it manages to subvert some of the cliches and tropes we expect with love triangles) 
Edit: I’ve also read the sequel, Hemlock Queen, and I can’t wait for more! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Manipulation is a big theme of this book.

chaptermaggot's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Terminal illness, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and War

kbowles24's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and War

bookboxbabe's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

5.0

when i die, bury me with this book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Murder

teaand_tomes's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

5.0

A dark yet stunning tale that masterfully interweaves elements of magic, mystery, and drug addiction into a dense web of political intrigue. Every element of Whitten’s narrative is unique and beautifully crafted, making this a standout in the realms of romance and fantasy. Her writing style is nothing short of commendable, and this book sets a high bar for the rest of the series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, and Blood

manaledi's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.25

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail