Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

26 reviews

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

bzliz's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

Anyone who truly loathes love triangles won’t enjoy this but I’m not terribly put off by it. The plot of gods and politics was so interesting that I didn’t really have time to focus on the Lore-Gabe-Bastian dynamics and I have so many theories about what could happen in the second book. I just couldn’t bring myself to give this full five star status because I don’t think Lore really grew as a person. Sure she adapted to her surroundings but by the end when she was asserting that she was selfish, I didn’t fully buy it. She’s selfish at times and selfless in others. Bastian had the most interesting growth and I’m excited to see how they develop in the second book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, and Drug use

caitbop5's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Kidnapping and Death of parent

julessssss's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

3.0

The middle of the book was very engaging, the rest of it, not so much. I feel so bad saying this because I think all the fantasy elements are there for this to have been better (at least in my opinion).

"this book feels too serious for dumb sex jokes, even if the guy delivering them is a slut" - quote from my kindle highlights, and I think that sums up a big part of why I struggled with this book. It seems like the author is trying to do a lot of things, and some of them she does well in my opinion, but some others she misses the mark massively. The romance and what was supposed to be a love-triangle did not feel important compared to everything else plot-wise and I kinda wish it wasn't part of the story. Maybe part of it was the lack of action from any of the characters, or maybe I just don't like love triangles (which I knew already, but am always willing to give it a shot).

Also, the writing was excruciating for me at times - it is what I call "dramatic" writing where every little thing is described as if it's pressing and sudden, even when it shouldn't be. There were also a few times were it felt like an editor had not looked it over because the word choice was weird. Stuff like this pulls me out of my head when I'm reading.

I probably should have dnf'd but I needed to know what happened after being engrossed in the story. I even want to give the second book a try, but I don't have high hopes. Would recommend if you like high fantasy and death magic, but be warned that the writing style may be rough lol.

I listened to a portion of the audiobook narrated by Emily Ellet. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore

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.

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

puddleshoes's review against another edition

dark funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

cdoubet's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Minor: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

bex_readz's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

 I'm sorry, but where was the romance in this book? I think if something is nominated for the best romantasy book in 2023, then there should be at least a medium presence of romance within the storyline. Two subpar kisses and zero chemistry/banter/etc. does not make a romance book.

The plot of this book felt promising. The magic and world building did feel a bit different than other books I have read and I enjoyed that. What I was not expecting was having characters that felt flat and had no chemistry, bumbling through the plot line. Many of the plot twists were VERY easy to spot, and yet the characters were clueless throughout. No chemistry AND dumb. The best part of the book was like the last couple of chapters, because at least then some of the characters had the possibility of being interesting.

I just don't know. I feel like this book had potential but the execution was done poorly.

Plot- 3/5🔆
Spice- 0/5🌶️
Romance-0/5💗 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Drug abuse, Gore, Vomit, and Murder