Rate: 3/5
Medium: Audiobook
Overview (No Spoilers):
Lore’s childhood, before being abandoned by her mother, is a looming secret throughout most of The Foxglove King. She is taken in by two women who run an illicit network and teach Lore their dangerous trade. After fumbling a clandestine operation, Lore finds herself trapped in a seemingly impossible situation that forces to explore her powers in new horrifying applications.
Confidence is certainly never an issue for Lore, who views herself as the ‘best’ at seemingly everything. She repeatedly refers to herself as a cunning and illusive spy, even convincing others of this skill. She also has boundless self esteem who mentions her irresistible figure drawing every eye of the room repeatedly. While the latter might be true, especially considering how often it is mentioned, Lore’s a bumbling spy at best. With regard to development, Lore and the other main characters all seem locked into their patent responses, giving them rather predictable interactions. Lore’s snarky responses, even during high stake exchanges became cookie cutter by the end. Another example of an overused descriptor that felt like it was employed every time Gabriel was present (and sometimes when he wasn’t) is the reference to his one eye.
The worldbuilding from a magical system and religious aspect is detailed and thorough. Outside of those aforementioned components, The Foxglove King contains just the bare minimum of development and details to keep the reader engaged. Despite being billed as a dark romance, any spiciness is surprisingly light, with questionable chemistry leading up to the exchange.
Overall, The Foxglove King contains many familiar themes typically explored in young adult fantasy novels. Whitten establishes a solid foundation in The Foxglove King with ample potential to expand this literary world beyond the borders of Dellaire.
Additional Insight (Spoilers Abound):
- How could Gabriel betray everyone? The logic was so flawed.
- Why can’t Lore leave? I didn’t understand why the magic forbade her from leaving.
- What happened to all the bodies that Lore woke up?
- What happened to Lore’s mother after the ending? Who is her father?
- How will Gabriel use his role as Priest Exalted?
- What kind of ruler will Bastian turn out to be? Are Bastian, Gabriel, and Lore all resurrected gods? Or have their powers?
- Was Lore killing the villages under Anton’s sleep control? That part is a little foggy.
- How many times did we hear that Gabriel had one eye?
- How was it not obvious to everyone that Bastian had Spiritum?
- Will we venture into the Catacombs?
The Critiquing Chemist 