She felt the tunnels like phantom limbs, like the catacombs and the Mortem within them were part of her. The Foxglove King is beautifully written, lushly cinematic, unsettling, mysterious - an unputdownable story of humans and gods. Even more outrageously, they also use their wealth to guarantee themselves good spots in the afterlife, while the poor are condemned to eternal suffering due to the outrageous costs of a proper burial. I wasn’t going to go, but rumor has it there might be an orgy afterward, and I can’t very well turn that down.

Pierre’s eyes kept drifting to where the fabric gaped, and she kept having to bite the inside of her cheek so she didn’t laugh.

Overall, “The Foxglove King” is a thrilling and unforgettable read that will stay with readers long after they’ve turned the final page. All of this to say, I am fully on board Whitten’s train, and I was super excited when I saw that she was releasing a new book this spring that would be the first in a new series. Bastian, too, is a fully realized character, and his story explores themes of responsibility, power, and trust. In addition to its romantic subplots and magic, “The Foxglove King” also provides excellent social commentary relevant to today’s world. Yes, a love triangle and if you skip to the end of the review, you’ll see that I gave this book a good rating, so what’s going on here?

Not that the life you got in exchange was one of great quality—half-stone, your veins clotted with rock, making your blood rub through them like a cobblestone skinning a knee. The one she’d shocked Mari with on that day ten years ago, when she was a thirteen-year-old wandering in the streets with blank eyes and a fresh burn scar on her palm. He is level-headed and kind enough that you can see why Lore might be attracted to him while also acting as a good foil to “good guy” Gabe. Those who have had near-death experiences can sense and channel this power, leading people to use poison like a drug to get close enough to death that they too can experience Mortem. Michal was still asleep upstairs, and his sister, Elle, was sprawled on the couch, a wine bottle in her hand and a slightly musical snore on her lips.Anyone can take one look at you and know, Pierre, even though your deathdealer barely gave you enough to make you tingle. At a certain point early in the book, I had to consciously choose to stop trying to understand this and just go with it. It was natural to sense Mortem in something dead, no matter how unpleasant, and at this point she could hide her reaction, keep it contained. Despite her story, which is filled with tragedy, pain, and betrayal, her wit keeps the reader laughing.

Even as her awareness of it grew, a steady climb over the last few months, she was usually able to ignore it, but Pierre’s unexpected foxglove had thrown her off balance. All she knows is that she has the ability to channel Mortem, a power she puts to use spying for her adoptive poison-runner mothers. While her back was turned, Lore tucked the straining cloth into the lip of her mug and poured hot water over it, hoping Elle was too residually drunk to recognize the scent.

Michal ran a hand through his hair to tame it into submission while he bent to pull clothes from the piles on the floor. Lore can either use her magic to find out what’s happening and who in the King’s court is responsible, or die. The author takes the time to describe the culture and customs of the city's inhabitants, from the elites’ elaborate clothing to the gritty underworld of the poison runners. Dripping with dark opulence and sizzling intrigue, The Foxglove King proves Hannah Whitten is a force to be reckoned with. I do think it is worth it, however, since as the book continued and I felt more comfortable with the concepts, this magical conceit opened up a lot of interesting story lines and theories.