Review by Booklist Review
Whitten begins The Foxglove King with a betrayal: Lore, born a deathwitch, is handed over to the Presque Mort, the religious order that persecutes necromancers, by her adopted mothers. Her Mortem, or death magic, ties her to the catacombs running under the city of Dellaire, and Priest Exalted Anton needs her power to discover why entire villages are dying, each in a single night. Meanwhile, his brother, King August, forces her to spy on Crown Prince Bastian, whom he suspects of colluding with the neighboring Kirythean Empire. Teamed up with priestly duke Gabe, Lore is rushed into high society and rapidly discovers that Bastian is smarter and more in tune with the general populace than his aloof playboy persona suggests. The three of them together delve into and under Dellaire, speaking to the living and dead in their attempt to unravel the mysterious deaths and the king's plot. Readers are kept guessing throughout as characters make questionable decisions while sorting out the various levels of intrigue in this series starter.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This stunning fantasy from Whitten (For the Wolf) opens 500 years after Godsfall, when death goddess Nyxara died and all other gods followed, leaving Apollius, god of life, as the singular deity worshipped in Auverraine. The city of Dellaire sits atop Nyxara's corpse, and a force known as Mortem, "the essence of death, the power born of entropy," seeps from her body into the city. 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. Dellaire local Lore, 23, can't quite remember the first 13 years of her life. 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. When a job goes wrong, Lore is caught and brought before Priest Exalted Anton Arceneaux and the Sainted King August Arceneaux, who give her a choice: die, or spy on the Sun Prince Bastian to find out why entire towns have been dying off. This task puts Lore in the orbit of both Bastian and Presque Mort Gabriel, both of whom feel oddly familiar. Romance is less central to this outing than in Whitten's previous works, but there are still plenty of swoony moments to please fans. Meanwhile the fascinating magic system and ever-present danger keep the pages flying. Readers won't want to miss this. Agent: Whitney Ross, Irene Goodman Literary. (Mar.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Lore's world teems with drug running, spying, and uneasy agreements. Unable to leave the city of Dellaire because of a mysterious connection to the catacombs that lie beneath, Lore tries to keep a dangerous secret--that she has the power to channel Mortem, the magical death essence left behind by the Buried Goddess Nyxara. In the face of deceit and betrayal, she finds herself allied with and attracted to Gabriel, a dispirited warrior-monk of the Presque Mort, and Bastian, the sly prince in line for the throne. Although this fantasy romance provides plenty of sexual tension, obfuscation, and royal conspiracy, the characters, whether protagonists or schemers, have little depth or subtlety. Emily Ellet's narration is generally solid, but she falters when reading dialogue, and her characterizations occasionally seem out of sync. Lore is given the voice of a petulant 14-year-old instead of the somewhat hardened woman in her mid-20s that she is. The antagonists are portrayed as one-dimensional, almost melodramatic characters. VERDICT Though Whitten's (For the Wolf) plot and worldbuilding are intriguing, the uneven audio presentation makes this a supplemental purchase.--Lisa Youngblood
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young woman who wields dark magic, a monk of death, and the crown prince find their fates are somehow entwined. Lore works as a poison runner with her mothers, their city laced with the death magic known as Mortem after the demise of the Goddess now buried in the catacombs beneath their feet. But Lore is different from her mothers; she has a stronger connection to Mortem than anyone she knows--strong enough to raise the dead--and her powers cannot stay hidden forever. Eventually she attracts the attention of the Presque Mort, a group of monks whose brushes with death have left them able to channel Mortem, though none can match Lore's abilities. After having Lore snatched up, the Priest Exalted, head of the Presque Mort and twin brother to the Sainted King, pairs Lore with the solemn Gabriel and instructs them to discover how and why whole villages are mysteriously dying--even if it means bringing one of the dead villagers back to life. And the two have another mission, a direct order from the King: They must infiltrate the Court of the Citadel and ingratiate themselves with the King's son, the prince Bastian, who may be passing intelligence to their enemies. Lore trusts neither king nor priest but has no choice but to comply; she soon finds herself juggling the schemes of the Presque Mort, the King, Bastian, and more. Amid glittering gowns and late-night balls, Lore and Gabriel--and Bastian as well--grapple with their pasts and their beliefs as forces both human and divine gather around them. With a system of dark magic; instant chemistry and tension among Lore, Gabriel, and Bastian; and revelations that bring to light new questions, this is an intriguing beginning to a series that effortlessly balances character development with plot and atmosphere. A perfect blend of shadowy gods, forbidden romance, and political court drama. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
