Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
The author lists the following content warnings on her website:

alcohol and tobacco use

parental abuse (emotional, physical)

explicit sexual content

adult language

religious abuse

intimate partner violence (emotional, sexual, physical)

gore/violence (fairly severe)


In The Foxglove King, Lore and Bastian survived a prophecy that would have seen Lore dead and Bastian’s body taken over by a god. Bastian is about to be crowned King, Gabriel is now Priest Exalted and Lore, a former poison smuggler, has been elevated to Bastian’s right hand. As Bastian begins to rule the Court, Lore starts to notice changes in his behaviour and fears the worst. Something is whispering in her ear, and she’s beginning to wonder what or who is whispering in Bastian’s ear…

The Hemlock Queen is everything I hoped that the previous book would be, and I loved every moment of it. The character development was much better for a start, and the overall plot was more interesting to me. It’s a lot less religious-based, and leans more towards mythology and folklore, which is what I tend to expect from Whitten. It was a wild ride of suspense and emotion, and I can’t wait for book three!

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THE HEMLOCK QUEEN is Hannah Whitten’s exciting sequel to THE FOXGLOVE KING, and I am here for it! Picking up a few months after the shocking ending of the first novel, the action and angst starts right away as Lore questions who she can or cannot trust. I love Lore. I love everything about her and seriously hope she gets her happily ever after at the end of the series. For now, however, Ms. Whitten tortures Lore with a severe lack of allies and even more severe lack of answers. In a classic example of “not all characters are heroes”, we see a massive change is Bastian that only confuses the situation. Add to that Gabe’s distant smoldering, and it’s enough to drive a girl wild!

THE HEMLOCK QUEEN sets up the final book quite nicely, even as the ending is every bit as infuriating as THE FOXGLOVE KING’s ending. There isn’t as much action in this second book, but there is a lot of skullduggery and searching for answers. By the time the story draws to a close, we have set lines of demarcation and no idea how Lore, Bastian, and Gabe will resolve anything. The wait for the final book is going to be interminable, but I know it will be worth it. ( )

Seriously, how is this book even better than the first?! Both the character (and god) development are top notch and the relationships between everyone become even more entangled and complex as the plot thickens. The story ends on a massive cliffhanger so I am desperately needing the next book asap! ( )