The Foxglove King

 The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten 467 Pages 

Summary: When Lore was thirteen, she escaped a cult in the catacombs beneath the city of Dellaire. And in the ten years since, she’s lived by one rule: don’t let them find you. Easier said than done, when her death magic ties her to the city.

Mortem, the magic born from death, is a high-priced and illicit commodity in Dellaire, and Lore’s job running poisons keeps her in food, shelter, and relative security. But when a run goes wrong and Lore’s power is revealed, she’s taken by the Presque Mort, a group of warrior-monks sanctioned to use Mortem working for the Sainted King. Lore fully expects a pyre, but King August has a different plan. Entire villages on the outskirts of the country have been dying overnight, seemingly at random. Lore can either use her magic to find out what’s happening and who in the King’s court is responsible, or die.

Lore is thrust into the Sainted King’s glittering court, where no one can be believed and even fewer can be trusted. Guarded by Gabriel, a duke-turned-monk, and continually running up against Bastian, August’s ne'er-do-well heir, Lore tangles in politics, religion, and forbidden romance as she attempts to navigate a debauched and opulent society.

But the life she left behind in the catacombs is catching up with her. And even as Lore makes her way through the Sainted court above, they might be drawing closer than she thinks.

My Thoughts:  Going into this book I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it. The first couple of pages it was weird (to me, I don't know if I was in the mood to read this type of book). However, it got really interesting when she heads to the castle. The "love triangle" wasn't as excruciating as some of the other love triangled books I've read. I enjoyed the magic aspect and I really enjoyed the characters. You have power hungry characters, an anti-hero, unwanted destiny character, and a character in denial. I am exctied to read the second book whenever I get the chance to.