Tag: necromancy

Review: The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

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The Foxglove King sits on top of a laptop on a table at a coffee shop, next to Alexis's hand in a gray sweater, which holds an iced matcha latte.

Alexis:

If you want a book that feels like For the Wolf, Furyborn, and The Wolf and the Woodsman mixed together, read The Foxglove King!

Synopsis: Adapted from Goodreads

The Foxglove King follows Lore, a poison runner and spy who has also happens to be a necromancer. When one of her runs goes wrong and Lore is caught, she is sent to Presque Mort, a group of monks sanctioned to use Mortem, or death magic, and work for the Sainted King. When entire villages on the outskirts of the country start dying overnight, seemingly at random, Lore is blackmailed by the King into figuring out why.

Thrown into court, Lore must work together with Gabriel, a duke-turned-monk, and Bastian, the prince, in order to save both herself and more villages from dying.

Review:

This book is dark and gritty, with an almost renaissance yet gothic feel to it. When I read Whitten’s For the Wolf, I fell in love with her writing style and snarky characters. And I’m happy to say that her writing and characterization have improved! Lore is a no-nonsense type of character. Gabe has a good heart but a tortured past (and, you know, he’s a monk). And Bastian is hilarious and snarky. Often, the banter between the characters is a welcome comedic relief, yet it manages to fit into the dark setting. 

As for worldbuilding, I was impressed! The worldbuilding feels well-fleshed out, and I like how Whitten describes the use of Mortem and how Lore can control it. The religion itself reminds me of the religion in The Wolf and the Woodsman, which also uses body horror in tandem with religion. 

I was hooked on the story from the beginning, and I loved the vibes and all of elements. My only main critique is that Gabriel/Gabe, who only has one eye, is described as only having one eye literally on every other page in the first half of the novel. I feel like having a handful of meaningful descriptions of Gabe would’ve been more impactful than being hit over the head with them. However, in the grand scheme of things, obviously this didn’t impact my feelings about the rest of the book. 

Overall, if you’re looking for a gritty adult fantasy with court politics, flawed and interesting characters, a small dash of romance, religious trauma, and plenty of death magic, then you might like this one! I’m looking forward to the sequel.

VERDICT: 💀💀💀💀💀

Review: The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst

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Alexis holds a paperback copy of The Bone Maker in front of the beach: sand and a wave crashing on shore.

Alexis:

Despite copious amounts of rain, our beach trip ended up being a successful reading trip! While The Bone Maker isn’t the usual kind of beach read, I’m always in the mood for a spooky read.

The Bone Maker follows Kreya, a hermit living in a tower with no one for company but her constructs, little creatures and dolls she created from pieces of bone. Oh, and her dead husband, Jentt, who she raises from the dead as often as she can.

Twenty-five years ago, Kreya and her group of heroes risked their lives to defeat the bone maker Eklor—a corrupt magician who created an inhuman army using animal bones. The heroes reunite to help Kreya on her journey.

The story is primarily told from Kreya’s POV, though we dive into each of the character’s heads at one point or another. I thought the world was super interesting. There are bone makers, who created constructs from bones; bone wizards, who create talismans with powers (think playing an action card in a card game); and bone readers, who predict the future by reading bones. The characters’ successful backstory was great fuel for the plot, and I almost wish I could read a prologue book!

While I liked the plot, I really enjoyed getting to know the cast of characters. This book has the perfect balance of darkness (lots of bones, dead people, war, and death) and lightness (witty dialogue, funny characters). I love when I can find an adult fantasy that also has humor and great dialogue. But what kept this book from being 5 stars is that I wanted to get to know the characters even more! That, and the plot didn’t feel as urgent as it probably should have. 

If you’re looking for a fun book with necromancy, defeating evil, and a journey with loveable characters, then I think you’ll enjoy this.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5