***Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten from Orbit Books for review purposes. Thank you so much for opportunity.
IT’S FINALLY HERE! I want to thank Orbit Books for the physical ARC. It completes my collection and is beautiful. I was so so excited to start this one, especially since my friend Katie (@melting_pages) is also a huge fan of this series. We totally screamed at each other in our DMs.
This review will have spoilers!
I really hope you enjoy the conclusion of this series as much as I did!
Be sure to check out my reviews for the entire trilogy: The Foxglove King and The Hemlock Queen.
The Nightshade Crown is in the hands of a ruthless god. Lore will stop at nothing to defeat him and save the troubled prince and tortured priest ensnared in his wicked plot, in this final installment of this lush, romantic, New York Times bestselling fantasy series from breakout star Hannah Whitten.
Lore has failed. She couldn’t save King Bastian from the rotten god speaking voices in his mind. She couldn’t save her allies from being scattered across the continent—their own lesser gods whispering to them in their dreams. She couldn’t save her beautiful, corrupt city from the dark power beneath the catacombs. And she couldn’t save herself.
Banished to the Burnt Isles, Lore must use every skill she earned on the streets of Dellaire to survive the prison colony and figure out a way to defeat the power that’s captured everything and everyone she holds dear. When a surprise ally joins her on the Burnt Isles she realizes the way forward may lie on the island itself. Somehow, her friends must help her collect the far-scattered pieces of the broken Fount—the source of all the god’s powers—and bring them back together on the Burnt Isles, returning all magic to its source and destroying, once and for all, the gods corrupting the land.
But as Lore gets closer to her goal, her magic grows stronger… and to a woman who’s always had to fight for survival, that kind of power may be hard to give up.
We found out that the remaining group of Lore, Gabe, Bastian, Alie, and Malcolm are vessels for the old gods. (There was one more, but I forgot her name and to be honest, hated her character so I was fine when she was unalived.) Lore has been communicating with Nyxara in her head. But once she was banished to the Burnt Isles, the voice of the god has vanished.
Bastian is still inhibited by Apollius, the main god who is ruthless and cunning. He wants to remake the kingdom and world anew. Alie is trying to navigate how to get out of her betrothal, which seems to be the only reason Apollius is content with her. Gabe, Malcolm and Lore’s mothers are across the continent trying to stay safe, but find a way back to help Lore, who is determined to save Bastian.
Lore is one of my favorite female main characters, ever. She is strong and resilient. I know I would’ve caved within minutes of being put onto the Burnt Isles, if not sooner within the story. I love that she cares so much and has been through so much in her life, that even in the darkest times, she can still pull herself up and do what needs to be done.
I like that this book is from more than just Lore’s perspective. I was surprised to see it put in multiple point of views, but it works really well with the pieces of the story coming together.
Have I mentioned Gabe is probably my favorite (other than Lore)?
And… we finally get the Lore/Bastian/Gabe relationship we’ve been rooting for!!!
The ending made me sob because it’s heartbreaking and beautiful and happy at the same time. Ugh, I still think about it!
∞/5 stars. Yes, it was that good.
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