I am a sucker for books that personify death and this one had me from the first page. I tore into this book.

It follows a girl, Hellevir, who has the ability to walk in death and bring souls back, for a cost. When put into a position she cant refuse she must choose how much of herself she is willing or able to sacrifice and must face the consequences of those choices. From family issues, political threats, love and heartache this book has it all. It was a rollercoaster of emotions and my heart still hurts but in the best way.

I cant wait to see this series continued.

I enjoyed this book! Potential spoilers to follow. The writing was well done and made this book easy to read and I truly got lost in the world and the characters. Hellevir is a strong MC with a very unique gift, the ability to raise the dead, but with a cost to herself, body and soul. She is hired by the Queen and Princess to ensure that there is always an heir to the crown. Her gifts are needed many times, not only to save the crown, but also to save some of her loved ones.

I enjoyed the political intrigue in the world, as well as the magic system. A map would have helped greatly, and I hope to see one in the published version. I was left with excitement regarding the religions in the book and how they potentially relate to the magic system, as the two faiths seem to be linked not only to the history of the region, but also Death and the treasures Hellevir is sent to find.

I struggled to connect with Hellevir’s family, as they abandoned her when she was young, and I didn’t feel the connection to them from the start. It made it difficult to believe that she would truly abide by the threats made against them, when they didn’t seem to care about her well being at all. I loved Hellevir and Farvor’s relationship, as well as the bonds between them and Calgir.

As for Hellevir’s relationship with Princess Sullivain, I could feel the connection more in the first half of the book, than the second half. Sullivain seems to show genuine interest in the first half, where in the second it feels like apologies for all of her “mistakes” which I didn’t 100% believe that she regretted.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars. I will be eagerly awaiting the published version as well as the sequel! Thank you NetGalley and HarperVoyager for the ARC copy for an honest review.

The above review and rating have been published on Goodreads.

For someone who gives away a piece of her soul each time she 'raises' someone, Miss Girl was bringing people back left and right.

Hellevir can bring people back from death, but always at a price. when she saves the Crown Princess from death once, she is ordered to stay in the capital city to revive her whenever needed. She quickly gets caught up in the politics of the palace and the mystery of who the assassin is, all while developing feelings for Princess Sullivain.

Okay, I wanted to like this book I really did. I gave it the old college try and even pushed through to finish it. I just didn't mesh with it that much. The actual magic part I found interesting, I loved that she could talk to not only animals but also nature spirits. The riddles from Death were the next best thing, although I wish we could have solved them with her rather than have the answers just appear before her. other than that, It just felt flat. I didn't get the stakes, I wasn't rooting for the characters, and the only relationship I did care about was doomed from the start. It felt like a fantasy novel with a really promising plot and then a romance subplot was shoved in that kinda ruined everything. I didn't understand the chemistry between Hellevir and Sullivain, it honestly felt forced to me. It hurts to say that as a lesbian, because I genuinely went into this hoping for sapphicness. Hellevir just kept making bad decisions and Sullivain was just not a good person? At all?

I wanted more, but I think all I got was a reading slump.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.

This book about a young woman with the power to walk in death is an intriguing set up for a new series. Hellevir not only can walk in death, but for a price can to resurrect the dead. Her ability causes her to be called upon to raise the Princess to maintain the stability of the kingdom.

The story starts simply, and gains complexity as it goes on. By the end there are several plot threads and interactions which set up for the next installment in the series. Many of those plot threads are unresolved, but the book didn't feel incomplete which I appreciated. There are some very well-realized characterizations and Falvor and the man with dark eyes were both compelling. Falvor especially had an incredible story arc.

One of things I would wish to change would be for there to be more time spent on some of the relationships, Hellevir and Sullivain's relationship especially felt a little rushed to me, but this was fairly minor given that much of it seemed to be setup for the next book. I also wish we had seen more than just one aspect of the Queen's personality. It was discordant given that the other characters were so well done.

Overall I liked this book, I thought the writing was excellent and the plot cleverly expanded throughout. I'll be looking forward to the next one!

This was good, especially for a debut, but was missing a lot for me. I did like that we are finally getting a queer, sapphic fantasy story, While "The Gilded Crown" didn't hit me the way I would have liked, it was enjoyable and I think there are readers who will love it. The writing is a lot of prose and the worldbuilding is thorough, and not so hard to follow along with. I do think the characters could have been more fleshed out, as well as the plot. The pacing is slow, and can cause one to easily lose interest. I think a lot of it is being saved for the later books in the series, but because of this, there isn't ENOUGH in this one. I wanted more. I NEEDED more. Because of that, I'm just not sure I'm going to continue because I didn't feel like the payoff was worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper for the eARC of this book.

“The fox’s bright pelt drew her on like a will-o’-the-wisp” (p.8). This is such a cozy read and I adore the imagery! It reminds me of Howl’s Moving Castle paired with Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. I love that Milandre turned into the mother she needed, while the one she brought back turned her back on Hellevir. I think my other favorite quote was, ‘Look after her, handsome thing.’ ‘As long as I have feathers,’ he replied (p.46). Elsevir was such a character. I like how Hellevir and her mom’s religions are juxtaposed, but in an artful way. The creativity for each is beautiful. I also like the theme of discernment. I also like how later in the book it shows how religion can cause deep cracks and divides in family, especially if one family member uses it as a weapon.

I like the theme of, after someone’s death, we want to save them, but should we? If they’re happier and we’re sad that they’re gone, do we save ourselves the heartbreak over wrenching them from a possible happy afterlife for our own selfish intentions? And who gets to be saved? Hellevir’s mom was happier in the afterlife with her baby, and when brought back turned resentful against her living daughter. I love this approach to Death, as a part of life. Not to be feared or fought against, but embraced as a part of our life cycle. Though we mourn those who are gone, we can take heart knowing that they are happier in the afterlife.

The storytelling and the imagery are absolutely stunning. I am so happy with this read and the author did an absolutely phenominal job. The characters, the storyline, the plot, world building, politics and drama - all of it, five stars! Anything this author puts out I will read.

This one was okay!

I think I just didn’t connect to the characters as much as I would have liked considering this is definitely something on paper that is up my alley.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for proving me this arc in exchange for an honest review. I had a lot of trouble getting into this book. I liked the concept of this book. Girl with an usual ability catches the attention of the crown. The story has great potential and may get there with the next installment of the series. This book is the first of the series and feels gloomy throughout the entire book. Hellevir is an interesting main character and this book has a unique take on death.

This was pretty fun but I think there was a lot that could have been done to make the characters more compelling.

This book was fantastic. Fast paced and an interesting world that you can’t help but be enchanted by.

Not exactly what I was expecting. I can see the concept and it was ok but the delivery was lacking. There was opportunity to really develop the story but definitely missed the mark.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc .

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the arc.
Marianne Gordon's The Gilded Crown is a fantasy novel following two women: Hellivir, who can raise the dead, and Sullivian, a princess who recently died. They are forced to work together as Hellivir sacrifices more to death. I found the comparison to Priory of the Orange Tree, which The Gilded Crown does not match; where the writing is lyrical and world-intriguing, the story fell short. The character of Hellivir was enjoyable and someone I wanted to learn more about. Sullivan, on the other hand, I never grew to love; she drove me up the wall and, to be honest would have made my reading experience if Hellivir had given me a different love interest.

This book wasn't exactly my cup of tea, and that might be because the bar for sapphic books with necromancy has been set very high; it's hard to read this book and not compare it to The Locked Tomb series. Both follow young women with volatile relationships with each other that grow into romance. So, if you want a necromancy sapphic love story, try Geidon the Ninth.

"The Gilded Crown" is a Nordic-inspired fantasy story that takes a basic premise - girl with unusual gift that attracts royal attention - and puts a fresh coat of paint on it. I was interested in this tale predominantly for the "Priory of the Orange Tree" comp; I love that story and sapphic fantasy is a soft spot of mine. While "The Gilded Crown" didn't hit me quite aes favorably, it was enjoyable. The writing is lyrical, the worldbuilding thorough. My disappointment was primarily rooted in character action and plot movement: this felt very much like a gorgeously-written YA book, and also very much like the *first* book of the series. The pacing is slow, our heroine is unsure of herself, and at the end of the book you realize that a lot of the payoff appears to have been reserved for later installments. Despite being a longer novel (450 pages), so much of it is set up and second-guessing. I would have liked *more* from a book one.

A very interesting slightly Nordic retelling? You’ll notice throughout the little nuances here and there. It was rather intriguing as I kept on pushing on, I had a hard time connecting with the characters from the start but as we progressed it didn’t feel as forced! Hellevir, our main girl, is cursed and blessed with a gift that pretty much everyone would love to have for themselves. And that’s exactly her problem. It was a unique political fantasy that focused on its world building and society. It was fast paced and filled with questions of morality, along with queer representation!

Hellevir has been strange for longer than she has been able to speak to Death and raise the dead. Once Hellevir raised the heir to the throne after she was assassinated, it was only a matter of time before the crown decided she was too valuable to leave in her village next to nothing. But the city surrounding the palace is crawling with webs of deceit and hatred. Threats come both from the crown demanding her obedience and the church that labels her a heathen. Raising the dead exacts a toll that she’s more than willing to pay, but being near the princess may cost her heart.

This book hooked me from the first page. I could not put it down. I love Hellevir. She’s so real and flawed. I love the atmosphere and the writing of this story. Everything feels so tangible while reading. I love the descriptions and how beautifully everything is described.

I honestly can’t believe it’s a debut novel. This book is a thorny delight that will stick with me for a long time. I cannot wait for more.

The Gilded Crown follows Hellevir, who has known from a young age that she is different. She can communicate with animals and spirits and very notably, can visit Death and it's mysterious keeper. When Hellevir is put in an impossible position, her life changes forever and becomes permanently entwined with Sullivain, the sole heir to the kingdom and a princess whose coming reign is being tested. Hellevir makes a deal with Death and leaves her home to become an on-call resurrectionist for Sullivain. With political intrigue and mysterious side-quests for Death, this book was definitely memorable and kept me entertained!

It did take me a while to really get into this book, but after I reached the 50% mark, it flew by! The first 50% was written really well, it just didn't make me NEED to keep reading the next chapter and I couldn't see where the book was going since it had so much going on. I enjoyed Hellevir as a character, even though she extremely naïve at times. My favorite parts throughout the book, unsurprisingly, were when Hellevir was in Death or on her quests for Death's treasures. If the whole book was like that, I think I would've devoured it in a day. I also enjoyed some of the political intrigue with the quarreling families and conflict between the Faiths. Honorable mention to Elsevir, the priestesses, and Milandre for being amazing supporting characters - I wish there was more of them and less Sullivain! AND obviously, my favorite character of all has no name: the "gate keeper" in Death was by far the highlight and I look forward to reading more in the series just to figure out who he is and what his story is.

I'm excited to see where the series go after that ending! I'm so happy Hellevir seemed to grow into herself and I LOVE the idea of willing to become the monster people want her to be in order to gain some of her power and confidence back. I am also super curious to learn more about the Nightingale Queen and Antlered King and was hoping to have learned more in this book, but it seems I must wait!!

I think what made this book slow, at times, was the storyline with Sullivain and the romantic tension between her and Hellevir. I never grew to like Sullivain and didn't understand how Hellevir could after everything that happened. There was the mysterious link between their souls after being raised, but it was so vague and ambiguous that it really didn't help me as a reader justify anything Sullivain did. On top of that, I feel like there were so few scenes of substance between the two of them and it was very insta-love/attraction on both sides, even if there wasn't much action of those feelings. I hope in future books that Sullivain plays less of a role. I understand why she played the role she did in this book, to get Hellevir into the city and to give her a reason to have to fulfill Death's quests so regularly, but I don't think that their romance (or possible romance) adds anything. On the contrary, I think it makes me severely question Hellevir's judgement and like her less as a character.

Also, I didn't love Hellevir's family. Obviously, her mom was easy to dislike, but it was hard for me to overcome how crappy her father and brother were to leave her in the woods alone for 10 years and never visit or ask her to come to them. I don't understand why the mom's feelings have to trump an entire CHILD. ALSO, it made me so angry that Hellevir's mom held the fact that she saved her, and not her unborn sibling, against her. AS IF any 10 year old would do anything differently?!?! As soon as she's back in the city, her father and brother are remorseful, but I didn't forgive them nearly as quickly as Hellevir did.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, although I think there are ways to build and improve moving forward. If you like political intrigue, riddles, and LGBTQ+ representation, give this one a try!

I received an ARC of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity to review!

I was really looking forward to reading The Gilded Crown because the description sounded so unique and interesting. But for some reason, I just didn't find myself immersed in the story or attached to the characters. I liked the unique names of the characters, like Hellevir. For a debut novel, I was impressed with the writing and the world-building!

An interesting concept and beautifully written, but overall the plot missed the mark. The herbalist who can raise the dead finds herself forced to repeatedly raise one person specifically while negotiating with Death.

The pacing was a bit slow and mood was consistently dreary. It felt like the author couldn’t choose a particular genre but the plot wasn’t intriguing enough to stand outside the genre ranges.

3⭐️

Sadly this one just never turned into what I was really hoping for. I think the premise is great and I really enjoyed the scenes with death. The writing itself is also very beautiful. Just the story and plot just never really amounted to its potential falling flat.

I'm interested to see what else this author writes because I think her writing is really strong,

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I wanted to love this but it really fell flat for me. I enjoyed the concept of Hellevir visiting death and bringing things back but that was about it. It’s VERY YA and it was hard for me to imagine her as an adult when she seemed so immature. World building was just alright, I wasn’t as immersed as I was hoping for unfortunately.