I loved this book so much! The start of this book with the sort of foreshadowing with Death was immaculate. I loved the scenes with Death it gave this story a gothic style that I fell in love with. Hellevir was to me, a very likeable character even with some of the choices that she made throughout. The family element in it reminded me of me with my own brothers. I think the queer representation that is in this book is beautiful and I am so ready to dive into anything else written by Marianne Gordon. Truly amazing!

This was given to me as an earc from Netgalley, all opinions are my own

I honestly to God loved this book so incredibly much. The world of Rochidain, the characters, the curious nature of Death. For a book with such a dark and gothic style of story, I truly found that the characters were so colorful and blooming with a rich collection of traits.

Hellevir is such a beautifully written character, as was Sullivan. Death, as it happens, was my favorite, because I always wanted to know MORE. Who is Death? Why is he there? How can he be so…compassionate and dispassionate at the same time?

A young herbalist, Hellevir, can bring people back from death once they’ve died, but only by giving Death a piece of herself in exchange, as well as a piece of something living.

That’s all I’m going to say, because well and truly, I really want you all to read this book. It’s phenomenal in more ways than one, and I cannot wait for the second!

Gratitude extends to NetGalley and the publisher for generously providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an unbiased review. Initiating my journey into this book proved to be a challenge, though the underlying concept intrigued me—a girl endowed with a distinctive ability capturing the crown's attention. Within the pages of "The Gilded Crown," a Nordic-inspired fantasy, the narrative unfolds, revealing a tale of potential grandeur that may fully blossom in subsequent installments of the series.

The protagonist, Hellevir, stands out as a compelling character, and the narrative weaves a unique perspective on the theme of death. Throughout this inaugural installment, a pervasive gloominess pervades, setting the tone for the unfolding saga. The allure of the storyline lies in its exploration of an uncommon ability drawing royal interest, adding a fresh layer to a familiar premise.

Comparisons to "Priory of the Orange Tree" initially piqued my interest, given my fondness for that narrative and my penchant for sapphic fantasy. While "The Gilded Crown" didn't resonate with me as strongly, it did manage to captivate. The prose exhibits a lyrical quality, and the worldbuilding displays meticulous attention to detail. However, my reservations stem from the character dynamics and plot progression, echoing the hallmarks of a beautifully written yet inherently slow-paced young adult novel.

In this initial foray into the series, the pacing unfolds leisurely, the protagonist grapples with self-doubt, and a realization dawns at the conclusion—a considerable portion of the payoff appears reserved for subsequent volumes. Despite the novel's substantial length of 450 pages, a significant portion is dedicated to laying the groundwork and fostering uncertainty. As a reader anticipating more substantial revelations in a debut installment, I found myself yearning for a deeper exploration within the confines of book one.

"The Gilded Crown" offers a Nordic-infused fantasy with an inventive premise, yet its deliberate pacing and measured character development may leave readers eager for more immediate gratification. As the series holds promise, one can hope that subsequent volumes will unfurl the full tapestry of Hellevir's journey with a swifter stride and more pronounced revelations.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley.

The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon is a Sapphic fantasy about an herbalist who can bring people back from the dead and a princess everyone wants dead that she has to keep bringing back to life.

The novel opens with Hellevir bringing her mother back from the dead after she dies in childbirth, but cannot bring her stillborn younger sibling back as well. This leads into her mother refusing to have a relationship with her and a rift in the family to the point that the father, mother, and brother all move to the city, close to the royal family, while the daughter remains in the village and apprentices with an herbalist.

This is further exacerbated by the difference in faith, which parallels pagan vs Christian faith. Hellevir’s mother believes in something that reads very similar to the Christian faith, including priest-like figures, while the daughter believes in the pagan faith of her father.

The romance built subtly and showcased two young women from different backgrounds slowly building an understanding while navigating those differences (such as faith, class, and where they were raised).

I would recommend this to readers looking for more depictions of death or fantasy with a Sapphic romantic subplot. I would not recommend this to readers who are looking for Romantasy or romantic fantasy or do not want heavy-coding of real world Christianity in their fantasy or those sensitive to animal deaths in fiction.

Maybe it was because if the time I read this, but it wasn't a loved book for me. It was fine. I liked it enough. Enough that I'll read the sequel to see where it goes and what happens.

The story was interesting enough. Unique in its own way. Always love a good Death character. Wish we saw more of him. It's alluded who he is, but never confirmed so I imagine that will be answered in the next one. Looking forward to see where Hellevir travels.

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.