The unique necromancy magic and well-balanced language in The Gilded Crown ensnared me from the start, though I lost some interested as the story veered into romantasy territory.

Hellevir is able to walk in Death, which is both a blessing and a curse. Although magic seems to be a known part of her religion, there is little indication of a fuller magic system; Hellevir’s mentor is the only other character who seems to possess magic, so it isn’t clear if there are other types of magic out there. Since magic is so heavily deplored by practitioners of her mother’s religion, I would have liked to see this conflict expanded beyond the parameters of Hellevir’s family and acquaintances. That said, I loved the physicality of Death, how it was a landscape as much as a person, and I thoroughly enjoyed following Hellevir as she tested the boundaries of her ability.

At first, I thought I might find Hellevir too passive as a protagonist, but her steadfastness endeared me to her. Hellevir’s childhood innocence grows into a young woman’s strong sense or morality and justice, which puts her in a fraught position between the nobles and commonfolk vying for her aid. To make the story feel more solidly Adult and not YA, I wished Hellevir had engaged more in the political intrigue besides her halfhearted attempt to root out the princess’s assassin. She seemed too content to play her part even as it disrupted her life and altered her family’s dynamics—especially her brother’s romantic relationship with a young nobleman.

The support of Hellevir’s father and older brother tempered the solemnity creeping in from all other sides, though I struggled to believe they spent an entire decade apart, no matter the fervor of her mother’s wishes. I also hated Hellevir and Sullivain as a potential couple. I appreciated the complexity of Sullivain’s role as a princess hardened by her mother but (maybe?) capable of kindness, but I did not agree with her and Hellevir’s entanglement. I thought Hellevir showed much more chemistry with Death.

The ending left me with mixed feelings. I liked that Hellevir finally shed some of her meekness and actively tried to change her circumstances. However, the couple of perspective switches in the final chapters seemed convenient rather than necessary and contributed to an overall rushed wrap-up.

I’m still interested in reading the sequel, but I hope the characters and the plot will mature to match the strength of the writing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The Gilded Crown follows Hellevir, a girl who can visit Death and pay to save people's lives.

I definitely thought this was going to have more romantasy vibes, and while it didn't, I'm not necessarily mad. I though Hellevir was an incredibly interesting character and I did overall enjoy the journey she went on in this book. I think the first half, with all the setup and introductions to the world and characters, was incredibly solid. The back half of the book, however, ended up feeling kind of meandering and less compelling to me. Things felt like they were just being made to happen to keep the book going, rather than occurring as organic developments of the plot. I do think I'll be picking up the next book -- my curiosity is piqued -- and I'm sure this book will easily find a committed audience.

The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon was a very captivating debut!
A wonderfully written novel, full of rich imagery, and complex characters.
The plot and pacing of this book is great. The magic system was just amazing.
Overall this stands out as a fun and engaging read.

Thank You NetGalley and Harper Voyager for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Hellevir can raise the dead. She has always known it must be kept secret.
When the princess dies and Hellevir is asked by the Queen to save her, the secret is safe no longer.
All Hellevir ever wanted was to stay in her country village and be left alone. Now she must travel to the Palace to be at the Crown's beck and call.

Every time she enters death, she loses a piece of herself. The Queen could care less. For what is her life worth compared to that of a princess?

I liked this, but I don't think it's very memorable. It was decent. I really liked Hellevir and her family, with the exception of her mother. I especially liked the raven.

This novel did not take the path I predicted it would and I loved that! From the family disconnect, to her connection with death, to the crown playing a role I only half expected, and the internal thoughts Hellevir processes just consumed me during reading. You get multiple smaller plot points that all round out into the bigger picture beautifully. You have the pathway that Hellevir navigates with her connection to death and her gift to raise the dead. Another pathway is Helleivir's bond to the princess that is created from bringing her back from death and how things get twisted and complicated. Hellevir also has to deal with her family, while her father and brother don't hate her for her gifts her mother is cold as ice. All of this, plus a little more (can't reveal it without spoiling some), wrapped up amazingly at the end and left me wanting book 2 immediately.

The Gilded Crown is a unique work of fantasy as it involves necromancy magic and explores the consequences of such abilities. The story follows Hellevir and the ability to raise the dead, an ability that she learned of as a child. When the queen requires Hellevir to summon from the dead and accompany Princess Sullivan for her safety, Hellevir begins to learn the sacrifice of such a power.

This type of fantasy was new to me as I have never read a story that focused on the ability of necromancy. I thought I would find it intriguing and I did, however I struggled to connect to the story and the main characters. I enjoyed the writing and pacing of the story but this just wasn't my forte. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this noel.

Special Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read this ARC.

This was a super interesting read! I always love darker fantasy, and the concept of dealing with death is one that can be hard to make original. Hellevir's story is heartbreaking as it is fascinating, from her childhood to her relationship with Sullivain. I absolutely adored the affection her father and brother had for her, but was so gut wrenched at how her family left her behind as a result of her abilities, and how she evolved as a result. Her character gives a lovely callback to Odin and his myth, especially with her raven companion.

While I love a sapphic main couple, I must say I didn't love Sullivain as a character, and I think Hellevir deserves better -- but perhaps that is the point! Ultimately, Hellevir is being used for her abilities to serve Sullivain's interests. This isn't a true love built on equal ground. I enjoy a story that showcases imperfect love, and even love that doesn't work out for the best.

This is definitely a fantasy first, romance second book, which I appreciate.

Overall, 3.5/5 for The Gilded Crown

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

I thought this was a nice debut novel. I enjoyed the underlying concept of what happens to people when they give and give and give (at least that’s how I interpreted it), as well as the magic system. It kept me interested and I think the series as a whole has potential. I’m very curious to see what the next part of Hellevir’s journey will look like, and to learn more about Death. Enjoyable read!

Well this was an underwhelming read for me as it had some elements I really enjoyed but I ultimately never connected to the story. I loved the death world and when our main character was there bargaining, this to me was the strongest part of this book and the parts that drew me to keep reading. Where the story got a bit lost for me was in the small romance and in the introduction to Sullivain who was the worst character and I just never could understand the MC's want to help her. It also got a bit slow and repetitive in the middle and I was bored for a lot of this book waiting for the raising the dead part again. Overall this is an interesting world and the magic our MC has is intriguing but I did not connect with the plot enough to want to continue this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Haper Voyager for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

The Gilded Crown follows Hellevir, who has the ability to raise the dead. I thought that the magic system was really cool, and am excited to hopefully learn more about the figure in the afterlife in the next book.

After Hellevir brings Princess Sullivain back from the dead, she is forced to move to the capital and be the princess's personal resurrectionist Each time Hellevir is forced to resurrect Sullivain, they become more bound to each other, gaining the ability to sense each other's emotions when they touch. Hellevir starts to fall in love with Sullivain, which is confusing to me, becasue Sullivain is often cruel and frequently threatens Hellevir and her family. Sure, Hellevir occasionally feels the princess's guilt/shame when they touch, but I don't think that negates all the harm she's caused. I'm not sure if Hellevir is just mistaking their soul connection from the resurrections with love, or if she would feel the same without that connection. Me, personally, I don't think I could fall in love with someone who did some of the things Sullivain has done

I am definitely excited to read the next book in the series, I'm just more interested in the Death plotline then I am in the romance with Sullivain

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC.

I was given the opportunity to read an eARC copy of this book for free in return for an honest review via NetGalley.

I wanted to like this book and there were some parts in which I did.

Our heroine is essentially able to travel between the world's of life and death, she can also bring people back from the dead with her. With this strange power she is ostracized to some extent within her community and even by her own mother. Through her life she brings back various individuals from death and the Queen becomes aware of her talents, eventually.

Once the Queen knows of her talent, she demands her help in bringing back her granddaughter, the sole heir. Our heroine does so but essentially at the coat of her freedom when she is later demanded to be at the royal city to be the Princess' resurrection specialist, but called an herbalist instead not to draw attention.

The majority of the book is about her time in the royal city, resurrecting the Princess a further two times, reconnecting with her family, avoiding the politics and religious issues at play, and figuring out how to live life...which she is not necessarily great at.

So, it was an interesting book and LGBTQ+ friendly...but it was not the most wonderful book there is. I felt like I had to drag myself through it, my attention wasn't caught and I didn't devour it like I wanted to. Overall decent, just not necessarily my favorite.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

*review contains spoilers*
Wow… I just finished this amazing story and have the urge to reread, no, relive this story again. Hellevir is one seriously bad*ss character with the power to resurrect the dead. Throw in the personification of Death with his allusive and tricky ways, a rich world building, religious terror and a threat to the Crown and you have yourself an EPIC fantasy book. I was gripped from beginning to end, gasped, cried and even tossed my phone (I read the ebook) out pure rage and frustration. This one had it all. The only reason I am not giving this one a full five stars is the “romance” between Sullivain and Hellevir. I wouldn’t even call it romance more like Sullivain gaslighting Hellevir and Hellevir experiencing Stockholm syndrome. I felt no romantic connection between them that felt substantial enough to warrant their kisses and everything just felt toxic and fake. I’m glad Hellevir chose to follow Death’s riddles and would rather focus on their “relationship” (doesn’t mean I see them in a romantic light but I’m interested in their further interactions and how that can build into a possible friendship or something) rather than whatever was going on with the Princess. Regardless I loved this book and hope there is a continuation to this mysterious tale. Give this one a read yall. It’ll really stick with you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing the ARC.

As someone who really enjoyed The Foxglove King, I really wanted to enjoy this book. However, it didn't quite grab me in the way that I wanted, and overall, felt a little lackluster.

I had a hard time getting into it, initially. The prose and the plot very much for older teens/young adults in a way that I didn't like, even though this book is being touted as adult fiction. I had a hard time connecting to any characters and mostly I just felt bored with the exposition. And for a book about necromancy, that was a bitter pill to swallow, if only because the magic system is actually very clever and interesting. But I digress.

The plot of the book both makes sense and doesn't make sense at the same time. There are parts that work well together and parts that seem nonsensical when compared to the story being told. As a result it made things hard to follow and a but confusing.

A decent debut, but nothing too outlandish.

Unfortunately not for me I got a few chapters in and put it down. Hopefully I can pick it back up in the future but for now, doesn’t feel like it’s for me.

This is a pretty nice debut from Gordon! However, while I enjoyed a good amount of it, I'd say that I was a little disappointed overall. The plot felt a little convenient in the beginning, which made things kind of give a young adult feel, but it was a nice buildup to the rest of the events. I absolutely loved Death in this book, and feel that he compelled me the most so it made it hard for me to want to follow through with the rest if that makes sense because he was THAT compelling and interesting.

That being said, of course I could appreciate a messy dynamic and did enjoy Hellevir and Sullivain to a degree as well, but felt like I wasn't as drawn in to them as I really wanted to be since I feel it lacked a bit of depth on the motivation side. I'm also just such a sucker for Death in books that it almost made me wish that he was a she and was the love interest instead because their conversations together where more interesting to me, and I felt really bad. 🤣 I think there's potential for me to enjoy a romance in book two though. I just won't be in a rush to get to it.

I did love that the writing style was really easy to read through and the worldbuilding was decent as well which added a lot of great flavor!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well, that ending was disappointing. It felt like we were building up to something explosive and revealing, but instead I feel like I have the exact same amount of information I had at the beginning of this book. And as someone who needs answers, I needed some more information and some more clarity into the story.

There were so many moving pieces and intriguing politics and it felt like all the pieces moved right back to where they started.

I’m sure this is all setting up for a sequel, but I need more resolution and a satisfying ending for THIS book.

I actually really ended up liking Hellevir as our main character and I liked the back-and-forth between her and the mystery man in Death, and there didn’t seem to be much romantic tension there either which makes it all the more interesting because what is the bond between them then? Is he on her side or not? Again, I needed more answers in this book!

The actual romance in this book I was not buying. I feel like when Hellevir has to put in so much work to defend Sullivain to us as readers AND to the other characters and even herself, it’s going to be a tough sell. I needed to be shown more of Sullivain genuinely caring about her to convince me after some of the disrespectful and cruel things she said to Hellevir at the beginning of the book.

Overall, the world and politics of the book were set up great, but fell a little flat at the end. Our main character is great and that’s about it, but there are some interesting dynamics at play.

Hellevir has met Death. First when she was little and she raised a fox, and second when she was twelve and she raised her mother, lost from childbirth. Now, this special secret gift of hers is sought out by the crown to save a princess. As she balances her own desires, persecution of religion, demands of a queen and bodily limitations, Hellevir must decide who she is and what sacrifices have worth.

This novel has a very interesting premise and follows the threads in Helavir’s life that she struggles to balance. At first she is almost a victim of her gift, but as the novel progresses she becomes more herself. Death’s character is also engaging and adds tension and mystery to the story’s threads. The pacing at times was slow and some of the character development I could have done without, but overall a good novel. 3 stars.

Review based on an uncorrected e-proof provided by Avon, Harper Voyager and NetGalley. Thank you!

I don’t know if it’s because I’m an oldest child or because I’m the self-sacrificing type or because I somehow was born with a mutation that makes me say, “I’m sorry,” for things that aren’t even my fault, but it’s been a long time since I’ve identified with a protagonist in a fantasy series as much as I found myself identifying with Hellevir Andottir in The Gilded Crown.

Did that make loving this book easier? Of course it did. Consider this, however: I truly dislike the love interest in this book and I still loved this book enough to give it five stars. That’s how much I liked this book.

The Gilded Crown has one thing I really dislike (slow burn) and a bunch of stuff I love. The slow burn in this book is tolerable only because it’s completely keeping in tone with the characters and the world of the book. There are a great many personal, physical, and cultural barriers that get in the way of any kind of intimacy (physical or emotional) between the love interests in this book, and so the slow burn is absolutely understandable. I can be reasonable when it comes to steam and spice, I’ll have you know.

Beyond that. Marianne Gordon has written a book absolutely stuffed with stuff I adore: Political intrigue, pagan religion versus organized religion, death personified, a female protagonist who has had to grow up too fast, a whole bunch of morally grey characters, a good amount of queer characters in the main cast, and animal companions (nature talks!).

This is a dark and emotional story that made me angry and made me cry more than once. I’m really looking forward to the next book.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alo\ne. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Dark Fantasy/Fantasy/Romantasy/Fantasy Series/Folk Fantasy/LGBTQ Fantasy

Hellevir Andottir is an unusual girl that can talk to things like a hearth, trees, and animals. When Hellevir is young she can talk to Death which frightens her mother. When tragedy strikes Hellevir steps in to save her mother from death. It changes how her mother sees Hellevir. One day, The Queen asks the local herbalist to bring back her granddaughter but she can't. Hellevir offers to do it because it's the right thing to do. Hellevir didn't expect what happened next. Hellevir is expected to do as The Princess asks of her. Will Hellevir do as The Princess demands? Find out in The Gilded Crown.

I want to thank Avon and HarperVoyager for this ARC via Netgalley.

The Gilded Crown Marianne Gordon

Wow.
What a ride that book was!
I feel like I need to thank Marianne Gordon in person for writing this book. However, since I do not know Marianne Gordon personally (which is unfortunate–she is clearly my new writing role model) I will have to take to Goodreads to give this book a glowing five stars!
Because it was truly, inexplicably, amazingly one of THE BEST BOOKS I have read all year.
And that is truly saying something.
Plot:
The Gilded Crown centers around our heroine, Hellevir, who has the ability to raise the dead by exchanging parts of herself. When Princess Sullivain is assassinated, Hellevir is forced by the Queen to raise her dead granddaughter. After this, Hellevir is then threatened by Sullivain and the Queen to travel to Rochidain to remain by the Princess’ side to raise her whenever she may taste death again.
And she does.
Repeatedly.
A lot.
There’s a lot of death in this book.
But, let’s just talk about the plot.
The plot of this book was VERY captivating! I’ve read similar stories, and didn’t expect much to surprise me about this storyline, but it truly was a fresh take on the concept of necromancy. Initially, I just wanted to read this because of the Sapphic representation, but this book truly gave me so much more with the world building, magic system, and the interesting creation of a new religion.
It offered interesting character dilemmas and relationships, as well, and the concept of Death was constructed very carefully and artfully. Just like Hellevir, I was very curious about Death all throughout this book and how connected she was to this strange entity.
Concerning the assassination plot-line, that was the only part of this book that I didn’t quite care for. The revelation centering around who had set out to kill Sullivain was a bit underwhelming for me. And, since we had little-to-no interactions between the assassin and Hellevir, it just didn’t connect well with the rest of the story. Thankfully, though, this didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the book by any means.
Characters:
First of all, Hellevir was an extremely interesting character to me. She is very selfless and martyr-like at the beginning of this book, however so much happens and we see a bunch of character development, whether good or bad, in her.
And I just… I felt very connected to her. I have never felt like crying so much for a character, but Hellevir just caught on to my heartstrings.
I adore her character.
Sullivain, however, I could never come to like.
There were many times when I had the thought that her character would improve and stop hurting so many people around her. But just when she was seemingly redeeming herself, she would do something to keep Hellevir under her thumb.
And it just REALLY made me dislike her character.
If we are to see a relationship between Sullivain and Hellevir, I hope Gordon improves her character, because no one should be hurting Hellevir in ANY WAY.
I will throw hands.
I also disliked how Hellevir tried to justify Sullivain’s actions by constantly blaming her grandmother. Okay, I admit that the people who raise you can often define your actions, but defending the horrible and selfish things Sullivain did so often really irked me.
Again, I really, really hope that Sullivain starts to redeem herself in the sequel. Otherwise, the whole relationship will just be an annoyance.
About the other characters, I enjoyed how diverse they were. None of the characters felt like carbon-copies, which can often happen when you introduce so many characters into a book. They start to sound the same on page, but that never happened here! Mega bonus points for that!
I also loved the amount of LGBTQ+ representation we had. We not only had a Sapphic main couple, but a Gay side couple, too!
*Clap Clap*
We LOVE to see it!
Overall Thoughts:
In the end, this book was one of the best books I have read this year! Despite its length, I was never bored and enjoyed every second I had with Hellevir and the other characters of this book (minus Sullivain…)
I CANNOT wait to read the sequel, and just know I will have a MAJOR book slump after reading this.
Thanks, Marianne Gordon. My reading taste will forever be defined by this book.


Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced reader’s copy!