There were some elements that I really liked with this book. I thought the premise was interesting, the magic system was intriguing, the imagery was great, and I really felt the emotions that Hellevir experienced throughout the book. However, the pacing was a bit slow, especially in the first half, and I did feel like the plot fell a bit flat. The interactions with death were my favorite parts, and I would definitely check out what else this author may put out, but I have mixed reviews about this one.

I always enjoy a good queernormative setting for a new fantasy, so that is a definitely point in The Gilded Crown's favor. The romance plotline is also an interesting take on the "I should hate her but I don't", with Hellevir giving up a piece of her soul each time she brings Sullivain back to life - there's also some emotion sharing each time they touch because of this, which lends to the draw between them. It's less of a romance and more of the two of them being pulled toward each other in a doomed situation, with no way forward in sight. Sullivain is meant to be her grandmother's heir, cruel when she needs to be to hold power, but also under her grandmother's thumb and afraid to follow fully in her footsteps at the same time. We see a lot of Hellevir thinking "she'd be a better queen" or "she wouldn't do this if her grandmother weren't around", but we also constantly see Sullivain choosing to stick to what she knows and rule with an iron fist, and very little of the softer side Hellevir swears is there.

Unfortunately, a lot of the rest of the politics feels out of place - with a war for the throne only a few decades past, there's potential for some court intrigue as the other noble houses connive their way into schemes to kill Sullivain, the heir to the throne. You would think that this would be the main plotline, as the reason Hellevir gets thrust into the city and the politics is to keep Sullivain from falling prey to these plans, and potentially figure out who is behind them to nip them in the bud. Unfortunately, this leads then to the other plotline, the religious clash and Death's quests. You can see threads of where the quests for the treasures set by Death would be or were intended to be woven into the political storyline, but aside from the very first one, they end up feeling like side quests and a breather from the main plot. You can also see where the religious backstory is intended to inform the creation of the country as well as death himself and potentially a way to free Sullivain, but it also ends up falling flat, a strange mix of too little too late and out of nowhere in terms of the amount of power the fanatics are able to wield.

I'm a little curious to see what the next book holds, but I think it'll definitely depend on what sort of framing it takes for the rest of the story it wants to tell.

The Gilded Crown is an enchanting and richly imagined fantasy.

Hellevir has always been able to communicate with the spirits, from trees to animals, to the hearth in her home. When she was only 10 years old, she entered the realm of Death, and realized that for a small sacrifice she was able to raise the dead. When the Queen comes to her village seeking help resurrecting her deceased granddaughter, Hellevir feels compelled to help as only she can. But Death is not always willing to release a soul, and Helevir makes a bargain - treasures from Life along with a piece of herself and she will be able to call on Death and request a soul if she wishes. After bringing Princess Sullivain back to life, she is summoned to the capital city to act as the princess's personal resurrectionist. Acting as her herbalist in public to quell any rumors, Hellevir is drawn further into court politics as she attempts to find the assassin who initially targeted Sullivain. But the more time she spends with the enigmatic princess, the more she begins to fall for her. But how much can Hellevir sacrifice of herself to keep Sullivain alive, and keep a civil war at bay?

I really enjoyed this book! I was surprised to see that this was a debut novel, because the writing is amazing and I was drawn into the story right away. A Sapphic fantasy romance with darker elements and political intrigue, this book is incredibly atmospheric and enchanting. I was drawn to Hellevir, who made a choice as a young girl that changed the course of her life forever. But as she continues to explore her unique abilities, she begins to see what a gift it is, and also the price when it comes to her relationships. Hellevir is unfortunately forced to make choices that aren't really true choices at all because of her abilities, and she is often taken advantage of by those in power, even those who do not fully trust her. There is a lot of queer representation in this book, both in the central romance, but also in the side characters as well. I loved the relationship between Hellevir's brother, Favor, and his knight, Calgir. Though my favorite character was Elsevir, Hellevir's raven companion. Hellevir's relationship with Death was rather intriguing as well, and I am curious to see how this plays out in future books. Though there is romance, the book is primarily a political fantasy with necromancy and vying religions. The writing was very easy to get into and the story flowed nicely. I look forward to more books in this series, and I enjoyed this one very much!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own. (edited)

I was given an Advanced copy by Harper Voyager and Netgalley In exchange for an honest review.
This was 3.5 stars. I saw a lot of people commenting that the cover led them to believe it was a romantasy, I used kindle and didn't look closely so I didn't have those expectations. So with no expectations, it felt like a fantasy YA for 16-17 year olds with a few trigger warnings.

This book has a unique and interesting magic necromancy system where Hellivir can enter death to make trades for resurrecting someone. These trades are things filled with life, and sometimes Hellvir's own blood and body parts, along with slices of her soul. The warrior queen finds out and forces her to raise her granddaughter, the princess. Then the queen and princess force Hellvir to continue raising the dead (and sometimes for trivial reasons) despite knowing it is damaging to both her body and soul.. all while threatening Hellvir's family if she doesn't comply. Somehow, we are supposed to believe that the princess and Hellvir are falling in love during this. Theres nothing nice or romantic that happens... it's all threats and abusive behavior. Yet it's kind of written like a tragic love story, as if we aren't supposed to hate the princess and think Hellvir is out of her mind.

I feel like this book is a little tricky to rate because I have the kind of rate it based on what I think is happening. The next book could be about Hellvir realizing she was being abused and had Stockholm syndrome and she uses her powers to destroy the princess and suddenly this first book would be a 4 stars lol. But If the next book is more of the princess pining, this book would drop to a 2.5. But alone... Leaving it up to my interpretation without a second book, Its a 3.5

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for so graciously providing me qirh this e-ARC! I am very thankful and once read will update this review placeholder with my thoughts and also review on my Social medias.

Death was the best character and part of this book. The necromancy magic was super cool but Hellevir and Sullivain were annoying. Sullivain especially was not someone I wanted to keep coming back to life. The overall plot of the book was interesting, I just didn't enjoy most of the characters.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book! This book has a lot of promise however I feel like it fell flat. It was heavy on religion and not what I was expecting.

This is one of the more unique fantasy novels I’ve read. It was a bit slow going at first, and I found myself waffling over whether or not to DNF at 50%. I’m still not sure whether I can say I enjoyed the book, or if I liked most of the characters, but I was definitely entertained and I felt like the last 50% of the book was better than the first. There is no doubt that this debut novelist has a great imagination and the talent to build tension as she unspools a suspenseful mystery. I will be reading her next novel.

Hellevir was born with the supernatural ability to visit the edge of the afterlife: a space between living and the dimension where souls go to find their eternal rest. When Hellevir meets the sinister man in charge of this space, she learns that she can bargain to bring the dead back to life with pieces of herself, or for treasures that the gatekeeper asks her to find by solving riddles. When Hellevir agrees to the Queen’s plea to resurrect her assassinated granddaughter, Sullivain, she learns that her true threat is not the guardian of death, but a ruthless political game that threatens the lives of her family.

The best parts of this novel are Hellevir’s journeys to the afterlife and her interactions with the gatekeeper. And herein lies one of the biggest issues with the novel. Hellevir has off-the-charts chemistry with Death’s mysterious gatekeeper, but not the person who is supposed to be her love interest, Sullivain.

The narrative tells us that Hellevir and Sullivain have an inexorable pull toward one another, and implies that they cannot exist without the other after Sullivain’s resurrection. But as a reader, I didn’t feel any chemistry between them.

Sullivain is only ever a spoiled, petulant princess. While we’re told that Hellevir experiences Sullivain’s feelings of guilt over her political machinations, she’s never likeable. Hellevir deserves someone who truly understands her, as well as the moral and ethical decisions she continually faces when it comes to her ability to choose life or death for other people.

I love Hellevir’s brother and his lover, who are fantastic characters, and have so much more chemistry than Hellevir and Sullivain have.

Above all, I think that readers will be surprised to find that this is not a light or fanciful read, and I would not consider it a romantasy, despite the title and cover art making it appear so. In fact, a major theme underpinning the novel is the dangers of organized religion becoming politically powerful. Hellevir is targeted for being unnatural and for threatening the eternal salvation of souls by the state endorsed religious order who is outraged to learn of her ability.

While there isn’t a new or profound message here, the author is clearly weighing in on the culture wars of the present day Western world. There is no pretense of subtlety that the author is calling out right wing extremism and the hypocrisy of its value systems, which will undoubtedly raise the eyebrows of some readers, and outrage about “wokeness” by others.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.

*Received as a free ARC*
Well written and interesting world building. But man, the religious fanaticism. Really wasn't my jam, but for every book their reader. While I personally didn't like it, I'm sure many others will.

4/5 Stars

TL;DR - An enchantingly fresh take on the ‘Death and the Maiden’ trope. Atmospheric, heartfelt, and full of both darkness and whimsy. A strong, fierce female main character navigating complex relationships (including very messy sapphic feelings!), a very interesting world and magic system, and just enough mystery to keep you reading. However, it suffers from slow pacing and no real climax, but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless.

Big thanks to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!

***Trigger Warnings for: on-page killing of an animal, death of a parent, death in childbirth, miscarriage and stillbirth, loss of a finger, poisoning, vomiting, mentioned violence towards animals, blood, death, religious intolerance and persecution, mentioned off-page strangulation, brief mentions of child abuse, throat slitting, hanging, death of a partner, serious injury from being bucked from a horse, drowning, death of a child, death of a sibling, and loss of an eye.***

‘The Gilded Crown’ by Marianne Gordon is a fantasy novel that follows the life of Hellevir, beginning with her first encounter with Death at ten years old, continuing on into her twenties as her penchant for bringing people back from the dead garners the unwanted attention of the royal family. We watch as she gives more and more of herself away, physically and emotionally, as she’s forced to use her gift to keep the princess alive and navigate a hostile city that both fears and reveres her.

I enjoyed this book. So much so that I don’t really have a lot in my notes, mainly because I couldn’t put the book down.

The writing is clean and clever, and it flows well while being both descriptive and evocative. I especially enjoyed the dialog - I hate when I can predict what a character is going to say next, and with this book, I never could. I especially liked the interactions between Hellevir and her brother, and between her and Death.

The world itself is Ye Olde Medieval Fantasy World #312, with a slight Dutch and/or Venetian twist in that the city heavily features a canal system, but I think where it really shines is the everyday magic present. Hellevir can talk to fires, to plants, to animals (and gets a magical animal companion, something I’m always a sucker for!), in addition to the connection she has to Death — which I found *fascinating*. Something about having to bargain away parts of yourself to do magic really intrigues me, so I had a lot of fun watching Hellevir navigate a tricky relationship with Death throughout the book.

Hellevir is a queen, I would die for her (and she wouldn’t let me!). She is so fierce and defiant, and always does what she feels is right, consequences be damned. I rooted for her, felt for her, and was so enthralled by watching her try to make the best of bad situation after bad situation. I was also extremely and pleasantly surprised that she’s sapphic! I requested the ARC so long ago that I completely forgot this was a sapphic book, so imagine my surprise when I kept saying to myself based on interactions between characters, “Is this going to be a sapphic romance??” and then going back to the blurb to find out that, yes, it is! Love that.

(There’s also some side characters who are queer, and zero homophobia, which I always love to see!)

On that note, however, I don’t think this should have been shelved as a romance on NetGalley. That aspect of the book is present, yes, but it’s so minimal that I would categorize this as a fantasy with a very minor romance subplot. If you’re going into this looking for a sapphic romantasy, this isn’t it. But, as someone who prefers romance to be a minor aspect and not the whole plot, I liked it.

The only things I would say are negatives for this book are that the pacing is very slow, and that the slow pace never actually amounts to a satisfying climax. I was really craving a more traditional plot arc, and I didn’t get that here. A lot happens, but it kind of feels like driving over a bunch of car-rattling potholes instead of driving up a hill towards a destination - action, then no action, then action again, lather rinse repeat, but never really building up to anything. The vibes are immaculate and the magic intrigued me, so I let it slide, but if you’re a diehard plot structure girlie, this might be a slog.

(Side note: Alexa, play Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) by Florence + The Machine. No, I’m serious, I will be shocked if that isn’t at least on the author’s playlist for this book, if not the main track. There are small phrases from that song used just frequently enough that I, an avid F+tM fan, kept picking up on them and vibing. The lyrics do fit the plot for the most part, too!)

Final Thoughts:

I had a really good time with this book. I’m excited to see what happens in the next installment(s), and I will be picking up a physical copy.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc in exchange for an honest and free review!

I enjoyed the world building, and Hellevir's character. Each time Death was on the page, I would find myself more engaged than I'd been before.

Unfortunately, I thought this book was more romantasy than it was. I kept waiting for chemistry between Hellevir, and Sullivain and that didn't pay off for me. However, the writing style flows well, and has a strong lead character. Marianne's writing is beautiful, and immersive. That kept me going until halfway through, and I skimmed through parts to see if my attention would be hooked again. It wasn't.

this is a 3.5 for me. This book had so much potential as the premise was so interesting but for me it just was okay. It wasn't bad but it just felt a little flat and never seemed to pick up momentum. Not just in the main plot but the romance as well which felt a little lackluster. I felt more romance with her brother and his romantic partner than the FMC and her love interest. I think the issue is so much of the things that could have made this book exciting was done off page or when it was done on page it was done cleanly like even the losing of a finger was done with no fuss magically. Maybe I missed it somewhere, but I don't see this as being marketed for a younger crowd where things might have to be cut back a little on details to be appropriate. But even I have read YA books that have found a way to describe these elements in a way that is appropriate and still add excitement to the story.
I will also say that the nativity in the FMC was a little annoying after a while. Like I totally get how she is that way when she was home in her village but when she got to the big city which I don't expect her to be an expert politician immediately it just seemed like every time she was shown the harsh reality of her situation, she is surprised as if it didn't happen already in some way or form.

In the end this book was okay, it wasn't bad, but nothing stood out.

This book is about Hellevir who has the ability to bring the dead back to life, but it comes with a personal sacrifice. This is an ability she discovered when she was a child. While it wasn't a gift, she used often it was one that made those around her nervous so much, so she was left in the care of an herbalist healer who has the same ability. One day the queen shows up to their door demanding her mentor help the princess and heir to the throne who was unalived. Her mentor refused but Hellevir stepped up to heal the princess and bring her back with the promise from the queen this would be a 1x thing and to leave her be. But the of course didn't remain true and she is soon summoned to the capital to help keep the princess alive as she is still under threat of @ssassination. Now Hellevir must do what she can to keep the princess alive without losing so much of herself that she ceases to exist. But she is also trying to stay under the radar of the who would see people like her who follow the old ways done away with as they are a challenge to a new rising order within the city. How long will she be able to survive on what seems like borrowed time.


I received an ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

i loved the necromancy magic in here and found it kind of unique. one thing i need to say is that this is more of a fantasy with a slight romance added into it instead of a romantasy. i wanted to love Hellivar and Sullivain together because im always here for the sapphics but i don’t think they were a good fit. Hellivar is sturdy in her beliefs and empathy, so the thought of her being so enamored with Sullivain who does horrible things almost for the sake of it made no sense to me. if anything, i was interested in her dynamic with death himself more. the plot also just started to get too repetitive with Hellivar constantly ordered to resurrect people over and over again. i’d still be open to reading the next book though.

Give me a book where a character can talk to Death and I'm in. The Gilded Crown has shades of Adelyn Grace's Belladonna series mixed with the witchiness and religious turmoil of Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale. And while this book is not as strong as those previously mentioned, it has elements that make it interesting. It's very clearly the first book in a series that is setting the stakes for interesting things to come.
Helliver is an endearing character. I love the relationship she has with her family, especially Farvor. (Please give that boy some happiness in the next book!) And much as I love a book where a girl falls in love with Death, I liked that this story did not delve into that familiar territory. The character of Death was actually pretty fearsome and I hope we get to learn more about his identity in the next book(s?).
The relationship between Helliver and Sullivain is messy and toxic and twisted with power imbalance but I love a world where queerness is normalized and gay relationships can have their issues like any other ones. However, I do wish we had more scenes of them together and what drew them to each other. There's one scene where we get a glimpse of them being friendly, but most of the book is just Helliver hiding things/being afraid of Sullivain and Sulli threatening the herbalist/feeling a vague shame for something we don't yet know about.
Where the book came up short for me was the ending. It is clear the author wanted to set up the rest of the series, but it made the ending of this book feel rushed and unfinished. It wasn't exactly a cliffhanger, but it wasn't exactly a satisfactory wrap up either.
I also really hope the final version of this book comes with a map because it would be very helpful (especially if a certain character is off traveling in book 2).

vibes: necromancy, dark princesses, kinda the sense of Witcher?

The Basics:

Ever since she brought her mother back from the dead, Hellevir has lived as an outcast, learning from a hedegwitch. Since then, she hasn't attempted to raise anyone again--until the queen comes to the witch's doorstep, demanding someone resurrect her poisoned granddaughter, Princess Sullivain. The catch (besides the fact that there's a price for resurrection and Hellevir must give up something, including body parts, every time she brings someone back) is that Sullivain is a constant target for assassins as heir to the throne. So even after she's been brought back, the queen isn't done with Hellevir. She'll have to stay by the princess's side... not to protect her from death, as tensions in the kingdom rise, but to keep her from staying dead.

The Review:

I was immediately drawn in by the summary for this book. A necromancer? A necromancer who's charged with resurrecting a princess (repeatedly)? A necromancer who's charged with resurrecting a princess (repeatedly) and then they kiss? Sign me the fuck up.

However: I did expect a sapphic fantasy romance, based on that summary, which does mention Hellevir falling in love with Sullivain. This is not that. Now--it's the first book in a series and very much does not end on a standalone note. I suspect that we'll see the relationship between Hellevir and Sullivain deepen and grow even more complex... and uh, it's pretty complex as it is. But this book was a queer fantasy novel with a romantic subplot. Which is fine! However, in order to give this novel the best shot at finding its correct readership, I want to be clear about that.

Like, I do think a lot of fantasy romance readers will enjoy this, as long as they aren't strict "the romance must be the Big Plot or else I won't like it" readers. Hellevir and Sullivain's relationship is part of the book's CORE, but I wouldn't say that at this point their romance is.

That said, it is a fascinating relationship, and I say that as someone who is going to go ahead and like... not defend basically anything Sullivain does in this book. But defend her as a character. I was surprised to see so many reviews just like, dragging her existence. It's one thing to say "she is a bad person", because she is. However, she's also a fascinating character who's clearly gone through a lot and been shaped to have a very warped sense of self and morality. She's manipulative. She's clearly a bit cracked (being assassinated and living under constant threat of MORE assassinations will do that to you). She's spoiled. And yeah, she does treat Hellevir like shit.

But uh... First off, if this was a romance novel, I'd still say "but a lot of y'all's favorites from dark romances and even some books that aren't marketed as dark do the same or worse and y'all love them". Not to honk the misogyny horn, but Sullivain reminds me a lot of certain dudes on certain fantasy shows, and some of them may or may not ride dragons, idk, idk. Except I liked her more, frankly.

Hellevir is also a solid character, but I found her a bit less compelling because she does a lot of stuff that does seem to set her up for failure or manipulation. It feels intentional to me, though--and I'm interested to see where her arc goes with it all. I mean, she has what is really an incredible gift, but she sort of lets herself be jerked around a lot. There's got to be something to that.

Also--yeah, her interactions with Death are super loaded and interesting. And I want to see where THAT goes, too.

This book is very queer--and it goes beyond the relationship between Sullivain and Hellevir. (Can I just say, though? How refreshing it is to read books where the queer characters, particularly the sapphic characters, aren't meant to be ROLE MODELS and also aren't homophobic stereotypes? Hellevir and Sullivain have a very toxic relationship and I approve.) You have a secondary m/m romance, you have the general themes of otherness and parental rejection and some interesting gender stuff happening. Like, I do think the queerness in baked into this book beyond the relationships, and that's cool to read.

The prose is really pretty and has a fairy tale quality. I've seen people describe this as "cozy" and I don't know, maybe it was the constant dying and fingers being chopped off and shit, but I found it creepy. In a good way. Sullivain really does go through it, y'all. I don't know what tot tell you. Does she deserve it? Up to you.

(I mean, listen. Crimes, are. Uh. Committed.)

What I did sort of go "hmm" on was the pacing. This is a slow-moving book, and I don't really think the world was so big and vast that it had to be. There were a few times where the writing/editing side of my brain wanted to take my scissors and chop some bits out of there. Streamline the narrative a bit--and then devote more time to the Sullivain/Hellevir dynamic. Because, while it may not be a conventional ROMANCE (I mean, not as of now--WE GOT TIME, I am open to the Sullivain redemption hour, or the Hellevir corruption hour, or whatever) I do think we needed a bit more time with them together in order to get more invested. And a bit more time with Sullivain in general. But that may just be me as someone who's like "everyone loves a bad girl" (not a fucking terrorist... I GUESS).

So, this does have a bit of the "first book in a fantasy series" syndrome on that level. However! I still think it's an intriguing start. If the wrinkles are ironed out in the next book, we could have something really special. And honestly? That's kind of a fantasy series Thing in my experience. If SJM could change the entire romantic trajectory of her series from book one to book two.... This series can tighten up a bit. I'm ready and listening.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Queer Fantasy
Gore Level: Medium (the worst isn't on the page)
Spice Level: Kisses
Representation: A couple of gay couples

Sometimes, I have a hard time getting into a book, and I'm not sure if that's because of my mood—that was the case for this one. *THE GILDED CROWN* starts with a few incidents of Hellevir meeting death. It gives a good feeling for the tone of the book—a bit dark and brooding, and danger from death. BUT there's more!

As Hellevir gets tangled in politics, everything marches to a faster beat. And a more dangerous one, where life truly is in the balance..
Just ponder what changes when a girl can bring people back from the dead. Assassination attempts? Failure. Tyranny? Absolutely. So, what can break the hold? That is why I kept reading—I had to find out how this book would end.

*THE GILDED CROWN* doesn't read like a debut because the world is fleshed-out. Religions, politics, intrigue, betrayal, sacrifice, death, mystery, quests, and so much more woven together in a tight knot. I'm looking at you, fans of *The Priory of the Orange Tree* because this is one you will want on your must-read list.

Happy reading!

I always love books that conceptualize Death in a different way, so I loved the idea of this girl who is able to barter for the life of loved ones - but only at the cost of part of herself or something important to death. I also love sapphic fantasy.

This book was an interesting read, but in some areas I found it fell short for me. The magic was the most interesting, and Death was an extremely fascinating character. I was also intrigued by the world. But the main storyline follows Hellevir having to resurrect the princess of the kingdom again and again, and slowly develops feelings for her. Unfortunately to me, the princess was hardly likeable at all. She was ungrateful and reckless and didn't seem to care that that affected Hellevir's wellbeing, which made the potential romance between them toxic and uncomfortable. The book was also fairly slow, with most of the interesting parts being at the beginning and then the very end. I want to see where this world goes, but it was hard to get through this book at points, so I hope the sequel improves upon that.

I am finding this hard to get into. I’m about 30% in and I will DNF for now. I will try to revisit at a later date but it’s so hard to follow and engage with.

The guilded crown
2.5⭐️2.5🌶️

Fantasy
Politics
Sapphic
Matriarchal society



With the blurb and cover art I thought this was going to be a YA sapphic romantasy. Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t. It was an adult book with a very bland romance…

The FMC and the connection with death was really intriguing. I enjoyed her ability to talk to creatures and things around her. I wanted to see so much more of that… instead we are swung into court life, politics and a hint of a sapphic crush that doesn’t pan out.

I definitely needed more magic/world building and the pacing was very slow.

Maybe this book just wasn’t for me.


Thank you NetGalley and Avon And Harper Voyager for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

"A woman made of fire, all the brighter to you because of what you have sacrificed for her."

The Gilded Crown reminded me a lot of Adalyn Grace's Belladonna but with way more politics and way less chemistry. I really wanted to like this book, and I know that the romance itself isn't a big part of it, but the plot relies so heavily on character dynamics, and I didn't see the chemistry between the lead characters.
Hellevir is a necromancer. She communes with Death and brings back those who have perished in "unnatural" ways in exchange for bits of life. The story begins when Hellevir raises Sullivain - the princess - after an attempted assassination. Most of the plot revolves around court maneuverings and Hellevir trying to escape with her family before she is forced to raise the princess a dozen more times. There are also some subplots with riddles assigned to Hellevir by the gatekeeper of death, and there are some romantic scenes as well. Overall, though, I felt it was very slow until the last 20%, and I would've liked to see some more variation in the plot.
I also didn't connect to most of the characters. Hellevir was fine as a protagonist; I didn't love her, but I didn't hate her. Calgir and Farvor were my favorites (they reminded me of Achilles and Patroclus), and I wish we saw more of them. The real issue for me was that I didn't like Sullivain. She is supposed to be the love interest, but Hellevir had way more chemistry with Death. Sulli was cruel at first, reckless even when she knew it would hurt Hellevir, and she didn't show interest in Hellevir until she was practically begging for attention. The relationship between Hellevir and Sullivain read as toxic to me.
While The Gilded Crown wasn't for me, I do think fans of folklore, complicated love stories, and riddles will enjoy this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.25/5