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!

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).