This book was a very slow start for me. The whole concept was very attractive to me even 30% into the book, I was still wanting more. I really wanted to be more captivated earlier in the story.

I feel like it reminded me of a fairy tale but I think it was just the vibes. This was really good and would definitely recommend

I absolutely love the concept for the idea of this world! It was a little slow to start because of things needed to be explained. But once the meat of the stories begin we have more magic(?), political intrigue, and our main character finding confidence in herself. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the story progress and getting to experience more of Marianne's writing!

Hellevir is only a young girl when she learns she can bring people back from the dead - for a price that Death demands. When the Princess Sullivain is murdered, the Queen demands that Hellevir bring her back, which she does. But Sullivain's life is always in danger, so Hellevir is kept alongside the princess so she's available the next time an attempt is made. Honestly, I would have preferred for Hellevir to fall for Death but instead she falls for the princess and I just couldn't understand why. There is little chemistry, and Sullivain is just plain selfish. Hellevir is such a doormat, considering she loses a body part with every resurrection, and is surrounding by people who don't really seem to care about her. There is a next book but I won't be reading it.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. While the premise is interesting, I just found it was a bit too slow of a read. I didn’t feel there was enough happening. I would have loved to see a bit more action in the story, as the idea of a necromancer who winds up being the personal “healer” of the princess was enthralling. I think the political intrigue was really interesting as well, I just think it needed a bit better execution.

Overall this book had an interesting theme and plot, but it was a little lackluster in my opinion. It seemed predictable at times, and was very long for how much could be guessed.

The writing is so well done, and I love the idea of this story, but staying interested was a struggle for me. Death was by far the most fascinating character for me, It wasn't that the other characters were unlikeable, but they didn't capture my attention.

Based on the blurb, I thought this would be a romantasy, however, it didn't hit that mark for me.

The Gilded Crown is an intriguing debut from Marianne Gordon. This is a fascinating tale about what would happen if a girl was able to bargain with Death. Of course, magic always demands a price and Hellevir must pay the cost. When Hellevir saves a royal, she puts herself on the radar of the queen. How will Hellevir choose who is worth sacrificing for?

The Gilded Crown is a rich and complex fantasy. Based on the cover, I initially thought it was a romantasy. While romance is a storyline, it is definitely not the main story. I enjoyed the dynamic between Hellevir and Death. I felt there were some issues with pacing and at times it struggled to keep my interest. I enjoyed the LGBTQ+ rep. I’m looking forward to seeing how Sullivain and Hellevir’s bond progresses. This was a great debut from Marianne Gordon. I’m curious to see what happens next!

Thank you to Marianne Gordon, Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

A solidly written fantasy novel with a lot of excellent elements: a main character who can walk into death, a murder mystery, a creepy religion, a sapphic romance sub plot, and court intrigue. The raven sidekick was my favorite character.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

I was really rooting for this book, but it never really stuck the landing. The writing is beautiful, but I never felt myself settle into the story. The plot, sadly, fell flat, and I kept losing interest.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

The Gilded Crown, penned by the talented author Marianne Gordon, is a mesmerizing tale of a woman gifted with the ability to resurrect the deceased, and her solemn duty to safeguard the princess, the sole successor to the throne, at any expense. This enchanting fantasy combines thrilling quests, intricate court politics, and a poignant tale of forbidden love.

This was described very well and sounded very interesting, but when it came down to it I was mostly lost and confused. I did finish it, but I don’t really know anything other than I liked a few characters.

The writing is interesting, the story idea intriguing, but ultimately it didn't meet the mark for me. It's not a bad book at all it's just not marketed correctly. It looks like it'll be a sweeping romance, but it's really more of a fantasy.

A girl who can travel to the realm of death and save people - for a price - is a strong premise for a book. Having this girl raise her kingdom's princess from the dead adds intrigue. If only The Gilded Crown had lived up to the promise it set up for itself.

Hellevir wants a quiet life as an herbalist, despite the fact that she has an ability to raise people from the dead. But when the realm's queen needs her granddaughter and heir brought back, Hellevir is exposed in a way that she had hoped to avoid. She's eventually blackmailed into becoming the princess's personal resurrectionist, all while the kingdom inches towards civil war.

I probably should have DNF'd this book, given the fact that I was bored and confused pretty quickly after starting it. But I pushed on, because I was curious about where it was going to go. There were definitely glimmers of interesting things - the civil war and corresponding political machinations, Hellevir's forays into the realm of death, her plucky bird sidekick - but the bulk of the plot was circular and frustrating. Hellevir kept threatening to leave the city and kept not doing it. She kept wondering why she was so drawn to the princess and then shrugging it off. People kept dying and she kept bringing them back despite her misgivings. It never quite felt like anyone grew or changed or learned.

The result was a book that was just kind of okay but not really all that good. Kind of a bummer.

3/5

3.5

Hellevir has a gift; or a curse, she can travel into Death and bring people back to life- sometimes she can trade treasures and other times it’s pieces of herself. When the Crown comes knocking to resurrect the princess Sullivain, she is summoned to be the herbalist for the princess and be at her beck and call whenever an attack has occurred. The writing was beautiful, loved Hellevir, the premise of this book, the adventure, moments in Death, and the mystery of who’s behind the attacks on the princess. It just didn’t hit its mark completely- the romance between Hellevir and Sullivain is nonexistent and didn’t make any sense to me, it would have been more interesting if it was with Death instead. Overall enjoyed the story and the characters.

Thank you for letting me review this book. Book was well written and interesting. Would recommend to all who enjoyed author's previous books. 10/10.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is going in a direction I do not want to read, so I’m not finishing it. DNF. I’m only reading and reviewing so I don’t hurt my feedback ratio.

I was very excited to read this based on the premise and cover art but unfortunately the story didn’t speak to me. The main character and premise were interesting but not enough to keep my attention. I read 35% of the book and decided to stop there.

I missed a sense of urgency/high stakes that usually holds me captive in fantasy. This read more as a mild story/slice of life tale. Those can be good reads but it didn’t hit for me.

If folks like Death-myth fantasy and something more mild, this would be a nice read for them.

This book had promise, but it was wasted on unlikable characters and a romance that was forced, toxic, and boring. I am not sure how it managed to be all three, but it succeeded in that respect.

Helliver can enter death and bring living creatures back from the dead. I wish this had been explored more, especially since Death was the most interesting character. It felt like The Gilded Crown was written just to set up the next book in the series.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing an eARC to review!

This book is a solid 3 ⭐ for me. The cover art is what drew me in. It is well written and has a lot of possibility. I thought that it was going to be a true romantasy, but it was not. It did take me quite a while to get into the book, but when all is said and done I am glad I picked it up to read. The plot was fun to follow and I'll be reading the second when it comes out.