This book had a lot of interesting elements to it but unfortunately it just wasn't for me, while I enjoyed some parts of it other parts fell a little flat. This wasn't my favorite but I do get why some people would love this. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for sending this my way.

Thanks to Harper Collins for providing me with an eARC for The Gilded Crown through NetGalley in return for my honest review.

The Gilded Crown follows a young woman who naively believes she can use her gift given to her by the old gods to help others. She is then taken advantage of by the ones she helps, and she soon finds herself trapped in a web of lies and betrayal. With a new religion growing in ranks, one her mother is blindly loyal to, Hellevir struggles to find her place in a new city while seeking acceptance by her family when she’s being judged by her gifts.

This story gave me an overall gothic feel that made me want to take a deeper dive into the history of the kingdom. I feel like there are still many questions to be answered specifically who exactly the gatekeeper of death is and why he seeks the treasures he asks Hellevir for in return for lost souls. Hellevir is a character I did enjoy following but I did not feel her connection with Sullivain as much. Sullivain just did things that had me wanting to scream at her for. Hellevir is such a pure and kind person who just gets taken advantage of when all she wants to do is help others. I hope she can find some sort of payoff for everything she’s sacrificed herself for.

Amazing writing for a debut - complex family drama, religious trauma, cutthroat politics, absolutely everything I was hoping for. I couldn't put it down, and am eager and waiting for the next book.

I really wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, it didn’t grab me and keep me. I did not finish it after all.

I think a lot can be done with the character of death but The Gilded Crown didn’t satisfy what I was looking for. Best wishes to the author in the future!

Great premise but a rocky execution, so I'm giving this one a 3.5 out of 5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The premise of this story is what drew me in: a girl with the power to make deals with Death to bring people back to life. This has the setup for some really interesting, morally grey plot lines. Some of these are touched on in the books, such as how to decide who to bring back and the consequences of bringing the same person back. But Hellevir feels very immature and rash in her decisions and allows basically every other character to push her around and make decisions for her. I just couldn't connect to her as a character. Hellevir's romantic sub-plot also didn't help, as the relationship feels manipulative and not believable.

I think this story still has promise, and there is setup for a second book where I think Helliver will have a lot of opportunity to grow and develop, so I look forward to its release.

The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon tells the story of Hellevir, a young woman with the gift to bring people back from Death. When her secret is discovered and Hellevir is coerced by the queen to bring back her granddaughter, Sullivein, she finds herself thrust into a world of scheming and royal intrigue. But to raise the dead comes with a cost, and Hellevir must decide just how high a price she will pay to protect her family and her heart.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story. The premise caught my attention and I went in expecting it to be like every other YA Fantasy book currently being published (why does everything have to be focused on the romance?) but it ended up taking an entirely different track. Initially, I was unimpressed by the development of the romance, but as the story progressed and we're shown the impact it has on Hellevir to bring the same person back from death time and time again, it began to make more sense. It's not instalove and based on lust and attraction, because really that's only a small part of the relationship.

Romance aside, I loved everything else about the story. I liked the setting, I liked the supporting characters, I loved the snippets we were given from Hellevir's brother's point of view. I loved the juxtaposition of her relationships with her parents, and the way her mother developed throughout the course of the story. I liked how dark it all felt. At many points it seemed that no one would get their happy ending, and somehow that made it feel all the more real to me. Bad things happened to good people, and they learned to overcome their pain and their grief.

The ending provided a great setup for the next book and I'm excited to see where Hellevir goes next. She's morally grey, and I want to know what kind of person she will become as her power grows and her relationship with Death deepens.

Speaking of Death, I enjoyed his character. Was it different from most characterizations of death that I've read? Not particularly. But there's definitely an intriguing backstory and I'm eager to see how that will develop. I think it will all tie together nicely and it's clear the author has put a lot of time and thought into the world and the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this gem of a story!

I'm not really sure what it was about this that I just didn't mesh with unfortunately. The concept sounded really fascinating but the execution was lacking for me personally. I found myself forgetting the plot and the characters and what was happening even while in the middle of reading. I would put my kindle down to stop reading and then when I came back I just forgot everything. I didn't feel a pull to pick this back up, as much as I was intrigued by the concept and curious to find out what would happen, I wasn't curious enough to keep reading or feel a pull and desire to go back.

This is Priory of the Orange Tree Lite. How The Gilded Crown similar to the Priory? Simple: take a matriarchal empire with swords and horses, throw in a lesbian romance between the FMC and royalty, the "protector" of royalty has some kind of power, a group that has been established for a long time that's attached to said power, and oh yeah, throw in another homosexual relationship. Yup, that's about it. Seems harsh, but it's the truth.

The Gilded Crown is a book that I wish was better. It has the potential to do well and be better than average. The FMC realizes that she has a relationship with Death, and able to bring once living things back to life. She learns that there is a price that needs to be paid for each life. Of course she is young and d*mb, and in a way to prove to herself that she can do amazing things, she brings back the life of the princess. From there, the queendom uses and abuses the FMC. There's a weird and forced romantic relationship that builds between the princess and FMC. The magical part is confusing and not well described, though I would love to read more about it (backstory of the empire's origin and magical beings/gods behind that). And then throw in a dash of Salem Witch trial like plot line. FMC makes me frustrated, making such ridiculous decisions, and of course she learns too late on how to "manipulate" the system that controlled her.

It's a two out of five at best for me. Thank you Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager | Harper Voyager, and the author for allowing me to read this ARC for a review.

I will be posting to Goodreads, Storygraph, and Instagram.

Every life comes at a price.

Hellevir has the power to make deals with Death to bring the recently deceased back to life---for a price. After resurrecting Sullivan, princess and only heir to the throne, she makes two more deals. One with the crown--she will resurrect Sullivan each time she dies to prevent civil war, and one with Death--the cost of each resurrection will be less of her as long as she brings a precious thing with her. But each time she resurrects someone or something, Hellevir loses part of her soul. How far will she go to keep her family and friends safe, and when will the cost be too much?

I loved this book! It was such a different story idea, and I found Hellevir to be such an interesting character. She starts off as a very idealistic and naive young women that we see grow and harden as the story progresses. Is she growing up, or is it because she's losing parts of her soul? Her character arc is fantastic, and I loved how it ended in this book, ready for a new version of her to begin the next part of the story. Plus, she ends up with an adorable familiar and who doesn't want that for themselves??

There's also LGBTQ representation (MM and FF) and a touch of disability representation! There's no "spice" in this particular book, as the love stories are secondary to the main plot, but there are subplots that may be explored deeper in future books.

I really hope this series continues, because I greatly enjoyed the story and would love to see how Hellevir handles her newfound freedom/life and navigates court politics. Definitely a must read for anyone who enjoyed The Cruel Prince and doesn't mind a fantasy book without a love story.

I thought The Gilded Crown would be a mix of romance and fantasy for young adults based on its cool title and cover. But it turned out differently. It's about a woman with a special power who faces tough choices. She can go into the world of Death, which makes her both wanted and feared.

The story tries to juggle different ideas, but it feels messy. Even though it's advertised as similar to another book, it doesn't match up. It's set in a Nordic-style court with a herbalist who can talk to Death. She deals with politics and love while thinking about what it means to bring someone back from the dead.

But the book didn't quite hit the mark. The characters felt flat, and the relationships felt forced. Even Death didn't seem interesting. The story's pace was off, and it kept changing in weird ways. I wanted to like it, but it didn't grab me like I hoped.

Overall, The Glided Crown had a good idea, but it didn't deliver. It might still be worth a read for people who like fantasy with a twist.

DNF at 20%

I had such high hopes for this one as the synopsis really pulled me in, however the world building and character fell flat for me. I couldn't get invested in the story or really believe any of the characters' motivations. I really wanted to like this one but I just couldn't force myself to power through.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off, the cover art is absolutely beautiful.

So I really liked the whole concept of the book, but it just kind of fell flat. Everything felt expectable and repetitive. I was really struggling to finish, nothing hooked me in. I could not connect with any of the characters. I skimmed through the last 60 pages.

I absolutely thought "Death," and Hellivir had more chemistry than her and Sullivan. It felt like her love came out of nowhere. After all the times she betrayed her trust and broke promises. Killing her brother and his lover. It just felt more YA, then dark fantasy, or even romantic fantasy. The only real romance is a couple of kisses.

It took her losing an eye to realize she really needed to leave the city. I wanted to know more about her "magic" and more about Death. Were there others like her, but with different abilities. There was also no real reason to raise the cat and sparrow, other than because she could.



Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Voyager, for providing an eARC. This is my honest review.

The Gilded Crown was a bit of a… chore to read.

It looks romantasy, but thankfully it’s not. It’s about a girl who can enter the realm of death and bring people back. The concept is interesting, right off the bat, but the follow through is a bit here and there. It was more.. political than I expected. Religious, too.

The main thing that brought the book down was that I couldn’t connect to the characters at all. And I couldn’t find it in me to become invested in the relationships or plot. It’s lacking a certain spark.

Hellivir is sort of bland. It becomes a little annoying how willing she is to do things for others. Selflessness isn’t bad, but it’s questionable how she’s willing to give up so much of herself without more of a thought or remorse. She knows she’s a finite thing, but she keeps making odd decisions. I feel like we don’t get to know her deeply, and it makes rooting for her as a main character difficult.

Sullivain isn't a great love interest. She’s rude, cares only about herself, and doesn’t seem to be bothered that Hellivir sacrifices so much for her. In fact, most characters aren’t concerned or grateful when Hellivir performs her skill. So there’s barely a motive for the main character to go around saving people. And the motive isn’t strong enough for readers to become invested in saving these characters.

As for the special power Hellivir has… you’d think she’d be regarded with a bit more respect. Which makes me question how the magic system even works. Milandre mentions some capability of doing something similar, yet not as powerful as Hellivir’s raising the dead. No one else has powers as potent. The system is vague and confusing, making it less impactful than it could be.

I think the whole Death concept is great. Death as a character really is the most intriguing, in the beginning at least. Probably, he has the most interesting tie to Hellivir. In contrast to her mentor and family, who I couldn’t grow to like. Especially the mother…

The worldbuilding was odd to me because, despite there being a lot of background, information, and complexities revealed about the setting, it still didn’t feel like it was a living, breathing world. There was certainly a vibe, a good, dark, mysterious one. And the prose did good to support this, being symbolic and deep. It only fell short due to the plot and characters.

Overall, The Gilded Crown is a gilded story — covered in gold, but dull on the inside.

This is a good debut from author Marianne Gordon. The book centers around Hellevir, who can walk in death and bring people back to life. When she brings her mother back from the dead, her mother is startled by what Hellevir is capable of. Sensing her mother's discomfort, Hellevir moves in with the town's midwife/herbalist. While there, the Queen brings her granddaughter who has been poisoned and demands that the herbalist raise her. When Hellevir raises her, the princess Sullivan, she traps herself in a deal with the crown.

Hellevir leaves the town she grew up in and joins her family in the capital. Her mother is still wary of her, but her dad and brother are so excited to have her back. It's genuinely sweet the relationships Hellevir has with her dad and brother. From there, we get into the bones of the plot where Hellevir has a promise to raise Sullivan any time she dies in order to protect her family. At the same time, Hellevir makes a deal with Death to bring him treasures in a trade for raising the dead.

I thought the world-building felt really organic and described the history and religion of the book clearly without being a giant info dump. I wish there had been more info or history about the beings Hellevir was interacting with for the treasures. However, I think that leaving out that information set up a good plot for the next books in the series. I also loved that the queer characters in this book simply existed. There wasn't really any discussion of persecution or exile for being gay. I love a book where queer characters just are.

There were a few confusing plotlines for me. Like, were the treasures good enough for Death that Hellevir wasn't losing more pieces of her soul? Or were they just stand-ins for her limbs? I thought that was a little confusing. I also thought there should have been a little bit of a reveal about what the Onastian (sorry if I spelled it wrong) symbols meant. It was described over and over without actually giving any descriptions or meaning. I get that it sets up the next book, but I felt like it could have been fleshed out more. It just felt like for how good the world-building was, some of the background lore made no sense and could have been fleshed out more.

Overall, I thought this was a solid book, and I'm excited to see where the series goes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book had a lot of potential with many promising elements. I enjoyed the opening chapters and the tone that they set, which is reminiscent of dark folklore. Death is the most interesting character, and his relationship with Hellevir is the most compelling. The rest of the story felt underwhelming. There was room for so much more tension, yearning, conflict, and suppression between Hellevir and Sullivain. Sullivain herself felt like she had no depth, and she easily could have been a more intriguing, morally ambiguous character instead of her flat characterization. Other characters were also one-note and didn't add much emotional impact to the story. I was extremely frustrated with most of them during the last 2/3 of the book because of their annoyingly hypocritical actions and assumptions. Key pieces of Hellevir's motivation appear to be missing, although this is briefly addressed towards the end. A key part of the plot, which seems like it will also be a main focus in the next book, is not fully explained, so it feels random and aimless. With all that being said, I think the political and religious backdrops were done well, and it does seem like the sequel will have the direction that the first is lacking. I am looking forward to reading more of Hellevir and Death's interactions; the folktale feel of this book is my favorite thing about it.

This is an intriguing book. I really enjoyed the premise and the writing style. The romance felt slow, like it was desperately trying to be enemies to lovers because that’s what is popular right now. However, it didn't deter me enough to want to steer me away from the series entirely. I think the pacing was strange, but once I got into the story it was good. I’m curious to find out if that’s typical of the authors work, or if it’s because it’s the first book in a fantasy so there has to be slower world building stuff going on.

However, due to my review being 3 star, I will be holding off on putting it on Goodreads until later to keep from bringing the rating down.

So, let's talk about "The Gilded Crown" by Marianne Gorden. Picture this: a Nordic-inspired court drama with a side of magical herbalism and a sprinkle of death communication. Sounds intriguing, right? Well, that's what I thought, too, until I dove into the pages and realized it's like trying to juggle flaming torches while riding a unicycle – ambitious, but a tad chaotic.

At first glance, I thought it might be a romantasy. Don't get me wrong, the cover is beautiful, but I am not sure if it fits the story.

The story kicks off with all the promise of a grand adventure, but somewhere along the way, it loses its footing. The characters, bless their hearts, are about as captivating as watching paint dry on a rainy day. I mean, we've got mean royals, a protagonist with more issues than Vogue, and Death himself, who's about as intimidating as a fluffy bunny. It's like the author threw all these ingredients into the pot but forgot to stir.

Another thing is that, for some reason, I could not connect with the main character of the story. As much as I tried, I didn't find anything interesting about the main character. There was also zero spark with love interest.

Despite its shortcomings, "The Gilded Crown" isn't without its charms. Gorden's writing is like a warm hug on a chilly day – comforting, even if the story itself leaves something to be desired. And while the plot may stumble and trip over its own feet at times, there's a glimmer of potential buried beneath the surface. So, if you're in the mood for a fantasy tale that's equal parts ambitious and befuddling, then give it a whirl. Just don't expect it to be a smooth ride from start to finish.

The Gilded Crown is an enchanting high-fantasy book about a girl who is forced into the twisted world of politics when the Queen finds out she can raise the dead and forces her to resurrect the murdered Princess. Now, Hellevir must keep the Princess alive and find the assassin before the cost of dealing with Death grows too high.

I loved this book! The magic system, setting, and animal companions made it feel almost like a dark fairy tale, and the writing was excellent. The characters were complex and had complicated relationships with one another, and there was a big focus on family and friendships. The plot was by far the strongest aspect, though. The political intrigue was well-built, including a dark and corrupted but also complicated monarch, and betrayal and assassins and whatnot. There was also some wonderful worldbuilding and history, with some fascinating religious conflict thrown in for fun. Altogether, extremely well-written, especially for a debut!

I only have two real critiques: one is that the romance fell a little bit flat for me. It was marketed as a romance, so I guess I expected more, but even then, I didn’t really root for the relationship as I was reading–and I couldn’t fully explain why! It just wasn’t there. The second thing is that the interactions with Death got very repetitive and boring after a while. Don’t get me wrong, it was a super interesting magic system! But they just kept having the *same* conversation, and certain events felt anticlimactic because of it.

Besides that, this book was amazing! I was expecting a standalone, but the ending proved me wrong, so it will be interesting to see how the author stretches this into a sequel. I look forward to it. Altogether, I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy magic-focused, fairy-tale-feeling high-fantasy!

I received an advanced copy in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion I am giving voluntarily. This was beautifully and well written and I highly recommend. It is third person but it mainly follows the fmc, with one chapter towards the end that follows her brother. It is YA and it reads more high fantasy. Be warned there is no happy ending! It has an open to possibilities end. I will say the only downside was it gave way to many details, as for example a room or a busy street but somehow never what someone looked liked. It was easy for me to skip over those parts and find what was important. With that aside I loved this book and I can't wait for everyone to start talking about it.

Interesting storyline and had good political intrigue. I love a good, dark fantasy book. I just didn’t connect with any of the characters.