Love any book with necromancy and sapphics! This didn't disappoint and I liked the way Hellevir's story built. Looking forward to the next installment, especially after that ending!

This was ok it took awhile for me to get into and i had to finish because I really dont. Like to leave books unfinished

Would I read this author again not sure

This was an enjoyable read, but it wasn't anything special. It was a really interesting take on death, and I loved the relationship between Hellevir and death. I also enjoyed the brothers romance a little bit more than our FMC's but I'd still recommend to anyone who wanted a good weekend read.

I really enjoyed the necromancy aspect of the book. I though the magic system was clever and I was intrigued by the death character. I did find the story started to drag at the midpoint before picking back up again at the end.
I struggled with Hellevir and Sullivans relationship especially after her behavior towards her after the second death.

Overall worth it for the necromancy but the romance could take or leave.

I really enjoyed the necromancy aspect of the book. I though the magic system was clever and I was intrigued by the death character. I did find the story started to drag at the midpoint before picking back up again at the end.
I struggled with Hellevir and Sullivans relationship especially after her behaviour towards her after the second death.

Overall worth it for the necromancy but the romance could take or leave.

Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

I really wanted to love this one but unfortunately I didn't. For me, the pacing felt off and I felt that there wasn't enough romance. What started off as a great premise fell a little for me and I decided to DNF at 25%.

This is a fantasy written in a very distinct style, but unfortunately it just didn't work for me and I struggled to connect with the characters. The magic system was interesting though and pulled it back a little for me!

Sadly this one just never turned into what I was really hoping for. I think the premise is great and I really enjoyed the scenes with death. The writing itself is also very beautiful. Just the story and plot just never really amounted to its potential falling flat.

I was drawn in by the premise of the book and have read a few chapters. At this time I don't feel a draw to continue reading. I would like to potentially get a physical copy and read it again in the future. Feel I am potentially at a reading slump and this would be unfair to the author as I was initially excited to read.

Once again another fabulous book! I truly enjoyed reading this one, Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy of this book.

In trying to do the right thing Hellevir finds herself dragged into a world she wants no part of: lies, deception and ruthless feuds. So far, so common a theme - a commoner 'nobody' becomes 'a someone' at court. Where Gilded Crown is different is the old earth magic, which I haven't read in a while and enjoyed. This makes Gilded Crown a bit special - there are SO MANY brilliant kick-ass heroines with dragons or swords and a fantastic sex life, but it's been a while since I read an excellent earth magic book with communing with animals and living things. The resurrectionist parts are brilliant, but talking to a raven, or embers of a fire - that's MAGIC. I don't want to be a dragon rider any more, I want to be a herbalist, resurrectionist dragon rider.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story is a dark, queer romantasy following the life of a young healer with the ability to bring back the dead. Hellevir is strong and independent, but gets roped into a situation that she must navigate carefully for the sake of her family.

It started off strong, with a fast paced jump through the heroine's childhood, and her first three encounters with Death, but after a while the story slowed so much that I almost lost interest. The plot became very political and while there was plenty of intrigue, I felt that the slow-burn queer romance that first drew me to this book was pushed to the background.

The character development was a saving grace as I really felt myself warming to some of the secondary characters as the story progressed. The emotional twists in the latter half of the story kept my interest, but ultimately the ending was rather underwhelming.

This was an interesting premise. I enjoyed the story but some of the chapters were just way too long to keep my focus.

I was provided with an arc copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The imagery of the place where the gate keeper waits is beautiful and deeply haunting. I don't think any book has described it so well or in such a wonderful way. The conversations Hellevir has with Death are thought provoking and make the reader question just as Hellevir does herself.

Hellevir is a wonderful character filled with a light that the world desperately needs. She has a gift and she uses where she feels it is right without counting the cost.

The direct counter to her selflessness is the Crown Princess who doesn't understand . Who can't be selfless because she has far to much to guard against.

The author has built a history, rich and detailed world. I have loved spending time in it's crown city and it's small simple villages. I can't wait to see what this weaver of story will create next.

This I would give a solid 3.5⭐️, which I've rounded up here.

We follow along the FMC Helliver, a woman in hear early 20s, who is able to speak with Death and bring back people and creatures to life. This causes her a lot of issues throughout the story as she uses this power.

The writer beautifully captures the relationships throughout the books, and I am impressed as this is written in third person point of view and sometimes this can be hard.

This book had me captured, albeit a bit slow at the beginning, but then I couldn't put it down. The worldbuilding, the characters, the development and the political system are something that I really enjoyed reading.

Going into this book blind, I was pleasantly surprised by the story. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperColllins for this eArc for me to read and review.

There's a lot of potential, the a brilliant idea that became Hellevir and there's an unsufferable character like Sullivain that I hoped could become less nasty.
That said I think I will read the rest of the series because I love Hellevir and want to know what will happen
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was not able to finish this book, I read 30% but had to put so much effort to get to that point.
I couldn’t connect with the characters, nor the story. I expected to be gripped into this world from the start but it never did.

Unfortunately if I have to drag myself through the pages, I don’t feel it’s worth continuing, because it doesn’t give me any joy…. Maybe I’ll pick it up again one day (since I own a hardcover copy), who knows.

Interesting one that gave me Priory of the Orange Tree vibes - The tone is kind of fairy tale-esque, and usually I do like those sort of reads.

Characters are hard to like unfortunately, many of the lead characters are totally insufferable and consequently had me wishing Hellevir bucked up a bit and told them to shove off a bit more than she did. It's going for empowering - I don't know that it quite gets there.

Nice debut I guess - but there are a million of these kinds of stories kicking about and this wasn't original enough on any level to make it stand above the crowd.

It's okkkkkk, forgettable though in a sea of these kinds of stories. I wasn't rushing to pick it up. Unoriginal and unlikeable characters.

The gilded crown

3⭐️

If you like intense books, I think this is a good one for you.

Hellevir has the ability to step into death and bring people back. But there is always a price, and she soon learns how steep the cost can be. I really liked the magic(?) System here. Every exchange with the being in death is intense and unsettling. It's also very clear that hellevir does not truly understand how it works even at the end of this first book.

Characterwise, I liked her brother and his Knight along with her father. Her relationship with her mother is complicated, but I grew to like her also. I also enjoyed the nightingales. I'll give it to the author she also knows how to write extremely unlikeable people. From the queen to the peer and to sullivan. Sully is complex, and while that is very much the point, it does make the subplot between her and our main girl a tad unconvincing. Clearly, they're connected, but its not a connection I'm dying to read more of.

As this book went on, it started to feel like a massive prologue setting up what is to come. I spent a long time trying to decipher what the overarcing plot of the series was actually going to be. Sadly, I'm still not sure. It looks like it's now a treasurehunt with a background of an upcoming war for both the throne and which religion will take hold.

Unfortunately, the book just didn't grip me. The first chapters that detail the MCs original exchanges with death were brilliantly written, but as it went on, I found myself struggling to care about what was happening. Even writing this review is difficult because my brain feels battered by everything that was going on. There's a lot that happens, and very few pieces felt explained or completed. I am unsure if I'll continue the series, but I don't think it was badly written, just maybe not the right series for me.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, marianne gordon, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.