Definitely darker than expected, but I loved the adult angle and the darker themes. There's such an exploration of death and it's meaning to people and grief. It's really in depth and shows a lot of angles on the same concept. There's magic, there's betrayal, there's a lot of political scheming and court intrigue. I loved the world descriptions it was brought to life so vividly, and the characters are amazing. Our FMC is strong and powerful willed in a world determined to keep her down, and her raven companion is the best character in the book!
Overall an exciting premise, a tad slow on the pacing but only in the beginning, and a good read. Definitely check those trigger warnings first.

I enjoyed this story and think it sets the scene for future books, great world building. The depictions of what happens after death were atmospheric and intriguing whilst also being full of foreboding and threat. Main protagonist Hellevir is just a girl at the start f the story and it’s interesting following her growth into a strong woman, unerringly loyal to those she loves but struggling with her feelings for the princess she is forced to keep rescuing from death.

Woman who can bring back the dead....honestly I was sold with just that. The book delivered most of my expectations. Hellevir was an interesting character, and though I didn't always like the choices she made, I could understand it. The other characters were also quite an interesting mix and I think this book sets a good premise for the next one.

Special thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for providing me an advance copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book is really well written, but unfortunately I couldn't connect with the characters. The romance is more of a sub-plot and this book could easily fall in the category 'cosy fantasy' because the stakes didn't feel very high. The cover is gorgeous, but I feel like it doesn't fit the story that well.

I wish I could give a higher rating but I didn't feel that strong pull to pick up the book whenever I had some spare time.

Hellevir has been able to raise the dead since she was a little girl. The dead can be saved at a price, which is determined by the shrouded figure who rules the afterlife. With each life she saves, Hellevir gives up some of her own soul.
When Princess Sullivain is assassinated, Hellevir brings her back to life. Intrigue and betrayal at the heart of the court mean that the Princess’ life remains in danger, so the Queen commands Hellevir to stay by the heir’s side while they are trying to find the culprit behind the attempts on her life.
However, there is danger in using the old ways and raising the dead, which are forbidden by the country’s leading religion, and Hellevir risks prosecution by the Onaistian faith if she is discovered. But the Princess’ death would result in civil war, and Sullivain must be kept alive at all cost. As Hellevir trades more and more of herself to keep the princess alive, feelings get tangled...

I really enjoyed reading from Hellevir’s perspective, which I found interesting, even if I at times disagreed with her choices. Her loyalty to her parents, who had abandoned her as a young girl, was something I struggled to understand. In fact, there were plenty of characters I was intrigued by and adored: Milandre, Elsevir the raven, Farvor and Calgir, the Priestesses of the order of the Nightingale, Death and Hellevir’s father. Further, the rise of the Onaistian faith shown in the novel was terrifying – it very much echoed the witch hunts in early modern Europe.
The one aspect I didn’t warm to was the romance between the two main characters – this was mainly due to the fact that I found very few redeeming qualities to Sullivain. Thankfully, I was absolutely rooting for the romance between Hellevir’s brother Farvor and Calgir, which took a much more central role in the plot.
I’d recommend The Guilded Crown for readers who enjoy court intrigue, a mystery element and death magic, and will be picking up the sequel to see where it goes next!

Hellevir has been visiting death since accidentally brought back a fox when she was ten years old. The cost? Some berries and a drop of blood. But the exchange isn't always quite that easy. When the royal family find out about her gifts, they hire her to ensure that the princess stays alive. This book is the start of the adventures of Hellevir and her raven Elsevir.

This was a delightful book! I definitely felt transported back to some of the fantasy series I loved as a teenager. It reminded me a bit of Sabriel, although it's been many years since I read that one. And it's not just the necromancy (which are very different in the two books) either. Both have a similar dark fairy tale (or light if you go based off the originals!) atmosphere. Maybe also a bit of Narnia thrown in at times? I absolutely loved the world that the author created and am sure that she will do some interesting things with it later in the series. While this definitely wraps up in a satisfying way, there are still paths left open to keep exploring in further books.

I wish that the characters had been explored in more depth. Both Hellevir and the princess feel very young. Apparently they are meant to be in their twenties, but Hellevir in particular feels like a teenager (maybe around 16 or so?). It definitely feels like it should be being marketed as YA (although maybe there is a reason why it isn't in the later boos? I have no idea where this is going though so for now I'm just going to be surprised by the marketing choices). Obviously this isn't a massive issue, but I do wish that the author had assigned them a different age. Since I'm talking about the characters anyway, I thought I'd just mention that there isn't very much romance, especially since romantasy is so popular these days. I was happy with this as I prefer my fantasy being more fantasy heavy, but those who see this marketed as romance and are going in for this aspect will be disappointed.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opionions are my own.

Publication date: 23 November 2023
Rating: ★★★★
Spice: none

POSSIBLE SPOILERS:

As soon as I seen the synopsis for this book I knew I needed to read it.

A woman blessed (or cursed) with a power to do the unimaginable. Our main character Hellevir can resurrect people and animals, but as always there is a price to pay.
Strong women holding power. Badass women (even the morally grey badass women) are a common theme through the story telling, which was great to read about.
Hellevir is such a complex character of naivety and confidence which you see as a running theme through the whole book.
Her dealings with Death are so well thought out you feel as if you are there with both of them.
Side characters, I always fall in love with side characters and this book was no different. Loved the character of her mentor, Milandre, her Father, her brother Favor, Fathor’s lover Calgir and her raven. I found myself enjoying Favor and Calgir’s relationship a lot, however, the romance between Hellevir and Sullivain left an ache in my heart. It was so cute the touches and the looks but I also don’t think there was any redeemable qualities about Sullivain (I’m sure Helevir would disagree).
Seeing the growth of Helevir at her being able to stand up for herself in life and death was great to read and leaves a lot to think about where the second book might take us.

This book was so gripping and such an interesting and intriguing concept and I can’t wait to see where the rest of this story goes.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Marianne Gordon for gifting me an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was really a joy to read! I would say if you like this read Priory of the Orange Tree and Kingdom of Copper (so its marketing is quite right!). I love how the plot weaves together the crown and religion when it comes to politics. The plot is good and I loved the world building! I also grew close to the characters, they are amazing!

This was a much darker story than I had expected but I really enjoyed the adult tone and the exploration of death. I think it would definitely be worth checking trigger warnings.

Hellevir has always had an affinity with death, an ability to travel between life and death and save lives for a sacrifice. When tales of her ability spreads and the Princess is murdered, she finds herself compelled to save her. Soon she becomes trapped in threats, politics, death, religion, all with her animal companion, Elsiver the Raven.

I loved the description of death and labyrinths he created. There is much unexplored, I look forward to seeing where it is going to go.

‘Even rotten things like me can desire to live.’

Thank you to Harper Collins and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

⚔️ Fantasy
🤝 Bargain with Death
🖤 Sapphic romance
🏰 Court intrigue
🥀 Dark/Gothic fairy tales
🔍 Mystery/whodunnit

<b>The first time Hellevir visited Death, she was ten years old…</b>and since then has been able to raise the dead. Every resurrection has a price, and the price must be paid to the dark figure who looms over the averlife. Such a gift (or curse) could never go unnoticed forever. Hellevir is summoned to the aid of the Princess, whose death would start a civil war...

Expect to find similar themes and tropes you might have enjoyed in [book:The Priory of the Orange Tree|40275288] or [book:The Final Strife|54440543].

This was an enjoyable read with such an interesting premise. The world politics were interesting and woven into the plot nicely, especially the role of religion vs the crown. I liked Helliver a lot as our fmc, and found her dynamic with the princess great to read. The relationship with Death was also really intriguing - a refreshing take on a dynamic we've seen in other books over the last year.

An enjoyable debut, looking forward to the second book.

Thank you again NetGalley and Harper Collins UK. <b>The Gilded Crown releases November 23rd 2023.</b>

I think that this book started quite strong, but as it progressed, I found myself constantly being distracted by other things and delaying reading it further as it times it dragged. At first, I was quite interested in the story and was excited to see what will happen to Hellevir after she visited Death for the first time. That excitement stayed with me for a while as she encountered Sullivain for the first time and started her quest for various treasures, which she could use to resurrect people or animals in the future. However, after the first successful find, it became apparent that this will be happening constantly with some other events squeezed in between.

There's also quite a lot of talk of two different religions, that are important in this book, with one of them being the main and the other playing a guest star role and being mentioned randomly without a proper explanation what it actually is. I found that confusing, but it didn't bother me too much since I wasn't really interested in that concept and didn't understand the importance to the story as a whole.

As for the characters, I enjoyed reading from Hellevir's perspective and even though often I didn't understand her actions or didn't agree with them, I thought that she had an interesting voice. I liked her brother Farvor too and I think that his romantic relationship was way more exciting and felt more real than the principal one between Hellevir and Sullivain. Frankly, I didn't like Sullivain at all. At first she was fine, but as the book progressed, I started to dislike her more and more and found myself wanting just to shake her a bit due to decisions she was making. I'm not sure if it was actually author's intention, to make her unlikeable, but good job if that was the intention.

Even so, I liked the author's writing style and quite easy to read and I might be picking up book 2 once it's released.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of The Gilded Crown!

This one took me a little while to get through, I think because the action never quite seemed to happen somehow? The world was interesting, with all the politics, but not groundbreaking, and I also felt it lacked any other kind of magic, apart from what our MC Hellevir shows.

I seem to have read quite a few books recently that have Death as a character and a place that is visited, so I liked that The Gilded Crown had this too. However, I started to feel the constant trips into Death were quite repetitive.

Also, I have to say the romance aspect of this book fell pretty flat for me. I was expecting it to be a bigger part of the plot, and it never really went anywhere interesting. I also don't understand Hellevir's feelings for Sullivain; she seemed so bratty, and also pretty callous and calculating. (I think this is explained by them being linked by their trips back from Death together but I still wasn't convinced.)

Having said this, I do want to read the next book in the series when it comes out, because I'm interested to see where the story goes!

Book Review
Title: The Gilded Crown
Author: Marianne Gordon
Rating: 4/4

“The first time Hellevir visited Death, she was ten years old…”

From that first line in the book, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. I love the concept of this book. Hellevir can travel to Death, she can talk with Death, she can bring people and animals back but there is always a price. Hellevir must always pay the price, a piece of her for a soul brought back. When people know of someone who can bring people back from Death they will take advantage no matter the cost to that person. This book really made me think about that.

The writing is brilliant in this book, and I got so invested in the beginning. I honestly felt like it had Addie LaRue vibes and I was so into that. I love Hellevir, she is so willing to give up herself piece by piece, so willing to love despite being exploited for her gift.

It was a bit young Adult but still really enjoyable.

Shannon

The gilded crown is about a girl with an unusual gift where she is able to interact with death. But, not only that bargain with death to bring back the dead. This attracts attention from the royal family when the princess is assassinated quite frequently. Everyone Helliver brings someone back she loses a part of herself, it is not sustainable, she must find the princesses killer. This book brings mystery, intrigue and a whole lot of politics.

The premise of this book was super interesting. I enjoyed the interactions with death and the writing was good. . The plot just fell flat. I found myself getting really bored.

This book started super strong and at first I thought I would love it. However, I found myself endlessly frustrated at how Helliver just accepted everything. I wanted to scream at her ‘stand up for yourself’.

I will never not be confused at how loyal the MC was to a family that up and left her for 10 years without a word. I don’t feel like the explanations around this were very solid. This made the constant threat from the royals about her family not feel very high stakes.

Unfortunately, I really didn’t connect with the story. I felt like the plot led me absolutely no where. Even when the mystery was finally solved I found myself very underwhelmed. Then when all of a sudden there’s a bad attempt at a romance form where?! This book does a terrible job at making the reader care.

I went into this one thinking it would be Romantasy but really, the romance was more of a sub-plot. That was fine with me, since the story was pretty good! I think another reviewer compared this to a 'cosy fantasy' and I would say I agree, the story had a nice flow and the stakes didn't feel massively high like a more 'epic' fantasy.

I enjoyed Hellevir as a FMC as she's portrayed as strong but also kind and willing to help others. I also like the magic system of this world and the politics was quite interesting as well.

I'm giving this one 3 stars - not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I just felt like there was something missing. I can't put my finger on what that is, but I just didn't find myself drawn to pick the book up each time.

I really appreciated this novel. It is a rather cosy fantasy in my opinion, without high stakes and with an overall feeling of smoothness. Despite the theme of death it is not a heavy story to read — I did not feel like the story was especially dark or sinister. The plot is interesting even though it was sometimes a little bit repetitive; it did not bother me. I genuinely liked the political plotting and schemes. I do appreciate politics and betrayals in fantasy. The main character is quite pleasant though she can be selfish and some of her choices are unsure. But her love for her family is interesting to discover. Some other characters are also quite engaging, except the main character’s mother and one of her acquaintances. On the other hand, I very much liked the talking raven (yes, the main character talks to animals). I can definitely see myself reading the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I struggled with this one - I felt not attachment to the characters and did not care what happened to them. I was sad as the book sounded like something that was right up my street. For the right person this book will be amazing, it just wasn't a win for me.

I went into the Gilded Crown expecting a lighthearted romantasy book with some sort of death magic, I can’t exactly remember where that impression came from, I think probably based on the cover & some comps I saw on instagram, but it has done this book a massive disservice imo.

I would liken this book more to if The Bear & The Nightingale & The Six Deaths of the Saint had a baby with a side sprinkle of lusting. It definitely wasn’t what I had seen pitched & honestly I think it was better than the pitch.

If you’re like me & excepting a romance, I am here to manage your expectations. There is some intense (& mildly inappropriate) sapphic yearning which is very well written & will leave you wanting more, plus there is a lovely achillian side relationship, but that’s it. You will like it, but you will be disappointed if you expect more.

I really liked the whole idea of this book, the exchanges with death & how the deals worked, the bargains & corruption, just the general scope of the book, I think it’s a really solid foundation for any following books. There’s a lot left unexplored but also plenty of info to get you started without being overwhelming.

I thought the worldbuilding was very good, clear & much more realistic than some fantasy, rooted in real world myths & historical references. The pacing was perhaps a bit slow in places, but I was intrigued throughout so didn’t notice it too much.

Overall a really solid book & can’t wait for the next one!

Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

This books take on necromancy and resurrection is unique and fresh. The scenes with Death are intense and my favourite part of this book. Overall the world-building is vivid and I’m sure artists will have plenty to work with and can’t wait to see their interpretations. The FMC is strong and powerful but circumstances try to stifle this. This power is not always a blessing and it brings up questions about morals and faith that are interesting. The book is well-written but at times I felt the pacing slowed and there was some repetition. I did have a favourite character, a raven animal companion, which was delightful to have included. If you like politics in your fantasy this book is for you. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I can see this book already has mixed reviews and I think some of this comes directly down to the way it is being marketed and the front cover design. Plenty of reviewers have stated that they think it is nothing like the books it has been compared to. The front cover design on first impression makes it look like Romantasy, when the romance is a very minor plot point.

This book reminded me more of Christina Henry’s gothic fairytale series, it is very dark, very bleak and quite slow paced. Some comparisons could be made with Belladonna and I think fans of that book would also enjoy this one. Hellevir has a unique gift - that she can resurrect the dead, but there is always a cost. The book follows her living through the consequences of her actions, struggling to decide if some lives are worth saving more than others and being blackmailed to be on hand to save the Princess of her realm.

A point to note here is that the F/F main romance in here is non-existent for the majority of the book and it feels more like trauma bonding than anything else. That being said, it is an interesting fable about the fear of death, the value of life and the terror of religious extremism. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although slow it was absorbing.