4.7 / 5.0

This absolutely blew me away. Dark fantasy? Yes. Political intrigue. Yes. Death magic? Yes. Slow burn and super cat-fish ending? Yes and Yes.

This is a debut and I cannot say how much I think this should be in a sub box. Please? Pretty please? I’ll be keeping my eye out for the release (hopefully with a SE/LE release) and for the next book. The characters are complex, the world building developed, and the plot is so captivating. I especially liked the magic system and the cost equality to the magic users.

Overall, very good and worth it. Recommend to anyone into dark fantasy romance.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC for review.

This is definitely a dark fantasy and the world building was really cool. I loved that there was a lot of political aspects to this book and the main characters. The only thing that took me out of the story was a couple perspective shifts at the end of the book. Overall an intriguing, compelling, and well written debut. 3.75/5

DNF 36%

First thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC of this book.

While the writing in this is extremely solid and the world created was pretty lush and interesting, the story itself is pretty flat. I’m all for the concept but it doesn’t really feel like much is happening and it feels quite dull.

Perhaps I am just not the target audience for this book. I think there are some out there who will enjoy it, but I just got bored and couldn’t connect with the characters.

This was beautifully written and delightfully complex and I especially enjoyed the raven conpanion. I liked the amount of political intrigue and thought it was excellently paced.

**I received this book as an eARC from NetGalley and Publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review**

NO SPOILERS! The Gilded Crown is a Dark Fantasy that follows the story of a girl, Hellevir, who can talk to Death. Not only can she talk to Death, but she can bargain to bring back souls to the living. However, having souls returned always comes with a cost, and each time Hellevir resurrects someone, Death keeps a part of her. Raising the dead is not an easily kept secret and after Hellevir brings the only heir to throne back to the living, her life takes an irreparable turn.

This book is written in the 3rd person, almost exclusively from Hellevir’s POV. I would say this is a medium paced book that maintains a good pace throughout without any major lulls in action. The writing is lovely and easy to follow and the dialog is mostly natural throughout. The chapters are a good length.

For the most part I enjoyed this book. The scenes with Death are my favorite and honestly Death might be the best character. These scenes are beautifully written and thought provoking, Hellevir’s relationship with death is one that makes you consider death as well. For as much as I like death though, Sullivan (princess) and her grandmother are a different story. I didn’t find either character very likable and the relationship Hellevir develops with Sulliven is more like Stockholm syndrome than anything else. Towards the end of this book, I feel that there may be some hope for Sulliven in the future…but time will tell. There is also an interesting family dynamic in this book.

This book has unique magic, an interesting cast of characters, religious tension, difficult family dynamics, selfish royalty with political scheming, a naive main character and questionable romance. Overall, the ‘romance’ is questionable at best. The main thing that kept me reading through this book was Death and his world. I would give this book a 3-3.5, I’m a mood reader so it depends on the day. Will I read the next book in this series? Probably, but time will tell.

This book blew me away. The descriptions were lovely, the sentence length was just right for me, and I fell in love with Hellevir.

I will warn you that it does not have a HEA or HFN ending.

I cannot wait to see where it leads and I highly recommend if you can handle a slow burn romance that may or may not happen- you pick this up.

This is Marianne Gordon's debut novel!?!? I was enamored from the very beginning - this story is amazing. I loved the plot, the setting, and the characters. It was unpredictable and mysterious. I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends. I can't wait to buy a copy when it comes out!

Thank you so much, NetGalley and to the publishers for this ARC. This may be the best ARC I've ever received.

“You don’t have much choice when your both bound and one of you decides to jump.”

“The Gilded Crown,” by Marianne Gordon

Hellevir has been able to raise the dead since she was ten years old. The showed figure in the afterlife demands a price for every life she resurrected which continues to go up the more she brings back. Her gift has been her secret until Princess Sullivain is assassinated and Hellevir decides to bring her back. With the assassin unknown, Hellevir must remain by the Princess’ side in case she is needed. Hellevir begins to fall in love with the Princess, but she only has so much of herself to trade the death god.

This book was really good. I loved the premise of the story. The main character was annoying because of how much she was willing to do for people she didn’t know but it was essential to her character in the book. I wanted her to stand up for herself more. I liked how the princess was more than she seemed and how it complicated the story. I cannot get enough of the death god and his lore and really hope there will be more about all that in the Raven’s Trade series. 4 out of 5 stars.

-F/F
-Magic
-Death God
-Political Intrigue

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This tale follows Hellevir, a woman endowed with a unique ability to traverse the realm of Death, a power that brings both blessings and burdens. Caught amidst the intrigues of nobility and the disdain of priests, she finds herself in a precarious position, torn between duty and personal desires. As she navigates her path, she forms complex relationships with her family, particularly her father and brother, Farvor, yet questions linger regarding their abrupt absence from her life for a decade.

Despite my reservations about some of Hellevir's choices, I found her character compelling and empathized with her motivations. The dynamics between her and Sullivan didn't resonate with me, as I struggled to find any redeeming qualities in Sullivan herself. However, I appreciated the character growth Hellevir experienced through her interactions with Sullivan, which added depth to her journey.

I particularly enjoyed the representation of LGBTQ+ relationships, especially the romance between Hellevir's brother, Farvor, and Calgir. However, the romantic entanglement between Hellevir and Sullivan failed to capture my interest, perhaps due to my inability to connect with Sullivan as a character.

Overall, the narrative captivated me with its original premise and the development of its diverse cast of characters.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. :)

This is an amazing book that will delight fantasy fans! I also just really love the cover, which I found striking.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC for a honest review.

I wanted to love this book. The premise of the story intrigued me and I kept wanting it to get better but I felt it overall became flat. It felt like two stories shoved together (a story of a low-born family moving to the city and the adjustment mashed with a story of a necromancer trying to hide resurrecting the princess) and then rushed at the end to leave open for another adventure. I was not a fan of the main character Hellevir and the forced romance to the princess. I wish we would have seen more of Hellevir's family as her father was brushed aside, her mother was deemed a mean woman and disregarded, but her brother had a beautiful story I wish to have seen more. Also I feel the man we meet in Death that gives riddles could have had more interaction but I can see if that information has been saved for the sequel.

I also found the world-building was not fully developed. The different courts are not explained enough and I kept getting confused at the court gatherings to remember which squire belonged to which family. Along with that, the timelines felt a bit too jumpy in certain chapters.

The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon is a book that takes an interesting approach to the concept of Death. The ability to bring people back from the dead seems like an incredible gift, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that it's not as simple as it seems.

The story is filled with suspense, drama, and heartbreak, evoking a range of emotions throughout the book. The fast-paced narrative and compelling storyline kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Gordon's descriptive writing style vividly brings the characters and world to life, making it easy to imagine the scenes as they unfold. The characters are well-developed, and I found myself fully immersed in Hellevir's story.

Despite its strengths, the book had a few drawbacks. The plot was somewhat predictable at times, and I wished for more exploration of the political aspects of the world. Additionally, while I enjoyed the relationship between Hellevir and Sullivain, I felt that their dynamic could have been further developed.

Overall, The Gilded Crown is a captivating debut that reads like a dark gothic fairytale. The character work is exceptional, and Hellevir's journey is both intriguing and heartbreaking. While it may not have lived up to some expectations, it sets a promising foundation for future installments.

Dnf @ 16%. This book failed to grip me in any meaningful way. Already you see Hellevir throwing pieces of herself away for people who don't appreciate her, chipping away at little bits of her soul and seemingly trying to buy her way into their respect. I don't like an fmc who doesn't have a spine and does dumb things over and over again. I think this book might work better for a younger crowd who is still developing what it means to be yourself but as an adult novel, Hellevir is just very young and has a personality that goes with being young.

This book has such great potential. The premise is so incredibly intriguing and eye-catching. A woman who can bring the dead back to life through a "simple" deal and then follow her navigation of the lying world around her is a great premise. But, in my opinion, the execution falls a little short.

There are wonderful things in this book. The witchy magic used is brilliant. It felt fresh, and it felt natural throughout the entire story. The way the magic system was set up was easy to digest and there was never a time when it felt as if things were unreal for the world this was set in.

The world was a bit confusing, as I found myself confused about where things were placed throughout it. I might have missed details that explained the proper placement of people. The hardest part to grasp was that there was a world outside of the city, as it felt like things only happened inside it. From what I gathered, it was as if every important person was in that city and that city only. All of the nobles felt as if they were in this one city, and it was this giant city that housed the important people of this country.

The characters, while they started out well, just never seemed to change. The princess did terrible thing after terrible thing and it felt as if the reader was just meant to sit there and believe that she didn't do these things on her own. The protagonist put up with so much and there never felt like there was a true tie to why she stayed. There were points where I had to put the book down because she stayed around again after another terrible thing happened.

I enjoyed the politics of the book. They were backstabbing and there was enough left behind near the end for an excellent start for the next book to pick up at.

While there were issues present, there were still plenty of highs riddled throughout the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this! This felt like a fresh idea and the premise was promising. Unfortunately, the plot fell a bit flat for me and I found myself wanting more. I enjoyed the dynamic with Death but did not feel a connection with the romance in this book.

4 ⭐️

In this story we follow Hellevir, a girl who can travel between life and death as easily as blinking. But bargaining for the recently dead does not come without a great price taken from Hellevir herself. After she brings back Princess Sullivain, she finds herself tangled in court politics and a deal with a man inside of Death.

I really loved the scenes inside of Death and how it was described. It felt like you were really there with Hellevir. I feel like we got a really clear picture of the city of Rochidain and I hope we will get more in depth world building as we continue the series.

Hellevir is a very compassionate and naive character who we see learn that most people will take advantage of her kindness. This includes Sullivain, who is selfish and arrogant and angry. Despite her negative qualities, we see glimpses of who she is underneath how she has been taught to act by her grandmother. Hellevir finds herself caring very deeply for the Princess and I did too, though that might not be everyone’s experience. Though she finds herself tied to Sullivain in ways she can’t explain, Hellevir does not trust her.

Seeing how Hellevir interacted with the world, was so fun and I’m excited to see where she and her raven companion go next.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an arc in exchange for an honest review.*

I dnf'ed at 25% thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion, to be honest I still give it a 3 stars because I did like the writing style and the characters but for me what was hard to keep going was the plot as well as the world building it didn't give me the hook I needed as a reader to keep reading. I know that everyone has different taste in fantasy and this one just wasn't for me

I definitely understand that some people will like it and her writing definitely enchants people but I wasn't one of them ..

The summary made me think that this book was going to be more in the realm of romantasy, but it really stands alone as a clear fantasy story, teeering on darkness, with very little actual romance. But the thing is, there’s a level of emotional tie, but it seems much more based on trust rather than lust.

While I didn’t dislike Hellevir, I found myself repeatedly baffled as to how willing she was to trade slices of her soul (her soul!) to save just about everyone who asked, when they weren’t being particularly grateful or even very nice to her. I could even understand being “forced” to do it for the Princess, but she was handing out life do-overs like she had nothing to lose! But, it did get us back to Death again and again, and I enjoyed those scenes. He was very fair for Death! I guessed the twist but I still thought it was well done, especially with the additional component added and the shift with her mother.

The ending made me want to read more and I’m looking forward to more development with Hellevir. Overall, the writing was wonderful and the world building in both worlds was so vivid - I’m down for another adventure!

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an Ebook arc in exchange for an honest review!

*3.5/5
The atmosphere, magic system, and world building were the best parts of this book for me! I loved the interactions Hellevir had with Death and the world that he inhabited. I loved the exploration of religion and religious structures (one of my favorite topics to be explored in fiction, it's absolutely fascinating to me). The world felt very alive to me, I genuinely enjoyed being in it. I also really appreciated the casual queer rep we got. It wasn’t a big deal that there was a gay (man-loving-man) relationship, and our main character develops feelings for another girl. That being said, I didn't care much about the main romance, I just didn’t feel like it was realistic the way it progressed but that may just be me. Romances hardly ever work for me in fiction.

I don’t have much else to say, the ending felt a bit abrupt, like I got to the second to last chapter and was like there's no way it's ending in one chapter, there's still so much happening, but I know that this has a sequel, so hopefully things get resolved in it.
A solid fantasy read with queer rep and an interesting world and magic system!

This book has an interesting plot and some characters. I just didn't enjoy how the story developed or how many of the characters behaved. The MC was beyond frustrating in my opinion. I just couldn't understand her actions when there were other options available. The characters that really made the book we didn't see enough of or you wouldn't see again. I did enjoy the magic system and having it come at a price. The world of the undead had me intrigued. This book wasn't bad I just couldn't get into it and I couldn't stand the mc. I definitely think other people would enjoy it.