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A review by el_thegoblinwitch
The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
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 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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: War