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A review by napkins
The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I always enjoy a good queernormative setting for a new fantasy, so that is a definitely point in The Gilded Crown's favor. The romance plotline is also an interesting take on the "I should hate her but I don't", with Hellevir giving up a piece of her soul each time she brings Sullivain back to life - there's also some emotion sharing each time they touch because of this, which lends to the draw between them. It's less of a romance and more of the two of them being pulled toward each other in a doomed situation, with no way forward in sight. Sullivain is meant to be her grandmother's heir, cruel when she needs to be to hold power, but also under her grandmother's thumb and afraid to follow fully in her footsteps at the same time. We see a lot of Hellevir thinking "she'd be a better queen" or "she wouldn't do this if her grandmother weren't around", but we also constantly see Sullivain choosing to stick to what she knows and rule with an iron fist, and very little of the softer side Hellevir swears is there.
Unfortunately, a lot of the rest of the politics feels out of place - with a war for the throne only a few decades past, there's potential for some court intrigue as the other noble houses connive their way into schemes to kill Sullivain, the heir to the throne. You would think that this would be the main plotline, as the reason Hellevir gets thrust into the city and the politics is to keep Sullivain from falling prey to these plans, and potentially figure out who is behind them to nip them in the bud. Unfortunately, this leads then to the other plotline, the religious clash and Death's quests. You can see threads of where the quests for the treasures set by Death would be or were intended to be woven into the political storyline, but aside from the very first one, they end up feeling like side quests and a breather from the main plot. You can also see where the religious backstory is intended to inform the creation of the country as well as death himself and potentially a way to free Sullivain, but it also ends up falling flat, a strange mix of too little too late and out of nowhere in terms of the amount of power the fanatics are able to wield.
I'm a little curious to see what the next book holds, but I think it'll definitely depend on what sort of framing it takes for the rest of the story it wants to tell.
Unfortunately, a lot of the rest of the politics feels out of place - with a war for the throne only a few decades past, there's potential for some court intrigue as the other noble houses connive their way into schemes to kill Sullivain, the heir to the throne. You would think that this would be the main plotline, as the reason Hellevir gets thrust into the city and the politics is to keep Sullivain from falling prey to these plans, and potentially figure out who is behind them to nip them in the bud. Unfortunately, this leads then to the other plotline, the religious clash and Death's quests. You can see threads of where the quests for the treasures set by Death would be or were intended to be woven into the political storyline, but aside from the very first one, they end up feeling like side quests and a breather from the main plot. You can also see where the religious backstory is intended to inform the creation of the country as well as death himself and potentially a way to free Sullivain, but it also ends up falling flat, a strange mix of too little too late and out of nowhere in terms of the amount of power the fanatics are able to wield.
I'm a little curious to see what the next book holds, but I think it'll definitely depend on what sort of framing it takes for the rest of the story it wants to tell.