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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I really like the premise of this, from the high-cost stakes that are set-up, the religious/political commentary, to the slight magic system interwoven. However, this book is slow as fuck!! the writing style really makes it drag - it’s dense language and structure, to the point of feeling marginally pretentious-not in the same way Emily Wilde did, as the Emily herself felt really out of touch and hard to mesh with (and I like Hellevir well enough), but just in the way everything is presented and the way the pacing and language is leveraged to tell the story. Real bummer, as I’m really into the whole concept and the rules and stakes that have been set up, the way it’s delivered just is too much of a drag and it’s putting me in a monumental reading slump.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed The Gilded Crown. It was a diverting and fun read that had moments of tension and fun. Marianne Gordon has created a compelling world and I especially enjoyed the impact place had on people. Gordon's exploration of faith and Death was interesting and I would have been happy to spend more time with those themes.
Helliver is an interesting character with agency and that makes active choices. She fears and forgives people despite her power. Helliver's brother Farvor, her mum, Princess Sullivain, and the Queen were all rounded characters. I especially enjoyed Farvor who made for a believable, supportive brother.
Death plays a big part in the story and is a character in its own right. He is mysterious and I enjoyed the depiction of the liminal space between life and the afterlife. I thought the dynamic between Helliver and Death the strongest in the story.
The element that I found tricky to parse was the affection between Sullivain and Helliver. I really enjoyed both characters and liked the concept of a pull between them but I couldn't buy into it from what was on the page. I fear I've missed something or something is missing.
This is the first in a duology which can often mean a drammatic cliffhanger, big reveal or satisfying conclusion to one story. Here, the book kind of petered out. If we weren't going for plot twists, I think it could have been interesting if perhaps Helliver had understood what was coming and realised there was nothing she could do about it. Or perhaps had to fully embrace the palace politicking for her own means.
Gordon's writing is simply lovely. I don’t think fantasy writing is easy - often too purple, too simplistic or too lost in world building. I saw none of those challenges here. Instead, I was absorbed in beautiful sequences and clarity of tone, world and character. Overall, I'm looking forward to reading the next in the duology and more from Gordon in general.
Helliver is an interesting character with agency and that makes active choices. She fears and forgives people despite her power. Helliver's brother Farvor, her mum, Princess Sullivain, and the Queen were all rounded characters. I especially enjoyed Farvor who made for a believable, supportive brother.
Death plays a big part in the story and is a character in its own right. He is mysterious and I enjoyed the depiction of the liminal space between life and the afterlife. I thought the dynamic between Helliver and Death the strongest in the story.
The element that I found tricky to parse was the affection between Sullivain and Helliver. I really enjoyed both characters and liked the concept of a pull between them but I couldn't buy into it from what was on the page. I fear I've missed something or something is missing.
This is the first in a duology which can often mean a drammatic cliffhanger, big reveal or satisfying conclusion to one story. Here, the book kind of petered out. If we weren't going for plot twists, I think it could have been interesting if perhaps Helliver had understood what was coming and realised there was nothing she could do about it. Or perhaps had to fully embrace the palace politicking for her own means.
Gordon's writing is simply lovely. I don’t think fantasy writing is easy - often too purple, too simplistic or too lost in world building. I saw none of those challenges here. Instead, I was absorbed in beautiful sequences and clarity of tone, world and character. Overall, I'm looking forward to reading the next in the duology and more from Gordon in general.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)
I really liked the premise of this story but feel like it fell a little flat. Not a ton of depth to the world or much character building.
I really liked the premise of this story but feel like it fell a little flat. Not a ton of depth to the world or much character building.
Spoiler
Also was not a fan of the romance angle with Sullivain. Super toxic situation and then suddenly the romance was just.. there? I thought Hellevir had better chemistry with Death and would have liked that angle much better.The details of some books I can remember with relative ease. Mid-books, though, fail to make an impression one way or the other. I thought that this book had a chance of working for me, a slim one though. Mid-books do not stay on my shelves. After a brief look at the synopsis, I do remember enough to finish my review. The main character has the ability to bring people back from the dead, at a cost. Because of this ability, people both want to use her "services" but also disdain her because the controlling religion abhors the practice. When the queen brings her assassinated granddaughter and heir to the main character's door, the main character becomes deeply entangled in the court, forced to raise the princess any time she dies. Everyone in the main character's life, including the ungrateful princess, take the main character for granted and treat her horribly. Somehow, we're supposed to believe that the main character falls in love with the princess. The author made some choices that put me off this story even though in the beginning, I found myself intrigued enough to give this one a chance.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’d give this book a higher score if it weren’t for the “love interest” that had ZERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! redeeming qualities. Maybe I’m too tough on girls with Stockholm syndrome but HOW TF!!!! are you still obsessed with the girl that killed your brothers boo killed her actual brother threatened her families livelihoods and actual lives and then threatened to burn her as a heather like it gets to a point tbh the constant making excuses for the love interests actions by saying it’s her grandma behind everything was so stupid. I guess if you really like toxic lesbians you’ll like this. Also needs a better cover it’s giving trashy Romantasy. Other than that the writing was engaging and I liked the magic system and the world. Idk if imma continue this duology just due to the foolishness between the main character and “love interest”