pennym_ 's review for:

The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon

4.5

adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

a nearly perfect fantasy imo. i loved the magic system, the character dynamics, and the worldbuilding. the dynamic between hellevir and sullivain was intriguing, and though i wish there had been more buildup for it, i do love where it winds up at the end. i have a few small nitpicks re: plotting and i think the author pulled her punches a bit with hellevir (

she is almost flogged for heathenism where in an adult fantasy with already dark themes i think she could have upped the stakes with either the threat of being burned at the stake or with actual physical harm to her main character. but instead hellevir gets out of that situation unscathed, so the scene almost feels santized. regardless the stakes feel less high

). but outside of minor critiques, i found it incredibly captivating and i will absolutely be picking up the sequel soon!