The Gilded Crown: A Slow‑Burn Fantasy with a Stunning Payoff
The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The first time Hellevir visited Death, she was ten years old…
Since she was a little girl, Hellevir has been able to raise the dead. Every creature can be saved for a price, a price demanded by the shrouded figure who rules the afterlife, who takes a little more from Hellevir with each soul she resurrects.
Such a gift can rarely remain a secret. When Princess Sullivain, sole heir to the kingdom’s throne, is assassinated, the Queen summons Hellevir to demand she bring her granddaughter back to life. But once is not enough; the killers might strike again. The Princess’s death would cause a civil war, so the Queen commands that Hellevir remain by her side.
But Sullivain is no easy woman to be bound to, even as Hellevir begins to fall in love with her. With the threat of war looming, Hellevir must trade more and more of herself to keep the Princess alive.
But Death will always take what he is owed.
Some books slip quietly into your life. You read them cover to cover and place them back on the shelf just as quietly. On the other hand, there are others that arrive with the weight of something ancient, magical, and entirely new. The Gilded Crown is the latter. From the first chapter, Marianne Gordon builds a world that feels both mythic and intimate — a place where death has geography, magic has rules, and every emotion lands with the force of a heartbeat. This is the kind of fantasy that reminds me why I love the genre: lush worldbuilding, complex characters, and a plot that feels unlike anything I’ve read before.
Below is my CAWPILE breakdown.
Tropes:
Slow burn
Morally Grey Characters
Queer Cast
Characters: 9/10
I’ll be honest: I wish the names were a little easier to pronounce. But once I settled into them, I fell hard for this cast. Hellevir is a protagonist I haven’t seen before. Not only is she powerful and vulnerable, but she’s also carrying a burden that would break most people. I love a strong FMC, and she delivers in every sense. Her brother Farvor is equally lovable, grounding the story with warmth and loyalty. And the Queen? A deliciously hateable antagonist that I haven’t seen since Cercei Lannister. Every scene with her had me clenching my jaw in the best way.
Atmosphere: 9/10
The world of Chron is everything I adore in fantasy. Pre‑industrialized, textured, and full of quiet magic. The idea of death being both an entity and a place is so compelling, and Gordon executes it beautifully. The religion and politics are easy to follow without ever feeling oversimplified. The magic system is clear, intuitive, and woven seamlessly into the world. It’s the kind of setting that makes you wish for a portal.
Writing: 10/10
Marianne Gordon’s writing reminds me of V.E. Schwab — and I don’t say that lightly. Schwab is one of my top three authors, and Gordon captures that same blend of lyrical prose, emotional depth, and atmospheric tension. Her writing flows effortlessly. The world feels alive. The characters breathe. And the emotional beats? They hit hard. I found myself on the verge of tears more than once, swept up in her talent for storytelling.
Plot: 10/10
Here’s the heart of it: Hellevir can raise the dead. She can also speak to the essence of nature itself: water, trees, creatures. When the Queen demands she resurrect her assassinated granddaughter, Sullivain, Hellevir complies, knowing Sullivain’s death will bring about civil war. But there’s a cost. Every resurrection takes a literal piece of her. When she’s summoned to the city as a contingency plan in case Sullivain is killed again, the stakes rise.
The plot feels fresh, original, and deeply emotional. I haven’t read anything quite like it.
Intrigue: 8/10
This is a slow burn — no question. But even in the quietest moments, I kept turning pages. There are mysteries threaded throughout the story, and each one pulled me deeper. I found myself hungry for the reveals, eager to understand the truth behind the magic, the politics, and the characters’ secrets.
Logic: 10/10
For a story with such emotional and magical complexity, everything remains consistent. The characters’ reactions make sense. Their choices feel grounded. The world’s rules hold steady. I applaud Gordon for keeping the narrative tight and believable.
Enjoyment: 9/10
My enjoyment definitely ebbed and flowed. I was hooked from the beginning, hit a few slower patches that tested my patience, and then found myself completely absorbed once the plot reached its climax. By the end, I was ready to bump this category to a ten and immediately look for the next book in the series.
Final Thoughts
The Gilded Crown is a beautifully crafted fantasy that blends emotional depth, original magic, and unforgettable characters. It’s slow, deliberate, and rich — the kind of story that rewards patience with moments of breathtaking payoff. Marianne Gordon has created a world that feels ancient and alive, and a heroine whose strength is as haunting as it is inspiring. If you love atmospheric fantasy, morally complex characters, and magic that comes with a cost, this book deserves a spot on your shelf. The Gilded Crown is book one of The Raven’s Trade Duology.
Photo Credit: www.pagangrimoire.com
Tarot Pairing: Death
For The Gilded Crown, the tarot card that captures the soul of the story is Death. This world treats death as both a presence and a place, and Hellevir’s magic sits right at that threshold. Every resurrection costs her something real, a literal piece of herself, echoing the card’s deeper truth: change always asks for sacrifice. The political tension, the fragile balance of power, the emotional weight of Hellevir’s choices; all of it mirrors Death’s cycle of release, consequence, and rebirth. This isn’t a tale of darkness; it’s a tale of crossing from one state of being into another, again and again, until something new emerges. The Death card honors the beauty, the cost, and the quiet transformation that is woven through every page of this story.
