A
Anonymous
April 18, 2026
Nice book
Verified Purchase Good book )
4.0 / 5.0
Published: 2024
Description
Hellevir has always been an outsider, haunted by a gift that borders on a curse: the ability to reach into the afterlife and pull the fallen back to the world of the living. But necromancy is a transactional art, and the spectral figure of Death is a patient collector. Every soul she retrieves is tethered to a steep price, incrementally carving away pieces of Hellevir’s own humanity.
When Princess Sullivain is brutally assassinated, the fragile stability of the kingdom begins to crumble. Desperate to prevent a bloody civil war, the Queen forces Hellevir into service, tasking her with the impossible: binding the Princess to life indefinitely.
As Hellevir stands guard over Sullivain, the line between duty and desire becomes dangerously thin. Hellevir finds herself inextricably drawn to the sharp, defiant woman she is sworn to protect, even as she realizes that the Queen’s command is a death sentence for her own soul. With assassins lurking in the shadows and a divine debt mounting with every heartbeat she grants, Hellevir must decide how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice for a love that was never meant to survive—before Death finally comes to claim his due.
Customer Reviews
Top 5 from Amazon A
Amazon Customer
April 6, 2026
Very good
I really enjoyed it. I loved Hellevir, even though I feel like she was way to apologetic, especially in the beginning. I haaate the queen. She is a waffle. I will say, though, I really enjoy this interpretation of Death. Although his appearances began to feel repetitive. Still, a great read.
R
Rebecca
September 3, 2025
Cool world building!
I liked the way necromancy worked in this universe, less of a zombie situation and more of a monkey’s paw deal with death approach that was really interestingly executed.
C
Christine
April 12, 2025
Loved it
Verified Purchase Loved it )
J
Jill
July 4, 2024
"What are brothers for, if not to help their resurrectionist sisters find assassins..."
3.5 -⭐⭐⭐💫
"Thank you, Farvor."
"What are brothers for, if not to help their resurrectionist sisters find assassins."
The Gilded Crown is the first novel in the adult fantasy series, The Raven's Trade. The story follow Hellevir, a woman who, from a very young age, has had to ability to bring beings back to life by making deals with death...deals that can come with high costs. When Hellevir saves the life of the princess and heir to the throne, Sullivan, she finds herself embroiled in a world of political intrigue, assassination, and looming civil war. She is forced to attend the princess in order to save her under threat of all she loves...yet she Hellevir finds herself drawn to this brutal princess. But will the cost of keeping of her alive be more than Hellevir can bargain for?
This book puts you through the paces!
Hellevir has an empathy to her that makes her a character you really root for. You feel for every injustice she is faced and her tenacity of doing good no matter what stuck with me. At times I did question her choices, especially around the princess, but by the end she develops a strength I truly admired.
Sullivan was a character I really struggled with - I was not her fan. She is a sandpaper kind of character. At times she can be quite empathetic and you can see she comes to care for Hellevir but she also struggles to have her own separate identity from her brutal grandmother. I feel as the series progresses we will see more happen but at the initial…
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