The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: NA Fantasy
Blurb (on back of book): She's been the victim and the survivor…
Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers. The enemy and the warrior…
Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms’ dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.
A lover and heartmate…
But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.
And now she will become Queen…
MY OPINION: *****
I absolutely adore this series and Jennifer L. Armentrout. This may be one of the only five-star books that I've read thus far this year.
I love Poppy and Casteel, both as individual characters and as a couple. They never fail to make me smile and I love their relationship and dynamic. Poppy is an iconic, strong, and brave female character and Casteel is a fiercely protective and lovable male counterpart. I don't view either of them as "better" than the other and instead saw them as equals, just as Poppy did when she redid the flags. The love between them is so strong and palpable and I love them so much. I've seen Casteel described as a "simp" and while I harbor a strong dislike for that particular word, I would have to agree with the statement. The man would do anything for her, as shown by the beginning segment of the book in which he does something so dangerous and permanent without even thinking about it because he loves her so much.
Kieran is still my favorite character by far. He's hilarious, he's witty, he's adorable, he's lovable, he's fun. I love the PLATONIC relationship between Poppy and Kieran, as well as between Casteel and Kieran, despite the fact that half the fandom ships them all. They're so funny, especially with Poppy's incessant questions and Kieran's fake-annoyance.
This book felt like a filler more than anything, as if it were a bridge between the second and fourth. I'm not sure if there will be more books after the fourth, though I hope there will be. I did think there were parts of this book that dragged on and felt as if they could be cut out with no consequences to the actual plot or storyline.
I loved reading about the side characters and their own stories because they didn't feel like background pieces and instead had real relationships and ambitions and meaning in the book. Emil, Delano, and Vonetta were all beautifully written. I particularly hated the king and queen of both kingdoms, despite one pair being Casteel's parents, who weren't "bad" but were just annoying, but I did think they were well-written and had that "villainous" depth that was necessary to make them the characters that they were. I am very scared for the next book because I just feel as if one of them is going to die, in a typical JLA fashion, though I am praying that this won't happen.
The ending was torturous and I hated it so much. I cannot wait for the fourth book because I need to know what is going to happen to Cas. It did end on a cliffhanger, unfortunately, and I desperately need that next book. There were a LOT of new elements added to this book that allowed JLA to throw in a large amount of plottwists, most of which I did not see coming. I liked getting to learn more about Poppy's lineage and background and the powers she currently possesses.
I loved the Miss Willa element thrown in because it was hilarious and gave the book the levity that it so desperately needed amidst all of the drama and pain and heartbreak. I also loved Ian and his storyline within this book left me in shock, and not in a good way.
The book is NOT very graphic, despite what people are saying. At least for me, it was fairly plain and not at all "shocking" or explicit. However, I would not recommend it to younger readers.
I would recommend this book to readers looking for a beautifully-written fantasy series, full of romance, plottwists, heartbreak, and drama.
Main Character: Poppy, Casteel
Sidekick(s): Kieran, Delano, Emil, Vonetta, etc
Villain(s): Isbeth, Jalara, misunderstandings, Ascended, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.
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