Title: The Crown Of Guilded Bones
Series: Blood & Ash #3
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Format: Kindle edition
ISBN: B08NS24X2T
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Reading burnout has a way of creeping into our lives without a whisper of a warning, and at the most inconvenient of times, too! It’s invasive, exhausting, and a little confusing, especially when the desire to read is there, but the motivation to actually do the reading is not.
We should be reading. That’s what we tell ourselves, and what we imagine our community is thinking, even if they aren’t. Our hands itch for a book and our minds long to delve into a satisfying tale. We miss it, we need it–and a severe case of FOMO settles into our bones. Every cell in our bodies is shouting that WE SHOULD BE READING.
And yet…we can’t.
No matter how reading burnout takes shape in our lives, we inevitably must face the fact that our passion for reading doesn’t need to be approached as if we’re playing whack-a-mole with books. Odd as it may sound, reading burnout serves a valuable, positive purpose.
It took me years to understand that any kind of burnout or fatigue is the brain’s way of demanding we press pause and listen to it. We forget that books require mental bandwidth. They’re quite demanding in every way—emotionally, mentally, and physically. All that sobbing we did? All the laughing? All the ranting and raving? All the Twitter play-by-plays of book reactions? All the late night oh-my-gods-I-must-finish-this-book-right-nows?
Well, that took energy.
Reading is a stressful activity—a good kind of stress, but stress nonetheless. It can be just as taxing on the mind and body as anything else we pour our energy into. I think we readers forget to be mindful of our limits, of what we sometimes need as opposed to what we want. We love reading so much, and it’s a vital part of who we are. So it’s understandable that we’d want to indulge this passion with every fiber of our being–and devour every story we can sink our talons into.
But we’re also human, which means, if we don’t mind our limits, if we don’t press pause and listen, we risk suffering from reading burnout.
And so, we arrive at the question at the heart of this post: What can readers do to address burnout and find their way back to their love of stories?
The answer isn’t simple—it rarely is—but here are a handful of ideas to run away with. May they banish the burnout and re-energize your love of stories!
Summary: 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 Review: The Crown of Gilded Bones
It’s rare a whole series captures my attention with such ferocity–yet From Blood & Ash has made me into an addicted stalker. When the release date of THE CROWN OF GILDED BONES approached, I kept checking my Kindle and poking Amanda over at Classy X Reviews, and rereading the previous books in preparation.
Part of me braced for disappointment. That’s how it goes with a series, doesn’t it? The first book sucks you in, the second sags, and the third will either renew your love–or kill it. Yet TCOGB surprised me with its twists, its drama, its emotional intimacy. It was unexpected, dearly appreciated, and difficult to put down. Gods, it gave me such a book hangover, too!
Everything I Loved About TCOGB
Poppy & Casteel. I’m not going to lie. I didn’t feel the level of heat was as high in TCOGB as it was in Flesh & Fire. BUT their intimacy was off the charts.
I loved how Crown of Gilded Bones brought Poppy an Cas closer, made things between them more personal, more challenging, more vulnerable–all without making everything about physical intimacy. The sex they have is HOT in every way, but there’s also sharing of feelings. There is just enjoying the other’s presence, resting, knowing limits, and uplifting the ones you love. I enjoyed watching them learn and grow, becoming better characters individually, but also a formidable force together.
TCOGB brought romance and intimacy to the table, and where similar books have fallen short, its managed to twist and shape this love in a way that had me savor and long for every single interaction. Poppy & Cas are truly two of my favorite characters ever, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
Kieran & the Other Wolven. If you’ve read the previous two books, you know quite a bit about Kieran and the other Wolven. In TCOGB, we dig deeper into the lore of Atlantia and the role the Wolven play. We get a peek into their culture, their beliefs, their way of life–and what it means to be Wolven. Anyone unfamiliar with the Wolven might go into this series thinking, “Gods, more werewolves.” But I truly appreciate the ways Armentrout has twisted the trope of shifters in TCOGB. Wolven aren’t werewolves. In our mythologies, wolves often began as men who were cursed to become wolves for misdeeds or mistakes. Think Zeus and the Lycaon of Arcadia. And we won’t get into the whole moon symbolism either. But in TCOGB, it’s reversed: wolves are blessed to take human form. And their blessing serves a legitimate purpose.
Which I won’t spoil for you 😛
Solis & Atlantia. I could go on FOREVER about all the things we learned in TCOGB about Solis and Atlantia, but I won’t. In fact, I won’t say much at all because I’m pretty sure I would spoil a million things for those of you who haven’t read the book yet. BUT I will say this: I love the angle that no country, no matter how good its intentions, is without flaw or a blood-soaked history. We all do bad things in the name of good. The only difference is we call ourselves the hero, and the other is the villain. Armentrout did not disappoint in this regard. At all.
Oh, Drama! I don’t think I can emphasize enough how UTTERLY DRAMATIC this entire book was. It destroyed me. Entertained me. Dragged me from chapter to chapter like some ink-stained sadist. It fed me pretty lies, which I ate. It never ceased to promise me things….which it delivered shortly before ripping my heart out with a spoon.
And I would read it all again, I tell you.
Perhaps my favorite part of the drama was that it was all insanely valid. It wasn’t pointless, cruel, and without consequence. And everyone in the book was affected by it. Everyone needed time to process it. When shit hit the fan, characters reacted in very human ways. Imperfect, but expected. They made mistakes. Their emotions got the better of them. They struggled with fear, rage, and shame. Prejudice. Not one character didn’t struggle with the chaos around them, and Armentrout didn’t try to hide this. She didn’t try to push the idea that we’re only strong when we push our feelings aside and move forward; we’re strong by facing the things we’ve done, by confronting our mistakes, by learning from them. We become better people by owning the past and using this knowledge to shape a better future.
That Ending. All I will say is this: Poppy’s empowerment at the end, her badass attitude and insight and desire to send a message in a way Solis won’t forget, made her every bit the queen I’d hope she’d be. It’s so rare you get a cliffhanger this satisfying.
Favorite Quotes & Scenes
“I think too much value is given to forgiveness when it’s easier to forgive but far harder to forget. That understanding and acceptance is far more important than forgiving someone.” — Poppy
Disappointments & Reflections
Now, if you’ve never read the book (or the series), I suggest avoiding this section. It’s going to have spoilers because, honestly, I don’t know how to whine without being specific.
Before I go off the deep end, I want to stress that I didn’t actually hate hate or dislike any part of The Crown Gilded Bones. I was, however, a bit disappointed certain…ahem…things…I am totally trash for didn’t get explored more. So really this is a “WHY THE HELL NOT, ARMENTROUT” section.
The Kieran-Poppy-Casteel Vibes. The Crown Of Gilded Bones kept hinting at a possible threesome between Poppy, Cas, and Kieran. It was evident in the way Kieran was physically described to his overly protective and intimate interactions with Poppy. Honestly, I was torn between disturbed and loving it, which is where I will probably always live while reading the Blood & Ash series, but whatever.
At some point, though, I tipped heavily in the favor of DO IT, but this never came. My disappointment here is I wished we got a bit more progress in that department. Yes, there’s THAT scene. And the beach. We can’t forget the damned beach, because it definitely confirmed something is going on. But we didn’t get much else. Not the Joining. Not a longing gaze. Not even a lingering touch….
Crazy, I know! I’m not mad….just….teased? Like, Armentrout is a huge tease. We all know where this is going, and I wanted more than a voyeuristic peek. I do love the idea of a polyamorous relationship between these three, and it definitely sounded like all parties were interested. But I’m greedy and wanted more.
You’ll love TCOGB if you enjoy nonstop drama that keeps you clutching the edges of a book, steamy moments that make your toes curl, all kinds of intimacy between characters that leaves your a melted puddle on the floor, and unexpected twists in tales.
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