naz's Reviews > The ​Crown of Gilded Bones

SPOILERS
4.5 stars

plot heavy + romance heavy + smut heavy = TOP TIER

I finished this last night and fuck me, I’m still reeling from everything that happened. I just have one question: HOW THE HELL DO I GO ON WITH MY LIFE NOW?

honestly, I just came for the romance and romance only. with a side of plot😊 and i was not disappointed! usually by the third or fourth book in a series, the romance is the main thing for me. when I’m so in love with a ship and adore them with all my heart then everything else is just background noise. I mostly want soft moments, domestic bliss and all of that. But the plot(s) in tcogb??? yeah I was actually invested!

“The dimple in his right cheek appeared, and he dipped his head, kissing just above my brow and then lower, over the scar. “Princess?”
My lips curved up. What had started as a nickname had become a reality. “Yes?”
His mouth moved over mine. “I love you.”
The smile on my face grew as my heart did a little skip in my chest. “I love you.”

The crown of gilded bones is action packed but is still character driven that had me feeling ALL the emotions. My heart was racing, I was happy, crying, hyperventilating, screaming, swooning, melting and blushing. And that is just the first 18% of the book!! I’m actually having serious withdrawal symptoms today and I’m two seconds away from rereading all three books. I can’t stop thinking about that ENDING. POPPY IS A FUCKING BAD ASS. BOW DOWN TO THE QUEEN🔥🔥 God. JLA and her third books in every series are always so damn painful!!
I’m not even going to try to talk about the plot because I have two braincells and I cannot summarise the beautiful chaos that is tcogb. And I didn’t even attempt to read this in one sitting, I rarely do with long ass fantasy books because sometimes I get either bored or overwhelmed with the world building! There are many chapters in the middle of this book that are quite slow and repetitive which is why taking breaks helped me. a few chapters could have definitely been cut from tcogb and the info dump had me confused at times but it didn't take away from how much i enjoyed the story.

“Clasping his cheek, I guided his gaze back to mine. “You are a King. My King. And you will always be my everything, but never will you be a thing.”
Casteel moved fast, pinning my back to the bed with the warm weight of his body. “I love you.”

I don’t think anyone understands how much I fucking love when one character is fatally injured and the other character is ABSOLUTELY BROKEN, voice is shaky and hoarse whilst telling their love interest everything will be okay and are willing to do ANYTHING TO BRING THEM BACK including sacrificing themselves. The sheer amount of pain and the desperate declarations of love in these scenes give me so much fucking serotonin. These scenes are truly perfection because it still possesses all the delicious angst and undeniably raw pain of a death trope but without the literal death of the main character.. yes, i’m very aware I need therapy. Jla loves pulling her characters back from the brink of death and I EAT IT UP EVERY TIME. GOOD FUCKING SHIT!!😍😍

“He was crying.
Casteel was crying.
Tears streaked his cheeks, creating glistening tracks in the dried blood as they rolled and rolled…and I knew…I knew I was dying. Casteel knew it, too. He had to. There was so much I wanted to say.

“Casteel…broke.
He threw back his head and roared. He roared, and the sound echoed around us, through me. Under me, the stone cracked and opened. Thick, ropey roots spilled out, the color of ash. Kieran fell back on his ass as they came down over”

brb, crying all over again.

Oh and Casteel, my stupid tree bear, was still surprised and couldn’t believe it when poppy finally said she loved him!! He thinks he isn't worthy and shocked she could ever love him!! This scene was so beautiful that I cried and now lives in my mind rent free.🥺🤩

“He drew back enough that his forehead rested against mine. “I didn’t…” He cleared his throat as I ran my fingers along his jaw. “I mean, I…I thought you did. I believed that—or maybe I needed to believe it—but I don’t think I really knew.” His voice roughened again as he reached between us, wiping away a tear that escaped.”

"The only thing I have ever chosen is your son.”
Casteel’s head tipped back, and his chest rose with a deep breath, but he remained quiet, letting me speak for myself.”

TCOGB included kinky shit that exists only in fantasy settings. Everything he said he would do in akofaf wedding night chapter... HE DID IT and I screamed with pure happiness🥵
Also, let’s not forget the long-awaited shower scene and poppy reading willa colyns sex diaries whilst casteel is going down on her<3 gave me such a buzz, all I wanted!🤤

side note: "lift your ass, my queen" gave me the same feelings as "lift your hips for me, love" did when i first read unravel me and that's on morally corrupt, dark +blonde haired guys with tortured pasts who don't believe they are worthy but actually are excellency. yes my legs are wide open for both warner and casteel and what about it?

“Don’t move.” Casteel shot me a heated look, and I froze. He withdrew the all-too-familiar leather-bound book. Straightening, he cracked it open. “Pick a page, my Queen.”
Was he going to read to me? “I…I don’t know. 238.”
“238, it is.” He found the page and then turned the book over to me. “Read to me. Please?”

Ummm.. was anyone upset that casteel didn’t call poppy “princess” as much as the last two books☹+ we barely got any scenes of cas being jealous

some other things i loved:

-casteel being mesmerised from seeing poppy laugh and when she calls him 'cas' and also him getting a boner from it🦋
- kieran and poppy's friendship blossoming even more!
- poppycas FINALLY declaring their love for each other. SO SWEET✨
- the bond between the wolven and poppy🙌🏽
-poppy and cas both ready to KILL and do everything in their power to save each other!🥳
- OMG I think we manifested too hard because the ICONIC miss willa colyns actually made an appearance in the book and basically had a hand in bringing poppy and casteel together in the beginning of fbaa!!


threesome: poppycaskieran DOES NOT happen. BUT there is a scene where poppy and casteel have sex and Kieran is in the room and holding her waist because she might suck every drop of blood from cas. Also poppycas watch Kieran getting a blowjob.

As much as I love this series, I’m not sure plot wise how three more books will work. Just like this book, I know there will be a lot of filler, repetitiveness, and long monologues. unless.. poppycas.. having babies?? Because FUCK YES I AM HERE FOR THAT. Poppycas being the best parents??? The cute moments??? Cas being even more protective over poppy whilst shes pregnant??? cas holding his baby so gently because hes scared he might hurt them?? God yes, I need it.

“If you think that what I did was a shock, then you need to understand that I will do anything and everything for my wife.” Casteel’s gaze latched on to his father’s. “No risk is too great, nor is anything too sacred. Because she is my everything. There is nothing greater than her, and I do mean nothing.”

my hopes for book 4:
-poppycas obviously reuniting.
-BUT ALSO PREGNANCY TROPE. probably an unpopular request but jla, i am begging🧎🏽‍♀️


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i'm so ready for casteel to call poppy "my queen", my soul will melt every. single. time.

update 6/09/20:

it's the way i already know this is going to be the best book of 2021. AND THAT'S ON POPPYCAS SUPREMACY

✨✨✨ manifesting poppycas to recreate scenes from the diary of miss willa colyns ✨✨✨