Crown of Gilded Bones

Rating:

 Poppy is captured by none other than… Alastir who has done everything possible to kill Poppy. He likes her, he claims, but what she is- she cannot be allowed to live. He reveals that he was the reason her parents were attacked and killed. His parents met up with him to get help escaping, and then he betrayed them when he found out who Poppy was. Poppy’s mother was also a trained fighter named  Coralina for Queen Ileana before she fleed with her husband, Leopold and their children. Poppy learns that her parents either one or both may not be her real parents.

Poppy is unable to use her powers in the jail she is trapped in as she is chained in bones of the deities who were starved to death down here over hundreds or thousands of years. Alastir drugs Poppy to move her to another location

Casteel & Kieran  attempt to rescue Poppy when Alastir is having her moved. When Poppy is freed she also fights, but is fatally injured. She is dying and Casteel decides to turn her into a Vampry, despite the act being illegal after Malec made Isbeth into one and created the Vampry race. His father tries to stop him- but Kieran holds the King back. He drains her. 

When Poppy wakes, she is a bloodthirsty beast and tries to eat Kieran. Casteel is able to step in and stop her. She feeds on him, satiating her blood thirst. Interestingly, she is not blood crazy like other Vampry and does not feel ruled by the need of blood or thirsty anymore. She is not…a Vampry. She has not ascended. They do not know what she is.

Poppy is addressed as Meyaah Liessa  by the wolven. She broke the bond between wolven and Atlantians. At the same time, She is now bonded to all wolven. She notices, on occasion, that she can hear the wolven in her head, and speak to them in their minds as well when they are in their wolven form. 

Poppy meets Casteel’s parents. And they accept her. Ileana tells her that war is coming if she and her husband stay on the throne.  They are old and have long memories- there will be no mercy. However, if Poppy takes her birthright as Queen of Atlantia, there may be some mercy for the innocent in Carsedonia. The ascended that may not all be bad. 

Poppy tells Casteel she wants to take the throne and he agrees with her decision to rule. They inform the the King & Queen and they are challenged by some on the Council of Elders, but eventually they are forced to give their consent. The Queen and King hand over the crown to  Poppy and Casteel in a short ceremony and Atlantia now has a new Queen & King. 

Poppy meets one of the elders, who is…Willa Collins, the author of  the smutty Diary she read in the library a year ago that Kieran and Casteel never stop teasing her about. Willa tells her if she’s ever curious she’s there to answer any questions, leaving Poppy very embarrassed.

There is a marriage among the wolven and Poppy & co. join in the festivities. Poppy watches Kieran and a wolven named Lera get intimate on the beach and learns some new…techniques she and Casteel try as well.

Poppy  later asks Kieran about the person he loved after he confronts her about her watching him and Lera on the beach. He tells her he loved a woman who had a genetic wolven disease. It doesn’t show up till after your first century or so of life. It took her then. 

Atlantia receives a message that Ian and a convoy from the Blood Crown request a  meeting. Lera tells Poppy that her brother smells like an ascended. Casteel warns her to be careful, and she promises that if Ian is dangerous, she will end him. 

When they meet the envoy, it is indeed Ian who is here. Poppy is devestated with the nonchalant way he asks her to give up her crown and swear allegiance to Iloana.  He tells them to consider the offer and before he leaves, Ian asks his sister to give him a hug. Poppy agrees, preparing to kill him as her heart breaks. 

However, when Ian pulls her in, he quickly whispers that Poppy must wake Nyktos’ guards. And it is then she knows her sweet, real brother is still in there. This means that that there are likely other ascended who hide their true natures, who are good, just like Ian. There is still hope for Tawny.

They prepare and go to the temple of the Gods. They meet Nyktos who is awake. He threatens to kill them all, but eventually talks to Poppy alone. He tells Poppy Malec was not his grandson, but his son. And that makes Poppy Nyktos’ Granddaughter. He then explains to Poppy that the reason she is so powerful is because he-Nyktos- is a primal God. A God of old who made the Earth. A type of God who came before the Gods the world is now familiar with. 

The Primal Gods were taken down by the new Gods. They lived for a very long time and became corrupt and twisted. It is why so many of the newer Gods went to sleep. Living too long can corrupt. In fact, Nyktos had been dreaming of Poppy for a while, but has been more lucid in the last two decades. He explains that his consort too, sleep fitfully because of what is happening now. 

She asks for his help, to lend her his guards and he says he cannot do that. But she has has always had the power in her. 

Poppy and Casteel prepare to go to Carsadonia to end the Blood Crown’s name and save Malik and Ian. After a very motion sick Poppy leaves the boat, they are met  by a revanant. A woman who is not a vampry, for she has emotions, but is definitely of the supernatural variety.   They also see a caged, tortured shape shifter being held by Ileana and Poppy’s heart goes out to the creature, desperately wanting to save him. Cas tells her he loves her compassion and they will try, but right now they have a mission and they must not risk it. She hesitantly agrees but cannot stop thinking about the large grey cat/human being tortured. 

The revanant tells them their troups from the other side have been taken care of and are being held. Ian shows up and confirms that their troupes are okay and he will take them to the troups and Queen. 

He also brings Tawny along. Poppy and Tawny are reunited at last and Tawny is still human. Tawny tries to warn Poppy- but Ian stops her- to save her life and Poppy is warmed by the action.

She parlays with Ileana, and doesn’t notice who stands to her side. It is not King Jalara…but, Malik, the lost heir to Atlantia and Casteel’s brother. Except, he doesn’t look tortured or like a prisoner the way Casteel explains his time was. He looks well fed & taken care of, and wears the clothes of finery.

They are shocked to find Malik has switch his loyalties to the Ascended.  The truth comes out- Ileana explains they cannot win as they are. They must give up Atlantia to her rule, though they may keep their titles of Prince and Princess. Poppy tells her she has no right, but then Ileana dumps this fact on her: 

Her true name is not Ileana, but…Isbeth. The Mistress and heartmate of late Atlantian King, Malec.    Queen Iloana was furious that Isbeth was Malec’s mistress, and poisened Isbeth. that is when Malec, who couldn’t live without Isbeth, attempted to turn her into a vampry. But it didn’t work. A God can’t turn someone into a vampry, nor can Gods become Vampry.  She’s been pretending to be an ascended, while it’s not what she truly is. It is why Poppy was not a Vampry when turned. Isbeth claims that Malec transferred power to her when he saved her, therefore she is a God, as is Poppy. Poppy realizes Iloana sent them into this meeting blindsided by this information, and she is furious. 

Isbeth tells Poppy that Atlantian troupes cannot defeat her. For she has the revenants who cannot die. She kills the revenant who brought them here, and she dies, but then slowly comes back to life. It’s clear the pain was as excruciating as death would be, but she’s living again. 

Poppy still doesn’t give up, and so,  leana quickly decapitates Ian, killing him. She then blames Poppy for Ian’s death, telling her she didn’t want to kill him. That she loved him like her own son, just as she loves Poppy…who is her daughter.  She is not Coralina’s and Malec’s child, but Isbeth’s. 

Isbeth explains why she is doing this. Malec had her flee, and promised he would join her once the war with Atlantia was over, and they would live with the three of them…Isbeth, Malec, and their…son. 

She waited years for them, and then found out her son was dead. She knew Malec loved their son fiercly and the only way Malec would have allowed their son to fall, was if he himself was dead. So, she took control and wants to take everything from Atlantia and Ileana. It started with taking her sons. 

She also explains that Coralina stole poppy from her. Before that, Cora was her favorite handmaiden. 

She then tells Poppy that she is not fighting like a god, and starts tearing Poppy’s mind apart. Casteel beg’s for Poppy’s life and asks that Isbeth takes him instead, before Poppy blacks out. 

She wakes to find Kieran looking after her in their encampment. Everything has gone wrong. Casteel has been captured, again. This time, with the help of his own brother. 

Isbeth gave Poppy Tawny, as a gift. But she is in a coma of sorts and isn’t doing well. They return to Atlantia, and she confronts Iloana in an enraged encounter. Iloana confesses she was embarrassed that Malec loved Isbeth more than her. Her pride couldn’t stand it. Poppy tells her that her own pride took her two sons and caused this mess. She knew Ileana was Isbeth and sent them in blind. 

She and Kieran talk, and Poppy realizes she has always  had the power in her all along. Thanks to Isbeth, she realizes she isn’t a deity, but a God. She returns to the temple of the Gods with Kieran in tow, while his sister stays with her parents and their newborn sister. 

There, she meets the Draken, Nektos, and he tells her Nyktos has gone to sleep with his consort again. He asks her if she now understands the power she wields, and she confirms. He warns her: 

     Before you speak, you must be sure, for these words cannot be rescinded. Once you summon the flesh and fire of the gods, to protect and serve you, to keep you safe, they will be cast in fire and carved in flesh.”

Poppy responds:

     I seek the aid of the draken to fight the Revenants and the Ascended—to fight beside Atlantia. I do not seek to destroy the cities or kill those caught between them and me. For the most part, the people of Solis are innocent.

Nektos asks if she will bring back what is theirs- her father. She starts to contest,  believing he is talking about Malec, but he explains Malec is not Poppy’s  father. Instead, her father is Malec’s twin, Ires.  Poppy realizes the large grey cat in the cage they saw in Isbeth’s palace was Ires, her father.  Poppy recalls that Isbeth never strictly said that Poppy’s father was Malec, it was just assumed. What Isbeth and Ires relationship is however, is a story for another time.  

Nektos also lets Poppy know that Isbeth is not a God. They cannot be made, they must be born. She, like the revenants, are an abomination of all things the Gods created. 

Poppy then asks Nektus if his daughter lives, and he says he does not know. she was on the cusp of maturity when the Gods went to sleep. However, her name is Jadis. 

It hits Poppy then- Malec is entombed in the blood forest, but he is a God, therefore, he cannot not die. He would waste away, but he is still alive…and Isbeth mentioned how much she still loved Malec…

Poppy is ready- and summons the Draken to protect her with the words Nyktos’ consort gave her in the blood forest.

 

Poppy and Kieran, now with a draken army at their backs, asks to specifically meet with King Jalara who they would like to deliver a message to Isbeth. 

They meet him and he is cruel to Poppy. Then Poppy tells him the message is him- and decapitates him. She tells the revenant who is has accompanied The False King that this was her message. Bring his body back and tell her thank you for teaching Poppy to fight like a God. That this  is for Ian.