Crown Me Dead by Liv Zander Review (Heartstring Duet #1) | Dark, Disturbing Yet Completely Addictive…
Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Quick Book Details
Title: Crown Me Dead
Author: Liv Zander
Series: Heartstring Duet, Book 1
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance / Dark Romantasy
Publisher: Ink Heart Publishing
Publication Date: 10 April 2026
Pages: 270 pages
Synopsis
Crown Me Dead follows Elara, a gravedigger’s daughter living in a realm being consumed by rot, sickness and death.
When her brother starts showing signs of infection, Vale appears with a bargain. Elara must seduce Kael, the cursed king, become queen and then die so her brother can live.
Kael is the rotting ruler of a diseased kingdom, while Vale is the cold figure standing behind the plan that could destroy Elara completely.
As Elara is pulled deeper into the palace, the curse and the men who both need something from her, she has to work out who is using her, who wants her alive and whether survival is even possible in a world built on death.
Main Character and Key Side Character Info
Elara
Elara is the main character.
She is a gravedigger’s daughter and has grown up surrounded by death, sickness and decay.
Kael
Kael is the cursed king.
His body and kingdom are both tied to rot and decay.
Vale
Vale is the one who brings Elara the bargain.
He is controlled, cold and difficult to trust.
Who I’d Recommend This Book To
I’d recommend Crown Me Dead to readers who like:
Dark romantasy with a grim, gothic feel
Cursed kings and morally grey characters
Body horror, rot, gore and darker worldbuilding
High-stakes bargains
Books that are disturbing but still romantic
I would probably avoid this if you do not like graphic body horror, gore, dark romance themes or books where consent, coercion and violence are part of the darker setup.
Review
I'm sorry…WHAT?! I honestly thought I had this all figured out, but nope! I need book two right now.
The premise is great and it's unlike a lot of what I've read recently. You've only got a handful of characters to keep track of, and no one's lugging around a huge backstory, at least not one you need to know for this story to work.
The pacing was great too and the smutty scenes weren't constant or dragged out. Just a heads up though, the "dark" in this dark romance isn't just about spice levels. There's some proper gothic, body-horror stuff going on too, so go in expecting more than steamy scenes. Still, it had the right balance of pretty much everything!
That really was a great read! It's under 300 pages, but I wish it had been longer. Some parts could've used a bit more build-up. Things happened pretty quickly, almost too quickly, but it's a shortish story, so there's only so much you can fit in.
The next book is getting read the second I've finished writing this review! I've been told I'll cry, but I'm not much of a crier… so we'll see!
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ .5
You can buy this book on Amazon (Affiliate Link): Paperback - https://amzn.to/44jaalK
