66 pages • 2 hours read
Jennifer L. ArmentroutThe Crown of Gilded Bones
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Interplay of Power and Resistance
Poppy’s power grows significantly throughout The Crown of Gilded Bones, and she faces multiple challenges that tempt her to use her destructive magical abilities. As each conflict arises, Poppy demonstrates the ability to resist using the full force of her power. This restraint separates her from her enemies, who show little remorse while committing their evil deeds. Thus, Poppy introduces the interplay of power and resistance at Castle Bauer when she reins in her eather (god’s blood) before her actions kill the Unseen. Although the urge to use her destructive power comes naturally, she has also practiced her magical empathic abilities for her entire life, and as a result, she knows how to shut down this new urge to use her more dangerous magic before it overwhelms her. Struggling with this intense inner battle, Poppy tells Kieran, “N-nothing. I… [...] I’m fine [...] Thank you. I’m…I’m going to sit this one out” (88-89), and her stammer indicates the sheer effort of holding back her power. In the novel’s opening chapters, Poppy has many unanswered questions about who or what she is. Her hesitancy to use her power illustrates that she will resist using force until she has all the necessary information.
When Poppy challenges Isbeth, she realizes she has not yet allowed herself to embrace her full power. Isbeth exposes Poppy’s resistance as a weakness, and confrontation exposes the fact that Cas and Poppy are unprepared to present their demands to Isbeth. Because Poppy spends much of The Crown of Gilded Bones resisting her power, she never learns what she is truly capable of achieving with it. However, this reticent mindset shifts drastically by the novel’s conclusion, for as Poppy finally admits, “I hadn’t fought like a god because I did not believe I was one” (617). In the end, Poppy recognizes that the only way to save Cas and unite Solis and Atlantia is to push her power to its outermost limits while still maintaining control.
After learning of Cas's imprisonment, Poppy nearly loses her capacity to resist the full use of her power. She comes very close to leveling Oak Ambler while blind with rage, tormented by separation from her heartmate. Poppy feels her power build as she plans to “rip apart their homes, scorch their lands, and fill their streets with blood until there was nowhere to run or hide” (609). While the majority of the narrative makes it clear that Poppy values innocent life above all else and prioritizes saving lives even as she strategizes against Isbeth, she nearly loses sight of this moral obligation as she blasts through a boundary wall, scaring dozens of mortals. Fortunately, her ability to catch herself proves that her moral strength is equal to that of her newfound magical strength, for she states, “I was not what Alastir and the Unseen claimed. I was nothing like the deities they feared. And I sure as hell wasn’t like my mother” (611). Even when faced with the most extreme test, Poppy finds the will to remain level-headed and calculate her next move. Her ability to resist destroying others for her own gain therefore sets her apart from Isbeth, Eloana, and the other leaders of the mortal realm.
The Evolution of Identity and Destiny
While the themes surrounding identity span the entire Blood and Ash series, The Crown of Gilded Bones introduces new challenges to Poppy’s identity as her destiny to rule as queen and a goddess comes to light. Having already fought for the free will to determine her own identity when she was confined as The Maiden, Poppy must now confront her fate as a goddess and the Queen of Atlantia. Initially, Alastir characterizes Poppy’s destiny as a negative development, predicting that she will destroy Atlantia in spite of her intentions to do otherwise. However, as the novel progresses, Poppy proves that she only fulfills her destined roles because she chooses to do so, acting freely and adhering to her strict moral code. Poppy also demonstrates the ability to take charge of her fate while refusing to allow a prophecy to dictate her life.
Poppy chooses to identify as an Atlantian as she tours the kingdom and naturally feels at home. As she acclimates to these surroundings, she also listens to her instincts, establishing a sense of belonging in Atlantia and actively accepting this kingdom as her home. Significantly, although Queen Eloana initially declares Poppy the destined Queen of Atlantia, she also encourages Poppy to learn about the kingdom before accepting the crown, stating, “I want you to take the Crown because you love Atlantia, because you love her people and her land” (397). Even though Poppy’s abilities identify her as the preordained, rightful leader of the kingdom, those closest to Poppy respect her ability to take charge of her fate and reject destiny if she so desires.
Although Poppy spends much of the novel discovering her heritage and learning the truth about her parentage, she considers Coralena and Leopold to be her true parents because they loved and cared for her. The defining factors of motherhood weigh heavily on Poppy’s mind, especially when she witnesses other characters share intimate moments. Poppy ultimately rejects Isbeth as her mother, though she acknowledges that Isbeth birthed her, and this dynamic illustrates how one can simultaneously accept and reject their identity and destiny. Even when Poppy’s many questions about her parents and personal history are answered, Poppy considers Coralena and Eloana her actual mother figures.
Despite these shows of strength, Poppy frequently questions her motivations and actions, asking those around her to validate her moral judgments. The fact that Poppy second-guesses herself and holds herself accountable for adverse outcomes over which she lacks control illustrates that she considers herself no different than others. Even when she believes that she is a deity who is destined to rule Atlantia, she self-consciously asks, “Do I seem awkward when I meet people?” (318). Thus, Poppy’s insecurities humanize her and prove that she allows room for external critiques and corrections. This character trait proves essential when more significant conflicts come to light, and she always treads carefully when considering her identity and destiny. While she ultimately claims ownership of her free will, she spends much time questioning her actions and decisions, consulting others as she sees fit.
Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Leadership
Poppy and Cas’s leadership styles differ significantly from those of previous generations of Atlantian leaders. Still, the young couple has yet to face as many complications and challenges as Eloana, Valyn, and the Council of Elders. As Poppy faces various conflicts, she learns that the correct decisions are not always the most obvious choices. For example, Poppy makes an impulsive decision to use her magic to save the life of a child injured in a carriage accident, and she later debates the ethics of this choice. While Cas finds Poppy’s power incredible, Poppy feels it is “powerful in a frightening way” (338), which suggests that she does not feel entitled to cheat death and bring people back to life despite her innate compulsion to help those in need. Poppy cannot “imagine a time when helping someone wouldn’t feel right” (339), though she realizes saving people from death makes her no better than the Ascended. Although Poppy ultimately feels content with her decision to reanimate the child, she learns that as queen, killing and death will inevitably become a part of her job. Thus, she learns that she cannot save everyone, even if she wants to.
On a similar note, Cas and Poppy pass judgement on Eloana for her responsibility in the Craven attack that nearly killed Poppy in childhood. Believing that Poppy could potentially end Atlantia as they know it, Eloana defends Alastir’s decision to murder a child. Cas condemns his parents for their part in Poppy’s traumatic past, declaring that he would never act similarly. Yet, this declaration ignores the fact that if Atlantia had erupted into civil war because Cas ascended Poppy into a vampry, Cas would have been responsible for countless deaths of innocents.
While Poppy wants to avoid bloodshed in both kingdoms, she will ultimately prioritize Atlantia’s best interests, even if that means committing genocide against the Ascended. Ironically, her efforts to bring peace often prove deadly for those closest to her. For example, when Poppy chooses to meet with Isbeth instead of attacking Solis with Atlantian armies and refuses Isbeth’s conditions of surrender, she is devastated to witness Ian decapitated as a result. Additionally, Poppy is nearly killed herself, and Cas is captured. Poppy therefore learns the harsh reality that sometimes war cannot be avoided and lives cannot be saved. Now, as queen, she resolves never to underestimate her opponents again, lacing the overarching narrative with tension by foreshadowing the conflicts to come in the next installment of the series.
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By Jennifer L. Armentrout
