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The Gold Weaver #1
Der Hof, der Gold blutet (Die Goldweberin 1)
Ein actiongeladener, dunkler Fantasy-Liebesroman, perfekt für Fans von Raven Kennedy, Krista Street und Sarah J. Maas.
Um der Heirat mit einem grausamen König zu entgehen, schließe ich aus Verzweiflung einen Pakt mit einem Feenprinzen und werde seine Gefangene.
„Ich kann Gold spinnen“, lüge ich.
Da mein Leben auf dem Spiel steht, habe ich keine andere Wahl.
Ich bekomme eine Chance, meine Lüge wahr zu machen, und bin schockiert, als es mir gelingt.
Doch nun verlangt der brutale Menschenkönig, dass ich seine Gemahlin werde – mich erwartet ein Leben zwischen seinem Bett und einem Turm, in den ich bis zu meinem letzten Atemzug eingesperrt werden soll, um dort Gold zu spinnen.
Mein einziger Ausweg ist, ihn zu beschwören.
Einen weithin berüchtigten und gefürchteten Feenprinzen.
Die Abmachung, die wir treffen, ist abscheulich, aber sie ist meine einzige Möglichkeit, zu überleben, nachdem ich bei einem Fluchtversuch erwischt worden bin.
Mein neuer Entführer verschleppt mich in sein Reich.
Es ist ein Ort abgrundtiefer Schönheit und wilder Grausamkeit.
Während böse Feen sadistische Spiele spielen, ist der Prinz mein einziger Beschützer.
Aber er beschützt mich nicht nur. Er hütet auch seine eigenen Geheimnisse.
Ich sollte ihn hassen. Doch unser Pakt offenbart mir eine Seite von ihm, die sein Hofstaat niemals zu sehen bekommt.
Hinter seiner monströsen Maske verbirgt sich mehr.
Und ich kann der Versuchung nicht widerstehen, nachzusehen, was es damit auf sich hat.
Vor allem, als ich erfahre, was er wirklich von mir will.
‚Der Hof, der Gold blutet‘ ist das erste Buch einer dunklen Fantasy-Liebesroman-Trilogie. Diese Reihe, in der Feinde zu Liebenden werden, wurde inspiriert von ‚Rumpelstilzchen‘ und ‚Die Schöne und das Biest‘. Sei dabei, wenn der düstere Held die ganze verdammte Welt für unsere scharfzüngige Heldin in Schutt und Asche legt. Dich erwarten Leidenschaft, Gewalt und zahlreiche hitzige Wortgefechte.
Lob für Der Hof, der Gold
„Ein perfektes High-Fantasy-Abenteuer, welches mich total geflasht hat. Gefährlich, romantisch, spannend und mitreißend"
„Das Buch ist absolut fesselnd geschrieben, habe schon seit Längerem keines mehr gelesen, das mich so in den Bann gezogen hat."
„Fesselnde Geschichte und tolle Charaktere. Absolute Lese Empfehlung, für diejenigen die Fantasy lieben und sich gerne in andere Welten einlesen."
„Die Anziehungskraft zwischen Eleanor und Ruskin war spürbar und ich habe das Knistern zwischen den beiden richtig genossen."
„Eine Fabelhafte Welt, die mich staunen lässt."
„Es war spannend bis zur letzten Seite und ich habe einfach alles an der Geschichte geliebt."
„Dieses Buch ist ein absolutes Lesehighlight!"
„Das Ende. OMG. Eine absolute Überraschung. Es wird zu keiner Zeit langweilig."
„Eine tolle Enemies-to-Lovers-Story, die unter die Haut geht."
Um der Heirat mit einem grausamen König zu entgehen, schließe ich aus Verzweiflung einen Pakt mit einem Feenprinzen und werde seine Gefangene.
„Ich kann Gold spinnen“, lüge ich.
Da mein Leben auf dem Spiel steht, habe ich keine andere Wahl.
Ich bekomme eine Chance, meine Lüge wahr zu machen, und bin schockiert, als es mir gelingt.
Doch nun verlangt der brutale Menschenkönig, dass ich seine Gemahlin werde – mich erwartet ein Leben zwischen seinem Bett und einem Turm, in den ich bis zu meinem letzten Atemzug eingesperrt werden soll, um dort Gold zu spinnen.
Mein einziger Ausweg ist, ihn zu beschwören.
Einen weithin berüchtigten und gefürchteten Feenprinzen.
Die Abmachung, die wir treffen, ist abscheulich, aber sie ist meine einzige Möglichkeit, zu überleben, nachdem ich bei einem Fluchtversuch erwischt worden bin.
Mein neuer Entführer verschleppt mich in sein Reich.
Es ist ein Ort abgrundtiefer Schönheit und wilder Grausamkeit.
Während böse Feen sadistische Spiele spielen, ist der Prinz mein einziger Beschützer.
Aber er beschützt mich nicht nur. Er hütet auch seine eigenen Geheimnisse.
Ich sollte ihn hassen. Doch unser Pakt offenbart mir eine Seite von ihm, die sein Hofstaat niemals zu sehen bekommt.
Hinter seiner monströsen Maske verbirgt sich mehr.
Und ich kann der Versuchung nicht widerstehen, nachzusehen, was es damit auf sich hat.
Vor allem, als ich erfahre, was er wirklich von mir will.
‚Der Hof, der Gold blutet‘ ist das erste Buch einer dunklen Fantasy-Liebesroman-Trilogie. Diese Reihe, in der Feinde zu Liebenden werden, wurde inspiriert von ‚Rumpelstilzchen‘ und ‚Die Schöne und das Biest‘. Sei dabei, wenn der düstere Held die ganze verdammte Welt für unsere scharfzüngige Heldin in Schutt und Asche legt. Dich erwarten Leidenschaft, Gewalt und zahlreiche hitzige Wortgefechte.
Lob für Der Hof, der Gold
„Ein perfektes High-Fantasy-Abenteuer, welches mich total geflasht hat. Gefährlich, romantisch, spannend und mitreißend"
„Das Buch ist absolut fesselnd geschrieben, habe schon seit Längerem keines mehr gelesen, das mich so in den Bann gezogen hat."
„Fesselnde Geschichte und tolle Charaktere. Absolute Lese Empfehlung, für diejenigen die Fantasy lieben und sich gerne in andere Welten einlesen."
„Die Anziehungskraft zwischen Eleanor und Ruskin war spürbar und ich habe das Knistern zwischen den beiden richtig genossen."
„Eine Fabelhafte Welt, die mich staunen lässt."
„Es war spannend bis zur letzten Seite und ich habe einfach alles an der Geschichte geliebt."
„Dieses Buch ist ein absolutes Lesehighlight!"
„Das Ende. OMG. Eine absolute Überraschung. Es wird zu keiner Zeit langweilig."
„Eine tolle Enemies-to-Lovers-Story, die unter die Haut geht."
366 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2024
2111 people are currently reading
7383 people want to read
About the author
Zara Storm
18 books157 followersFor readers who love clever heroines and twisty plots that keep you thinking.
Zara Storm writes fantasy romance with dark, compelling heroes and sassy, competent heroines. Her debut series is The Gold Weaver series. Zara loves fast-paced books with adventure, magic, strong characters, a rough-edged hero, and spicy romance.
Zara lives in Colorado with her husband, their two kids, her scaredy cat pit-bull mix, and their feisty cat who is queen of the house. When she’s not writing, she loves to read, hike the mountains, and travel to new places, but she’ll cop to the fact that she spends too much time watching Tiktok videos and she can endlessly watch Lucifer and Vampire Diaries.
You can connect with Zara on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, and her website.
Zara Storm writes fantasy romance with dark, compelling heroes and sassy, competent heroines. Her debut series is The Gold Weaver series. Zara loves fast-paced books with adventure, magic, strong characters, a rough-edged hero, and spicy romance.
Zara lives in Colorado with her husband, their two kids, her scaredy cat pit-bull mix, and their feisty cat who is queen of the house. When she’s not writing, she loves to read, hike the mountains, and travel to new places, but she’ll cop to the fact that she spends too much time watching Tiktok videos and she can endlessly watch Lucifer and Vampire Diaries.
You can connect with Zara on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, and her website.
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April 16, 2024
❥sophias reading journal entry #3
❥arc #1
4/5 stars
𖦹𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗅𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗅𝖾𝗋𝗍𖦹
↳ “𝐌𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲. “𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮?”
❥ 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 390
❥ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy
❥ 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞: Enemies to lovers >>>
❥ 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬: Violence and sex
❥ 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝: 100%
⁀➷🕯️ 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭
A Court that Bleeds Gold is a rumpelstiltskin retelling. GIRL IK HOW THAT SOUNDS BUT I SWEAR ITS GOOD. Eleanor lives in a poor town on the border of fae lands, in order to make a living she has been using her mother’s healer notes on plants and other materials to try and make gold. When one of her friends gets taken in for a crime, they use her (not yet mastered) ability to make gold to try and be excused of all crimes. The king sees her ability and immediately plans to wed her, Eleanor, trapped in the castle makes a deal with Ruskin. Ruskin is a brutal fae prince that makes deals with humans in return for a steep price. Eleanor makes a deal that took more than she bargained for. 🤭🤭
⁀➷🕯️𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞
MWAH THIS WRITING WAS SO GOOD. Not the best I have ever read but enough to keep me hooked for the WHOLE BOOK. I had a 7 minute speech today (😬) but I still stayed up until 2 am to finish this masterpiece.
❥𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧❤︎︎
𐬽𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫𐬽
↳ “𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝, 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤.“
↳ “’𝐁𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫, 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐲. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫.’“
👏👏👏 MOTHER FUCKING ELEANOR CARRIED THIS WHOLE BOOK. Honestly, I can only remember one time I got pissed off at her. She actually thought with her head and not her 🐱. SHE WAS SMART AND FUNNY. not me literally fangirling over her. Tbh probably one of my new favorite fmc🤷♀️.
𐬽𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𐬽
↳ “‘𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐞,’ 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲, 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞. ‘𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞.’
𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐤 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬, 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. ‘𝐎𝐡, 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞.’”
↳ “’𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭?’ 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝. ’𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫!’“
🫣🤭 those were my reactions the WHOLE TIME reading this book. Do not put Ruskin in front of me, trust me it’s for his safety not mine. He was really funny, like I was actually GIGGLING. AND THE WAY… JUST HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ELLA IS I NEED IT. I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE, I VOLUNTEER.
𐬽𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𐬽
↳ “‘𝐃𝐞𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫.’
‘𝐀𝐬 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭.’”
↳ “’𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬?’ 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬, 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫.“
Okay, so I know he wasn’t one of the “main characters” but IM STILL IN LOVE W HIM. HE WAS SO FUCKING FUNNY. And he was in love with clothes (as he should be😘) but he dresses WAY better than me. i think we all should strive to be like destan🙏🙏🙏
𐬽𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐛𝐚𐬽
↳ “‘𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞?’
‘𝐆𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥,’ 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤.”
BTW Cebba was the one asking for the name bc she was like tourturing ella😊. basically i hate this back stabbing wanna be bitch. fuck cebba🖕🖕
⁀➷🕯️𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭
❥ “𝖣𝗈 𝖨 𝖶𝖺𝗇𝗇𝖺 𝖪𝗇𝗈𝗐？“ 𝖠𝗋𝖼𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝖬𝗈𝗇𝗄𝖾𝗒𝗌
♪ “𝖣𝗈 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗇𝖺 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐．𝖨𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖿𝗅𝗈𝗐𝗌 𝖻𝗈𝗍𝗁 𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌.“
❥ “𝖬𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖣𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗋 𝖬𝖺𝗇“ 𝖫𝖺𝗇𝖺 𝖣𝖾𝗅 𝖱𝖾𝗒
♪ “𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖺 𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖽𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗋 𝗆𝖺𝗇，𝗌𝗈 𝗐𝗁𝗒 𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗄𝖾？“
❥ “𝖧𝗂𝗆 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨“ 𝖦－𝖤𝖺𝗌𝗒
♪ “𝖳𝗈 𝗆𝗒 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖨’𝖽 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗅𝗂𝖾“😏
⁀➷🕯️𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬♡︎
↳ “‘“𝐎𝐡, 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞.’”
↳ “’𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬, 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐚.’“
↳ “’𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝?’“
↳ “’𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮.’“
↳ “‘𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮,’ 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨.
𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬. ‘𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐨, 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫.’”
⁀➷🕯️𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc🙏. So happy I read it, it’s actually a national crime some of you guys haven’t read it yet so go read it :). OH AND BTW PLOT TWIST??
❥arc #1
4/5 stars
𖦹𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗅𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗅𝖾𝗋𝗍𖦹
↳ “𝐌𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲. “𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮?”
❥ 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 390
❥ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy
❥ 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞: Enemies to lovers >>>
❥ 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬: Violence and sex
❥ 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝: 100%
⁀➷🕯️ 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭
A Court that Bleeds Gold is a rumpelstiltskin retelling. GIRL IK HOW THAT SOUNDS BUT I SWEAR ITS GOOD. Eleanor lives in a poor town on the border of fae lands, in order to make a living she has been using her mother’s healer notes on plants and other materials to try and make gold. When one of her friends gets taken in for a crime, they use her (not yet mastered) ability to make gold to try and be excused of all crimes. The king sees her ability and immediately plans to wed her, Eleanor, trapped in the castle makes a deal with Ruskin. Ruskin is a brutal fae prince that makes deals with humans in return for a steep price. Eleanor makes a deal that took more than she bargained for. 🤭🤭
⁀➷🕯️𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞
MWAH THIS WRITING WAS SO GOOD. Not the best I have ever read but enough to keep me hooked for the WHOLE BOOK. I had a 7 minute speech today (😬) but I still stayed up until 2 am to finish this masterpiece.
❥𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧❤︎︎
𐬽𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫𐬽
↳ “𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝, 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤.“
↳ “’𝐁𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫, 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐲. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫.’“
👏👏👏 MOTHER FUCKING ELEANOR CARRIED THIS WHOLE BOOK. Honestly, I can only remember one time I got pissed off at her. She actually thought with her head and not her 🐱. SHE WAS SMART AND FUNNY. not me literally fangirling over her. Tbh probably one of my new favorite fmc🤷♀️.
𐬽𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𐬽
↳ “‘𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐞,’ 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲, 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞. ‘𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞.’
𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐤 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬, 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. ‘𝐎𝐡, 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞.’”
↳ “’𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭?’ 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝. ’𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫!’“
🫣🤭 those were my reactions the WHOLE TIME reading this book. Do not put Ruskin in front of me, trust me it’s for his safety not mine. He was really funny, like I was actually GIGGLING. AND THE WAY… JUST HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ELLA IS I NEED IT. I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE, I VOLUNTEER.
𐬽𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𐬽
↳ “‘𝐃𝐞𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫.’
‘𝐀𝐬 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭.’”
↳ “’𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬?’ 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬, 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫.“
Okay, so I know he wasn’t one of the “main characters” but IM STILL IN LOVE W HIM. HE WAS SO FUCKING FUNNY. And he was in love with clothes (as he should be😘) but he dresses WAY better than me. i think we all should strive to be like destan🙏🙏🙏
𐬽𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐛𝐚𐬽
↳ “‘𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞?’
‘𝐆𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥,’ 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤.”
BTW Cebba was the one asking for the name bc she was like tourturing ella😊. basically i hate this back stabbing wanna be bitch. fuck cebba🖕🖕
⁀➷🕯️𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭
❥ “𝖣𝗈 𝖨 𝖶𝖺𝗇𝗇𝖺 𝖪𝗇𝗈𝗐？“ 𝖠𝗋𝖼𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝖬𝗈𝗇𝗄𝖾𝗒𝗌
♪ “𝖣𝗈 𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗇𝖺 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐．𝖨𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖿𝗅𝗈𝗐𝗌 𝖻𝗈𝗍𝗁 𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌.“
❥ “𝖬𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖣𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗋 𝖬𝖺𝗇“ 𝖫𝖺𝗇𝖺 𝖣𝖾𝗅 𝖱𝖾𝗒
♪ “𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖺 𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖽𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗋 𝗆𝖺𝗇，𝗌𝗈 𝗐𝗁𝗒 𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗄𝖾？“
❥ “𝖧𝗂𝗆 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨“ 𝖦－𝖤𝖺𝗌𝗒
♪ “𝖳𝗈 𝗆𝗒 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖨’𝖽 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗅𝗂𝖾“😏
⁀➷🕯️𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬♡︎
↳ “‘“𝐎𝐡, 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞.’”
↳ “’𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬, 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐚.’“
↳ “’𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝?’“
↳ “’𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮.’“
↳ “‘𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮,’ 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨.
𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬. ‘𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐨, 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫.’”
⁀➷🕯️𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc🙏. So happy I read it, it’s actually a national crime some of you guys haven’t read it yet so go read it :). OH AND BTW PLOT TWIST??
June 1, 2025
I should have stopped at “A Court Of/That….”. This felt very boilerplate romantasy and I don’t think of that as a compliment. I felt this book lacked character development and the romance was disappointing for me. This book is billed as dark fantasy but this didn’t feel dark to me.
Ash Kingsley, the narrator, does a good job but doesn’t exactly set the tone for dark fantasy. I don’t blame them but if you say “dark”, choosing a narrator with a friendly/upbeat narration voice seems counterintuitive.
The blurb mentions “for fans of Sarah J. Maas” which is a high bar to set considering the fandom she has and while I do see some similarities here I’m not sure if this one lives up to that comparison.
I appreciate the effort in this novel and there is definitely an audience for it, but this one fell a bit flat for me. .
Thank you NetGalley and Audio ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
Ash Kingsley, the narrator, does a good job but doesn’t exactly set the tone for dark fantasy. I don’t blame them but if you say “dark”, choosing a narrator with a friendly/upbeat narration voice seems counterintuitive.
The blurb mentions “for fans of Sarah J. Maas” which is a high bar to set considering the fandom she has and while I do see some similarities here I’m not sure if this one lives up to that comparison.
I appreciate the effort in this novel and there is definitely an audience for it, but this one fell a bit flat for me. .
Thank you NetGalley and Audio ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
June 28, 2024
imagine if: feyre from ACOTAR was a STEM baddie and didn't have any interesting traits. tamlin had raging anger issues and had no charisma in the slightest, and was actually romanticised in this wattpad level fanfiction of ACOTAR (real shocker ik😱) and where lucien and feyre had more chemistry than feyre and tamlin.
welcome to The Court that Bleeds Gold aka my personal hell
i'm reading through all these reviews and feeling bad cause i'm gonna be the negative nelly for once :( i had high hopes for this, because i love raven kennedy and sarah j maas's books. it felt like a mishmash of stories i've read before. and to be fair, it is, it's a . but this one felt a bit too close to those wattpad books, and if it was free, it might not mind it, but speaking that this is going to go on sale... for money... i cannot js be quiet. i pushed through to finish this, even tho the characters annoyed me to death, so i'll save the time of anyone thinking of reading this. i'm solely a mood rater and i honestly don't think this deserves to be published as an original work.
this book vigariously annoyed me throughout it. i hate both the leads. i have so many quotes saved that honestly have me wondering what the author was thinking whilst typing this and going "yep! looks great, everyone's going to love this"....
romanticising abusive behaviour is not ok. u can call it 'dark' all u want... but ruskin was underlyingly emotionally uncontrolled, took out his anger on everyone or avoided the situation... not really anything remarkable or admirable came from him. i was expecting a little more pizzaz or charisma, but he didn't hit for me. it wasn't insta-love - but it also wasn't a slow burn. i think the characters overall needed more development before these deep connections could be concluded. off the page and on the page. this had SO MUCH potential, but lacked the necessary threshing to make the story uncringeworthy 😩🫣 zara, if you’re reading this, please work on descriptive language of characters and SLOWWWW it down. it’s okay to not be super fast paced; you need to give the audience time to bond to the characters and actually have a sense of the depth of their relationships.
anyway quotes.... to prove my points & hopefully save ur money
“I’ve figured out the guard rotations and know that at this time of night, most of them are posted outside, at the perimeter. If I can just keep to the east wing, my path should be clear all the way down to the kitchens—deserted at this hour—where I’ve learned there’s a back exit that no one ever bothers to lock.” no way blud did allat so fast. dear author, u should SHOW us how she did this, TELLING does little to entice Eleanor's characterisation in our heads whilst reading.
eleanor's internal monologue after ruskin ordered her around "but I’m starting to realize being around him might be dangerous in other ways.” UMMMMM…. just no. girly u need someone to wack some sense into u
“Outside the palace the average fae won’t know anything about me, meaning that I could still possibly trade my way to this Unseelie Court and find my friend.” AVERAGE FAE???? please this is meant to be a fantasy book, some of the terminology in here is just so modernesque. i thought this girl didn't know much ab fae until a couple days ago hmmmm
“God, I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be in this world of mauled men and bone-snapping trees and knives in tables. These fae breathe this stuff, their magic and strength affording them a chance to dance with death like it’s just a game, but I’m not built for it. I want to go home. Back to my cottage, where Dad has probably been sitting vigil, waiting for me, or else drowning his sorrows at the bottom of a bottle. Back to Sanna and her noisy siblings. Right now, even the thought of seeing silly, arrogant Thatch is welcome. As long as I’m there, in my village. In my home. Anything but here.” sorry this just gives me second hand embarassment
“Ruskin,” I call. “Rus. Come on, I know you like your new nickname. ”
The humor does its job; he turns, raising an eyebrow.
“I think it suits you,” I say. “After all, you never asked before starting to call me Ella.”
“You’ve got me there.” His voice is weary and his shoulders sag, as if he can finally stop pretending he’s not carrying the weight of the world on them.” WHAT IN THE PICK ME SH*T IS THIS???? LMFAOOO. if anyone pulled that on me i'd drop them so fast. i bet this mfer is laughing AT her
“Ruskin,” I say and step towards him. His scent fills my nostrils, delicious and sweet, and I know if I look into his eyes, it will be easy to get lost in them, searching out the bolts of green in his irises. “I want to say thank you. For saving me. Again.” Cringing so baddd, what in the wattpad
“For all I know, those tall walls he’s built have kept him alive in this crazy place.” oh and the fact ruskin over a girl he knew for idek how long. weeks? a couple months? tough shit little man
+ so many other instances where i would audibly agree with eleanor's overthinking. the only reason i pushed through was for my baby destan AND the twist at the end makes it even more intriguing
let's take the following with some salt. eleanor is 19 and ruskin is 200+ years old. there is very little mention of time, so i'm assuming that they knew eachother for a few weeks to MAYBE 1-2 months by the end of this.
Eleanor had more chemistry with Destan than Ruskin istg. I struggled to visualise the characaters, I think there could’ve been a lot more description of their appearance throughout the book. Except for Destan. He's my fav golden child
thank you booksirens + zara storm for the arc 🫶
welcome to The Court that Bleeds Gold aka my personal hell
i'm reading through all these reviews and feeling bad cause i'm gonna be the negative nelly for once :( i had high hopes for this, because i love raven kennedy and sarah j maas's books. it felt like a mishmash of stories i've read before. and to be fair, it is, it's a . but this one felt a bit too close to those wattpad books, and if it was free, it might not mind it, but speaking that this is going to go on sale... for money... i cannot js be quiet. i pushed through to finish this, even tho the characters annoyed me to death, so i'll save the time of anyone thinking of reading this. i'm solely a mood rater and i honestly don't think this deserves to be published as an original work.
this book vigariously annoyed me throughout it. i hate both the leads. i have so many quotes saved that honestly have me wondering what the author was thinking whilst typing this and going "yep! looks great, everyone's going to love this"....
romanticising abusive behaviour is not ok. u can call it 'dark' all u want... but ruskin was underlyingly emotionally uncontrolled, took out his anger on everyone or avoided the situation... not really anything remarkable or admirable came from him. i was expecting a little more pizzaz or charisma, but he didn't hit for me. it wasn't insta-love - but it also wasn't a slow burn. i think the characters overall needed more development before these deep connections could be concluded. off the page and on the page. this had SO MUCH potential, but lacked the necessary threshing to make the story uncringeworthy 😩🫣 zara, if you’re reading this, please work on descriptive language of characters and SLOWWWW it down. it’s okay to not be super fast paced; you need to give the audience time to bond to the characters and actually have a sense of the depth of their relationships.
anyway quotes.... to prove my points & hopefully save ur money
“I’ve figured out the guard rotations and know that at this time of night, most of them are posted outside, at the perimeter. If I can just keep to the east wing, my path should be clear all the way down to the kitchens—deserted at this hour—where I’ve learned there’s a back exit that no one ever bothers to lock.” no way blud did allat so fast. dear author, u should SHOW us how she did this, TELLING does little to entice Eleanor's characterisation in our heads whilst reading.
eleanor's internal monologue after ruskin ordered her around "but I’m starting to realize being around him might be dangerous in other ways.” UMMMMM…. just no. girly u need someone to wack some sense into u
“Outside the palace the average fae won’t know anything about me, meaning that I could still possibly trade my way to this Unseelie Court and find my friend.” AVERAGE FAE???? please this is meant to be a fantasy book, some of the terminology in here is just so modernesque. i thought this girl didn't know much ab fae until a couple days ago hmmmm
“God, I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be in this world of mauled men and bone-snapping trees and knives in tables. These fae breathe this stuff, their magic and strength affording them a chance to dance with death like it’s just a game, but I’m not built for it. I want to go home. Back to my cottage, where Dad has probably been sitting vigil, waiting for me, or else drowning his sorrows at the bottom of a bottle. Back to Sanna and her noisy siblings. Right now, even the thought of seeing silly, arrogant Thatch is welcome. As long as I’m there, in my village. In my home. Anything but here.” sorry this just gives me second hand embarassment
“Ruskin,” I call. “Rus. Come on, I know you like your new nickname. ”
The humor does its job; he turns, raising an eyebrow.
“I think it suits you,” I say. “After all, you never asked before starting to call me Ella.”
“You’ve got me there.” His voice is weary and his shoulders sag, as if he can finally stop pretending he’s not carrying the weight of the world on them.” WHAT IN THE PICK ME SH*T IS THIS???? LMFAOOO. if anyone pulled that on me i'd drop them so fast. i bet this mfer is laughing AT her
“Ruskin,” I say and step towards him. His scent fills my nostrils, delicious and sweet, and I know if I look into his eyes, it will be easy to get lost in them, searching out the bolts of green in his irises. “I want to say thank you. For saving me. Again.” Cringing so baddd, what in the wattpad
“For all I know, those tall walls he’s built have kept him alive in this crazy place.” oh and the fact ruskin over a girl he knew for idek how long. weeks? a couple months? tough shit little man
+ so many other instances where i would audibly agree with eleanor's overthinking. the only reason i pushed through was for my baby destan AND the twist at the end makes it even more intriguing
let's take the following with some salt. eleanor is 19 and ruskin is 200+ years old. there is very little mention of time, so i'm assuming that they knew eachother for a few weeks to MAYBE 1-2 months by the end of this.
Eleanor had more chemistry with Destan than Ruskin istg. I struggled to visualise the characaters, I think there could’ve been a lot more description of their appearance throughout the book. Except for Destan. He's my fav golden child
thank you booksirens + zara storm for the arc 🫶
April 8, 2024
wow what a fantastic debut novel! I have read my fair share of romatasy so i feel like I know what to expect when going into them. I always feel like more often than not they don’t get the plot and romance to equal out and it usually ends up that one or the other is sacrificed. Thankfully this isn’t what happens in this book and we get a brilliant plot that keeps you on edge along with a flawed fmc and mmc that end up being pulled towards each other.
The world building in this book is also beautiful. It’s obvious that the author has taken time to explore the world she wants to build and add a uniqueness to it that pulls in the reader.
this book is definitely for my acotar/beauty and the beast girlies but also offers a unique story and elements that are completely it’s own. I can’t wait for the second book!
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
April 21, 2024
I seriously enjoyed this!!! The perfect romantasy honestly. The balance of fantasy with spice was PERFECT. A few immaculate scenes not overdone but the focus was on the story and the world and the characters. I will say however I cannot visualize any of the characters. The setting descriptions were done well, but I feel like i missed out on physical descriptions of the characters, which is why I’m knocking a star. I found this book super interesting and while I can definitely see inspiration pulled from bigger authors, the storyline itself felt very unique to me and for a debut novel I am impressed!! This was such a quick and easy read, fast paced, interesting and exciting. When he gives her his own nickname >>> UGH obsessed. I loved the twist and the ending left me feeling satisfied but still on a cliffhanger - like… omg next book now please!!!
April 9, 2024
If you’re looking for an easier fantasy book with not a lot of world building then this might be for you.
This is a debut novel and I did enjoy it for the most part. I just felt like it had a lot of unused potential. I can look past the lack of world building. That doesn’t bother me too much for this sort of story. I just felt like there wasn’t enough character development for any relationship in this book like her with her dad, even her mom, her friends, or anyone she meets in the Seelie Court. Then the romance also just lacked build up for me. They didn’t trust each other and then it was like they suddenly did… I just wish there was a little bit more development of all the relationships so I could have felt invested in them.
As for the actual storyline though, I liked it. It was easy to read and comprehend what was going on. And I liked that Eleanor was very curious and smart so that helped her figure things out.
I will be happy to read the next book because I am curious what will happen with the cliffhanger. I did enjoy Ruskin as a MMC as well.
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.
This is a debut novel and I did enjoy it for the most part. I just felt like it had a lot of unused potential. I can look past the lack of world building. That doesn’t bother me too much for this sort of story. I just felt like there wasn’t enough character development for any relationship in this book like her with her dad, even her mom, her friends, or anyone she meets in the Seelie Court. Then the romance also just lacked build up for me. They didn’t trust each other and then it was like they suddenly did… I just wish there was a little bit more development of all the relationships so I could have felt invested in them.
As for the actual storyline though, I liked it. It was easy to read and comprehend what was going on. And I liked that Eleanor was very curious and smart so that helped her figure things out.
I will be happy to read the next book because I am curious what will happen with the cliffhanger. I did enjoy Ruskin as a MMC as well.
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.
August 3, 2024
2.5 ⭐️ Not a bad debut novel, just not for me.
This had a promising start but started to decline at the 50% mark. It was just boring. The author failed to make me truly care about the characters or the outcome. It’s like one of those stories where you’re waiting for something to happen but it never actually does. I think the romance held some potential but it didn’t deliver. I liked how they didn’t kiss until halfway in but then in the next second the leads are “making love” when this was supposed to be enemies to lovers. Ma’am you just met this man. The hero gave the heroine his true name after she asked when it supposed to be the most powerful thing to a fae. It made zero sense. They didn’t even know each other like that.
This had a promising start but started to decline at the 50% mark. It was just boring. The author failed to make me truly care about the characters or the outcome. It’s like one of those stories where you’re waiting for something to happen but it never actually does. I think the romance held some potential but it didn’t deliver. I liked how they didn’t kiss until halfway in but then in the next second the leads are “making love” when this was supposed to be enemies to lovers. Ma’am you just met this man. The hero gave the heroine his true name after she asked when it supposed to be the most powerful thing to a fae. It made zero sense. They didn’t even know each other like that.
May 20, 2024
A Dark Fantasy. A Brute of A King. A Fae Prince. The Lie of Spinning Gold.
This romance retelling of Rumpelstiltskin fuses with Beauty and the Beast. Folklore retellings, in my experience, are the best ones. There are so many unique ways to spin those original tales, and this one did not disappoint.
The story focuses on Eleanor, a human alchemist who is attempting to create gold by metallurgy. It is a kind of magical science, and she feels as though she is just on the cuff of making a huge breakthrough. She makes her living by selling her wares at the fae market, where she is able to obtain faerie metals that is vital to her gold transfusion.
It is unique how this version of Belle (Beauty and the Beast) gets captured. In fact, she becomes his servant because she owes him for bailing out a friend, this world's version of Gaston. A deeply dumb character, he has poached from the human king himself.
Eleanor is the kind of main lead that I adore, the beauty and the brains. She has such a passion for her craft, and that talent is very needed in this world. Ruskin, our Rumple, belongs to the Seelie Court.
He is a frowned upon ruler due to his half-Unseelie origins. I loved that he was not as scary as the original character was designed to be, a true villain in his own right. This Ruskin cares so deeply for the people that hate him, defending them, and caring for them in a way that is not returned.
The enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, hate/love dynamic so corny and so cute. Reading the banter. having just read the latest book in The Cruel Prince series, I got very similar vibes to this novel. It was definitely one I would recommend to fellow readers. 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!
May 6, 2024
I can’t finish this book. I had high hopes after seeing all the positive reviews but unfortunately the writing and lack of original plot was too hard for me to get through. This book was the epitome of telling the reader what’s happening, instead of showing the reader. I also should have realized that any beauty and the beast romantasy retelling would be too similar to others that have come before it but I was hoping for some unique world building or at least good characters and chemistry. Unfortunately, I was disappointed on all of those parts. This book obviously was a hit for many people, just not for me!
April 10, 2024
Great fun book. My only issue is gold especially pure gold is not attracted to magnets 🧲. You can hover the strongest magnet near gold and the magnet will have zero reaction. Everything is is solid.
April 4, 2024
I read this book as an ARC and thoroughly enjoyed it. The world building was done at a great pace that always kept you guessing what twist could come next. The character development kept me intrigued on what choices would be made next to solidify trust or break it. I found the romance sprinkled in really added to the underlying plot and kept things interesting. I definitely am excited to see what the rest of the series brings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2025
I received the Audio Arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a review. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this opportunity.
The Court that Bleeds Gold offers an interesting retelling of the rumpelstiltskin fairytale where instead of the Prince, the heroine falls in love with the villain, suited for fans of Lexi Ryan and Raven Kennedy.
This story offers a unique interpretation of the myth and an interesting cast of characters, with Eleanor, an aspiring alchemist cast in the role of the ‘goldspinning’ heroine and Ruskin, as the cruel Fae lord who forces the heroine into a bargain to save her from rather than guarantee her a royal marriage. For what the book did well, I enjoyed Eleanor’s character and liked that she had aspirations outside of her relationship and I enjoyed learning about how alchemy work in this world in comparisons to magic and how the development one this science has obscured the traditional divide between the humans and fae. I didn’t mind the world building but it was nothing to write home about it, it’s a pretty standard medieval inspired fantasy world but I personally don’t agree with the characterization of the world as ‘dark’. I do think that the author probably took some inspiration from the state of the world in Raven Kennedy’s Plated Prisoner which most of the ‘dark’ elements coming from interpersonal interactions rather than actual political happenings. I personally wasn’t a fan of that type of worldbuilding in the Plated Prisoner either (I have only read the first two books) so I want too big a fan of it in this book either. I think there could have been more depth given to the world building especially in relation to how politics inform the relationship between the humans and the fae, and also for how fae politics work given that many of the characters are influential fae. I didn’t much enjoy the romance either, it kind of just felt like it went from zero to one hundred and Ruskin was very controlling over Eleanor and never really showed himself to be able to learn from his actions. The ending ‘twist’ I think really solidifies this, so I can see how more of the ‘darker elements’ coming from that relationship. However for me, I felt that this made the relationship feel shallow in contrast to other couples in popular romantasy books where I do think that there is genuine care and chemistry between them. Similarity the book doesn’t really offer much more than the standard romantasy when it comes to plot points and felt a bit uninspired to me, especially given that most of the unique elements come from reinterpreting a fairytale that has already been reinterpreted similarly before (see for example Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver, where the rumpelstiltskin character is also a Fae Lord and the heroine a moneylender). Overall, it’s not a bad book but it’s not anything special, if you like the classic tall dark and handsome romantasy MMC and don’t care much for personality you may want to pick this one up.
I also listened to it on the Audiobook and I thought the narration was good. I liked the voice better for the female characters but the narrator did a good job at distinguishing the characters. I did however find it a bit quiet at times.
The Court that Bleeds Gold offers an interesting retelling of the rumpelstiltskin fairytale where instead of the Prince, the heroine falls in love with the villain, suited for fans of Lexi Ryan and Raven Kennedy.
This story offers a unique interpretation of the myth and an interesting cast of characters, with Eleanor, an aspiring alchemist cast in the role of the ‘goldspinning’ heroine and Ruskin, as the cruel Fae lord who forces the heroine into a bargain to save her from rather than guarantee her a royal marriage. For what the book did well, I enjoyed Eleanor’s character and liked that she had aspirations outside of her relationship and I enjoyed learning about how alchemy work in this world in comparisons to magic and how the development one this science has obscured the traditional divide between the humans and fae. I didn’t mind the world building but it was nothing to write home about it, it’s a pretty standard medieval inspired fantasy world but I personally don’t agree with the characterization of the world as ‘dark’. I do think that the author probably took some inspiration from the state of the world in Raven Kennedy’s Plated Prisoner which most of the ‘dark’ elements coming from interpersonal interactions rather than actual political happenings. I personally wasn’t a fan of that type of worldbuilding in the Plated Prisoner either (I have only read the first two books) so I want too big a fan of it in this book either. I think there could have been more depth given to the world building especially in relation to how politics inform the relationship between the humans and the fae, and also for how fae politics work given that many of the characters are influential fae. I didn’t much enjoy the romance either, it kind of just felt like it went from zero to one hundred and Ruskin was very controlling over Eleanor and never really showed himself to be able to learn from his actions. The ending ‘twist’ I think really solidifies this, so I can see how more of the ‘darker elements’ coming from that relationship. However for me, I felt that this made the relationship feel shallow in contrast to other couples in popular romantasy books where I do think that there is genuine care and chemistry between them. Similarity the book doesn’t really offer much more than the standard romantasy when it comes to plot points and felt a bit uninspired to me, especially given that most of the unique elements come from reinterpreting a fairytale that has already been reinterpreted similarly before (see for example Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver, where the rumpelstiltskin character is also a Fae Lord and the heroine a moneylender). Overall, it’s not a bad book but it’s not anything special, if you like the classic tall dark and handsome romantasy MMC and don’t care much for personality you may want to pick this one up.
I also listened to it on the Audiobook and I thought the narration was good. I liked the voice better for the female characters but the narrator did a good job at distinguishing the characters. I did however find it a bit quiet at times.
February 23, 2025
Once again the ads got to me. They got me good and this time I'm not even mad about it because I enjoyed this book. Clearly this book is based on/draws inspiration from the story of Rumpelstiltskin which is one of the reasons that I actually wanted to pick this book up and try it because out of all of the fairytale retelling I've seen or heard of, this is probably the only one that draws inspiration from Rumpelstiltskin that I can think of right now. With that being said, there are also elements of Beauty and the Beast to the story that can not be ignored. If I were to write a one line blurb for the story I'd call it a Rumpelstiltskin meets Beauty and the Beast retelling.
I thought Eleanor and Ruskin both had surprising amounts of depth to them and the story was a slower burn than I would have expected. The worldbuilding is fairly thorough but with faeries in general there's not a lot of intricate worldbuilding that's required given that there is pretty large amount of media out there has already built up a foundation. There were also a couple of twist that I absolutely did not see coming which is always fun as a reader. Overall, a good book with good pacing and a unique story.
I thought Eleanor and Ruskin both had surprising amounts of depth to them and the story was a slower burn than I would have expected. The worldbuilding is fairly thorough but with faeries in general there's not a lot of intricate worldbuilding that's required given that there is pretty large amount of media out there has already built up a foundation. There were also a couple of twist that I absolutely did not see coming which is always fun as a reader. Overall, a good book with good pacing and a unique story.
May 12, 2024
I can’t believe this was a debut novel! I think it was a great first book to a series, and I am very excited to read the second book coming out in June. Published April 3rd, The Court that Bleeds Gold is a fast paced, dark fantasy novel that I think rivals ACOTAR. I loved how the MC is competent, and especially how she doesn't immediately lose all her senses the second she sees a hot fae man. This book ended with a cliff hanger that made me bummed I couldn’t get the next ARC to find out what happens next, but I am very excited to continue with this story!
Thank you NetGalley & Zara Storm for the ARC. :)
Thank you NetGalley & Zara Storm for the ARC. :)
June 5, 2025
oh how I knew better! Take my rating with a grain of salt. Sometimes I just want to double check if romantasy is for me. And every time I remember that it's just not.
This one felt like a mash up of a bunch of different romance tropes. I wanted to feel the pull of the main characters and their ramp up from enemies to lovers. But by halfway I wasn't even remotely pulled in.
It's a lovely cover and the start of a series. If you love romantasy, give this one a try. It just wasn't my jam.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
This one felt like a mash up of a bunch of different romance tropes. I wanted to feel the pull of the main characters and their ramp up from enemies to lovers. But by halfway I wasn't even remotely pulled in.
It's a lovely cover and the start of a series. If you love romantasy, give this one a try. It just wasn't my jam.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
April 5, 2024
4.25 stars!!
I love a folklore retelling. I love a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I love a combo folklore/BATB retelling!!!! (In this case- Rumplestiltskin!!) I love seeing when the characters line up!! Rumplestiltskin shortened into Ruskin, genius; Thorn being the Gaston-iest Gaston in a retetlling, inspired; Eleanor as Bell getting her staircase moment, gorgeous; Destan and Halima giving goofy Lumiere and Cogsworth, sign me up!!!!!
This was such a fun journey, and I cannot wait to see how this whole trilogy unfolds- but first, the beginning! Eleanor is a human alchemist who is on the brink of being able to create gold through metallurgy, selling her wares to fae at the market to make trades for faerie metals unavailable in the human realm. Girlfriend is so talented, and the most special Belle, since she gets Beauty and the Beasted not once, but TWICE! She convinces the human King to pardon her Gaston for poaching on his land by creating some gold- calls in a rescue from Rumplestiltskin- and then ends up trapped in faerie working to help relieve him and his kingdom from a gold-related curse (so handy that she has this skill). I absolutely loved seeing Eleanor grow in strength of skills, constantly use her mind to get creative, and show her softer side in forming relationships with the people around her. Ruskin, my sweet little Rumple, is unique in the Seelie Court, given his half-Unseelie heritage- which makes him not a very beloved ruler, except by his besties who decide that Eleanor is also their bestie now too. His journey to releasing control, showing how much he cares, and defending his people is honorable and lovely.
While reading, I was really into trying to figure out what was happening in the world, how folks were connected, what deeper meanings we could find- theory hunting was SO FUN here!! I honestly was surprised by some of the twists, and spot on shouting at my girl to get it together with some of them- the perfect dichotomy of feelings when reading a book like this. I cannot WAIT for book 2 with how this first one ended!!
Thank you so much to Zara Storm and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!
I love a folklore retelling. I love a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I love a combo folklore/BATB retelling!!!! (In this case- Rumplestiltskin!!) I love seeing when the characters line up!! Rumplestiltskin shortened into Ruskin, genius; Thorn being the Gaston-iest Gaston in a retetlling, inspired; Eleanor as Bell getting her staircase moment, gorgeous; Destan and Halima giving goofy Lumiere and Cogsworth, sign me up!!!!!
This was such a fun journey, and I cannot wait to see how this whole trilogy unfolds- but first, the beginning! Eleanor is a human alchemist who is on the brink of being able to create gold through metallurgy, selling her wares to fae at the market to make trades for faerie metals unavailable in the human realm. Girlfriend is so talented, and the most special Belle, since she gets Beauty and the Beasted not once, but TWICE! She convinces the human King to pardon her Gaston for poaching on his land by creating some gold- calls in a rescue from Rumplestiltskin- and then ends up trapped in faerie working to help relieve him and his kingdom from a gold-related curse (so handy that she has this skill). I absolutely loved seeing Eleanor grow in strength of skills, constantly use her mind to get creative, and show her softer side in forming relationships with the people around her. Ruskin, my sweet little Rumple, is unique in the Seelie Court, given his half-Unseelie heritage- which makes him not a very beloved ruler, except by his besties who decide that Eleanor is also their bestie now too. His journey to releasing control, showing how much he cares, and defending his people is honorable and lovely.
While reading, I was really into trying to figure out what was happening in the world, how folks were connected, what deeper meanings we could find- theory hunting was SO FUN here!! I honestly was surprised by some of the twists, and spot on shouting at my girl to get it together with some of them- the perfect dichotomy of feelings when reading a book like this. I cannot WAIT for book 2 with how this first one ended!!
Thank you so much to Zara Storm and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!
April 7, 2024
"The Court that Bleeds Gold" by Zara Storm is a captivating blend of romance and fantasy that left me enthralled from start to finish. Set in a village years after the passing of Eleanor’s mother, the story follows a seemingly ordinary girl with a deep passion for alchemy and metallurgy. Her unique ability to transform metals into real gold catches the attention of the king, who hoards her talent for his own gain.
To escape the clutches of the king, she strikes a deal with a once feared fae man, unaware of the hidden agenda he carries. This unexpected alliance leads her to the mesmerizing yet perilous seelie palace, where she must navigate treacherous paths as a mere human. Although initially reluctant and feeling deceived, her stubbornness gradually gives way to a deep connection with the prince, and an unexpected attraction blossoms into something more.
What sets this book apart from others in the romantasy genre is the author's unique spin on the narrative. The intricate world-building and vivid descriptions transport the reader into a realm where emotions come alive. Zara Storm's ability to convey the characters' feelings is simply remarkable—I could truly feel their joy, sadness, and everything in between.
"The Court that Bleeds Gold" is a must-read for fans of both romance and fantasy genres. It offers a fresh and captivating storyline that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a thrilling and immersive reading experience.
To escape the clutches of the king, she strikes a deal with a once feared fae man, unaware of the hidden agenda he carries. This unexpected alliance leads her to the mesmerizing yet perilous seelie palace, where she must navigate treacherous paths as a mere human. Although initially reluctant and feeling deceived, her stubbornness gradually gives way to a deep connection with the prince, and an unexpected attraction blossoms into something more.
What sets this book apart from others in the romantasy genre is the author's unique spin on the narrative. The intricate world-building and vivid descriptions transport the reader into a realm where emotions come alive. Zara Storm's ability to convey the characters' feelings is simply remarkable—I could truly feel their joy, sadness, and everything in between.
"The Court that Bleeds Gold" is a must-read for fans of both romance and fantasy genres. It offers a fresh and captivating storyline that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a thrilling and immersive reading experience.
April 3, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A great debut in this series with good worldbuilding and character development. We have Eleanor as our lead in this story, and she makes a great main character as she is smart, always calculating her next move and has sass. She's an alchemist who's trying to create gold when she finds herself imprisoned by the human king. In a desperate attempt to try and get her freedom back, she makes a deal with a fae who's known for his brutal deals.
She ends up in the world of faerie trying to work out how to get back to the human world whilst fighting her growing attraction to the very fae that brought her here. Reading as Eleanor and Ruskin's relationship developed and then we finally get a bit of spice too. This story was fast-paced and kept you drawn in, I'm excited for the next book in the series to see where we go from that ending.
A great debut in this series with good worldbuilding and character development. We have Eleanor as our lead in this story, and she makes a great main character as she is smart, always calculating her next move and has sass. She's an alchemist who's trying to create gold when she finds herself imprisoned by the human king. In a desperate attempt to try and get her freedom back, she makes a deal with a fae who's known for his brutal deals.
She ends up in the world of faerie trying to work out how to get back to the human world whilst fighting her growing attraction to the very fae that brought her here. Reading as Eleanor and Ruskin's relationship developed and then we finally get a bit of spice too. This story was fast-paced and kept you drawn in, I'm excited for the next book in the series to see where we go from that ending.
April 11, 2024
This book was just... Amazing!!
Definitely up there with ACOTAR (for me)
✨️Enemies to Lovers
✨️One Horse
✨️Slow Burn
✨️Cursed Prince
✨️Evil Sister
✨️Magic
✨️Wild Hunt
✨️Seelie/Unseelie
✨️Desperate to escape marrying a brutal king, I make a deal with a Fae Prince and find myself his captive.
We follow Eleanor, an alchemist who is on the brink of creating gold through metallurgy, on her journey into Faerie. She must overcome challenges, discover secrets and do the impossible to return Faerie back to its former glory.✨️
This book was incredible! I got major Rumplestiltskin vibes from Ruskin!
This book was brimming with suspense, adventure and amazingly flawed characters that developed and grew as the story went on, the romance that was sprinkled in only added to the experience! The world-building was fun and immersive. We didn't get too in-depth about the magic system, but this is only book one!
As a new reader of Zara Storm, this book put them on my auto-buy list!
Seriously, it's so good!!! GO READ IT!
Thank you to Netgalley and Zara Storm for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give an honest review!
Definitely up there with ACOTAR (for me)
✨️Enemies to Lovers
✨️One Horse
✨️Slow Burn
✨️Cursed Prince
✨️Evil Sister
✨️Magic
✨️Wild Hunt
✨️Seelie/Unseelie
✨️Desperate to escape marrying a brutal king, I make a deal with a Fae Prince and find myself his captive.
We follow Eleanor, an alchemist who is on the brink of creating gold through metallurgy, on her journey into Faerie. She must overcome challenges, discover secrets and do the impossible to return Faerie back to its former glory.✨️
This book was incredible! I got major Rumplestiltskin vibes from Ruskin!
This book was brimming with suspense, adventure and amazingly flawed characters that developed and grew as the story went on, the romance that was sprinkled in only added to the experience! The world-building was fun and immersive. We didn't get too in-depth about the magic system, but this is only book one!
As a new reader of Zara Storm, this book put them on my auto-buy list!
Seriously, it's so good!!! GO READ IT!
Thank you to Netgalley and Zara Storm for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give an honest review!
June 10, 2025
This is the first book in The Gold Weaver series. Eleanor makes a deal with a Fae prince Ruskin in order to get out of wedding a human king with bad intentions that she was inadvertently trapped into a betrothal with when she was forced to reveal she could make gold through alchemy.
The plot was good, characters interesting, and the world building decent. The romance between our main characters went from suspicions to full trust, which gives the enemy to lovers vibe. We also get introduced to some pretty interesting side characters that help the plot along and give it a plot twist. It ends on a sudden cliffhanger, which makes me want to pick up book two to continue this story.
The plot was good, characters interesting, and the world building decent. The romance between our main characters went from suspicions to full trust, which gives the enemy to lovers vibe. We also get introduced to some pretty interesting side characters that help the plot along and give it a plot twist. It ends on a sudden cliffhanger, which makes me want to pick up book two to continue this story.
September 17, 2025
A dark beauty and the beast retelling. Very enjoyable, but you’ll probably compare this with ACOTAR. FMC is a lot smarter than Feyre and more interesting. Narrator did a good job. I’ll need to read the rest of the series.
I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 30, 2024
This was meh. I feel bad when asked to review stories that just aren’t my cup of tea…
This was all around lack luster. I could see the elements of the story of Rumpelstiltskin, and then Beauty and Beast???? And it doesn’t work. It just doesn’t.
This was all around lack luster. I could see the elements of the story of Rumpelstiltskin, and then Beauty and Beast???? And it doesn’t work. It just doesn’t.
September 22, 2025
Ähnlichkeit zu Reich der 7 Höfe
Spannendes Ende
Spannendes Ende
April 4, 2024
Excellent debut novel! “The Court that Bleeds Gold” is a fantastic twist on both the Rumpelstiltskin and Beauty and the Beast tales set in a Fae court. The story is engaging and well-written and reads at a fast pace. I flew through this book and enjoyed it immensely. It's an entertaining read with enough surprises to keep you guessing.
The main characters, Eleanor and Ruskin, are both likeable characters despite their flaws and are easy to connect with. The supporting characters are entertaining and engaging and I wouldn't mind seeing more about them in future books.
In addition to the fantasy, I would categorize this book as a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance that the author executed well. The pacing of the interactions between the characters is excellent and believable and it was easy to relate to what they were feeling as their relationship progressed. There are a few moderately spicy and dark scenes but they feel entirely appropriate to the story and again, are very well-written.
The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger so I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel to find out what happens next to Eleanor and Ruskin!
*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
The main characters, Eleanor and Ruskin, are both likeable characters despite their flaws and are easy to connect with. The supporting characters are entertaining and engaging and I wouldn't mind seeing more about them in future books.
In addition to the fantasy, I would categorize this book as a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance that the author executed well. The pacing of the interactions between the characters is excellent and believable and it was easy to relate to what they were feeling as their relationship progressed. There are a few moderately spicy and dark scenes but they feel entirely appropriate to the story and again, are very well-written.
The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger so I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel to find out what happens next to Eleanor and Ruskin!
*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
April 5, 2024
Holy moly, how in the world is this a debut novel?! This will be a part of a dark romance fantasy trilogy and I will definitely be reading the next two. This book was exceptional.
Imagine a world with aspects of Rumpelstiltskin, Beauty and the Beast with an adult Cruel Prince vibe and add some spice, metallurgy and magic. Ahh I loved it so much and couldn’t put it down. I think my favorite thing about this book was the FMC, Eleanor, and her witty, poignant, question-everything attitude and she wasn’t afraid to say exactly what was on her mind. I also really enjoyed all of the fun and scary creatures in the Emerald Forest. This book had enemies to lovers, forced proximity, age gap and Fae folk.
I received this ARC the night before its release so it’s not available for purchase and is free to read on KU. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Relay Publishing!
Imagine a world with aspects of Rumpelstiltskin, Beauty and the Beast with an adult Cruel Prince vibe and add some spice, metallurgy and magic. Ahh I loved it so much and couldn’t put it down. I think my favorite thing about this book was the FMC, Eleanor, and her witty, poignant, question-everything attitude and she wasn’t afraid to say exactly what was on her mind. I also really enjoyed all of the fun and scary creatures in the Emerald Forest. This book had enemies to lovers, forced proximity, age gap and Fae folk.
I received this ARC the night before its release so it’s not available for purchase and is free to read on KU. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Relay Publishing!
March 29, 2024
As a clever alchemist, Eleanor knows she can turn lead into gold. Unfortunately, her abilities has caused her to be trapped by a despicable king. To avoid her marriage, she strikes a deal with the dreaded fae, Ruskin Blackcoat. Ruskin's deals are known to be particularly tricky and end in despair. As the agreement is made, Ruskin whisks Eleanor so that she can work her alchemy to turn things from gold back into their original states. Can Eleanor manage to do the impossible and return to her family?
Eleanor is an excellent protagonist. She is driven and methodical, with excellent observational skills. She is constantly evaluating her environment and working to accomplish her goals. Her thirst for justice and her sharp tongue do occasionally cause her trouble, though she never wavers in her ethical beliefs. Ruskin is an excellent dark hero. As Eleanor gets to know and appreciate the hidden sides of Ruskin, she finds it more and more imperative to help him. Watching the two interact is exciting and fun as she fights her physical attraction and he fights his instinct to hide his intentions.
The Court that Bleeds Gold is an excellent story that is part Rumplestiltskin, part Beauty and the Beast. It has wonderful world building, characters and pacing. An delightful read from start to finish that is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Seanan McGuire, or Kate Stradling.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Eleanor is an excellent protagonist. She is driven and methodical, with excellent observational skills. She is constantly evaluating her environment and working to accomplish her goals. Her thirst for justice and her sharp tongue do occasionally cause her trouble, though she never wavers in her ethical beliefs. Ruskin is an excellent dark hero. As Eleanor gets to know and appreciate the hidden sides of Ruskin, she finds it more and more imperative to help him. Watching the two interact is exciting and fun as she fights her physical attraction and he fights his instinct to hide his intentions.
The Court that Bleeds Gold is an excellent story that is part Rumplestiltskin, part Beauty and the Beast. It has wonderful world building, characters and pacing. An delightful read from start to finish that is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Seanan McGuire, or Kate Stradling.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 27, 2025
A little bit of a quick read I would say. The main characters don’t have much of a build of to their romance. It’s a little lame when it comes to their build up. The ending was good. I’m curious for more after that ending. However, the story line isn’t very unique nor original.
October 12, 2024
An imaginative amalgamation of retellings that’s quite well done
I truly enjoyed this story and I’m really looking forward to the next one.
It’s not perfect. There are bits and pieces of the storyline that are either too obvious or completely unnecessary. There are a few typos, but not enough that the book feels unedited. It’s clearly been written and edited with love and attention.
The most important thing is it’s a good story. I like the nods to Rumplestiltskin and Beauty and the Beast. There are also nods to Cinderella and Snow White and I’m sure many other stories that the author has brought together quite well into her own. You can tell that it draws inspiration from fairy tales, but I really appreciate what’s been done with it.
It’s a solid five star start to a trilogy that I get to download the rest of right now! If you’re on the fence, give it a go. You may end up not liking it, but you could end up pleasantly surprised like me to find that you might have just started your new favorite trilogy!
- I’ll let you know if it turns out to be 😊
I truly enjoyed this story and I’m really looking forward to the next one.
It’s not perfect. There are bits and pieces of the storyline that are either too obvious or completely unnecessary. There are a few typos, but not enough that the book feels unedited. It’s clearly been written and edited with love and attention.
The most important thing is it’s a good story. I like the nods to Rumplestiltskin and Beauty and the Beast. There are also nods to Cinderella and Snow White and I’m sure many other stories that the author has brought together quite well into her own. You can tell that it draws inspiration from fairy tales, but I really appreciate what’s been done with it.
It’s a solid five star start to a trilogy that I get to download the rest of right now! If you’re on the fence, give it a go. You may end up not liking it, but you could end up pleasantly surprised like me to find that you might have just started your new favorite trilogy!
- I’ll let you know if it turns out to be 😊
October 27, 2024
How on earth is any of this supposed to be “dark romance” 😒
The so called dark MMC is as dangerous as a kitten 🐈⬛
The so called dark MMC is as dangerous as a kitten 🐈⬛
March 22, 2024
The Court that Bleeds Gold by Zara Storm
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
🌹 Enemies to lovers, to enemies, to lovers, to enemies
🌹 Forced Proximity
🌹 Fae trickery
🌹 True names
🌹 Morally grey MMC
🌹 Plot TWISTS
First off, I NEED the second book.
Second, how is this just a DEBUT novel?!
The vibes were immaculate. I’m completely shocked at Zara’s debut book. The Court that Bleeds Gold was so unexpectedly entertaining, the concept was unique, the spice was excellent. What can I say, other than I loved every minute of this book! I could not put it down if I tried, every turned page it felt like a new twist was hitting me in the face. For the past month, I have hit a brick wall when starting new e-books and this was just what I needed to bring me back.
It has everything I love in a romantasy! Fae, secrets, mystery, lovable side characters, magic, you name it!
The story starts by introducing Eleanor Thorn, our main female lead, as she battles her way at a fae market to sell her creations in order to put food on the table. We learn quickly that the fae in this book love deals, and tricks even if they’re cruel and dangerous. She ends up finding herself in a tricky situation with her king, forcing her to strike a deal with the well-known Ruskin Blackcoat.
Ruskin doesn’t seem to play fair, however, and as you may know, the fae know many ways to play the truth to their advantage. Eleanor finding herself tricked into helping Ruskin in Faerie is forced to leave all she knows behind, including her father she was desperately trying to help. She struck with some very strange revelations and feelings that inevitably make her question everything she thought she knew.
I really fell in love with Zara’s writing early on and knew this was going to be a favorite read. Her characters were so easy to love, especially the side one. Destan and Halima were some of my favorite characters in this book! I really put myself into Eleanor’s mind, her inquisitive brain, determined heart, and compassion she feels for those she loves really drove her character home for me. Also, I love to see smart women portrayed in books!
I really was apprehensive of Ruskin at first! I think we were meant to be, because he was portrayed as heartless, fear-inducing and cruel in the beginning. We learn, however, that he does what he has to do to protect his people and himself soon enough. He knows how to play the game of Court, and fiercely loves those closest to him. I cannot wait to see him in the second book!
And if you choose to make a deal anyway… the consequences are on you.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
🌹 Enemies to lovers, to enemies, to lovers, to enemies
🌹 Forced Proximity
🌹 Fae trickery
🌹 True names
🌹 Morally grey MMC
🌹 Plot TWISTS
First off, I NEED the second book.
Second, how is this just a DEBUT novel?!
The vibes were immaculate. I’m completely shocked at Zara’s debut book. The Court that Bleeds Gold was so unexpectedly entertaining, the concept was unique, the spice was excellent. What can I say, other than I loved every minute of this book! I could not put it down if I tried, every turned page it felt like a new twist was hitting me in the face. For the past month, I have hit a brick wall when starting new e-books and this was just what I needed to bring me back.
It has everything I love in a romantasy! Fae, secrets, mystery, lovable side characters, magic, you name it!
The story starts by introducing Eleanor Thorn, our main female lead, as she battles her way at a fae market to sell her creations in order to put food on the table. We learn quickly that the fae in this book love deals, and tricks even if they’re cruel and dangerous. She ends up finding herself in a tricky situation with her king, forcing her to strike a deal with the well-known Ruskin Blackcoat.
Ruskin doesn’t seem to play fair, however, and as you may know, the fae know many ways to play the truth to their advantage. Eleanor finding herself tricked into helping Ruskin in Faerie is forced to leave all she knows behind, including her father she was desperately trying to help. She struck with some very strange revelations and feelings that inevitably make her question everything she thought she knew.
I really fell in love with Zara’s writing early on and knew this was going to be a favorite read. Her characters were so easy to love, especially the side one. Destan and Halima were some of my favorite characters in this book! I really put myself into Eleanor’s mind, her inquisitive brain, determined heart, and compassion she feels for those she loves really drove her character home for me. Also, I love to see smart women portrayed in books!
I really was apprehensive of Ruskin at first! I think we were meant to be, because he was portrayed as heartless, fear-inducing and cruel in the beginning. We learn, however, that he does what he has to do to protect his people and himself soon enough. He knows how to play the game of Court, and fiercely loves those closest to him. I cannot wait to see him in the second book!
And if you choose to make a deal anyway… the consequences are on you.
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