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Gold Cavern
The only thing that could summon Estelle from her new york apartment was a desperate call for help from the man who had saved her life as a child. Her grandfather, who had raised her from a child after her mother's tragic death, needed her to return for an urgent family matter
Convinced of the legend of the missing village of Goldum, he gathers a group he can trust who can handle the journey into lower mountains before the snow arrives.
With Estelle to lead, she follows her grandfather's map, into foothills on ATVs. Much to her surprise, she and the others come upon another group of ATVs along their trail.
Lofton, a geologist, appears to lead a group that includes two hydro dam workers and his female assistant. With a massive gold nugget as evidence, the two groups continue together, having no real choice.
Together they discover the source of the gold is most likely coming out of an underground river, and they need scuba gear to continue. The underground journey takes several days and tortures all physically but mostly mentally. The smell of abundant amounts of gold has them all planning glorious futures.
Alliances and enemies are made in the small group. Still, all seems forgiven when they find the legendary lost village of Goldum buried almost intact. However, things go poorly when Estelle, who claims to be the rightful heir to the village and fortune, tells the disbelieving group that removing any gold will result in all of their deaths.
Convinced of the legend of the missing village of Goldum, he gathers a group he can trust who can handle the journey into lower mountains before the snow arrives.
With Estelle to lead, she follows her grandfather's map, into foothills on ATVs. Much to her surprise, she and the others come upon another group of ATVs along their trail.
Lofton, a geologist, appears to lead a group that includes two hydro dam workers and his female assistant. With a massive gold nugget as evidence, the two groups continue together, having no real choice.
Together they discover the source of the gold is most likely coming out of an underground river, and they need scuba gear to continue. The underground journey takes several days and tortures all physically but mostly mentally. The smell of abundant amounts of gold has them all planning glorious futures.
Alliances and enemies are made in the small group. Still, all seems forgiven when they find the legendary lost village of Goldum buried almost intact. However, things go poorly when Estelle, who claims to be the rightful heir to the village and fortune, tells the disbelieving group that removing any gold will result in all of their deaths.
- GenresMystery
Audiobook
96 people want to read
About the author
Zola Blue
16 books232 followersAs a reader, I have enjoyed numerous books throughout my life. As a writer, I aim to create engaging stories that captivate and leave readers wanting more. Now semi-retired, I can devote more time to writing and building a relationship with God. At the same time, I work on my creative journey.
Living on a lovely island in Canada with my husband, two dogs, and one cat is a beautiful and serene environment that greatly inspires my writing. Drawing from my experiences and surroundings, too, I believe, adds richness and authenticity to my stories.
Nurturing my passion for writing and exploring the realms of fiction and fantasy with dedication and creativity, I hope to continue to craft captivating stories that resonate with readers and provide them with an enjoyable reading experience.
Living on a lovely island in Canada with my husband, two dogs, and one cat is a beautiful and serene environment that greatly inspires my writing. Drawing from my experiences and surroundings, too, I believe, adds richness and authenticity to my stories.
Nurturing my passion for writing and exploring the realms of fiction and fantasy with dedication and creativity, I hope to continue to craft captivating stories that resonate with readers and provide them with an enjoyable reading experience.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 16, 2020
Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it. This book was provided to me as an early review copy, however, my opinions are honest and entirely my own.
Note: This book deals with mature themes and topics.
Content Warnings: Violence, Death, Grief, Claustrophobia.
Spoiler-Free Review:
Gold Cavern by Zola Blue was an exciting, captivating book that contained a very unique plot. It was intriguing to see how the entire plot was moved forward by the discovery of this gold and also just how dangerous it could be. I don't think I've ever read a high stake, adventure book involving gold in this way before. I love how the temptation or allure of the gold was portrayed and how it was a double-edged sword as both a tempting reward but also a lethal weapon.
I found some of the characters to be a bit irritating at times, but I became invested in some of their plot lines. I was definitely much more interested in the plot of the story than the characters. I was more invested in the main character, Estelle, throughout the novel than any of the other characters. Sean's character really bothered me in the story, he really irritated me throughout, but I don't think that he deserved the ending he got. I feel like his character arc was a bit of a disappointment and a lost opportunity. He definitely could've received a good redemption arc in the next installments of The Legend of Goldum series. Lofton definitely could have done more to help save Sean before the boulder really began to close in, but, he chose not to. While I understood Lofton's position, this was one of the things that I disliked about him as a character. He let his pride, anger, and fear stop him from helping until it was too late which was upsetting, but on the other hand, also made him feel really human.
I think one of the best things about this story were the vivid descriptions Blue used. The details and the language used to describe the underground caverns really helped me a clear mental image in my head of what they looked like and imagine the scene playing out itself. I also really enjoyed learning about all the different mythological aspects of this book and especially the warning vision Henry receives against or proceeding further into the cave or taking gold. The vision brought up so many questions about Henry that I wish could be explored throughout the rest of the series. I would still love to learn what caused Henry's vision and it would've been amazing to see this subplot developed more in future books. Henry was such a good character and he definitely deserved better, it was so upsetting to see his story come to a close near the end of Gold Cavern.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It definitely delivered on the action and adventure that was promised in a unique and exciting way. Some of the characters were disappointing or upsetting and I felt that some storylines that would've been great to expand on in the future books ended too quickly. I really enjoyed the main character, Estelle, and the underground search for gold. The descriptions were excellent and really lends itself well to helping the reader imagine the setting in their heads. The prose and language used were good and appropriate for the book and there were very few grammatical or spelling errors to distract from the story.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Genres: Young Adult Adventure, Fantasy
Author: Zola Blue
Note: This book deals with mature themes and topics.
Content Warnings: Violence, Death, Grief, Claustrophobia.
Spoiler-Free Review:
Gold Cavern by Zola Blue was an exciting, captivating book that contained a very unique plot. It was intriguing to see how the entire plot was moved forward by the discovery of this gold and also just how dangerous it could be. I don't think I've ever read a high stake, adventure book involving gold in this way before. I love how the temptation or allure of the gold was portrayed and how it was a double-edged sword as both a tempting reward but also a lethal weapon.
I found some of the characters to be a bit irritating at times, but I became invested in some of their plot lines. I was definitely much more interested in the plot of the story than the characters. I was more invested in the main character, Estelle, throughout the novel than any of the other characters. Sean's character really bothered me in the story, he really irritated me throughout, but I don't think that he deserved the ending he got. I feel like his character arc was a bit of a disappointment and a lost opportunity. He definitely could've received a good redemption arc in the next installments of The Legend of Goldum series. Lofton definitely could have done more to help save Sean before the boulder really began to close in, but, he chose not to. While I understood Lofton's position, this was one of the things that I disliked about him as a character. He let his pride, anger, and fear stop him from helping until it was too late which was upsetting, but on the other hand, also made him feel really human.
I think one of the best things about this story were the vivid descriptions Blue used. The details and the language used to describe the underground caverns really helped me a clear mental image in my head of what they looked like and imagine the scene playing out itself. I also really enjoyed learning about all the different mythological aspects of this book and especially the warning vision Henry receives against or proceeding further into the cave or taking gold. The vision brought up so many questions about Henry that I wish could be explored throughout the rest of the series. I would still love to learn what caused Henry's vision and it would've been amazing to see this subplot developed more in future books. Henry was such a good character and he definitely deserved better, it was so upsetting to see his story come to a close near the end of Gold Cavern.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It definitely delivered on the action and adventure that was promised in a unique and exciting way. Some of the characters were disappointing or upsetting and I felt that some storylines that would've been great to expand on in the future books ended too quickly. I really enjoyed the main character, Estelle, and the underground search for gold. The descriptions were excellent and really lends itself well to helping the reader imagine the setting in their heads. The prose and language used were good and appropriate for the book and there were very few grammatical or spelling errors to distract from the story.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Genres: Young Adult Adventure, Fantasy
Author: Zola Blue
November 20, 2020
A couple pans for gold in a river when the husband finds a huge gold nugget. He’s heard the legend of the lost gold of Goldum and is instantly excited. When he brings it into town for someone to take a look at it, little does he know he’s just signed his and his wife’s death warrants. Greed leads to murder as two groups head into the lower mountains of Goldum, each with their own agenda. When they agree to work together to discover the lost village, things go from bad to worse. The gold itself weaves its spell on everyone involved then sits back as they risk it all to possess the gold. Will any of them survive or will they one by one be murdered by a truly evil person hellbent on getting rich?
Gold Cavern: The Legend of Goldum is a captivating adventure story I couldn’t stop thinking about, even after finishing it. From the start, this is unlike any other treasure hunt story I’ve read. We meet groups of people I wouldn’t want to meet alone on a street, each with their own backstory. Trust me when I tell you, you’ll have an almost physical reaction to them. The only redeeming characters are Estelle and Lofton. The plot moves at a slow pace with a large cast of characters. The story unfolds at a great pace because there’s plenty of interactions between the groups as well as each character’s background. I never once got lost or didn’t know what was going on. The descriptive narration carries the plot well. There are mature themes going on in this story including treasure hunting for gold. There’s a fair share of world-building as there are a few myths and legends interwoven into the story. The Native American mythology was so well done, I really enjoyed those parts. There’s also quite a bit of adult situations, violence, drug abuse, and language. If you’re looking for an action-adventure mystery that’ll leave you wondering what will happen next, pick up Gold Cavern: The Legend of Goldum.
Disclaimer: I read this on Kindle Unlimited CA.
My Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by: Mrs. N
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
Gold Cavern: The Legend of Goldum is a captivating adventure story I couldn’t stop thinking about, even after finishing it. From the start, this is unlike any other treasure hunt story I’ve read. We meet groups of people I wouldn’t want to meet alone on a street, each with their own backstory. Trust me when I tell you, you’ll have an almost physical reaction to them. The only redeeming characters are Estelle and Lofton. The plot moves at a slow pace with a large cast of characters. The story unfolds at a great pace because there’s plenty of interactions between the groups as well as each character’s background. I never once got lost or didn’t know what was going on. The descriptive narration carries the plot well. There are mature themes going on in this story including treasure hunting for gold. There’s a fair share of world-building as there are a few myths and legends interwoven into the story. The Native American mythology was so well done, I really enjoyed those parts. There’s also quite a bit of adult situations, violence, drug abuse, and language. If you’re looking for an action-adventure mystery that’ll leave you wondering what will happen next, pick up Gold Cavern: The Legend of Goldum.
Disclaimer: I read this on Kindle Unlimited CA.
My Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by: Mrs. N
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
November 18, 2020
Mark reviews gold cavern episode 1#
Note this book deals with mature themes and topics.
Content warnings: violence death grief claustrophobia
My review is only my opinion.
The book gave me an Indiana Jones adventure feeling but with the eight finalists from the TV series Survivor. Unlike Jones all these participants are not putting the gold in a museum. I would also say it had a feel of the movie Sanctum for underground creepiness.
I really enjoyed the mix of characters, made me laugh, no matter how they matched I always sensed the impending disaster. I did enjoy the brief outdoor scenes and meeting the wolf. It was good to see such a daring treasure hunt could exist in our modern day still undiscovered right in the middle of America.
The plot gave a definite track to the end of the story with a few bumpy stops along the way to explain each character’s connection to each other and the gold.
One of my favourite parts of the book was the transition from outdoors to caverns. It had all the terror and excitement I was looking forward to. Throughout the cavern journey I enjoyed the constant blending of good and evil characters working together while plotting for opportunities to strike.
I must admit I wondered how Blue was going to delivery justifiable justice on each of the survivors and make it believable. I was ready for one of the standard endings I’ve read before but no, not this time.
The ending is big and spectacular and all very original. It read like some monstrous budget scene from a Hollywood ending with some crazy twist thrown in for my nail-biting pleasure.
Yes, there was a love story, two in fact, both very different, end with very different results.
I would recommend this book as an action adventure story with multiple cliff hangers and close courters situations with some great believable human relations.
Note this book deals with mature themes and topics.
Content warnings: violence death grief claustrophobia
My review is only my opinion.
The book gave me an Indiana Jones adventure feeling but with the eight finalists from the TV series Survivor. Unlike Jones all these participants are not putting the gold in a museum. I would also say it had a feel of the movie Sanctum for underground creepiness.
I really enjoyed the mix of characters, made me laugh, no matter how they matched I always sensed the impending disaster. I did enjoy the brief outdoor scenes and meeting the wolf. It was good to see such a daring treasure hunt could exist in our modern day still undiscovered right in the middle of America.
The plot gave a definite track to the end of the story with a few bumpy stops along the way to explain each character’s connection to each other and the gold.
One of my favourite parts of the book was the transition from outdoors to caverns. It had all the terror and excitement I was looking forward to. Throughout the cavern journey I enjoyed the constant blending of good and evil characters working together while plotting for opportunities to strike.
I must admit I wondered how Blue was going to delivery justifiable justice on each of the survivors and make it believable. I was ready for one of the standard endings I’ve read before but no, not this time.
The ending is big and spectacular and all very original. It read like some monstrous budget scene from a Hollywood ending with some crazy twist thrown in for my nail-biting pleasure.
Yes, there was a love story, two in fact, both very different, end with very different results.
I would recommend this book as an action adventure story with multiple cliff hangers and close courters situations with some great believable human relations.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews