Those That Glow Gold

Those That Glow Gold #1

by Michelle Matteson

All things considered, Chrysta York has a good life. She goes to a good school, enjoys making music, and has the love and support of at least one friend. But Jozef York, her father, keeps her under lock and key, and his controlling behavior starts to become more than she can bear. Then she meets Tommy Monroe, a young man who helps her gain the freedom she has only dreamed of. But as they become closer, her father only tightens his hold on her even more. To her amazement, Chrysta starts causing things to happen, strange things that seem unreal and magical. When Tommy realizes her father's plans are more sinister than either of them thought, Chrysta will find herself thrust into a mysterious world she never knew existed as she tries to save herself and Tommy both.

278 pages, Paperback

Published October 30, 2020

About the author

Michelle Matteson is a new author residing in Central Florida, although she wouldn't turn down the lifestyle of a swamp witch with unlimited wifi and chocolate. She relishes being an unapologetic geek, loving the fantasy, horror, and sci-fi genres. It was always her dream to write a book, and hopefully, with time and plenty of pizza, she can continue crafting stories for many years to come.

Reviews

[Shelves_by_sim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from not being able to wear what she wants, go out or even see her friends, Chrysta York has a good life. Her father is wealthy, she does not want for anything other than freedom. She has a good education, she is following her dream in classical music and has a best friend she adores.

But Jozef York is a very controlling man and it seems that lately, it has only gotten worse. When Chrysta meets Thomas Monroe, an unruly looking young man, with face piercings and dreadlocks, who plays they same instrument as her - the violin - and immediately feels a connection with him. Tommy helps sneak Chrysta out the house so that she can live a little.

Soon, as her father's security gets tighter, Chrysta realises that strange things start happening around her. Things she can't explain, like how she apparently cursed a classmate or how Tommy insists he is 177 years old. Everything starts to crumble when Tommy realises her father's plans for her are much more sinister than he thought and risks his life to get her to safety.

My thoughts:
I think I've been giving way too many 5 stars lately lol but this one was definitely deserved. Reading the prologue, I thought the book would go in a completely different direction than it did. It was light, it was interesting and I loved how they story developed. Chrysta's and Tommy's romance was so sweet and genuine and her relationship with the raven was the most adorable thing ever. There was lots of action as you would expect from a fantasy but the book kept me glued to it. I really loved and enjoyed this read 🖤🖤

[enjoyingbooksagain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts:
Those That Glow Gold is a compelling exploration of self-discovery and resilience. We follows the journey of characters grappling with personal challenges while navigating the complexities of life. The characters create an immersive experience, you might find yourself empathizing with their struggles and triumphs. The books poignant themes and engaging storytelling make it an interesting read.

[Ellen's · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our main character Chrysta has grown up in a very sheltered home, with a father who is very cold and distant. She doesn't have many friends, besides Mary and the rest of the Jackson household. We also know very little about the world outside of the norm, and our knowledge grows as Chrysta's does. I don't want to say much about the magical world, because part of the fun is discovering with Chrysta.

"𝐕𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞," 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝.

📖 Magic
📖 Creatures
📖 Found Family
📖 The Chosen One

The first half of the book felt very middle grade most of the time, and was slower. But as I kept reading, and the story started to flow faster, I found myself flying through the pages. I'm very interested in Chrysta's future, and also what happens with Tommy.
As for Chrysta and Tommy, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that. The romance between them is very PG, and it has sweet moments.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦. "𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝."

With that being said, I did find myself enjoying the book. It has lots of action and drama towards the end. I easily read it in two days. As a short chapter lover, I found the the chapters are long. It definitely could benefit from an editor goijg over it again checking for spelling errors. Mainly the main characters name. That could have been just the edition I was reading though. I am very interested to see where the story goes in book 2, so I will be picking that up. I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a quick and fun fantasy, with younger characters and zero spice.

"𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫." 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭. "𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤. 𝐈 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝."

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

just finished Those that Glow Gold by Michelle Matteson and I’m so ready to dive into the next book because this one was so tasty!

Synopsis:
All things considered, Chrysta York has a good life. She goes to a good school, enjoys making music, and has the love and support of at least one friend. But Jozef York, her father, keeps her under lock and key, and his controlling behavior starts to become more than she can bear. Then she meets Tommy Monroe, a young man who helps her gain the freedom she has only dreamed of. But as they become closer, her father only tightens his hold on her even more. To her amazement, Chrysta starts causing things to happen, strange things that seem unreal and magical. When Tommy realizes her father's plans are more sinister than either of them thought, Chrysta will find herself thrust into a mysterious world she never knew existed as she tries to save herself and Tommy both.

***

So I have to say that this book didn’t go where I expected it to go. I love a good sweet romance, which Chrysta and Tommy have and you all know how I love a good sidekick, and the raven in it is a good one!

There are so many reveals in this book that I don’t want to write too much about it - but know that I loved it and it should be on your TBR immediately. It is unlike a lot of books that are out there.

Its a lovely light read, and for a YA novel its quite inriguing!

[The Reading Hammock | Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thrilled when this book finally became available on Kindle, having been recommended by several friends.

From the get go, I felt so bad for Chrysta. Everything about her home life screamed abuse and neglect, but that clearly her father had some reason for keeping her so locked down. Chrysta's best friend Mary is a godsend with all the nonsense in Chrysta's home life. Add in mysterious and handsome Tommy Monroe, and it finally looks like Chrysta's luck is turning around.

The prologue felt jarring at first, but once you got to the later parts of the story, it made so much more sense. I can't wait for the next installment to learn more about the magic system in this world. Chrysta's relationship with Tommy felt a bit awkward at first, given that she's still a teenager and he's very much older (even if he is a supernatural being), but I appreciated that despite that slightly uncomfortable age gap, the author kept things pretty chaste and respectful between them, never progressing past kissing. .

[Bayan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤. 𝐈 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝."

Yes, I'm leaving you with that quote, this review is going to be very vague, because one of the best elements of reading this book was discovering things with the character!

I love how the story developed and surprised me past prologue, I literally stayed at the edge of my seat while reading!

The sweet romance between Chrysta and Tommy was adorable, and you literally never feel the age gap, considering how PG it all is!

The second half of the book was more action and drama packed than the rest, which was very fun!
I absolutely loved the elements of magic, strange creatures, found family, chosen one, younger characters, quick fantasy, Raven relationship and zero spice that I got from this book!

I most definitely recommend, and I'll be here for book 2 for sure!

Thank you to @katieandbreypa and @thosethatglowgold for providing me with an ecopy for reviewing!

[Amber Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This YA Fantasy novel was a fun read. You grew to love the characters and feel a connection to them. The reader can feel the confusion as Chrysta, the main character, comes into her powers. She knows nothing about magic or anything if that world. She has a beautiful friendship with her best friend Mary, who is always watching out for Chrysta. Since Chrysta lost her mother at a young again, she has been brought up by her unloving and cruel father. She finds comfort in a fellow musician, Tommy, to help her through some hard things in life. While he doesn’t try to influence her, he tries to be there when she needs him. Chrysta comes to blows with her father and his colleagues! She just make hard decisions to help herself and others while trying to understand this new world of magic.

I am looking forward to reading the sequel!

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this book 3.5 stars and rounding it up to 4 because that's how math is supposed to work.

Matteson created an intriguing story that is unlike anything else I've read. The plot was well-thought-out and held my attention. I loved the idea of changelings, how they were created, and how varied they could be. Tommy was by far my favorite character (and maybe Mary's grandmother too). His honesty was refreshing.

I enjoyed following Chrysta along her journey and learning about the magic system as she did. It's a unique one.

The only issue I had with this book was the typos. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be Chloe or Chole.

I'm curious to see what happens next.

Thank you to Katie and Brey for sending me an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[NinaInkdawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here I am, my precious readers, with a new review... So I'll start by saying that when I saw the plot and the cover, I said to myself, why when I was younger there weren't books like this, books that make you drink like when you're in front of a fireplace lit or drink a hot chocolate... This book is definitely different from everything I've read so far and I loved it for this... Tommy and Chrysta entered my heart, I can't tell you which of the two more... I only know that after this reading I can say that even if you feel like disasters... You are beautiful disasters and there are people next to you for whom you shine golden even with all your problems and defects.... For me, absolutely a book to add to the to be read list.
Rating 4.5 ⭐

[BookInHand777 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Prologue gave me sci-fi vibes like *Altered Carbon*, though the rest is a bit different.

I found Tommy and Chrysta to be a cute pair, and I loved how they came together over shared musical interest. There is an age gap, so I appreciate the chastity in their lil love story.

I found the magic system to be quite interesting, with everyone having different abilities.

I really really liked the book and the only thing that kept me from loving it was the typos (which hopefully got fixed in the final cut).

Looking forward to seeing where the next book goes. Definitely recommend to those who enjoy fantasies with magic, drama, action, and intrigue.

[Vintage Books Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ My thoughts ✨
I really liked this book! This books is clearly a YA book but that makes it an easy story to read and made my fly through the pages. No book for smut-lovers, there is some romance between the main characters but zero spice.

The characters are interesting and the story is full with magic, magical creatures, action, plots and adventures. So in short a great book for fantasy lovers who love a fun and easy read.

I have received a digital copy of this book in exchange to my honest review. Thank you so much

[Gemma Best · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a YA fantasy novel and it’s really fun to read. The story progresses quickly and it’s really quite sinister in places. Chrysta’s father is a really quite shadowy character and you feel quite claustrophobic reading about the way he controls his daughter. I really liked the character of Tommy as well. I love that Tommy and Chrysta form a bond over their love of music. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading YA fantasy.

[Bethany Bauerle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! There was magic and a sweet forbidden romance. Tommy is hilarious and you just can't help but love him! The character building was wonderful. Especially Chrysta's! You could relate to them and I enjoyed the fun bantering between them. If you like YA fantasy romance with adventure, magic, and fun characters this book is a must read! I'm looking forward to reading more of Chrysta and Tommy's story in book 2. (Her Most Loyal Servants)

[Lauren L. Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta say it 😂 YOu get a five star for how much I was on the edge of my seat. I didn't know what I was expecting but the chaos kept me pulled IN!

The storyline development made me so excited for the next book in the series. I'm so excited to see more!

I honestly think the author is GOING PLACES! The talent was incredible!

I loved the characters. Their relationships with each other.

And this was honestly such a light read for me, a really good palette cleanser!

[Margaret Both · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! Absolutely amazing story that holds your attention right until the end.
Excellent character development throughout even of the more minor characters.
Deepest gratitude to Michelle Matteson for her complimentary copy of Those That Glow Gold via Voracious Readers Only.
Looking forward to a sequel!

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Voratiousreadersonly.com and am very happy that I did. The story is so engrossing with characters that put a spell on you. I can honestly say that I forgot I was reading a book as I could see everything in my mind as if I were right there.
It was such a joy to read that I would recommend it to anyone!

[aliteraryarchivist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating 3.5

Those that Glow Gold by @thosethatglowgold was an unexpected read. At first I didn’t know what to expect, but found myself being sucked into the story. The world and characters were really interesting to read about. I definitely recommend giving this book a go.

Thank you to @katieandbreypa and @thosethatglowgold for allowing me to read this book.

[Stella_L421]

This book was really good! I had a little bit of a difficult time getting into it at first, but once I did I soared through. It was very unique, and the characters were easy to follow. I adored the writing as well. I’m so glad I was a part of this tour. And got to review this book!

Definitely would recommend it!

Thank you @enchantedinkbooktours and @thosethatglowgold for my gifted copy

[Sarah Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!!! Definitely will read more in this series.