The Court that Bleeds Gold (The Gold Weaver, # 1)
By: Zara Storm
Publication: March 24, 2024 by Independently published
314 pages
Genre: Adult, Fantasy
Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)
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Goodreads description--An action-packed dark fantasy romance perfect for fans of Raven Kennedy, Krista Street, and Sarah J. Maas.Desperate to escape marrying a brutal king, I make a deal with a Fae Prince...
“I can spin gold,” I lie.
With my life at stake, I have no other choice.
I get one chance to turn my lie into truth, and I’m shocked when I succeed.
But now the cruel human king demands I become his wife—passing between his bed and being locked away in a tower, spinning gold until my last breath.
My only way out is to summon him.
A brutal Fae prince.
The deal we strike is sickening, but it’s the only way I’ll live after I’m caught escaping. My new captor drags me back to his realm.
A place of profound beauty and savage cruelties.
As wicked fairies play sadistic games, the prince is my sole protector.
He’s not just protecting me, though. He’s guarding his own secrets.
I should hate him. But our pact shows me a side his court never sees.
There is more behind his monstrous mask.
I can’t stop myself from looking.
Especially when I learn what he really wants with me.
The Court that Bleeds Gold is the first book in a dark fantasy romance trilogy. This enemies to lovers series has shades of Rumpelstiltskin and Beauty and the Beast, with a dark hero who will absolutely burn this damned world to the ground for our sharp-tongued heroine. Expect steam, violence and plenty of barbed exchanges.
I've only read one other Rumpelstiltskin retelling before. That was Gilded by Marissa Meyer. I still haven't finished book 2Cursed yet. But so far, The Court that Bleeds Gold wasn't exactly a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. There are some similarities in the two stories though.
Eleanor is a metallurgist. Eleanor transformed something that wasn't gold (I couldn't tell you what that metal was) into gold one time. She hopes to be able to reproduce her experiment, but she doesn't have an opportunity to do so. Her mother passed away some time ago, and Eleanor has been taking care of her father who has almost given up on life since. Times are tough and Eleanor has to make ends meet by making jewelry for the fae and humans who can afford it to sell at the market. Only, what's his face side character who thinks she's going to marry him for no other reason than because he's the most eligible man in the town tells the human king that she can spin gold. The human king decides to marry her himself. But before they can get married, Eleanor calls on the scariest fae known to make a deal to save her life. She'll spin gold for him in exchange for removing her from her prison and upcoming marriage. He takes her to Faerie instead. Only to basically lock her up there.
Ruskin's reputation for making deals where humans don't get the good end of the stick. In truth, he only comes when they call him, and the only thing they usually have to offer him that's worth anything to him is some of their life force. Eleanor easily paints him as evil. But it doesn't take long to discover that he's more than meets the eye. He may have locked her away in his castle. But maybe that's for her own protection. He might need her help, but helping him may also benefit many others. Even though he has certainly done many things he feels guilty about, he also knows he is the ruler his court needs after everything his family has attempted. Ruskin is facing a time crunch. He and his kingdom are being attacked by an unknown source. And he needs Eleanor's ability to spin gold to help him figure things out.
Pieces of The Court that Bleeds Gold felt unpolished for me. I could tell this was a debut author because of that. It's hard for me to explain and put my finger on exactly why. I need to slow down my reading and analyze more as I go, but where's the fun in that? Maybe it was the relationship buildup. Eleanor and Ruskin have no real reason to like each other in my opinion. At least not at first. He's beautiful. Okay. I get that. But she spends so much time being angry at him that when they have a few moments of chemistry it almost feels jarring. He especially doesn't seem to have much reason to feel anything for her beyond needing her help. But it was obvious that the relationship wasn't simply based upon need. I don't usually appreciate characters who go against what's smart or logical or moral for what they're feeling in the moment. Feelings are not greater than logic.
Some quotes I highlighted:
-"A ruler must often do things he'd rather not,"...
-This is a bad idea. I'm only doing this because I'm angry. And because I want to. Desperately.
-There's strength in being underestimated.
-"There's more than one way to set a trap,"...
The Court that Bleeds Gold was better than I was expecting it to be yet lacking some polish that often comes with experience. I wanted to keep reading, yet I found myself rolling my eyes a good bit. I was rooting for the relationship, yet I wasn't exactly sure why. Overall, I feel The Court that Bleeds Gold deserves 3.5 Stars. I'll definitely check out book 2 when I can. Have you read The Court that Bleeds Gold? What did you think? Let me know!
This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.
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