I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, with faes. Eleanor's mother has died, and her father is in despair. Eleanor makes a living fusing metals and making jewelry for the fae. When the king discovers she can make gold, he decides he will keep her and wed her. To get away she calls on a fae to strike a deal. Now she is in the fae world, trying to pay off her deal, discover the truth of what's going on, and get back home.

I love Beauty and the Beast and enjoyed the similarities in this book to the fairy tale. However, I found Eleanor was constantly changing how she felt throughout the book, and couldn't make a decision. Overall, it was a good fantasy.

The narrator did a great job as the voice of Eleanor and making you feel how she was feeling.

“She told a lie to escape a king… and spun gold into her own curse.”
✨ The Court That Bleeds Gold is dripping with fae politics, forbidden power, enemies-to-lovers tension, and deadly bargains under moonlight. A tale of clever girls, cruel princes, and magic with a price.
🖤 For fans of Gothic romantasy, Rumpelstiltskin reimagined, and slow-burn danger.

I picked up this ARC after being sold on the premise of a dark fairy retelling, complete with broody, misunderstood main characters.

However, while I expected "An action-packed dark fantasy romance perfect for fans of Raven Kennedy," I didn't expect such a trope-heavy retelling. It felt as though scenes had been taken from other books, and cut together in a slightly different way. This meant I struggled to stay engaged, as I felt like I already knew what was coming.

The author did well to include elements of Alchemy to her tale, and I did enjoy the world building in the beginning. While I didn't enjoy the actual storyline as much as I thought I would, I can say that this would be the perfect audiobook for someone starting on their romantasy journey. As a seasoned reader of the genre, however, it did fall short for me.

That said, the narrator did an amazing job, and I'd listen to her work in the future.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the audio ARC of Court that Bleeds Gold in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for providing ALC of Zara Storm's fantasy novel, narrated by Ash Kingsley.

I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice and skill set used to bring this story to life. While I am not a fan of romantasy as much as I am of high fantasy, I was entertained by this story. There was a plot, romance, and fantasy elements in equal parts, which I can truly appreciate. There was a cruel and brutal king, a fae prince, and fairy tale elements that readers will recognize. This is the first book in a trilogy that is sure to leave readers wanting more. While not everything is the storyline worked for me - I definitely recommend the audiobook and the book as I believe many “romantasy” readers will absolutely love it. I would recommend this narrator for future listens as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley co-op, and Zara Storm for the Audio Advanced Reader Copy of Court that Bleeds Gold.

I do not have any notes for the narrator. I thought she did a great job. The pacing was good, there were no weird voices, I didn't note any distracting editing errors. Well done!

Court that Bleeds Gold is categorized as a dark romance and I don't necessarily agree with that categorization. It wasn't really all that dark...maybe I just need to start listening to lighter books. There was one torture scene? That was pretty much it as far as a truly dark storyline.

This book did keep me engaged, but I think it's important to note that it is an amalgamation of every faerie book on the market already. The entire time I was reading the book I was picking out other books I've read with the exact same storyline. Because of that, I can't really give it above a three.

Almost every character in the book acts like they have an allergic reaction to taking responsibility for their own actions. Thatch is a little weasel who throws other people under the bus to save his own skin. Eleanor literally requested Ruskin's help and then complained the entire time that he kidnapped her. I suppose the rest of the Faerie court acting like that makes sense.

The story is also unfortunately riddled with very weak plot points. Why does Eleanor need to possess the one thing that has the ability to kill him? Why would the one thing that has the ability to kill him be physically written down somewhere?!? Even the lower Fae don't do that, but for some reason the royals were like "yeah, seems like a good idea." Why didn't the sister just wait to hear Eleanor say Ruskin's true name when she was going to go through the gate? Why wasn't Eleanor able to answer the third Middle School level riddle? Why would she risk her life on an obviously incorrect answer? These are the questions that keep me up at night.

This was a great start to a dark romantasy series. It was a twist on a few different fairytales, including Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin. The tension and banter between Ruskin and Eleanor kept me intrigued. Eleanor's character did tend to get on my nerves a little bit with her immaturity. I love me some morally gray MMCs, and Ruskin definitely fits the bill. The ending is a cliffhanger, so I'm eager to find out what's going to happen next. This audio was a solo narration. I thought Ash Kingsley did a pretty great job doing the different voices. She brought the story to life. I really enjoyed her narration. Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

3.5/5

Court That Bleeds Gold is a dark fantasy that blends fairy-tale inspiration with fresh world-building, and the audiobook elevates the experience to something truly immersive. If you’re a fan of stories like King Midas, Beauty and the Beast, or Rumpelstiltskin—but wish they had more edge, romance, and political intrigue—this one’s for you.

The story centers on Eleanor, who strikes a desperate deal with a Fae prince, Ruskin, to avoid marrying a violent king. In exchange, she’s taken to the Fae realm, where she must honor her part of the bargain. What follows is a slow, satisfying unraveling of secrets, power plays, and forbidden attraction. The magic system is intriguing, and the world Storm builds feels both dangerous and beautiful.

What really stands out, though, is the audiobook. Ash Kingsley delivers a stellar performance, giving each character a distinct voice with shifts in accent, tone, and personality. Her portrayal of Eleanor feels especially fitting—adding vulnerability and strength in equal measure. The narration brought the story to life in a way that made me feel like I was inside the Fae realm with Eleanor.

The only small critique: Eleanor’s internal dialogue can become a bit repetitive in certain sections, slowing momentum. Still, the romance, the fae politics, and the tension kept me hooked all the way through.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the audiobook ARC!

The Court That Bleeds Gold is a strong debut that blends romance and fantasy in a way that feels both fresh and familiar. As someone who’s read a lot of romantasy, I was impressed by how well the plot and romance balanced each other, neither one felt sacrificed. The flawed FMC and MMC are drawn to each other in a way that keeps you invested, and the cliffhanger left me desperate for book two.

Overall, this book feels perfect for fans of ACOTAR or Beauty and the Beast-style romances, but it also has enough unique elements to stand on its own. It’s an engaging, easy-to-follow fantasy romance with plenty of potential, and I’m excited to see where the next installment takes things.

dnf @ 37%

A work that collects all the red flags of contemporary romantasy in one book, and it starts with the oddly-worded title. The audio kept me vaguely entertained for a time, but there really is no worldbuilding to this whatsoever. See, the characters use anachronistic words like "okay". And then it hit me that this is not only a Rumpelstiltskin retelling that comically leans on a variety of Disney fairytale movies for inspiraton - such as a very Gaston-like character right at the beginning- but a blatant rip-off of Cruel Beauty, which I can't abide.

I thought that this book was lacking in character descriptions but overall I enjoyed it. I liked that it was a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin which is much more unusual to me than a beauty and the beast retelling. I thought this was very promising for a debut novel, I can't wait to see where it goes in the next book. The world building was good, it was a debut novel and it kept me interested the almost the entire time.

This review can be found on the EARC version as well. I am so sorry but I did end up DNFing this series. I really wanted to enjoy this because the similar allure to Raven Kennedy and Sarah J Maas, but it fell flat for me and I could not connect with what was going on. I think more time could have been spent on the character descriptions to help me connect with Ruskin and Eleanor. I personally have aphantasia so I truly rely on descriptions and a heavy load on building the atmosphere so due to the lack of, I could not submerge myself to feel for the story. The build up of them just kind of fell flat and I wan’t intrigued or pulled in to want to know more. The world building is very beginner friendly but as someone who avidly reads fantasy, I personally felt like I couldn’t step into the story to experience it for my own. The writing felt a little surface level despite trying to attempt to have a lot going on. I truly believe there was so much potential to create a beautiful unfolding of this series, it could very well be a me problem but ultimately I just didn’t feel the chemistry. Just because it wasn’t’ for me does NOT mean that other people will not enjoy it.

Overall this is an interesting take on a rumplestiltskin like story, but as dark Romania’s in fae court. The storytelling was relatively engaging, and the narration was good—the voice of the narrator and the pace of the narration worked well with the story.

Despite these positives, I DNF’d this book at 76%. Amidst the first actually spicy scene. The issue for me was that the spice felt unrealistic, our FMC is meant to be a virgin with no experience and suddenly she’s having her first time and the descriptions from her POV are very wanton and explicitly descriptive, it feels out of place. I could not suspend my disbelief in this moment, the scene just didn’t fit the character at that time in the story in my opinion. I did try to return to the book and listen to where I stopped, but I couldn’t get back into it.

There is lots of potential here and if you don’t get hung up on that kinda stuff and I think many people will enjoy this audiobook despite what I’ve noted.

I enjoyed this adiobook that had vibes from multiple fairytales such as Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin. I thought the storyline was unique and the world building was intriguing. I look forward to continuing the series!

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. There wasn’t anything specifically wrong with the book, I just couldn’t get into it.

This book had me hooked from the fake-it-‘til-you-make-it gold-spinning lie to the moment a ruthless Fae prince becomes her only protection. 🔥

The world is brutal, the fae are wicked, and the slow-burn tension is everything. If you’re into dark bargains, dangerous courts, and morally gray love interests with secrets? This one’s for you.

Fast-paced, immersive, and full of twists—Court That Bleeds Gold delivers fantasy romance with bite. 🖤

Thank you to @netgalley for the #ALC of The Court that Bleeds Gold by Zara Storm! The narrator for this one was fantastic and truly brought the story to life.

As a debut novel, this was a solid and enjoyable read. The story follows Eleanor, who, desperate to avoid a terrible marriage, summons a brutal Fae prince and strikes an impossible bargain. She is whisked away to his realm, a world of both beauty and cruelty. The prince becomes her unlikely protector against the sadistic games of the wicked fairies, and she slowly begins to see beyond his monstrous mask as she uncovers his secrets.

The book did a great job of keeping me interested, even though I did see a lot of the major twists and surprises coming. I really appreciated the growth of the protagonist, Eleanor, as she learns not all Fae are bad. While she makes some silly mistakes along the way, it was nice to see her own them and grow from her experiences. My only wish was that we had gotten to know Ruskin more in-depth, as he felt a bit underdeveloped.

Overall, it's an enjoyable read that sets the stage well for the rest of the series. I'm very curious to see where the story goes from here, but as a whole, it wasn't a super stand-out or memorable read for me.

Troupes: Rumpelstiltskin retelling, fae, magical bargains, alchemy, enemies to lovers ish
Spice 2/5
Plot 4/5
Pace 4/5
Character Personality 4/5
Character Growth 4/5
Writing Style 4/5
World Building 5/5

Court that Bleeds Gold follows a human girl stolen to the Fae realm to fulfill a bargain she makes with the dark Fea children are warned of growing up.
Eleanor has been working to turn other metals into gold, when she succeeds the evil king steals her away. To get out of a forced marriage to him, she calls on the dark Price of the Fae realm she’s been warned about her whole life. Striking a deal with him in exchange for her alchemy.

Look I’m a fan of the human girl stolen by a handsome Fae trope, but this one felt like a bit of a plot mess.
We thought we met the villain, just to find out that we will never see the king again. The plot felt like it changed direction multiple times. And she never even completed the task of undoing the gold in his heart. It was.. love? Still not sure how it happened to be cured. And I couldn’t get behind his name, it being Ruskin was super distracting. I don’t think I would continue this trilogy.

I enjoyed this and will recommend to my customers. Thank you for the opportunity to read. It was a fun read.

Thanks to NerGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my honest thoughts.

Styled as a fairy tale retelling and compared to Sarah J Mass- this sounded right up my alley! Sadly, it was a miss for me.

This dark fae romance twist on Rumplestiltskin did a fine job on world building, but I couldn’t find the connection to the characters that I was looking for and I honestly found both MCs to be slightly annoying and I didn’t feel any chemistry between them.

There was a whole lot of tell instead of show, and I think that’s a result of how fast paced everything was. The writing could have benefited from reworking the context to let the audience experience the events. I’m not here for exposition after all.

The narrator did a fine job, but I think may not have been the best choice for this book. I’’d love to listen to their work in other books though! The voice and vibe were too optimistic for such a dark twisty tale.

This one was a miss for me, but it could easily be a hit for others.