She has a passion for alchemy and she is determined to find a way to make gold for her village. But then the king found out and ceased her as his own. Upon escaping she ran into trouble and called upon the most feared fairy she knew. A bargain was struck and she found herself trapped in his realm.

Now she needs to escape the fairy realm. But she is finding she is growing fond of the most feared prince the longer she stays.

He’s keeping a secret and when she finds out she falls for him even harder. Only to be pained and uses his trust against him to leave him forever.

Started out strong but it just felt rushed. Their connection seemed immediately and I don't know... something just didn't quite hit for me with this one. It was sleeping beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, Beauty and the Beast with some snow white all rolled into one. Also the FMC trusted people too quickly and talked a lot.

<a href='https://postimg.cc/8s37p6K1' target='_blank'><img src='https://i.postimg.cc/5N9Lm58F/The-Court-That-Bleeds-Gold.jpg' border='0' alt='The-Court-That-Bleeds-Gold'/></a>

Thank you to NetGalley for an honest review!

<b><i>“It’s bewildering to have such menacing warnings delivered by such a beautiful mouth.”</i></b>
<p></p>
<i><u>The Court that Bleeds Gold </u></i><i>, by Zara Storm</i>

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Swept away for talents weaving Gold, Eleanor is a grounded lead who I found to be really charming, clever, and grit to her character. The male lead, I did not quite connect with in the same way, but he is a bit distant, a blend of Rumpelstiltskin and The Beast, so that is part of his nature. Overall, a good story to get swept into a new fairytale-esq world!

- 💛Strong Fairytales
- 💛Enemies to Lovers
- 💛Secret Powers

Court That Bleeds Gold offers a refreshing twist on the classic tales of Rumpelstiltskin and Beauty and the Beast, creating something that feels both familiar and excitingly new. Zara Storm's debut novel follows Eleanor, who makes a desperate deal with the Fae prince Ruskin to avoid marrying a brutal king—using her ability to spin gold as her bargaining chip.

The premise immediately draws you in as Eleanor is whisked away to the Fae realm with no means of escape, forced to navigate a dark and cruel world she barely understands. What I particularly enjoyed was how Storm subverts expectations around the prince's reputation, revealing layers of complexity that make the developing romance feel dangerous yet irresistible.

Ash Kingsley's narration was excellent throughout the audiobook, bringing the characters and world to life with engaging voice work that enhanced the overall experience. The banter between characters is memorable, and Storm balances romance, steam, and violence effectively to create what will likely become a romantasy favorite for many readers.

My only critique is that Eleanor's internal monologue occasionally becomes repetitive, with too much back-and-forth that slows the pacing at times. However, this doesn't detract significantly from what is an impressive debut.

As the first book in the Gold Weaver trilogy, this sets up what promises to be an explosive series full of drama and intrigue. I'm looking forward to seeing where Storm takes Eleanor's story next.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It started interesting, but with time I found myself not wanting to come back to it. It was supposed to be dark, but unfortunately the narrator's voice was too cheerful. It sounds harsh, but overall I enjoyed her performance - it just didn't suit the book.
If you want Rampulstilskin and Beauty and the Beast retelling, you can give it a try. It simply wasn't a book for me.

I really enjoyed this book—it was an easy, engaging read with fantasy elements that stayed interesting without being overwhelming. The story gives a refreshing twist on *Rumpelstiltskin* and *Beauty and the Beast*, which made it familiar yet exciting. The chemistry between Eleanor Thorn and Ruskin Dawnsong was perfect, full of tension and playful banter, and the side characters felt like real, integral parts of the story.

That said, Eleanor could be frustratingly immature, making impulsive choices that dragged the plot along, even though she knew better. And although she has gold-manipulating powers, it never crosses her mind to use them for an obvious solution. The romance felt a bit rushed, going from attraction to love quickly. Still, the story was fun, with just the right amount of intrigue, and it kept me hooked. I'd definitely recommend it as a light romantasy, though I’m not completely sold on continuing Eleanor’s journey.

2.5 Stars

This was an Audio ARC that was narrated by Ash Kingsley. Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me. The narration was not an issue, but the actual storyline was.

I'm not sure if this book knew exactly what it wanted to be. This was supposed to be an enemies to lovers story, yet it really wasn't. I never really felt like I could garner any level of feeling towards the characters - and I tried. To me, that is never a good sign.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the opportunity to listen to and review this Audio ARC. This book was out for publication on October 4, 2024.

This book had everything I could want in a dark fantasy/romantasy story: enemies to lovers; slow-burn romance; damsel-in-distress; morally grey hero ... Everything!

Amazing character and a stunning world that I cannot wait to revisit.

The audio book was amazing, truly reflected the emotions the characters were experiencing. This help create the feel I was there in the story with the character.

I really enjoyed the audiobook for this book, it was fast paced with good world building! This gave me beauty and the beast vibes with a good plot to romance ratio. Looking forward to continuing the series

A unique take on the Rumpelstiltskin Fairy Tale, with actual Fae this time.

When Eleanor is desperate to escape marrying the brutal king, she makes a deal she can't take back. A deal to make gold for the Fae prince. She has no choice now except but to make her lie into truth and make the gold she's promised.

She knows better than to make deals with Fae when she knows the cost. When she is whisked away to the Fae realm, with no means of escape, she is met with a dark cruel world she'd only ever scraped the surface of. It turns out the Prince's cruel reputation, had more to it than she first new.

What blooms is a dangerous romance, Eleanor knows better than to fall for, but can't help. This is just book 1 in a trilogy that is sure to explode with drama. Rememberable banter, a dash of steam and violence rounds out what will be a Romantasy favorite for many readers.

I really wanted to love A Court That Bleeds Gold, but I found myself confused and disconnected from the storyline almost the entire time. The beginning felt rushed, like it was hurrying just to get to the real start of the story. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get invested in the plot or characters, and it felt too similar to stories I’ve read before. I know this book might work for other readers, but it just wasn’t a good fit for me.

The Court That Bleeds Gold is fun, well-written, and filled with beloved romantasy tropes like enemies to lovers, fae, forced proximity, and slow burn. It actually reminded me of Sarah J. Maas, and if I had picked it up a few months ago, I think I would’ve devoured it.

The audiobook was the right choice here. Ash Kingsley’s narration was absolutely perfect and made the experience super immersive. And that’s coming from a picky audiobook listener.

Sadly, I think this one just hit me at the wrong time. Maybe it’s the reading slump or the sheer amount of romantasy I’ve read lately, but I might need a little break from the genre. I couldn’t connect with the story the way I hoped, even though I can see how it would work for fans still deep in their romantasy era.

I might circle back to this when I’m more in the mood for fae courts and slow burn fantasy romance.

Think Rumpelstiltskin met Beauty and the Beast and then decided to get spicy. 😉

This book was a blast! It gave me all the beloved romantasy vibes with fae, political intrigue, and a sassy FMC, but it truly came alive the deeper I got into the book and I’m so pumped there are more books in this world! The pacing was just right, pulling me in without ever feeling stagnant. I'm so hooked, I already downloaded the next book in the trilogy!

If you love a trickster fae and a touch of dark alchemy, give this a whirl. Just a heads-up: The latter half is not for the faint of heart, so peek at those trigger warnings!

Thank you to NetGalley and Zara Storm for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I was first drawn in by the idea of gold being a part of the story since I love stories that deal with gold, similarly to King Midas stories, which this does in a way. This story has a new take on the Midas Gold idea, which I found quite unique and really intriguing when listening to the story unravel.

As an audiobook, this was really great. The book is narrated by Ash Kingsley, who does a great job making each character distinct by changing accents, tones, and general demeanours for different characters. Her voice fits the main female character, Eleanor, really well, which added a lot of dimensions to this character and really helped bring her to life. I always find audiobooks to give me the best experience when reading a fantasy book, and I'd say this audiobook definitely does that by bringing you right into the world and its inhabitants. I would’ve loved to hear this audiobook with a full cast; I think that would’ve added even more to the atmosphere. The pacing of the book was medium, and I found the audiobook to be similar. I typically listen at 1.25x speed, as I don’t like slow speaking, but I did occasionally adjust the speed to 1x to get a better sense of how the audiobook would sound without the speedup. In saying this, I did prefer the audiobook when it’s sped up, but that might have been personal preference.

I enjoyed the story itself and its King Midas/ Beauty and the Beast kind of story. Eleanor makes a deal with a Fae Prince in order to escape marrying a king in her homeland. She is taken to the prince’s realm, where she is to live while holding up her end of the bargain. The story had a good amount of world-building and a magic system set up for a fantasy book. I also enjoyed getting to know the characters, especially some of the side characters. I think the flow of the book was only enhanced by the audiobook as it brought you further into the world built and brought it and the characters to life.

I would recommend this book if you enjoy a fantasy book with an interesting magic system and world, especially if you enjoy the stories of King Midas and Beauty and the Beast. If you’re planning on buying this book, I'd definitely recommend the audiobook as it adds even more life to the story and its fantasy element.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

#CourtthatBleedsGold #NetGalley

3.75 ⭐️ (rounding up on here)
At times this could be a bit predictable, but overall I enjoyed listening to this. The narrator did a great job of capturing the emotion in the story. The plot itself was easy to understand and follow and had likable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley + Victory Editing for the audio arc!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC Audiobook

I think this book had so much potential but didn't quite hit the mark for me. The storyline is interesting, easy to read, has great pacing, and I loved the suspense around the mysterious sickness spreading across the land.
I don't know how to feel about the MMC... I found him intriguing and I admire his dedication to his people but something about his chemistry with the FMC felt off. It was a very slow burn build up which I usually love, but the end brought us back to where we started.
The FMC is so smart and I think I will grow to love her even more as the series progresses but some of her decision making was questionable and she jumped to conclusions quickly.

Absolutely adored this book from start to finish. Having busy days in the evenings or admin jobs to tackle at home, I found this audiobook to be the perfect "distraction". The narrators really pull you in and make you live in the book, the tone and set really well and it leaves nothing short of perfection when you try to imagine the image they describe.

A fast-paced and addicting start of a romantasy series! I thought that this was a very compelling story and had many unique elements that are different from the typical romantasy books coming out right now. I loved the elements of alchemy that were used and hope that this continues. The FMC was headstrong and very fun to follow. I liked the use of Seelies and Unseelie fae, giving this a more classic trickster fae feel. The use of deals and true names was a nice touch, as well. This romantasy leaned into darker aspects that were fun to explore. This darker element reminded me of The Cruel Prince but This Court That Bleeds Gold has a more adult element. This book kept me engaged the whole time and made me want to continue the series.

ALC Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The narrator did a good job and conveyed the personality of the FMC just fine. If the rating was based on voice acting this would have been a 4 star rating.

The FMC, being the main POV we witness and hear the story through, made my listening experience a struggle at points. I did end up reading the book too through KU. Just to see how they compared and I did enjoy the audiobook when the FMC wasn't blaming everyone else for her situation. Lots of whining. I can understand including some of it, but it came off repetitive, hard to listen to, and surprising based on her years of experience dealing with the Fae.

I liked the twist of Beauty and the Beast with Rumpelstiltskin. I loved the magic/alchemy aspects we got to see. I would have liked more of it.

The glimpses of the world within the story and the side characters kept me going. While the world building could have been more detailed, this being the first book in a series with clear indications this was a Beauty and the Beast + Rumpelstiltskin it was enough to carry the storyline.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ALC!

Great concept well written good spice. If you are an avid reader you can definitely see where this author pulls inspiration and maybe take a guess at what some fav authors are. I can see the authors imagination and original ideas in this. Enjoyed it