I received an ARC of A Curse of Gold through NetGalley and was so so excited! I loved A Touch of Gold with treason, love, and magic. The sequel lived up to my expectations phenomenally. There are some series where the sequel feels forced or doesn’t follow the same character development, which was a huge disappointment. That is not the case here. I highly recommend picking this book up if you are interested to see where Kora goes next!

Sullivan has a magical way with words and worlds. Readers will find the return to her tale of curses, gold and pirates a heart-pounding adventure worthy of the classics.

ARC kindly provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Where did that come from!

A Touch of Gold was one thing but boy wait until you read its sequel! This was everything I wanted from a book intertwined with greek mythology. I found that the characters were more well-rounded and that the mythological aspects were much richer than that in the first book. I was obsessed with Triton, Dionysus and Poseidon which provided a really fun and interesting tale I simply couldn't resist.

A Curse of Gold picks up from where A Touch of Gold left off whereby Princess Kora has just returned back to her kingdom and saved her father from illness. What they don't realise is while one journey is ending, another is just beginning. They will need to battle sea monsters, Gods and make a few new friends along the way to beat the new threat set on destroying Lagonia.

I found that I liked the characters a whole lot more than in the first book. Royce proved himself a worthier love interest for Kora than what was seen before in book 1. I enjoyed reading about their dynamic more and felt like Annie Sullivan, the author sold their relationship a whole lot more to the point that I was convinced they really cared for one another instead of what was hinted at earlier.

I also appreciated how much better the action scenes were in comparison to A Touch of Gold. I was underwhelmed in the previous novel with the action scenes and the reasons behind some of the choices the characters made whereas in this one I was engrossed in the action and felt like the characters definitely developed and matured in how they handled situations.

My only negative... THAT ENDING. If you've read it you know exactly what I'm talking about. That one character deserved so much better. I would 100% petition for a third novel to be written just to see that character again. He instantly won my heart over and I wanted the absolute best for him. I was just so heartbroken by the ending I wanted to burst into tears.

All in all, so much better than A Touch of Gold I would be happy to die for these characters I loved them so much and wanted to hug each and every one of them.

ACTUAL RATING: 4.2 STARS

Unfortunately, the e-book's formatting made this book unable to be read. I look forward to reading the full book when it comes out.

After receiving this book, I went and read book one. I think that is a huge advantage to enjoying this story more. I only wish I liked this one better. It is completely subjective but I just couldn't get into it. I liked book one just fine. But reading this I was mainly bored and not interested in the plotline.
Again, I would recommend the book to all YA fantasy readers. Especially if you like a retelling.
The cover is absolutely stunning.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion!!

I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for a review.
A Curse of Gold is the 2nd book in sereis (the first being A Touch of Gold). I do not recommend it as a stand-alone. Content wise, I was hoping for more story and less young girl romantic thoughts, but it is a YA Fantasy book. A solid 3 stars out of 5.

A Curse of Gold is the sequel to Annie Sullivan's A Touch of Gold. I won't spoil all of the plot of the first book, but King Midas is featured heavily in this duology and the action is seen through the point of view of his daughter, Kora. I picked up A Touch of Gold before reading this and I really did enjoy it. I can see why it is geared more toward the 13+ age group. I have been a lifelong fan of YA novels and firmly believe that they can still be enjoyed at any age. The one thing that pushed this one firmly into YA was the romance. I liked it, but is was maybe too sweet.

The relationships and characters were built up more from the first book, which I appreciated. Although a few other reviews have mentioned that the pacing was not great, I found it to be great. The action began from chapter one and it felt like it didn't stop. Kora not only went on a journey to save the kingdom, she also learned along the way how to rule. Her father is in failing health and she understands that no matter the outcome of her journey, she will one day take up the mantle as leader of Lagonia.

One of my favorite lines was about love:

"…remembering that wise Queen Teragram wrote that there is no ocean that can separate love, for it is a feeling and not a location."

Quotes like this pop up often in the narrative and I think they really drive home the notion that Kora needs to learn from the past so she doesn't repeat the mistakes of those that went before her. Kora wants to make the world a better place and save her people, to do that she must learn from other kings and queens.

In both books, I enjoyed the story and the exploration of mythology! There's an oracle, islands were monsters live and of course some swashbuckling. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes mythology and firm YA novels.

I received a galley copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Blink for a copy of this book!

Free ARC from NetGalley.
I read the first book A Touch of Gold last month and enjoyed it a lot.
Book 2 takes us on another journey to fight the curse inflicted by Dionysius on main characters father that has affected her personally for many years now.
While we meet the old favourite characters there's also new additions that take a while to grow on the reader.
This is another action packed story that unfortunately seems quite rushed compared to the first book. There's too much happening over the course of a few days.
All in all an OK story but not my favourite

Wow, what a wonderful cover, the crown looks a little bit like the Baratheon crown from Game of Thrones. But the story is very good.

I was really excited to read this one considering that I really enjoyed "A touch of gold".

So, this time Kora goes after the God Dionysus to make him cure her father and save her kingdom and the entire world from destruction.
During her quest she meets the Oracle, all sorts of mythical creatures (satyrs, gorgons, etc.), she learns more about the Gods and even meets some of them: Triton and Poseidon.

The story begins very slowly. For the first 70-80 pages we had only stories, nothing really happening. But after they leave to find Dionysus everything becomes crowded as they are over and over again attacked by different sea or land creatures.

Also there were some things I didn't like in this book, such as:
- Kora kept telling us what she was thinking and always explaining things in her mind, without letting us know them from actions and words themselves
- very annoying (for me) were all of those quotes from journals of past rulers. They kept popping up at the wrong times.
- Hettie was an absolute obnoxious brat the entire book
- and Royce was barely there. I was expecting to see more of their relationship in this book. Yes he loves her and is always there for her but I wanted to see them more together.

A pleasant surprise was Triton. Besides his good looks and acting like a spoiled brat he was very funny 🤣 and in the end proved to be a really good friend.

In the end it was a fun book to read 😊
Received a copy of the book from Netgalley.

Title: A Curse of Gold
Author: Annie Sullivan
Pub. Date: September 22, 2020
Rating: 4

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Just like with book 1, I loved this book. I loved the drama, the high stakes, the tension. I probably took too much pleasure in the trials and torment these characters had to go through. But I always think a story is better when nothing is ever easy. This whole book was a giant test of figuring out what you want, who you are, and striving to achieve those things, despite the unfavorable outcome.

Kora and Co. don’t have it easy this book, the stakes are higher than ever, her kingdom on the brink of desolation, her people angry and upset and not believing she should be ruling alongside her father.
My favorite aspect of this book is the relationship between Royce and Kora. I can’t exactly tell you why, not even vaguely, without spoiling it. But Kora’s whole journey in this book is about trying to be a good ruler, and even if she – personally – got everything she wanted, would it be what’s best for her and her people? It’s very much, what is she willing to sacrifice if it means saving her kingdom. I desperately wish we’d had more, cute, there for each other moments.

Which brings me to my only complaint about this book. Just like with Touch of Gold, I wish this book had been longer. With the introduction of more Greek Gods and myths interwoven, I feel like this band of characters could go on so many more adventures. So, either a slight slowdown of the pace, or give me more books – I’d gladly read them. I have so many questions – most revolving around Triton – I need to know what happens in the future!
It would be so interesting to see Kora, Royce and Co. travel around and face off various Greek Myths or deities.
I loved reading these books – they’re just so much fun and so enjoyable. The stakes are high, but don’t require tons of mental gymnastics to keep straight, you can just sit down, relax and follow Kora on her journey of figuring out who she is, and claiming that power, owning who she is.

I highly recommend picking these books up. I don’t think you can go wrong. Touch of Gold and Curse of Gold are just fun as hell reads, and I’m always a sucker for Greek Mythology anything.

I had a lot of fun returning to this world - I flew through A Curse of Gold just as quickly, if not faster. It's a really entertaining read perfect for those who enjoy mythology retellings and the world is really well developed. There's friendship, revenge, politics, and so much more.

received this as an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I did quite enjoy reading the second book in this duology. After facing down the pirate, fixing her relationship with her cousin hettie, falling in love and saving her father Kora is taking her place as a princess and future queen. when the palace is attacked by Satyrs that were sent to kill Kora. Her and Royce must go and find the Oracle to figure out why Dionysis is after her and how to stop him from destroying her Kingdom..
Kora has to bargain with Gods, and face down Gorgons all the while trying to reach a dissapearing island.
The stakes were higher in this book. as Kora is givin a vision of what will happen if Dionysis is allowed to make it to the shores of her kingdom.. Basically everyone will die including Royce and Hettie. Everything did feel like it was happening pretty fast, but they did only have a few days before Dionysis attacks her kindgom so it didn't bother me to much..
Kora, Royce and the crew get to meet Posiden and his son Triton. who are both kind of douchy. but Triton really ends up redeeming himself in the end..
While I love Kora and Royce my new favorite character is Tritons pet sea monster, whose name I can't remember at the moment.. At first he was sent to sink the Royces ship, so Kora turns him to gold...
Triton makes an agreement with Kora to turn him back, and it turns out his like a giant sea monster puppy dog. That likes to sit on Tritons lap, lick him and play fetch..
I thought the ending of this was really good, while I was hoping for the reappearance of a certain character everything else ended just how I wanted it to..

I loved A Touch of Gold and was so excited to get the chance to read A Curse of Gold early.

We are thrown into the action almost right away and it doesn't stop. I was on edge the whole time. The new characters we were introduced to were great and it was so nice to see the friendships that were formed in the first book still holding strong as well as new ones!

I felt like it was a sweet conclusion to the duology.

Adventurous and chaotic as the sea, this a whirlwind of a book two for this series. I liked it since it did go more into the Greek world, and the myths surrounding this story. The interpretation of myths and it's gods and heroes is always something interesting, and in this book we see the god Triton as something unexpected. Since the world branches out more and there's another quest per se, I did feel the book started off very quick. It tried to put so much into the book and it does succeed in doing so but there are parts that feel rushed. It's a fun second book and very to the epic legacy of a Greek tale.

#ACurseofGold #NetGalley
A wonderful follow up to Annie Sullivan's debut novel. I highly recommend these novels. They are pure adventure and dynamic plot twists. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review A Curse of Gold by Annie Sullivan.

A Curse of Gold is the highly anticipated sequel to Annie Sullivan's debut, A Touch of Gold. It starts not long after its predecessor left off, and follows Kora and Royce as they set off on another adventure.

This book is action packed from almost the first page. The plot moves quickly, but the events are so we'll written that nothing feels rushed. The pacing is actually really good, and there weren't really any lags in the story telling.

I LOVE the elements of Greek mythology that are woven into this story, although Sullivan manages to make even familiar characters her own.

Another easy, engaging read. Annie Sullivan is quickly becoming an autobuy author!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

I am incredibly happy to have received an e-ARC of this book. It was an incredible sequel to A Touch of Gold, and I would absolutely recommend it to my students (grades 6 through 9). The growth of the characters is amazing and the novel makes you with that you lived in a world with a leader who is entirely dedicated to her people, just as Kora is. My favourite characters in all books are flawed and have an attitude, so naturally, I loved Triton. I would actually love to read more about him (*hint hint*).

This is definitely an adventure for the characters and the mythology included is detailed and well described. I enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to more from this author. Her style of writing is easy to read and follow, and keeps the excitement up throughout the novel. A Curse of Gold is my favourite book so far in April (although, I will say that it was difficult to choose between A Touch of Gold and A Curse of Gold).

Thank you to Netgalley and Blink for providing a copy of this e-book for review.

This read was ok. I didn’t like the pace of the story and the characters just weren’t my favorites. The story was well written and a lot of adventure but it all felt rushed. I enjoyed the first book in this series so I was looking forward to this sequel. It does end the series well.
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It took me a while to get into the story. The last book finished really neatly so when the conflict for this story was revealed it felt a bit forced to me. Also, I was not a big fan of the Oracle. Luckily, that passed by the time Kora and crew embarked on their new adventure. This book is action packed and full of adventure. I recommend it for anyone who gets bored easily. I would have preferred to have more slower moments. Just a couple more, to make the story more even. Still, it was a really fun read.