I love ACOTAR so was looking forward to this, but I found Ruskin a bit unpleasant bordering on coercive control. Will there be a third one where Eleanor develops a bit more self-esteem and better boundaries? Where Ruskin gets his comeuppance?

When a human girl can make gold out of metal 2 kings fight to possess her. A good read but is a cliff hanger.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you for allowing me to review

I was unfortunately unable to download this title before it was archived, but have since read via Kindle and loved it!

This is the epitome of a true romantasy. Just enpughfantasy and romance. That balance can be really difficult, but Zara Storm has seemingly perfected it with a fusion of Rumplestiltskin and Beauty and the Beast.

Eleanor is a hand alchemist trying to create gold from faerie metals that she gets from selling her makings at the fae market. Unfortunately for Eleanor, she soon catches the attention of the King. In order to escape the king, she makes a deal with Rumpi.

This was such an entertaining read. I loved the character development and the writing style. I really enjoyed the storyline and am looking forward to the next books.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

A unique take on a classic tale- with a twist. The story is interesting and will pull you in fairly quickly. Definitely recommend giving this a read if you have not!

This debut novel showed promise but ultimately fell flat. While the story begins with potential, it loses momentum around the halfway point and becomes a bit difficult to read. There was a struggle to develop that emotional connection to the point where I cared about the characters, leaving the plot feeling stagnant, as though you're waiting for something to happen that never does. The romance, which initially seems intriguing, fails to deliver. Additionally, a key plot moment, where the hero shares his true name with the heroine, feels forced and illogical especially when considering their lack of meaningful connection. The romance between the heroine and hero lacked depth and the transition from mutual distrust to sharing their deepest secrets was rushed and unconvincing. Overall, the novel and concept had potential but it just didn't pull through in the end result.

eARC was kindly provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Court that Bleeds Gold.

A faerie twist on Rumplestiltskin. If you enjoy fairytale retellings with a modern language twist, you will enjoy this one.

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.

Yup I was hooked by the first few pages! What a great read. It was well written and the world building is there!

I was able to read this because NetGalley provided with an arc. I loved this romantasy. Great Read. I would read more by this author.

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!

Action-packed, steamy, dark, fun! The plot is well-made and the characters well developed. Ruskin haaaaahhh... I think I got a little crush!

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.

thank you to netgalley for a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review
honestly this was just okay. the writing and story are kinda trite and a little simple. there's not much world building and the world building that does exist is exactly like all other fae stories out there. i ended up skimming a bunch because neither the plot or characters could hold my attention for long

The Court that Bleeds Gold by Zara Storm is a captivating dark fantasy romance that weaves elements of Rumpelstiltskin and Beauty and the Beast into a fresh, engaging narrative. The story follows Eleanor, who, in a desperate bid to escape a brutal king, claims she can spin gold. When her lie miraculously becomes truth, she finds herself entangled with a Fae prince, Ruskin, who offers her a dangerous deal.

The novel excels in its world-building, presenting a Fae realm that is both beautiful and cruel. Zara Storm's writing vividly brings to life the savage games and intricate politics of the Fae court. Eleanor is a strong, sharp-tongued heroine whose resilience and wit make her a compelling protagonist. Her dynamic with Ruskin, an enigmatic and darkly charming prince, is filled with tension and barbed exchanges that keep the reader hooked.

While the romance between Eleanor and Ruskin is a slow burn, it is well-developed and satisfying. Their relationship evolves from mutual distrust to a deeper connection, revealing layers of complexity in both characters. The book's pacing is brisk, with plenty of action and twists to maintain interest throughout.

However, some readers might find the plot somewhat predictable, especially if familiar with the fairy tales it draws inspiration from. Additionally, the dark themes and violence may not be to everyone's taste. Despite these minor drawbacks, The Court that Bleeds Gold is a thoroughly enjoyable read for fans of dark fantasy and romance.

First, I want to say thank you to NetGalley for the arc read!

This was a very good book! It was an easier fantasy story to follow that left off on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait for the next book!

I liked that there wasn’t super over complicated world building. I do think the magic needed a touch more explaining, but if you’re familiar with fantasy and the general idea oh fae then you should be able to follow it no problem!

The story moved at a decent pace and the last half of the book was phenomenal! Kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time up to the end.

This was a very unique story and I can’t wait to read more!

The Court that Bleeds Gold is a dark fantasy romance read that brings a whole new meaning to dark romantasy. I love the twists & turns, suspense, the brutal King and the characters. They are all written in a way that gives them such a huge role throughout the story. The story is easy to follow and is a fast-paced read you will find yourself at the end before no time finding the day has flashed by.

When I read the description of this book and saw the cover I was immediately sold. I was so excited to read it. A retelling of rumplestiltskin? Yes of course.
But I was hugely disappointed with this book.
The editor did not do a great job in correcting and addressing the author’s writing which was a bunch of telling instead of show and tell. The characters seemed a bit like a cardboard cutout of washed through tropes. Especially the descriptions and natives of Ruskin, he seemed ridiculous to me.
And I like fast paced books every does but this book took fast paced to a whole new level. Overall this plot could have been something big but I think the author did not execute it as well as it could have been.

Hello fan fiction. Those authors listed above? Ya this book was a cookie cutter mash up of all of those stories. And it was a hot mess.

I am a sucker for a good human/fae romantasy story and this one was fantastic! I appreciated that the FMC was intelligent and had knowledge about alchemy, and the twist of her developing some power throughout the story was unexpected. I am looking forward to seeing where that goes and how her power develops throughout the rest of the trilogy. Ruskin was a pretty typical fae MMC - dark, brooding, hot - but I found his backstory intriguing. I wish we had gotten more time with the villain to fully understand why she did what she did, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!