Excellent debut novel! “The Court that Bleeds Gold” is a fantastic twist on both the Rumpelstiltskin and Beauty and the Beast tales set in a Fae court. The story is engaging and well-written and reads at a fast pace. I flew through this book and enjoyed it immensely. It's an entertaining read with enough surprises to keep you guessing.

The main characters, Eleanor and Ruskin, are both likeable characters despite their flaws and are easy to connect with. The supporting characters are entertaining and engaging and I wouldn't mind seeing more about them in future books.

In addition to the fantasy, I would categorize this book as a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance that the author executed well. The pacing of the interactions between the characters is excellent and believable and it was easy to relate to what they were feeling as their relationship progressed. There are a few moderately spicy and dark scenes but they feel entirely appropriate to the story and again, are very well-written.

The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger so I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel to find out what happens next to Eleanor and Ruskin!

*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A great debut in this series with good worldbuilding and character development. We have Eleanor as our lead in this story, and she makes a great main character as she is smart, always calculating her next move and has sass. She's an alchemist who's trying to create gold when she finds herself imprisoned by the human king. In a desperate attempt to try and get her freedom back, she makes a deal with a fae who's known for his brutal deals.
She ends up in the world of faerie trying to work out how to get back to the human world whilst fighting her growing attraction to the very fae that brought her here. Reading as Eleanor and Ruskin's relationship developed and then we finally get a bit of spice too. This story was fast-paced and kept you drawn in, I'm excited for the next book in the series to see where we go from that ending.

I was given this ARC and this review is my honest opinion.

This story was a fantasy retelling of Rumplestiltskin and beauty & the beast combined, and it was well done. I love Beauty & the Beast, and usually don’t see anyone doing Rumplestiltskin retellings, so thought this would make for an interesting read.

I love the wit and dynamics of Eleanor and Ruskins banter, and the way Ruskin acted about situations was more realistic and personable than some “villain” characters.

THE. ENDING. 😩 I was not ready for that cliffhanger, especially thinking this was a standalone. Shew. I need more.

A wonderful story with twists that would make the fae proud. Eleanor works with metals, hoping to make gold and help her family and village while their king cares nothing for his people. Through the selfish decisions of people around her, Eleanor ends up having to put her faith in a known trickster fae and hope that his bargain doesn’t kill her.

This book was engaging and a great read! I found myself pulled in, wanting to know what new information would be discovered next. Zara Storm wrote a fantastic tale, and my only complaint is that I’m left wondering what happens next.

I am so thankful I had the opportunity to read this book! Wow! I really enjoyed all the story building, the tropes and the #romantasy this book was filled with. I could not out this book down!! While I can see where the author pulled inspiration from other author, it was nice because some of those other authors novels I hold close to my heart, this was a wonderful addition to that! Posted on Goodreads- unavailable in Canada on Amazon and Indigo.
Thank you for an incredible read!!

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 📖

“Why do you want to help me, if you’re so certain I’m the villain?”

Ok well I wasn’t ready for THAT ending.

The premise of this book sucked me in and the amazing host of characters kept me there.

I’m a sucker for a fae romance but especially when it sticks very closely to the mythology or true names and iron weaknesses.

The romance is very much a slow burn and I was starting to panic at points but it made the relationship progress in a more natural way and I loved that.

The only downside to this book if I had to pick one was that it was a singular POV I would have given my ring finger for a look into the mind of Ruskin.

I’m assuming by the way it ended there will be more books in this series and I am so intrigued to find out more