The Book of Gold

" A desperate thief. A magical book. And a heist for the ages." was all I need to hear and it not only met my expectations but exceeded them!

The vibes of this book are just immaculate, the found family - SUPERB. The plot with its heists, political intrigue and melding gods - PERFECTION. Honestly everything... LOVED IT.

The Book of Gold was honestly such a fun read, I was hooked from page one by magical books, gods, heists and the found family at its centre, the twists and turns were incredible and honestly, I cannot wait to read more about this world and its characters in the future.

Sometimes, you know how good a book is by the way the author brings the story to a close. On that basis Ruth Frances Long has written an excellent fantasy book. The start and the middle are brilliant too. The fictional setting is the 16th century world of European book printing. If that sounds boring, you would be wrong. This is action packed fantasy at its best, with plenty of wit and romance to balance the hitting of heads.. What do we have? 1. A thief, a brother, and a childhood friend now soldier, whose pasts are complicated. 2. A twisting tale involving magic, and fickle squabbling Gods. Can you trust them? Mmm, maybe, maybe not. 3. Self serving villainy that cannot be allowed to go unpunished. But I think the best bit about the ending of this complete story, is that the author says there is more to come from Lyra, Kit, Syl and their new friends because it would seem the villains haven’t all gone away and The Feral Gods have many more reasons to play - play probably means deal out more retribution. So I’m looking forward to more story beginnings, middles and excellent endings. Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This book was such a fun read! It had twists and turns, meddling gods who seem like they can be trusted (but they have a few plans of their own). Former lovers turned to enemies that are forced to plan a heist together. And finally an unlikely crew filled with thieves, scholars, printers, a lady and a solider.

I loved the worldbuilding and the incorporation of the gods and magic, the politics made the whole thing more twisty as you never knew how something might go.

There were some true villains and a couple that I think would really show their next colours in the next book.

4.75 ⭐ I was very intrigued when i read the blurb but i didn’t expect to like it as much as i did. The complex characters, their interactions, the plot, the twists, the writing! The only reason it’s not a 5star is because i’m the beginning with all the character names, the god names and places got me confused but after 2-3 chapters is so much easier to read and understand without trouble.
I loved all the characters even the ones that are not supposed to be liked, i couldn’t put it down.
Cannot wait to read more stories and books by this author. .

This was such a fun and fast-paced fantasy novel. I was immediately pulled in by the gorgeous cover, but the premise is what really sold me on the story, and it didn’t disappoint.

The Book of Gold follows thief Lyta on her quest to find the Book of Gold. There are meddling gods, complex inter-personal relationships, enemies-to-lovers romance, and so many shenanigans. I loved every minute I spent reading this book! And while the book does end in a satisfying way, I am really hoping there will be a sequel. I would recommend The Book of Gold to fans of fast-paced quest stories like The Stardust Thief or We Hunt the Flame.

I’m thrilled I’ve already preordered a special edition of this book! I cant wait to see what Ruth Frances Long comes out with next.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodderscape and author Ruth Frances Long for this eARC

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Book of Gold. Whats not to love?!
A sister trying to save her little brother through whatever means necessary, a heist, a misfit crew, lovers turned enemies who are forced to work together, an interesting world that blends historical elements with fantasy perfectly, trapped gods who still try to meddle and can't be trusted, complex characters and a great plot with lots of surprises, twists and turns.
The only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars is the fact that Lyta (and other characters) keep telling the reader what a great thief she is. Yet every time we actually see her thieving something goes terribly wrong...
Still it is an amazing book and I can't wait to see where the story takes us in future books!
4.5 stars

THE BOOK OF GOLD was such a fun, 16th century inspired heist and state-vs-religion fantasy.

The book is full of references to the state of Europe in the 16th century. The city of Amberes might not be a real city but pretty much every other place named is. The king rules a sprawling empire and is trying to secure his power against a very powerful religious order that wants to impose control over everything. There's this simmering tension that feels one misstep away from outright war the entire time.

But this is not a book about the king and the priestly princes - it is about the more ordinary people caught up in this fight. Lyta is a thief, Kit a printer, and Sylvian a guard who's worked his way up the ranks. These people are treated like pawns in the ruling classes games, but they're not going to be stopped - particularly not Lyta who is a force of nature and refuses to play by courtly rules. I loved her interactions with the king as she just says what she wants and doesn't let etiquette stop her.

There are also gods with agendas and abilities of their own who come slowly more into play the longer the book continues. I really liked the way they turned the story on its head from a typical heist to steal an object (and at least one character, naturally, is lying about their part in it.) They bring magic and an added level of danger to a book already poised on the edge of all out war.

I loved the relationships too. Lyta and Sylvian have a past but have also betrayed and hurt each other before - and haven't seen each other for years. Kit and Ben were very sweet and I liked how the disparity in station was an acknowledged fear for what it meant.

I really would like the second book. I loved the world and characters and unexpectedness of the plot at time and want to see what happens next. This book definitely wraps up the main story started but the world has so many more problems to throw in their path and I want to see how that plays out.

An absolute stunner that I simply could never put down.
SIX OF CROWS meets THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA, with just a hint of A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC, with a charm and edge that is all Long's own.