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!

This book is inspired by the story of Rumpelstiltskin but make it romantasy. This book I mostly liked, but I felt like the story was pretty cookie cutter fae romance and even got a little too close to details that I’ve read in other romantasies that I liked better and I wish it had done more with the Rumpelstiltskin inspiration. Overall thought it was a good story and the cliff hanger at the end did leave me wanting to read the next one.

I’m a sucker for a good retelling and this one delivered! A Rumpelstiltskin retelling with a sexy broody fae? Yes please! The pace and flow of the story was great, as was the writing. The plot itself was a bit predictable, but in an endearing kind of way. I loved our heroine and her morally grey fae captor. I hope our lovelies get the happy ending they deserve! Will definitely be reading book 2!

While I really wanted to loved this, the book just wasn’t for me. The plot line felt like it was all over the place. It lacked world building and character development. I tried and finished it though.

Pretty well balanced between fantasy plot and the romance plot. The level of spice was also well balanced with the rest of the book. I really enjoyed the world building--the idea of a human alchemist using magical science to create wares to sell at a faerie market is very unique, even if some of the other elements of the book felt a little inspired by other fantasy series (after all, it's a beauty and the beast type book, so why wouldn't it be similar to other adaptations?) For fans of ACOTAR.

This book I inhaled the characters were very relatable but that CLIFFHANGER! I can’t wait till part two comes out

This is a great debut story. I like how everything goes evolving during the reading. For me, it was a good reading. If it wasn't because I had to work, I read this book in one seating. The story keeps me attracted, waiting to know more and more. I'm ready for book #2.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to do the ARC reading ❤️

Excellent debut and fabulous start to a new fantasy series! Great world-building, enemies-to-lovers, and a human/fae twist on Beauty & the Beast meets Rumplestiltskin.

I enjoyed Ruskin's character and his story arc more than that of Eleanor. I became impatient with her thoughtless impulsiveness - you would think after it kept getting her into trouble, she would stop and think twice the next time.

Dustan and Helima are terrific supporting characters, and their stories - what little we've learned thus far - are just as interesting.

Part One ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I'm looking forward to reading Part Two.

I received an advance review copy via NetGalley for my honest review.