BK-17
1.5🌶️
First Person POV, FMC

Thank you to NetGalley for the selection to read this book!

This is a Beauty and the Beast meets Rumpelstiltskin retelling. This concept is awesome and fun! However, it is portrayed as a dark Fantasy but I didn’t get those vibes. Maybe in 1 scene?

The flow was off for me. It wasn’t smooth and found myself rewording sentences in my head to make it flow better which pulled me out and away from the story. This also slowed down my reading progress making the book feel slow.

It’s worth a try but I will not be continuing the story.

The Court That Bleeds Gold is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin and Beauty and the Beast with a Fae twist. As far as retellings go, this one is quite unique. I loved the world building that took place in this book. It definitely pulls the reader in. Further, the author conveys the characters' feelings in a way that made me feel the emotions deeply within my very being.

I'm definitely a new fan of Zara Storm and look forward to reading much more from her.

I've never read this work before. But it was so nice and relaxing after reading utter garbage on here man. Like book therapy, the plot is more original. The power hierarchy makes sense dimensions are simple. High fantasy gold litterly.

The twists and turns were a 50/50 of predictable and shocking. I really loved the characters. I fell in love with Eleanor from the beginning. She’s kind and graceful but clever and resilient. One of my biggest pet peeves in romantasy is helpless damsels in distress and while naive at times, Eleanor was far from that.

I would’ve like to see a little more worldbuilding and see more of what this specific far court is like, but what the world building lacked, the side characters and plot picked up. I’m usually pretty good at predicting where things are going, but there were times when I had no clue! The writing was compelling enough to keep me going and I loved the side characters. I loved that at the end of the day, they both came through even when it seemed like it might not happen.

I’m not sure how I feel about Ruskin yet, but I loved him giving Eleanor a nickname and how he genuinely seemed to open up and change. There’s so much more to explore in this world and I can’t wait! I’m reading book 2 as soon as I get Kindle Unlimited back. This was a fantastic debut! 5 stars

Dark romantasy promised. Dark romantasy delivered.

The world building is beyond fabulous. I’m so glad time and creativity was spent to draft the debut novel of a series. The plot line leans a little heavy into beauty and the beast backbone. That is why this is not 5 stars.

For books 2 and 3, I hope for original continuation of the storyline and character development.

If you loved the hunger games and ACOTAR, definitely try The Court that Bleeds Gold. I’ll be finishing the series for sure.

Thank you Netgalley and Zara Storm for giving me this opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to read this, I love a good retelling! This book was a lot of fun. Perfect for someone just getting into fantasy, as the world building and character development were easy to follow. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

good mystery and i loved the friends too. I really enjoyed the romance and how it solved . I also loved reading this author. Really enjoyed her friends. Great book.

A fun fae story that makes me happy I jumped on the dark romance train. Zara does a great job drawing the reader in and I can’t wait for the sequel

Shades of Beauty and the Beast hover through an imaginative and complex paranormal mystery and building romance. Twists and turns, and many secrets move at a relentless pace, until the very end, where you are left on a cliff ... not a fan of cliffhangers, but this one is worth it.

Wonderful reading from Zara Storm. This author has crafted what feels both epic and accessible at the same time. Enjoyable for a wide range of readers and a book that hits all the resonant notes.

Welcome Zara Storm to the fantastic world of romantasy! She is going to be one of my new favorite authors if The Court That Bleeds Gold is any indication.

A beautiful story for beauty and the beast ACOTAR readers. A flawed MMC, and a FMC that comes from the human world to discover a fae world that is not as evil as made out to be.

The world building in this takes on an element of its own. It’s so easy to visualize the stunning locations within the realm.

This unique story is the most perfect blend of plot and romance, with brilliant characters. Enemies to lovers, with betrayal and hidden secrets.

Yes I swooned 😍🥰 when he gave her his own nickname.

I loved everything about this book, other than the fact that I now must wait for book 2.

Thank you for this advance review copy for free in return for my honest review.

A Dark Fantasy. A Brute of A King. A Fae Prince. The Lie of Spinning Gold.


This romance retelling of Rumpelstiltskin fuses with Beauty and the Beast. Folklore retellings, in my experience, are the best ones. There are so many unique ways to spin those original tales, and this one did not disappoint.

The story focuses on Eleanor, a human alchemist who is attempting to create gold by metallurgy. It is a kind of magical science, and she feels as though she is just on the cuff of making a huge breakthrough. She makes her living by selling her wares at the fae market, where she is able to obtain faerie metals that is vital to her gold transfusion.

It is unique how this version of Belle (Beauty and the Beast) gets captured. In fact, she becomes his servant because she owes him for bailing out a friend, this world's version of Gaston. A deeply dumb character, he has poached from the human king himself.

Eleanor is the kind of main lead that I adore, the beauty and the brains. She has such a passion for her craft, and that talent is very needed in this world. Ruskin, our Rumple, belongs to the Seelie Court.

He is a frowned upon ruler due to his half-Unseelie origins. I loved that he was not as scary as the original character was designed to be, a true villain in his own right. This Ruskin cares so deeply for the people that hate him, defending them, and caring for them in a way that is not returned.

The enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, hate/love dynamic so corny and so cute. Reading the banter. having just read the latest book in The Cruel Prince series, I got very similar vibes to this novel. It was definitely one I would recommend to fellow readers. 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A Court that Bleeds Gold is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling (this is a retelling that I rarely see, so I enjoyed this fresh take). When one of her very persistent admirers gets taken in for a crime, she volunteers as tribute (kinda) to save him (although he was the reason she was there in the first place, but whatever), using her (tentatively developed) ability to make gold to try and be excused of all crimes. Eleanor, trapped in the castle makes a deal with Ruskin to escape. Ruskin is a brutal fae prince who makes deals with humans in return for a price.

I loved this book. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The plot and character development were amazing and kept me interested. I think the story progression was great and the character development as well. The progression of Eleanor and Ruskin's relationship was beautifully done and was a proper enemies-to-lovers depiction. I loved the depiction of grief and the process of grieving for Eleanor and even just the way that she processes her grief for her father (though still alive). The world-building in this book is also beautifully done and I appreciated the author's attention to detail. It definitely contributed to my inability to put this book down. I was so disappointed to find out that the second book isn't out yet, especially with that plot twist!

I can’t believe this was a debut novel! I think it was a great first book to a series, and I am very excited to read the second book coming out in June. Published April 3rd, The Court that Bleeds Gold is a fast paced, dark fantasy novel that I think rivals ACOTAR. I loved how the MC is competent, and especially how she doesn't immediately lose all her senses the second she sees a hot fae man. This book ended with a cliff hanger that made me bummed I couldn’t get the next ARC to find out what happens next, but I am very excited to continue with this story!

"Desperate to escape marrying a brutal king, I make a deal with a Fae Prince" offers a refreshing twist on the classic fairy tale narrative, blending elements of fantasy, romance, and suspense into an engaging story. The protagonist's plight is gripping from the start, as she navigates the treacherous world of both human and fae royalty in a bid for freedom.

One of the highlights of the book is its framing, which draws readers into the protagonist's dilemma and sets the stage for the unfolding drama. The dialogue between the main characters is another strong point, injecting wit and emotion into their interactions and deepening the reader's investment in their journey.

However, while the story is enjoyable overall, it falls short of reaching its full potential. The pacing occasionally feels uneven, and certain plot points may leave readers wanting more depth or exploration. Additionally, while the main characters are compelling, some of the supporting cast could benefit from further development to fully flesh out the world and its inhabitants.

Despite these drawbacks, "Desperate to escape marrying a brutal king, I make a deal with a Fae Prince" remains a worthwhile read for fans of fairy tale retellings and fantasy romance. Its inventive premise and well-crafted dialogue make it an engaging choice for those seeking a blend of magic, intrigue, and romance in their literary escapades.

LOVED this debut novel. If you're a fan of ACOTAR, beauty and the beast and Rumplestiltskin, RUN, don't walk, RUN to this book. The world building, character development, plot, and romance were *chefs kiss*!
I was kept at the edge of my seat wondering what's going to happen next and I love that in a book. I can't wait to read the rest of the series because this book was truly incredible

I liked the Rumplestilkskin-like setup. I liked some of the interactions, but honestly by 60% I was bored and ready for it to be over. I kept reading just so I could know if it pulled off something I really liked in the end. But this book was too long with pacing that didn't work for me.

Other things that kind of irritated me:
1. The Low Fae - This was a choice on the part of the author, and maybe it'll get addressed in the future, but even with a "morally grey" MMC, I have trouble accepting someone allowing a whole class of beings to be made less than
2. I saw the twist with Fiona coming a mile away. It was entirely too convenient. This isn't a bad thing, but I kept waiting for it to happen, and I wondered why the FMC wasn't more suspcious just because she was (apparently) human.
3. I'll admit, there are time when a "big misunderstanding" can work for me, but it's not often. And it didn't here. I'm especially not a fan of not talking about it with someone you purport to love.
4. I didn't realize this was book 1 in a series, so the cliff-hanger was a little annoying, but that is the least of my issues.

I liked this, the story was original and the worldbuilding was very good. I think the love story was lacking there wasn’t any relationship development between I hate you to I love you.

I had high hopes after seeing all the positive reviews but unfortunately the writing and lack of original plot was too hard for me to get through. This book was the epitome of telling the reader what’s happening, instead of showing the reader. I also should have realized that any beauty and the beast romantasy retelling would be too similar to others that have come before it but I was hoping for some unique world building or at least good characters and chemistry. Unfortunately, I was disappointed on all of those parts. This book obviously was a hit for many people, just not for me!

I absolutely loved this and I need the second one right away! The plot of the book was well done and the characters were amazing.