5 ⭐ 2 🌶

Another fantastic addition to the Fairy Tale Retellings from Scarlett. I loved Lore and Samara and all they went through, Fox too!

I really enjoyed Samara's journey. She has a dark present and watching her turn it into her past and get away from her brothers was so great. And watching her and Lore fall in love was amazing, especially as they both came at it from different angles.

Don't forget to read the author's note where Scarlett talks about the fairy tales she was inspired by. It absolutely amazes me that she's able to take so many elements from different tales and turn it into one cohesive story.

There are so many facets to St. Clair's original fairy tale I don't even know where to begin! This book follows Samara, a woman seriously abused and neglected by her brothers who sees no way out of her bad situation. She is also traumatized because she killed the guy she was in love with right from the beginning, so girly is feeling lonely. This story takes inspiration from a variety of stories and fairy tales, and I really enjoyed the diversity in the interactions with mythological things the characters had on their journey.

First, this was so bloodthirsy, and I loved it 😅 Right from the beginning someone is being stabbed, and the stabbings just keep happening over and over again. If you are looking for a little violence, please pick this up 🙃

This book was also really hard and emotional to read in some parts. There are some really tough themes such as domestic abuse, neglect, and suicide. While both main characters have a lot of emotional baggage to deal with, I found it so much harder to be in Samara's head because of all of the on-page trauma she experiences but this was because of how accurate and realistic St. Clair was in her portrayal.

I can't say much more without going into spoilers for this book but I will say that if you like men who simp after their women like a lost puppy, this book is for you 🙃😇

I think everyone needs to read the author notes in this to see how brilliant and talented Scarlett is when she writes these retellings. I’ve been so vocal about how obsessed with how well she created the atod world and using so many myths - but if you understood what went into these fairytales - * pure love for her writing * you can see that Scarlett’s literary knowledge and understanding is perfection.

it’s safe to say that you can see a couple of more “popular” fairytale vibes in this, but there’s so many more that I’m sure people just don’t know! Especially if their fairytale background is mostly Disney - which is not a bad thing - but it truly only dabbles in what’s really out there. Especially when you look at what a lot of these fairytales looked like to start.

This whole book had me hooked from the very beginning to the end. There’s so much adventure, twists and character development that you never feel anything drag out. Samara’s character is real and relatable even in a world of talking creatures, glass mountains, golden apples and irresistible elven princes. Lore is just the right amount of broody and charm with just enough longing that I quickly adored. I loved Cas in book one, but it’s safe to say Lore just took number one. Though… I’m def interested in seeing what the others brothers have in store.

There’s a little bit of uncertainty and mystery throughout the whole book that has you guessing and trying to figure out the riddles.

The spice was spicy ans the tension was even better.

This series continues to have me hooked and obsessed. I will be continuing on FOR sure!

♾️✨

This is my absolute favorite series by SSC. And I have read them ALL. Her fairy tale retellings are just dark enough that it hooks you instantly. They are so well researched and filled with nuggets of stories we know that I wonder and google the entire time. They are mesmerizing and beautiful and I am going to read them always and over and over.

Samara and Lore meet years before her fiance is killed and he rescues her. He knows their connection and can't tell her. But needs her to break his curse. So they journey to find the golden apples that will help her break it. Their journey is not easy and the proximity only allows them to fall in love even more. It's short and fast and so addicting. I will be reading again sooner than later.

Apples Dipped in Gold is a continuation of the dark fairytales I adore so much. Yes they have romance, but not before ripping you apart a little. If you’re a fan of the original fairytales that haunted you with blood and creepy themes, this story is the perfect continuation from MMoG.

A quick read that you can squeeze into a day, that will fill your heart with ache and gore and hope and love. Ugh. I love this series. Pick it up. It’s rough, but in a good way.

Samara and Lore are probably my favourite couple Scarlett has written. I just loved everything about them from beginning to end. Lore calling her ‘Beloved’ made my heart melt. It was so sweet. I can’t wait for future books within this world. I’ve adored both so far!

Scarlett St Clair knows how to set an atmosphere like no one else!! She expertly weaves the feel, the texture and grit of every aspect of her stories and it’s one of my favorite things about her writing. Apples Dipped in Gold is filled with atmospheric settings that lent to a fairytale dreamscape that felt classic but also creepy while also dashing in lore and romance in every chapter. I love these Grimm fairytale reimaginings and can tell SSC puts a lot of work into researching meticulously to adapt the best story possible!

•“Why me?” I asked. “Why not you?” he asked. “I am…worthless,” I said.
“You do not get to determine your worth to me,” he said and dropped his hand.•
My heart 😫

•“Why do you curse people?” I had not thought much about it. I suppose people just annoyed me, but I did not want to say that aloud. “To teach lessons,” I said. It wasn’t untrue, even if the lesson was leaving me alone.•
Same Lore. Soooo much same.

•The corner of Lore’s mouth lifted, his eyes dark with lust. “There is no room for shame here, beloved,” he said. “It’s okay to love this. I do.”•
🫠🫠🫠

Beloved. Wild one. Samara…I fell for her so hard. She was so sweet, sassy, and broken but she was also such a strong FMC. I wanted to murder her brothers, I wanted to hug her and I also wanted to thump Lore. 😂 If you loved the world Scarlett created in Mountains you will love this because while Mountains and Apples are very different the world feels the same. I have never read a book like Scarlett’s Fairytale Retellings and when I tell you I’m obsessed….I am so obsessed. The world building. The plot. The pacing. The love story. FMC discovering her worth and standing up for herself. MMC pulling his head out of his butt and realizing that he’s lucky! The bestest horse named Rooster and cat named Mouse along with a fox named…Fox oddly 😂😂. I could gush forever about this book, I can’t wait to hold it in my hands and force my husband to listen to the audiobook 😂

Beloved, you please me simply by existing.
•
Well, I highlighted so many more quotes, but I’m afraid they might be spoiler-y, so this what you get! Anyway, THIS. BOOK! This is THE book guys. Lore and Samara are just the most adorable idiots (said lovingly) and I cannot stop thinking about them. The journey Samara takes in the book is raw and real, and it’s hard, it truly is, but the way she overcomes her fears and past to fight for love is so…admirable and refreshing to see, especially as a character who was trained to be timid. Lore? Lore is just, without giving too much away, is so lost in himself and his curse that he doesn’t see what is right front of him, even as his own actions prove it again and again, and his own battle to get to the ending is wonderful to watch. And Fox. How can I forget Fox?! Fox is so so so much fun, and he absolutely makes this story. He is witty and resourceful and everything you’d expect a fox to be, but a talking fox in an enchanted forest is on a whole other level, and I just love him! And I really really REALLY hated the villains in this one, which just continues to show you how amazing Scarlett is at invoking all the emotions in her writing. I can’t wait for the next Grimm adventure!

Yet another wonderfully classic feeling fairy tale with all the things I love most from Scarlett St. Clair’s fantasy novels.

I cannot recommend this enough. Thank you Scarlett and team for sending me an e-arc to review.

This is a continuation of the world started in Mountains Made of Glass. You don’t need to read that first, but I strongly recommend it. Each book follows a different brother - there are 7 of them.

The novella is very much in the same vibe of a classic fairytale with its pacing, storytelling, and tropes. But SSC does what she does best and modernizes it with all the things you love in a spicy fantasy.

The characters are likable, if flawed. The plot is just *chef’s kiss* so classic and perfect. The world she evokes is vivid and well developed. It’s not your typical fantasy - it’s very much a fairytale and very much a novella, both of which require a different type of storytelling. And it’s done so well!

This story follows Samara who lives in a Cinderella-esque (it is not Cinderella though) household with three evil brothers. She is clearly full of trauma. She meets a handsome prince who wants to marry her, and you know what happens next.

Or do you?

Beautiful!!!!! Thank you Scarlett so much for writing this masterpiece! If you haven’t read her fairytale novellas yet I just need to ask you “why?”! This book is so beautifully written! From the moment you start it is so hard to put down. I want to protect Lore and Samara at all costs!! The way Scarlett has written Samara and everything that has happened to her makes you actually feel so bad for her. Lore is just perfection. I absolutely love Grimm Fairytales (I took a class in college) and this book just brings back all the feelings. Once again thank you Scarlett for writing this book and starting this series all together!

I was so excited to meet Lore and Samara after reading Casamir and Gesella's story. I knew it would be great, but I couldn't have possibly imagined! This is 100% a new favorite. The story, the interweaving of fairytale themes, the nods to past and future stories of the brothers, the romance between Lore & Samara. THE FOX. All of it, just all of it, was perfect to me. I loved it so much- each time I read a new book of Scarlett's I'm pleasantly surprised, because I always think it can't possibly be better than the last I read, and yet it is. If MMOG was a 5/5, this is a 10. Seriously. I can't explain it very well, but so much more about this story stuck with me. I was downright giddy at certain parts. And at the end of the author's note when she revealed who's next....well, I promise you I could've kicked my feet in joy. READ IT! Even if MMOG wasn't your favorite, you must read ADIG. It's *mwah, chef's kiss*

Thank you to Scarlett, her team, Bloom Books, and netgalley for the e-arc!

Scarlett is an absolute QUEEN for a reason!! This book is *chefs kiss*. Her Fairy Tale Retellings are some of my favourite books of hers, I didn't think she could top MMOG but here we are.

Apples Dipped in Gold is a beauty and the beast inspired retelling and her writing is absolutely beautiful through every page of it. The world she creates is whimsical and stunning, and the characters absolutely stole my heart. Their relationship growth was so sweet to see, and the side characters added so much to the story. The banter had me snickering and the nods to the previous story as well as future ones. I cannot wait for the rest of this series, this book is my new favourite!

Thank you so freaking much Scarlett and Bloom for the arc!