Wow, what a wonderful cover, the crown looks a little bit like the Baratheon crown from Game of Thrones. But the story is very good.

I was really excited to read this one considering that I really enjoyed "A touch of gold". 

So, this time Kora goes after the God Dionysus to make him cure her father and save her kingdom and the entire world from destruction. 
During her quest she meets the Oracle, all sorts of mythical creatures (satyrs, gorgons, etc.), she learns more about the Gods and even meets some of them: Triton and Poseidon. 

The story begins very slowly. For the first 70-80 pages we had only stories, nothing really happening. But after they leave to find  Dionysus everything becomes crowded as they are over and over again attacked by different sea or land creatures. 

Also there were some things I didn't like in this book, such as: 
- Kora kept telling us what she was thinking and always explaining things in her mind,  without letting us know them from actions and words themselves 
- very annoying (for me) were all of those quotes from journals of past rulers. They kept popping up at the wrong times. 
- Hettie was an absolute obnoxious brat the entire book
- and Royce was barely there. I was expecting to see more of their relationship in this book. Yes he loves her and is always there for her but I wanted to see them more together. 

A pleasant surprise was Triton. Besides his good looks and acting like a spoiled brat he was very funny 🤣 and in the end proved to be a really good friend. 

In the end it was a fun book to read 😊 
Received a copy of the book from Netgalley.

Title: A Curse of Gold 
Author: Annie Sullivan 
Pub. Date: September 22, 2020
Rating: 4

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Just like with book 1, I loved this book. I loved the drama, the high stakes, the tension. I probably took too much pleasure in the trials and torment these characters had to go through. But I always think a story is better when nothing is ever easy. This whole book was a giant test of figuring out what you want, who you are, and striving to achieve those things, despite the unfavorable outcome. 

Kora and Co. don’t have it easy this book, the stakes are higher than ever, her kingdom on the brink of desolation, her people angry and upset and not believing she should be ruling alongside her father. 
My favorite aspect of this book is the relationship between Royce and Kora. I can’t exactly tell you why, not even vaguely, without spoiling it. But Kora’s whole journey in this book is about trying to be a good ruler, and even if she – personally – got everything she wanted, would it be what’s best for her and her people? It’s very much, what is she willing to sacrifice if it means saving her kingdom. I desperately wish we’d had more, cute, there for each other moments. 

Which brings me to my only complaint about this book. Just like with Touch of Gold, I wish this book had been longer. With the introduction of more Greek Gods and myths interwoven, I feel like this band of characters could go on so many more adventures. So, either a slight slowdown of the pace, or give me more books – I’d gladly read them. I have so many questions – most revolving around Triton – I need to know what happens in the future! 
It would be so interesting to see Kora, Royce and Co. travel around and face off various Greek Myths or deities. 
I loved reading these books – they’re just so much fun and so enjoyable. The stakes are high, but don’t require tons of mental gymnastics to keep straight, you can just sit down, relax and follow Kora on her journey of figuring out who she is, and claiming that power, owning who she is.

I highly recommend picking these books up. I don’t think you can go wrong. Touch of Gold and Curse of Gold are just fun as hell reads, and I’m always a sucker for Greek Mythology anything.

A solid read but I feel something was taken away from it as I hadn't read Book 1. A solid read nevertheless.

Roses are Red, Curses are Gold

Hey everyone! Welcome back to this lackluster blog site where I cannot seem to get my crap together. I want to apologize for my silence over the past few months. Graduate school has been a major buzz killer.

But…
NO.
MORE.

I am happy to announce that I’ve officially graduated with my Master’s degree in Creative Writing!!!

Now that we got that over, let's dive into new books that have been keeping me up until the wee hours of the morning. Being a huge fan of mythology and old folktales, this next book was another satisfying read that made me wish my father cursed me.

Young Adult author Annie Sullivan continues her story in A Curse of Gold, the sequel to A Touch of Gold. Sullivan takes readers on another thrilling and exciting adventure with King Midas’s daughter, who he accidentally cursed his daughter. Not only did he turn his daughter, Princess Kora to gold, but he also cursed her with the ability to absorb gold and turn anything she touches. 

Sullivan opens the sequel just months after they returned from their first adventure. Princess Kora is no longer afraid to show herself as she returns to Lagonia and helps rule the kingdom alongside with her father. That is until a group of mystical creatures attack the castle, seeking her death. Kora must once again carry the burden of trying to save not only her father but the people of Lagonia. She must gather her allies, which includes her cousin Hettie and her lover Royce. They sail out on an adventure to find the mystical island of Dionysius domain, where they must face the god that cursed her father in the beginning. Come along on a journey that takes readers to the palace of Poseidon’s son Triton and the Gorgon island.  

This story is one of my favorite retellings because it takes the point of view from a different character in the old tale. Readers get a new perspective as they see the despair and strength Kora lived with since she was turned to gold at nine-years-old. You see the transition of her becoming a forgotten princess to an outstanding queen that is ready to rule her people! Kora’s determination to put others’ needs before her own is the true definition of sacrifice that will inspire readers all around the world. This story is more than just a warning of greed. It’s about showing acceptance for yourself and others in your journey in life. Kora never let fear prevent her from accomplishing her goals. Her golden curse transformed into a golden savior as she found love, guidance, and friendship.

I hope you give this series a try! I promise you won’t regret it!

Here is the link to the first book A Touch of Gold available where all books are sold.

A Curse of Gold will hit shelves on September 22, 2020! (More than enough time to catch up!)

I’m going to try and post a book review every Friday, so keep watching for new exciting tales that will take you to places beyond the stars!

Talk to you soon!

-Kylan

I had a lot of fun returning to this world - I flew through A Curse of Gold just as quickly, if not faster. It's a really entertaining read perfect for those who enjoy mythology retellings and the world is really well developed. There's friendship, revenge, politics, and so much more.

received this as an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I did quite enjoy reading the second book in this duology. After facing down the pirate, fixing her relationship with her cousin hettie, falling in love and saving her father Kora is taking her place as a princess and future queen. when the palace is attacked by Satyrs that were sent to kill Kora. Her and Royce must go and find the Oracle to figure out why Dionysis is after her and how to stop him from destroying her Kingdom.. 
Kora has to bargain with Gods, and face down Gorgons all the while trying to reach a dissapearing island. 
The stakes were higher in this book. as Kora is givin a vision of what will happen if Dionysis is allowed to make it to the shores of her kingdom.. Basically everyone will die including Royce and Hettie. Everything did feel like it was happening pretty fast, but they did only have a few days before Dionysis attacks her kindgom so it didn't bother me to much.. 
Kora, Royce and the crew get to meet Posiden and his son Triton. who are both kind of douchy. but Triton really ends up redeeming himself in the end.. 
While I love Kora and Royce my new favorite character is Tritons pet sea monster, whose name I can't remember at the moment.. At first he was sent to sink the Royces ship, so Kora turns him to gold...
Triton makes an agreement with Kora to turn him back, and it turns out his like a giant sea monster puppy dog. That likes to sit on Tritons lap, lick him and play fetch.. 
I thought the ending of this was really good, while I was hoping for the reappearance of a certain character everything else ended just how I wanted it to..

This was a nice sequel to a book where I wondered if a sequel that was really necessary. It did end a bit suddenly and I'm wondering if there will be a next book, as I feel not everything was resolved. However, for people that liked the first book, this one is definitely a fun read.

After saving her father, Kora has now fully stepped into her role as princess and future queen. But the god of misfits, Dionysus, isn't done with her family or her kingdom. He will settle for nothing but Kora's life. As Kora and her gang set sail to defeat the angry god, she'll have to decide if a bargain is worth everything she holds dear. 

This was definitely a sequel worth waiting for! The world building was so dynamic and I loved fleshing out some of the side characters more. Kora's adventure this time around was full of riddles, alliances, revenge, and friendship. In Touch of Gold, I appreciated the twist on King Midas' story but Curse of Gold gave me more mythical adventures and action. Although I will admit, I think the last bit of action drags on a little too much but not so much as to ruin the story. 

If you love anything about Greek Mythology, this duology is for you. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Blink (Publisher) for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Annie Sullivan has extended Kora’s adventures by adding on to her first book A Touch of Gold, a novel built from the myth of King Midas. A Curse of Gold is a fast-paced adventure of a heroine’s journey that takes readers from the kingdom of Lagonia into Triton and Poseidon’s undersea worlds. Kora battles gorgons, satyrs, and gods in her quest to save her kingdom before Dionysus can destroy it. Throughout the novel, Kora moves into her role as leader of both those who fight with her and the people of her kingdom. The relationship she has with Royce is strengthened in this book as they make a strong duo, complementing each other’s decisions and actions. Readers don’t need a background in Greek mythology to understand what is taking place. In fact, this is a perfect introduction to mythological gods and creatures.

Like many sequels, this book isn't quite as good as its predecessor.

"A Curse of Gold" gives us the further adventures of Princess Kora (daughter of the mythical King Midas) as she tries to protect her kingdom and friends from the trickster god Dionysus. She defeated a human enemy last time, but can she win against an actual god?

The adventure itself is a lot of fun. There's danger, riddles, a hidden oracle, sea monsters, and all kinds of bargains between friends and enemies. Kora is still a wonderful character who strives to improve and become a responsible, capable ruler for her country. Reader will root for her, but they'll also cringe whenever she takes on too much by herself. It's a character flaw that keeps her relatable.

If you had a favorite character from the first book, the odds are decent that you'll see them again here. Personally, I was glad that new characters and gods played a more substantive role, and (without spoiling anything) I loved that the ending packed unexpected emotional punch. 

If there's one thing that holds the story back, it's that there's maybe too much happening all at once. All but three characters from the first book fail to reappear. Those that stay don't all have a clear purpose or even an arc. What are Phipps, Rhatt, and Lennie doing here? Kora and her naval captain beau Royce are a lovely couple, but how does Royce change? And what does he accomplish apart from just being present in the adventure? Hettie, Kora's cousin and best friend, comes the closest to feeling like a more fully-realized character, but she gets so little page time because a book has limits and I haven't even accounted for the new, much more important character of Triton who joins the adventure halfway through! 

Triton is--against all odds--the highlight of the book, most especially because he is the only character aside from Kora with a clear desire and a full arc by the end.

(A small nitpick that saddens me: there are so few women in this story. Apart from Kora and Hettie, the world is all men. Poseidon's consort Amphitrite is reduced to a soothing wife with a single line, and the Oracle is little more than a plot point. Male gods abound. The "Temptresses" are possibly my least favorite take on the Sirens of the Odyssey. It's just a shame when the author could draw on so much more in mythology.)

In short, there's a lot to love in the book, but we're never given enough time to enjoy most of it because events rush past and characters are packed together in an adventure that can't accommodate them all. The ending leaves me hopeful that Sullivan will do better next time. For all its flaws, "A Curse of Gold" concludes with a stronger sense of identity than that with which it opens. I would very much like to read a third installment.

Recommended to enthusiasts of mythology, quest adventures, and stories where people form an unlikely team to attain a common goal. 

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved A Touch of Gold and was so excited to get the chance to read A Curse of Gold early. 

We are thrown into the action almost right away and it doesn't stop. I was on edge the whole time. The new characters we were introduced to were great and it was so nice to see the friendships that were formed in the first book still holding strong as well as new ones!

I felt like it was a sweet conclusion to the duology.

Adventurous and chaotic as the sea, this a whirlwind of a book two for this series. I liked it since it did go more into the Greek world, and the myths surrounding this story. The interpretation of myths and it's gods and heroes is always something interesting, and in this book we see the god Triton as something unexpected. Since the world branches out more and there's another quest per se, I did feel the book started off very quick. It tried to put so much into the book and it does succeed in doing so but there are parts that feel rushed. It's a fun second book and very to the epic legacy of a Greek tale.

#ACurseofGold #NetGalley
A wonderful follow up to Annie Sullivan's debut novel. I highly recommend these novels. They are pure adventure and dynamic plot twists. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review A Curse of Gold by Annie Sullivan.

After the events of A Touch of Gold, Kora and her father are struggling to maintain the rule of their kingdom. As they attempt to stabilize their rule, Dionysus, the god responsible for her father’s curse, sends his creatures to kill her, but why?  Kora must face many dangerous challenges and battle Dionysus himself in order to save her kingdom and break the curse on her father once and for all. 

This book was 100% action from start to finish. I found myself unable to put it down most of the time because there was always something exciting going on. The cast of characters was great, and I felt super invested in their well-being. I especially loved the relationship between Triton and Grax. ❤️

A Curse or Gold will be available September 22nd, 2020. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader digital copy.

A Curse of Gold is the highly anticipated sequel to Annie Sullivan's debut, A Touch of Gold. It starts not long after its predecessor left off, and follows Kora and Royce as they set off on another adventure. 

This book is action packed from almost the first page. The plot moves quickly, but the events are so we'll written that nothing feels rushed. The pacing is actually really good, and there weren't really any lags in the story telling. 

I LOVE the elements of Greek mythology that are woven into this story, although Sullivan manages to make even familiar characters her own. 

Another easy, engaging read. Annie Sullivan is quickly becoming an autobuy author! 

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

I am incredibly happy to have received an e-ARC of this book. It was an incredible sequel to A Touch of Gold, and I would absolutely recommend it to my students (grades 6 through 9). The growth of the characters is amazing and the novel makes you with that you lived in a world with a leader who is entirely dedicated to her people, just as Kora is. My favourite characters in all books are flawed and have an attitude, so naturally, I loved Triton. I would actually love to read more about him (*hint hint*). 

This is definitely an adventure for the characters and the mythology included is detailed and well described. I enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to more from this author. Her style of writing is easy to read and follow, and keeps the excitement up throughout the novel. A Curse of Gold is my favourite book so far in April (although, I will say that it was difficult to choose between A Touch of Gold and  A Curse of Gold).

Thank you to Netgalley and Blink for providing a copy of this e-book for review.

This read was ok. I didn’t like the pace of the story and the characters just weren’t my favorites. The story was well written and a lot of adventure but it all felt rushed. I enjoyed the first book in this series so I was looking forward to this sequel. It does end the series well.
1 like

It took me a while to get into the story. The last book finished really neatly so when the conflict for this story was revealed it felt a bit forced to me. Also, I was not a big fan of the Oracle. Luckily, that passed by the time Kora and crew embarked on their new adventure. This book is action packed and full of adventure. I recommend it for anyone who gets bored easily. I would have preferred to have more slower moments. Just a couple more, to make the story more even. Still, it was a really fun read.

4/5 stars

A Curse of Gold is a sequel to A Touch of Gold, that centers on the daughter of King Midas, Kora.  I had not read the first in the series, but still enjoyed reading this book.  The first few chapters do a great job explaining the character's past and summarizing what occurred in the first book.  This was a fun twist on the King Midas story and follows Kora and her friends as the seek to stop Dionysus from attacking her home, Lagonia.  Anyone who enjoys mythology would enjoy this book.