My first impression of the plot from the synopsis made me wonder what could have been done to the Rumplestiltskin story to make it new and different? My first impression of the story, on the other hand, was affected by the narrator, Kathleen McInerney. As much as Gold Spun absorbed me right away due to the intrigue of the Prologue, McInerney had a way of reading the story that was very Walken-esque. Her continual pauses in places where there was not a natural pause was quite distracting, which only attests to June’s skill because despite being distracted throughout by the narration, I could not stop listening to find out what would happen next.

I really enjoyed following Nor along her trail of lies and watching her struggle morally with her decision to swindle people who were nearly as poor as she was in order to feed her family. Although, I would say I could feel myself suspending my disbelief on how quickly she became enamored of the prince who at first only looked at her as being of worth because he thought she could make his kingdom rich. I felt like Prince Casper was quite shallow and only revealed himself not to be in small increments until the very end when the plot was so twisted that we could finally see he had three dimensions himself.

I will say, I have guessed the major plot twist of the next book, and sometimes it can be distracting just waiting to find out if your guess is correct and then wondering if it makes the story less successful because you guessed it?

I feel like the story fell the most short with the faerie queen’s motivations. She claims her motivation in starting a war with the humans is that the humans were warring amongst themselves and her son got killed because of it. Maybe I just don’t like the idea of fighting fire with fire, but for some reason I just wasn’t convinced by the queen’s reasoning.

Overall, I will give Gold Spun four stars because it truly hooked me right from the get go, and I wasn’t convinced I would enjoy a retelling. I also had a bit of a book hangover, because I did not expect Gold Spun to not be a standalone, so the end came on like a ton of bricks!

While trying to survive a war torn nation a girl rescues an elf and the reward he gives her lands her in a lot of trouble. She is right in the middle or a political drama that will change her life. It is also a retelling and I am a huge fan of retellings. I started the audiobook and did not even pause it to go eat. The story drew me in instantly and I could not wait to find out what happens. It does end on a cliffhanger that will get you super excited to see book 2.

5 stars!

Very solid retelling of Rumpelstiltskin! This was an enjoyable, quick read.

There was a bit more focus on a love triangle than I would have liked, but I really liked Nor's character, and I'm excited to see what happens next in book 2!

Content: clean, some violence

Oh my gosh, just yes. I normally don’t listen to audiobooks, but I am on an insane drive from VA to CO and this was an incredibly happy accident.

The narrator is Ahhhhhh-mazing. I couldn’t believe 10 hours had passed and I still wanted more. Her voices and impressions of the characters fill them in life, and there is clear differentiation between them.

The story is fast paced and I found myself gasping and laughing as the narrator rolled through it. I’ve never screamed as much in delight at each new revelation and the lead up for the twist that I desperately hope we see in the sequel.

I ADORE Nor and her unladylike conwoman schemes and how she just falls for Casper and Pel. I’m not gonna lie, I was really rooting for one of the guys in particular that when I found out he DOESN’T get chosen, there were a lot of words that were said in my car that I’m glad I was alone for.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher. This was just a delight.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Gold Spun is a fun and whimsical Rumpelstiltskin retelling. The story was fast paced and exciting. The fancy clothes, royalty, and fae really helped give the book a classic fairytale feel. My favorite aspect of this book was the main character. Unlike in the original tale the miller's daughter is outspoken and bold. While she may be a thief she is also compassionate, understanding, and fiercely protective of the people she loves. The plot twist at the end was amazing and left me needing to know what happens next. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves YA fairytale retellings.