I gave this a 5/5 stars on good reads. Absolutely devoured it. You can clearly see the research that was put into this book as well as the attention to detail for both the plot and character development. I personally feel it is difficult to make a novella cohesive in such a short amount of pages, but SSC really nailed it. There was a clear flow of the introduction to Samara’s life, with challenges. Then intro to love interest, Lore. Then the journey where truth becomes revealed then a climatic conclusion. Well done and looking forward to another book in SSC’s fairy tale retelling series

When Scarlett writes a book, she puts her whole heart into it. I knew, going into this book, my heart would go through it as well.

This is book two in the Fairy Tale Retelling series. This series follows seven princes, and each prince will have their own book.

This book, follows our wicked Prince Lore of Nightshade, and our sweet and innocent Samara.

Orphaned at a young age, Samara is left under the care of her three brothers. They are… horrible to her. I mean… if you have triggers… be careful going into this book. Because the way she is treated… breaks your heart.

One day when Samara wanders off… to hopefully find peace… a handsome prince offers for her hand in marriage. Her brothers agree in exchange for a large dowery.

On her way to her new kingdom… the Prince of Nightshade ambushes her carriage. Samara believes that the fae prince has snatched her away to punish her for a crime she committed long ago…

What the Prince actually needs help with… is to break his curse… and what Samara doesn’t realize… is the curse he has… is one put on him by Samara herself…

If you love The Cruel Prince, Labyrinth, The Magical Legend Of The Leprechauns, Snow White, A Curse For True Love, Cinderella, fairytales, dark… fairytales, fairytales with spice…you will greedily consume… Apples Dipped In Gold.

Samara reminds me of Cinderella, especially the quote “Have courage, and be kind.”

She has gone through so much, and yet her ability to be kind to others is one of her most admirable qualities. She inspires me to keep my head high and always pick the path of courage and kindness, even when hope feels miles away.

I don’t know how Scarlett does it, because while this book is thoughtful, emotional, and sometimes downright sad. It’s also laugh out loud funny, swoon worthy, scary, whimsical, and epic.

Lore’s nickname for Samara is “Wild One” HELP.
There’s a moment where Samara claims to Lore that she is worthless, and he says “You do not get to determine your worth to me.” And I cried. For a solid minute.

Nobody is perfect in this book, and that’s part of what makes it so enduring. Except for Fox… I love Fox. He’s perfect. Adorable. I love him.

I love this book with my whole heart. This is one of my favorite series of all time. And if you haven’t read the first book, Mountains Made Of Glass, please go read that, and then start Apples Dipped in Gold immediately after.

“You are a gift, you are my dream come true and my greatest wish.”

✨ARC Review✨

“𝘽𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙. 𝙏𝙞𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠, 𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙗 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙬𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨. “𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

“𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.
“𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸,” 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸?” 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥.
“𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥,” 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.

✨ 𝙰𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚘𝚗 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟷𝟼, 𝚊𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝙾𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟿 (𝚙𝚑𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝’𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎!)

Apples Dipped in Gold was an immersive fairytale retelling that was impossible to put down! The environment was so immersive and I loved how it had a classic fairytale setting with lush forests, creepy witch’s houses, and whimsical creatures.

I loved our main characters, Samara and Lore. Samara has been horribly abused by her three brothers, and she finally finds a chance at a new life when a charming prince whisks her a way. Through twists and turns, she crosses paths with Lore, an Elven Prince who needs to break the curse he is under.

I really enjoyed how caring and compassionate Lore was towards Samara as their relationship unfolds. There are also loveable side characters - especially Fox the fox (😂😂) and Cardic, one of Lore’s brothers. The banter between everyone, but especially the brothers, had me cackling.

Thank you to Scarlett St. Clair and Bloom Books for the advanced reader copy, thoughts and review is my own.

I devoured this book in under 24 hours and it has immediately taken the top spot of my favourite Scarlett St. Clair book!
The relationship between Samara and Lore was just gorgeous. Fox as a character was incredible. The banter between characters was perfect. I loved everything about it.

Okay so Scarlett St Clair is doing something I'm really loving with this series of interconnected standalones. They're more fairytale remixes than retellings; they're like jigsaw puzzles of so many different details from so many different fairytales that you really don't see very often. If you were a fairytale/mythology kid like I was, you'll know what I mean when I say this is simultaneously comforting, familiar, and completely unique. The closest full fairytale most people would recognize as a comp for this book would probably be Snow White, except the actual story is completely different!

Don't go in looking for a one-to-one retelling. I'd say go in looking for a quick read that feels familiar, but be ready to be completely unprepared for the journey. Go in like you're face blind at your high school reunion, except this is a better time.

Okay, I feel like we've dialed in the vibes, so Samara. Scarlett writes such strong FMCs, and I personally adore the way she plays with different kinds of strength. In the last book, Gesela was fighting grief and persisting through sheer will. In this one, Samara displays emotional strength as her special interest, and it was SO refreshing to read an FMC who's going to look at a man and tell him he's beautiful...and also stupid! I really enjoyed her as a character; her kindness through abuse, her unbreakable spirit, it all adds up to a heroine I was rooting for.

Lore is dumb, and I love him. I really and truly can't say more. I'll always be here for the himbo energy and Lore is BRINGING that energy.

But wait; there's more! Fox is a sneaky favorite. It doesn't hurt that foxes are one of my favorite animals, but he's also snarky and kind, and he really deserves a raise for all the babysitting he does in this book!

Now I'll just be waiting for the next installment. Suuuuuper patiently...

🌶️🌶️
🍏 This story was captivatingly beautiful. I don't usually read stories like this, I've never been a fan of Grimm Brother stories, but somehow, Scarlett just knows how to write in this style so beautifully with this perfect mixture of gritty details, the weird, the beautiful, and the romantic.
🍏 I loved seeing this romance blossom between our two main characters. Both felt unworthy of love and the love that grows between them is beautiful!
🍏 I also love the humor that Scarlett weaves through the story. It's the perfect way to keep a story set in such a dark setting, still light. Fox was definitely my favorite.
🍏 I'm so looking forward to seeing the romance that happens in the next one!

Scarlett has done it again with Apples Dipped in Gold. I loved our main characters Samara and Lore. And of course Fox was a favorite as well! They were well-developed characters and I loved seeing them interact with each other.
Our main character Samara has been under the neglectful and abusive care of her three brothers after being orphaned at a young age. She’s been through a lot. One day a prince asks for her hand in marriage and the brothers agree after negotiating a a large dowry in their favor. Samara’s carriage is attacked and she is rescued by the fae prince Lore of Nightshade.
Prince Lore has been in love/obsessed with Samara for years but believes that she has betrayed him and he wants to get rid of his feelings of love. Can this Prince of poisons and this human girl overcome their differences to find each other again?

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!