I was given a free copy of this audiobook thanks to Netgalley, in exchange for an honest opinion of the book.

I have always been obsessed with elves, fae, and fairytales since I was a little girl. This book definitely checks all of my favs. When I read the description of the book, I really got Rumplestiltskin vibes but with a twist. I did see the twist at the ending coming, but it makes me excited to read the next book in the series.

The narrator did a fabulous job with all the characters. She made it easy to tell them apart and give the characters life.

This was such a fun read! One of my favorite things about this book was definitely the magic system—I loved the incorporation of science. The FMC (Eleanor), who wielded such a magic, was smart, curious, and passionate about her craft. We got to discover her magical abilities and the Fae world she was thrown into both through her and with her. The MMC (Ruskin) had some pretty solid character development throughout the book. Honestly, he’s so precious, I just wanna put him in my pocket. I do wish there was more character development from Eleanor though. I’m excited to read the next book because the storyline was certainly intriguing!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

The Court That Bleeds Gold is a dark and magical fae romance that really leans into the folklore. The world feels dangerous and enchanting, and the tension between Eleanor and Ruskin is full of slow-burn chemistry. I liked how the story mixes fairy tale elements with court intrigue. Some parts start a little slow, but once it picks up, it’s hard to stop. The narrator did a great job bringing the characters to life. If you like morally grey fae, bargains with consequences, and enemies-to-lovers stories, this one is worth checking out. I got this book on audio and did not get a chance to listen to it, so I ended up purchasing it from Amazon.

A solid fantasy romance with an intriguing premise – though sadly, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

I was drawn in by the blurb: Eleanor, a human alchemist who can turn a specific metal into gold, is captured by a greedy king, only to be rescued by Ruskin – the half-Unseelie ruler of the Seelie court. In doing so, Ruskin binds them in a fae bargain, and from there, their fates become tightly entwined. There’s plenty of potential for intrigue, fae politics, and a morally grey romance, but while the story had its enjoyable moments, I couldn’t help feeling like I’d read versions of it many times before. The scenes felt familiar, the twists expected, and it never quite carved out its own identity in a crowded genre.

Eleanor is a likeable heroine – intelligent, calm under pressure, and refreshingly grounded in the way she handles each new revelation. Ruskin, meanwhile, is surrounded by distrust – treated with suspicion and even betrayal by those he protects, which leaves him constantly unsure of who he can rely on. I liked the tension this created, even if his character didn’t quite reach the emotional depth I was hoping for.

The audiobook left me a little conflicted. Ash Kingsley’s narration is lyrical and easy to follow, but her light, floaty tone didn’t align with the darker undertones or the tension the story was aiming for. It made the whole thing feel oddly whimsical, rather than charged or dangerous.

Not a bad listen by any means, but ultimately one that didn’t linger once it was over.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op. This is my honest opinion.

An amazing debut novel by Zara Storm! I’ve been in a book slump for a while now and this audiobook snapped me right out of it.
I absolutely loved the chemistry between Eleanor and Ruskin. They have my heart.
The pace of the book was extremely comfortable and i really liked how well- written this book was.
Ash Kingsley (the narrator) also did an amazing job narrating this book. Her voice fit so well.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read A Court that Bleeds Gold.

As someone who doesn't often listen to audiobooks but is trying to get more into them, this was a great listen! I thought that the narrator was great and really brought the story and characters to life. I do wish, though, that there were multiple narrators because there were times that it was hard to tell which characters were talking. I also just tend to prefer multiple narrators/full-cast, so that will always just be my preference, no matter how good a single narrator is, so take that with a grain of salt.

The plot of the story was very fun and interesting, as it combined fairytale retellings with a dark fantasy world and metallurgy. The metallurgy aspect was very intriguing as I've never read a book (that I can recall) with that kind of component. Even though it was never explicitly explained how exactly the FMC is able to create gold, I think in this case the explanation that we were given is enough and does make sense for the story. The intertwining of the mystery at the core of the story and gold itself kept me hooked throughout.

I liked the main characters but I didn't find myself ever really invested in them or their relationship. I definitely think that the plot of this book was stronger than the characters, and if the characters were more fully fleshed out and had more time to develop their relationship, the story would be much stronger as a whole. The characters were just a bit boring and then seemingly all of a sudden loved each other, despite hating each other right before.

While I'm glad I listened to this eALC, and I do think that this story has potential, I don't think I'll be continuing to read/listen to this series because I'm not very interested in reading more about the main characters.

The FMC, an alchemist and metalargist, has a slight Rumpelstiltskin vibe as she discovers the formula to turn iron into gold. However, it was spun in such a way as to almost become the opposite when a deal made with the Fae prince for her freedom ends up with her being captive in the fae world to help save their kingdom by turning gold into something else.

Appearances can be deceiving, especially in the fae world, and the FMC, Eleanor, finds herself discovering more than what she bargained for with the prince.  Cue the spicy moments, which were exciting and heated, as lust and love combined as one.

There were also some moments where her strength and will were tested which had me cheering when she overcame her foes.

All in all, I enjoyed this first book in the series.

This was a great read! It had everything you could want in a romantasy. Great plot, well rounded characters, a dash of spice. I loved the spin on Rumplestiltskin. Highly recommend for anyone who loves spicy fairytale retellings.

Normally I don’t read “A court of…” books because I am let down by them; seemingly because they have to follow up well to SJM. But the fmc was able to hold her own in this book! As a debut novel, it was very well written and steamy enough of a romantasy that I enjoyed it thoroughly!

A Court that Bleeds Gold by Zara Storm
Narrated by: Ash Kingsley ✨

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Available to listen to on audible.

The narrator Ash Kingsley did a wonderful job with this one, the voice was so easy to listen to. I will definitely be listening to more audiobooks from this narrator. 💖

I loved everything this book, it’s a romantasy with enemies to lovers who is a morally gray fae.

The world building in this book was easy to follow, this book was very interesting. I am obsessed I need the next book immediately! 🤗

Thank you @netgalley for sending me an ALC!

#audiobooks #audiobookreview #audiobooksarebooks #bookobsessedgirl

Everything was going good, great even, till the last chapter.

Zara why must you hurt my heart like that? Why must you invoke this pain and tearing between both sides.

This story is a real trust the characters moment. You can go in and read everything as it comes or you can analyse every word said by the Fae to find their true meanings.

This story is gripping and I really feel Ruskin and Ella. They have both been through so much in their lives that they have this insane sense of independence.

Not everything is as it seems here, so don't be fooled by the glittering magic of the Fae, darkness and secrets lurk within their words.

Thank you NetGalley and Audio ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Narration: single narrator
The narrator, Ash Kingsley, did a good job. The way she narrated to ensure there was at least a discernible difference between human and fae characters was appreciated. I do feel that if this is supposed to be a dark fantasy, the narration didn’t align fully. Also, with fantasy books, there are usually a lot of characters, so it gets difficult to tell the difference between characters when there is only a single narrator.

So this one was not for me, at all. I was really looking forward to this book with its description and indication that it’s for fans of Sarah J Maas and Raven Kennedy - (hi it's ME)! But wow this was disappointing for me. I don’t mean to be so negative, but I also want to be honest here.

First off, the plot, world, and characters are extremely underdeveloped. It was odd with being way too simple, yet I was constantly thinking to myself “what?” or “why?” or “huh?”. I felt just thrown into a world, barely scratching the surface and struggled to find any reason to care about the characters and their relationships. This story also did not seem very dark to me. I mean there was one part with the snake that could be a bit dark, but other than that I’m not sure this is an accurate description for this story. Or maybe this was just the lack of detail to not give it the dark feeling?

I really don’t know if this work should be considered original - it’s completely a mashup between ACOTAR, The Plate Prisoner series (I think there were a couple of lines that sound directly from that series), and Quicksilver. Mixing these stories sounds good in theory, yet this did not deliver. Don’t even get me started on the romance either - I was SO incredibly confused. One minute she loves Ruskin and the next she’s like nope I need to leave this place… then some bizarre things happen… then we repeat… And the cliffhanger at the end - I just laughed and felt relief that I was finally done with this one.

I honestly should have DNF’ed this book, but I felt like I already invested so much time I had to finish. At least you can increase the speed of audiobooks. I disliked all the characters and I was not invested in anything happening in the story. I have no desire to continue with the series.

This book is a great introduction to fantasy. I loved how this book starts and how it captured by attention from the word go. The writing style is easy to follow and love how it builds on itself easily without to much fluff between. The character building is also well done in this book and you can paint the perfect picture in your mind of what the characters features are. This book kept me reading until that last page and that ending! Ugh I want to know more! I can't wait to see how the story continues. If you want to enter the world of fantasy than this book is for you.

The Court That Bleeds Gold by Zara Storm. 🪙

I was gifted a free Audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantasy, enemies to lovers book filled with curses, beasts and fae. It gives Rumplestilskin vibes. And also a slight not to Beauty and the Beast too. Without spoiling anything, there is a certain character who would most definitely be best friends with Gaston.

The fae within may not be able to openly lie but they have found many other ways to ommit the truth and deceive. One of our main characters Rushkin is very talented at this.

I love our female main character Leonora. She is fierce, brave and resilient; completely unafraid of speaking her mind and doing what she believes is right even if it costs her greatly herself.

I enjoyed the voice actors tones and the way they portray the characters but I did find them a little slow so I was listening at 1.5 speed. However, that could just be my opinion since us Northern Irish lot are known for speaking far too fast😂

Overall, I had fun listening to this book and will definitely reading the next book in the series somepoint in the near future.

4/5🌟
3/5🌶️

The Court That Bleeds Gold has a rich premise and an intriguing world. While the setting had promise, the story felt disjointed and lacked a clear flow, making it hard to stay invested. The lead characters go from suddenly hating each other into a lustful relationship which didn't fit. It also felt like a Beauty and the Beast rip off. The saucy scenes just weren't for me. Beautiful writing, but the narrative didn’t quite hold together.

4⭐️
(NetGalley audiobook)

Thank you to NetGalley and all involved for this ARC copy I received!

I'm so happy I looked into the audiobook side of NetGalley and found this amazing book!
The cover and description is what made me start the book, and the beautiful narration and captivating story made me fly through this.

This was a refreshing Romantasy, with lots of surprises and a truly captivating ending to the first book! I had to pause what I was doing, to listen to the last minutes, just staring into nothing while covering my mouth haha.
Besides the story itself, I loved the characters and their dynamics. They had connections, backgrounds and despite what other reviews said, I don't feel like they lacked character traits or such at all.

I can't wait to listen to more of Eleanor and Ruskin's story in the next two books!

A solid mix of intrigue, danger and romance. My only wishes was to see the developing attraction between the MC's to be longer and more nuanced.. it's far from insta-love but it could bear with a little more intrigue and fleshing out and the same could be said to reaching the climactic battle. Yet, it is still a well recommended read. 👌

Ever since the death of her mother, Eleanor has been determined to learn alchemy so that she can support her grieving father and the village they live in. Word gets out to the king that she is close to turning common metals into gold, so he decides to make Eleanor his bride so he can keep the secrets of alchemy all to himself. Desperate to get out of the marriage, Eleanor calls upon Ruskin, a Fae known for making deals with humans. In exchange for her freedom, Eleanor promises to use her metallurgy skills to help Ruskin. Ruskin sweeps her away to his home in the Seelie Court where crops are growing bitter and inedible and rabid animals are attacking Fae. As Eleanor tries to understand what is causing problems in the Seelie Court, she grows closer to Ruskin in the hopes that she can break her deal with him.

This was an entertaining and fast-paced romantasy. I enjoyed the mystery elements to the story and they really helped to move the plot along. In the beginning, the world felt a bit small to me. I think the human kingdom wasn't super fleshed out, but when Eleanor was in the Seelie Court it seemed like there was more depth to it. The conflict between Eleanor and Ruskin got a bit repetitive as it was a lot of Ruskin giving vague answers to Eleanor, Eleanor getting upset, and Ruskin giving more vague answers. The dialogue was also a bit odd where at times the Fae would speak with more formal English, but then throw in some modern terminology that sort of threw off the flow. I listened to the audiobook version of this, and while the narrator was fine I don't know if the tone totally matched the book. Kingsley was very breathy, which I think makes sense for Eleanor, but with the fast pace of the story the breathiness didn't always match what was happening in the book. I think people who enjoy romantasy should check this one out, especially those who like retellings of fairy tales.

The plot is a combo of Rumpelstiltskin and Beauty and the beast. The FMC is a STEM girl, who manages to create gold with her alchemy, she is then tricked into a deal with the MMC who needs her to use her alchemy skills to help him.
I found this book so difficult to get through.
The characters lacked personality and most of the writing had me cringing. It's a single POV, the entire book is just a string of the FMC's thoughts, only she's so boring so I found it really hard to stay engaged.

The romance escalates quickly and so is uncomfortable. There's a captor/captive dynamic, but instead of exploring that power imbalance with nuance, the book leans into a fast and shallow attraction. It read more like a case of forced proximity than a believable emotional connection. At times, it felt like a teenage fantasy that didn't quite consider how unhealthy the relationship dynamics actually were..

I really wanted to like this book the concept had potential but unfortunately, the characters, romance, and writing style just didn't work for me.

There are so many familiar fairytale themes woven into this entertaining audiobook, book one in this series. Together merged with the story line they make a unique, definitely adult, frenemies, fantasy fairytale story. To save herself, Eleanor Thorn finds herself forced into making a deal, which is more tricky than she imagined. But she’s going to try…., to escape that is. But is escape what she really wants? There is a reveal and cliff hanger which means I know I want to listen to book two. Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.