I struggled to rate this book. For me it’s a 3.5. I very much enjoyed the beginning of this book. For a romantasy it is easy to follow and understand. I enjoyed the science aspect Eleanor’s talents. I wish we learned and saw more about her alchemy skills. The ending was irritating for me. We have this strong and smart FMC who can manipulated gold, but how she breaks the curse is by admitting she’s in love with Ruskin. In the next book I hope we see her using her knowledge and power more.

Our human girl, Eleanor lives in a realm that is ruled by fae. Humans are easily manipulated by fae due to their magic and deals that they make with the vulnerable humans. Eleanor believes herself smarter than her fellow humans since she visits the fae realm to make deals to sell her jewelry. So her and her father can make a living since the death of her mother.

Following in mother’s footsteps, Eleanor has a knack for Alchemy and discovers way to make gold. Soon after, she is sold out to the human king by a boy from her village. In desperation, Eleanor does the one thing she swore she never do- make a deal with the evil fae.

This story is about Eleanor figuring out a way to save the fae realm all the while the fae are doing everything in their power to make her life a living hell.

It’s a new take on faeries that kept me intrigued. The narrator did a wonderful job too, portraying each character. I easily forgot it wasn’t a man speaking the MMC’s parts. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fae and fantasy.

This was my very first ARC and my very first romantasy audiobook — and The Court That Bleeds Gold was an enjoyable read! This story is set in a Fae world with some thrilling action-packed scenes, blended with a good mix of tension, magic, and romance. The garden court setting and Beauty-and-the-Beast vibes were enchanting.

I liked Eleanor’s strength and her alchemist skills, and the overall magical system added its lot of charm. The side characters Destan and Halima were endearing too! Prince Ruskin is a promising and intriguing protective main male character — secretive, powerful, and marked by a dual nature that adds some beast like tension to his every move. I would have loved to get a bit more insight into his inner world, but I believe much will unfold in the next book given the story’s twists.

The narrator Ash Kingsley was absolutely brilliant — each character had a unique voice and specific accents without it ever feeling exaggerated.

What I would have loved to see more of: Prince Ruskin’s character felt a bit underexplored emotionally, and I would have loved more build-up in his relationship with Eleanor. More details and development on the human world and political dynamics would have added depth.

As for the spice level, there are a few intimate and descriptive scenes, but they remain tastefully written and don’t overpower the main plot. I found the balance between romance and story progression to be well handled — perfect for readers who enjoy a bit of tension and heat without it taking center stage.

Overall, this is a fun and promising start to a new romantasy series. I’ll definitely be continuing!

I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a free copy of this audiobook. This review represents my honest opinion.

I got this audiobook with only 2 days before the archive date. I was determined to finish it before that happened because I was so intrigued by the premise and manage it I did.

The more I think on this the more I have to give this a solid 3. I enjoyed the experience and want to read the next one. I do not feel like I would consider this Dark Fantasy/Romantasy. There was mild torture and death but nothing over the top. I found it pretty predictable although I did wake up from a dream last night that made me think there was another option for what the ending alludes to. So yeah. Fun, enjoyable read but not necessarily one I will fixate on. It was very ACOTAR light in the diet variety.

This book had a very interesting premise, and the writing was well executed, but the plot fell a little flat to me.
The story started off strong, but felt like it waned before the 'big' reveal happened. All in all, it was an entertaining listen.

ALC read is in, and it's dripping in gold. As a pleasant suprise, I actually quite enjoyed this world, as simple as it was, and I could see Zara becoming a fantasy fan favorite if she isn't already.

The lore was easy to follow. I found our MFC relatable, like what girl doesn't just want someone to take a modicum of interest in their interests? And there is something about a few tricky fae princes that just have me in a chokehold every time. This court did not slack in enjoyable moments for me.

I listened to this on audio and found it a charming experience. Catch me picking up the next book in this series ASAP as my next vibes read.

What a refreshing change to dreary fantasy books I've read of late. Eleanor is like a breath of fresh air. I love the stories where a human crosses over into the faerie rhelm. Ruskin is everything a girl can dream about and not. This gave me Beaty and the beast vibes, and it's so good! I felt like a little girl again! @zarastormauthor knows how to capture and hold your attention from the first chapter. I loved the magic. I loved the curse that captured the land and figuring out how it came about. I loved Destan! What a hilarious character, and I loved how he would break a tense situation with his comments. @ashkingsleynarrator was magnificent as a narrator she lifted the book just that tad higher, and it all came together spectacularly.

Thank you to @netgalley and @victoryeditingngc for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to listen to this book in an ALC version, Zara< i appreciate the effort and creativity that goes into writing a book. While this story didn't resonate with me, i respect the time you have put into creating it , and for that reason i will not post this review public. I am aware that every reader connects differently, and I'm sure that others will enjoy it.

A few majors issues for me were the characters, i have not connected to them, i founded all of them irritating. I do believe that this book has some potential but it needed some editing , and polishing. It is too fast paced, predictable and in no shape or form dark.

For the audiobook, Ash Kingsley is an amazing narrator, but her voice doesn't fit this story, she is uplifting and bubbly, and for a "dark fantasy" the voice should be a bit more dramatic and moody.

There are descriptions as "it smells gorgeous", "it looks shiny like a glare" etc. they feel forced and not what i would describe a olfactory or visual adjective.

I think this book is a child between Acotar, Quickilver, Gild where too many ideas clashed and unfortunately it doesn't make this story unique.

One thing that really throw me off the worst is that Ruskin has this 2 good friends that he knows for hundreds years and wont tell them the secrets , but this 19 years orl or so girl that he knows for ...a few weeks more or less , figures something out and he trusted her with his secret, and allows her to tell his friends his secret ... I'm sorry but i wish i can come here and say a bit more positive things , unfortunately i truly believe this book needs a revision.

I'm so sorry.

I rate this book 5 ⭐️
Desperate to escape the king Eleanor makes a deal with the one Fae she said she never would. The Fae Prince. She lies and says she can spin gold for their deal.

Eleanor meets another human Fiona while at his court, is she friend or foe?

The Fae prince is half beast, most of his court is scared of him but Eleanor stands up against him. Him and his land are cursed, can Eleanor help save him or will be be doomed?

I listened to the audio ARC of this book narrated by Ash Kingsley. She did an amazing job narrating. I cant wait to dive into the next book

Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and Zara Storm for allowing me the opportunity to review this book

2.5 out of 5 stars (rounded up to 3)

This book will definitely find its fan base, and the audiobook is immersive—the narrator does a great job bringing the story to life. That said, it just wasn’t for me. I typically enjoy classic fairytale retellings, and it’s clear the author drew inspiration from that genre, but it didn’t quite land. I found it hard to connect with the characters, which made it a bit of a slow listen for me.

For fans of:
- Branded

Eleonor is an alchemist who is determined to save her village from the ever growing threat of greedy Fae. She gets caught up in a scheme and turns to an infamous Fae called Black Cloak (aka the boogie man) to find her freedom. Eleonor is then thrust into the Fae world and wonders if she traded one prison for the next.

This book includes:
- the boogie man
- evil nursery rhymes
- seelie and unseelie Fae
- rumpelstiltskin retelling??
- a fatal deal

This book as an intriguing concept and I love a good boogie man love interest. The writing style, sadly, was not very skillful and it made the reading experience unpleasant. Eleonor is whiny and kinda useless feeling. Black Cloak comes off pretty try hard to me, and the instant feelings of attraction to between the MCs was a turn off to me. I also listened to this book on audio and found the narration style to be grating and it ruined the experience for me.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Zara Storm for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863 and it will be posted to my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/ and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

My overall rating for The Court that Bleeds Gold is 3.5 stars. Read as an ALC from NetGalley.
This was book One of a Dark Romantasy trilogy by Zara Storm, as well as being her debut novel. It was described as a Beauty and the Beast/Rumpelstiltskin retelling and I found that to be very unique and intriguing, I enjoyed that aspect of the storyline.
As far as the writing goes, I was not blown away by it. At times, it does feel like your typical enemies to lovers, bargain with a cursed fae prince, slow-burn Romantasy tale. However, the characters and the plot held my attention enough and left me intrigued to see where the story goes, especially after that cliffhanger ending.
I think what I am most looking forward to as this story goes on is learning more about the faery world and the magic system. I was very interested in the fmc and her abilities with alchemy. I am interested to see what happens with our love interest and if that will continue to grow. I also need more of the side character Destan's story. (He might be my favorite character!)
I highly recommend the audiobook version of this story. The narrator did an immaculate job of differentiating between each of the characters with different accents and keeping the pacing of the story going.

This one was a mixed bag for me. The premise? Super cool—blacksmith girl lies about spinning gold, ends up stuck in a brutal Fae court, and makes a deal with a morally grey prince.

But… I didn’t fully click with the characters, and the pacing dragged a bit in spots. That said, the world was rich, the tension was solid, and had some spice which is always a plus.

Not a fave, but not a flop either. I might pick up the sequel just to see where things go.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one and found it to be a really nice, easy read. There was great world building and I felt immediately immersed into the world. The politics of the world are interesting and have some intriguing layers which were fun to explore. The characters are compelling and watching their relationship play out was very tense but also gripping. The ending has left me intrigued to see what happens in the rest of the series and where it not only leads our characters but also their relationship. The story as a whole has many layers to it and was connected in really intricate ways and there were twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I listened to the audiobook but the writing was really smooth and flowed nicely. Definitely a book that I would recommend checking out, this is a dark fantasy so do expect violence.

I enjoyed this book.
I did it find it had a lot of the trendier tropes in it for a fantasy romance. It reminded me of ACOTAR with a some beauty and the beast Stockholm syndrome. It wasn’t too graphically spicy (I’m more of a mid spice fantasy romance reader), so I appreciated that.

The female main character was interesting. I’m really interested in her magic will develop in the next book, but I don’t feel like I really connected to the love interest. I would read the second book to see if he is further developed.

I would like to see a bit more of the world building in a future book, and developing of the seelie vs unseelie realms/people.

Great bones, I just wanted more meat.

As for narration, I found the narrator really easy to listen to. Her narration was dynamic and enjoyable.

I did find the timing between chapters a bit drawn out? There would be times that I thought my book had paused but it was just waiting for the next chapter to start.

The Court That Bleeds Gold by Zara Storm was such an enjoyable listen. I’m excited to see where Eleanor and Ruskin’s journey leads next. Big thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook!

Court That Bleeds Gold was likened to Quicksilver, which I loved, and maybe that's why this unfortunately didn't meet the mark for me.

Rating 3⭐
Spice 🌶️🌶️

FULL ALC REVIEW

This was very similar to Quicksilver, but in a way where it was more predictable? And the FMC was more frustrating. My friend did remind me (because I either overlooked it or stopped paying attention) that the FMC was around 18-20 years old. It's not really confirmed? Like she didn't spat out and say how old she is, again unless I over looked it.

I didn't find anything significant in the story, nor the main characters. I felt the on page interactions between the MCs were very short for them to fall in love. I feel a lot of Romantasies are not really showing on page or mentioning the MCs are indeed interacting with each other. That's how at least how I feel. By the time they are, showing off page, they're already considered "together." Am I making sense? Probably not.

I did find the magic system very interesting, but that's probably really it.

I received the ALC through Netgallery. My review is honest and truthful.

🎧🎧/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
♥️ Hidden Identity
♥️ Bound by a Fae deal
♥️ Unknown magic
This book surprised me. Although the book started off pretty slow, I found myself enthralled in the story. The author's unique take on the 'gold touch' trope was refreshing, as I haven't really heard this kind of spin on it before. I found the narration by Ash Kingsley to be a bit mismatched, as her cheerful voice wasn't fit for this dark romance. There were some surprising torture scenes, and it didn't connect to be read in such a bubbly tone. Despite this, the cliffhanger ending left me eager to continue onto the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this story in exchange for my honest review.

I’d give this one three stars overall. I loved the premis, retelling aren’t always my favourite things to read but I loved that she was an alchemist. But other parts of the story just didn’t hit well enough for me and I started losing interest at about 50% onwards.