The Court that Bleeds Gold

A Dark Fantasy Romance (The Gold Weaver, Book 1)

De: Zara Storm

Narrado por: Ash Kingsley

A dark fantasy romance perfect for fans of Raven Kennedy, Krista Street, and Sarah J. Maas.

Desperate to escape marrying a brutal king, I make a deal with a Fae Prince...

I can spin gold, I lie.

With my life at stake, I have no other choice.

I get one chance to turn my lie into truth, and I'm shocked when I succeed.

But now the cruel human king demands I become his wifepassing between his bed and being locked away in a tower, spinning gold until my last breath.

My only way out is to summon him.

A brutal Fae prince.

The deal we strike is sickening, but it's the only way I'll live after I'm caught escaping.

My new captor drags me back to his realm.

A place of profound beauty and savage cruelties.

As wicked fairies play sadistic games, the prince is my sole protector.

He's not just protecting me, though. He's guarding his own secrets.

I should hate him. But our pact shows me a side his court never sees.

There is more behind his monstrous mask.

I can't stop myself from looking.

Especially when I learn what he really wants with me.

The Court that Bleeds Gold is the first book in a dark fantasy romance trilogy. This enemies to lovers series has shades of Rumpelstiltskin and Beauty and the Beast, with a dark hero who will absolutely burn this damned world to the ground for our sharp-tongued heroine. Expect steam, violence and plenty of barbed exchanges.

©2024 Relay Publishing (P)2024 Relay Publishing

Fantastic Twist on a Blended Fairytale

This book takes a fantastic twist on the romantasy plot by adding in a loose blended retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and Beauty and the Beast. I had already read the series, so I knew what I was getting into in terms of plot, but what I wasn’t expecting was to fall I love with the book all over again. As this book is told from a single point of view, having a single narrator made sense. And Ash Kingsley does a spectacular job breathing life into the characters. Listening to this book was addicting, it was a constant battle of I’ll just listen one more chapter. Cannot wait for the next two books.

Oh Ruskin, you devil ❤️

This fantasy romance stole my heart. That’s it. I’m still speechless. The story was so good, I couldn’t put the book down and listened to it in one sitting (yes, it’s really that good) and the narrator did an amazing job portraying the characters, including my new book boyfriend Ruskin. I cannot wait for the next book, because that ending?? I need more!

An Entrancing and Captivating Dark Fantasy Debut

Zara Storm's debut, The Court that Bleeds Gold, is a fantastic and captivating dark fantasy romance that will enthrall fans of Sarah J. Maas and unique fairytale retellings.

The story follows a sharp-tongued heroine who, desperate to escape marrying a brutal king, lies that she can spin gold. To save herself, she makes a deal with a feared Fae Prince and is dragged to his realm—a place of profound beauty but savage cruelty. As he becomes her sole protector, she begins to see past his monstrous mask, and an undeniable connection forms.

What sets this book apart is its brilliant balance between plot and romance. The world-building is beautiful and unique, the plot will keep you on the edge of your seat, and the flawed main characters have a connection that feels real and earned.

Narrated by Ash Kingsley, whose top-notch performance brings every emotion to life, this is a must-listen for anyone seeking a thrilling and immersive fantasy romance. I can’t wait for the second book!

Zara Storm's debut, The Court that Bleeds Gold, is a fantastic and captivating dark fantasy romance that will enthrall fans of Sarah J. Maas and unique fairytale retellings.

The story follows a sharp-tongued heroine who, desperate to escape marrying a brutal king, lies that she can spin gold. To save herself, she makes a deal with a feared Fae Prince and is dragged to his realm—a place of profound beauty but savage cruelty. As he becomes her sole protector, she begins to see past his monstrous mask, and an undeniable connection forms.

What sets this book apart is its brilliant balance between plot and romance. The world-building is beautiful and unique, the plot will keep you on the edge of your seat, and the flawed main characters have a connection that feels real and earned.

Narrated by Ash Kingsley, whose top-notch performance brings every emotion to life, this is a must-listen for anyone seeking a thrilling and immersive fantasy romance. I can’t wait for the second book!

Ruskin :)

The Court that Bleeds Gold hooked me right from the beginning. If you’re into dark fantasy romance with fae princes, dangerous deals, and a heroine who finds herself caught in a web of power and deception, this book is gonna be your jam! The story pulled me in from the start with its intriguing premise—a human girl who lies about her ability to spin gold and gets trapped in a deadly game between a cruel human king and a mysterious fae prince. It’s packed with tension, magic, and that delicious slow-burn romance we all crave in this genre. Plus, Ruskin, the broody fae prince, is definitely giving “new book boyfriend” energy.

Would I Recommend This?
Yes! If you love high-stakes romance with morally gray fae and heroines forced into impossible situations, you’re in for a treat. The pacing is solid, and while there are some moments where the heroine's internal struggle frustrated me (more on that below), the overall story is addicting. I'd definitely recommend it to fans of dark, twisty fairytale retellings or romantasy.

While there were a few parts where I found the heroine’s complaints about her situation a bit grating (like girl, you know fae deals are tricky!), it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me. It’s more of a personal gripe about characters who get caught in their own traps, but that’s just me. Despite that, the story as a whole worked really well, and the twists kept me engaged. The world-building is lush, the fae court is both beautiful and brutal, and there’s plenty to love if you're into fae/human tension with a dash of danger.

Ash Kingsley did a great job bringing this story to life. Her performance added a lot of depth to the characters, especially with Ruskin’s brooding intensity and the heroine’s mix of strength and vulnerability. She captured the emotional highs and lows well, making the story more immersive and enjoyable. While there were a few moments where the pacing or tone felt a bit off, overall, Kingsley’s narration really enhanced the experience and kept me engaged. She definitely made the book more enjoyable, and I’d gladly listen to her again.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

well, that was mostly enjoyable!

it really hooked me in by the end. not fantastic, but interesting enough to keep me going and want to read more of the series. there's a lot of unaddressed plot points I hope will be solved by the end of the story, so I'm forgiving those for now - more of what annoyed me the most is how this is pegged as "dark fantasy" when it really just feels more like "uncensored." nothing felt particularly "dark" - there were just no cutaways when the fantasy violence happened. that, and specific to the audiobook - there's the narrator's tendency to pronounce g's at the end of words like k's. lord idk if that's a normal thing to do or not but that REALLY felt infuriating.

the rumpelstiltskin and beauty and the beast notes are VERY prominent. the combo felt unique! generally though, it's overall enjoyable in all the ways you'd want a book to be, yes, but I found it sort of amateur. it's really not a bad book, but I've definitely read better.

Romantasy off to a good start!

The Court that Bleeds Gold is the first book in a dark fantasy romance trilogy, The Gold Weaver. Eleanor is a human woman who lives in a village barely surviving. She is snatched up by the evil human king after he discovers she can make gold through her skills with alchemy. His greed drives him to possess her and she quickly realizes that her newfound skill has landed her in big trouble. She is desperate to escape, so when her own attempt fails she finds herself making a deal for her rescue. Everyone knows how to summon him. Ruskin is a fae shrouded in darkness, making deals that are famously wicked. She is now swept up in a dangerous fae court full of intrigue, deadly undercurrents, and a growing darkness. She is way over her head and now at risk of losing her heart to the frustrating, mysterious fae who is both beautiful and cloaked in terrible secrets.

This story blends some favorite fairytales with aspects of the tortured antihero, captive beauty, undeniable push-me/pull-you attraction with layers of dark history mired in court intrigue. There is quite a plot twist, and since this is a trilogy there is a cliffie at the end. Be prepared. I look forward to what comes next. There are too many secrets and only time will tell if love is enough.

Ash Kingsley is a new-to-me narrator and did well with the many different characters. At first I thought her voice was too “upbeat” for a dark fantasy, but it does lend itself well to the main character’s naivety and underlying stubbornness as she grows to find her own strength to stand up for not only herself, but her sense of right and wrong and drive to defend others.

Good

I enjoyed this story. I've always loved Rumpelstiltskin, so I was excited for that aspect of this story. Good world building. The storyline was interesting and held my attention. I liked Ruskin and Eleanor (most of the time; she was sometimes very immature). Ash Kingsley did a good job narrating this story. She gave great emotion to Eleanor. The male characters were okay, but then I know it's hard for a female narrator to do a good convincing male voice (at least to my ears).

This is both my first book by this author and my first time listening to this narrator.

Overall: 4 stars
Performance: 4 stars
Story: 4 stars

Great

Eleanor and Ruskin

I enjoyed listening to this. This is the first Rumpelstiltskin retelling I have read/listened to. There were some bits in the story that reminded me of Beauty and the Beast too. I found this entertaining and liked it.

Enjoyable Dark Romantasy

This was a great start to a dark romantasy series. It was a twist on a few different fairytales, including Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin. The tension and banter between Ruskin and Eleanor kept me intrigued. Eleanor's character did tend to get on my nerves a little bit with her immaturity. I love me some morally gray MMCs, and Ruskin definitely fits the bill. The ending is a cliffhanger, so I'm eager to find out what's going to happen next. This audio was a solo narration. I thought Ash Kingsley did a pretty great job doing the different voices. She brought the story to life. I really enjoyed her narration. Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, NetGalley, and Home Cooked Books for the copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Well produced audiobook of an amazing book!

4.5 ⭐️ 2🌶️

I read this book when it first came out and really enjoyed it so when I saw an audiobook version had been released I was excited and it did not disappoint. The narrator did a perfect job of bringing the story to life and as a reread I was able to pick up on interpretational differences between how I viewed the characters and how the narrator portrayed them, as well as elements I missed on my first read. Highly recommend!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.