A Touch of Gold and Madness

Celestials of Arcadia, Book 1

De: K.L. DeVore

Narrado por: Amanda Leigh Cobb, Corvin King

Fairytales are for the naive.

Princess assassin Gray Monroe is ordered by her father to kill the villainous prince responsible for throwing the modern world into a post-apocalyptic society. In a decrepit landscape where two magical species war with one another while a human militia hunts them all, Gray has only one thing on her mind: vengeance.

With a single focus on killing the man who murdered her first love, she believes nothing will stop her. That is until she hesitates when she comes face-to-face with her nemesis at long last.

Gray must return to the King's Palace empty-handed for her annual birthday celebration to a court of vipers who lie in wait for a slip in her icy façade. When a sinister plot is revealed to assassinate the princess, she must flee into a world where she's now hunted and must survive to get the revenge she's owed.

Prince Griffin Silas is on a mission of his own: to kill the King. The problem is he's suffering from an affliction that robs him of his sanity while making him crave violence and death. First, he needs the princess in his hands no matter the cost. In a race against his spiraling affliction, who will achieve their goal first?

The first installment in the Celestials of Arcadia, A Touch of Gold and Madness is a dark romantic fantasy about moving through a lifetime of trauma. It's packed with action, secrets, betrayal, tension, and slow-burning steam. Discover the long-buried truths concealed by those who seek ultimate power. For mature listeners.

©2023 K.L. DeVore (P)2024 Podium Audio

Duet over dual narration

I appreciate when we get duel narrators for POV style books…but duet style is 100x better for audio and allows consistency throughout a story. Also. I know people aren’t out here crapping on daddy corvin king. Ruuude.

Slow Start

It took forever to get into and it was a slow burn for sure... and the plot got a bit twisted up some but over all I think it was okay. Reminds me of Jennifer's series.

The plot

I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. I didn’t love the male voice of this audio BUT it did grow on me and now I can’t imagine Chromes voice any other way. The storyline of this book is just so original and new and fresh. !!!!!! Love.

Loved it

This was a great book with an amazing plot. I need the second one asap

Revenge Is a Dish Best Served with Magic & Trauma

A Touch of Gold and Madness takes the whole "fairy tales aren't real" idea, tosses it into a post-apocalyptic blender, and hits puree. Between assassin princesses, morally gray princes, warring magical races, revenge, betrayals, and enough emotional baggage to sink a castle, this book delivers a world that's dark, dangerous, and incredibly easy to get lost in. Gray is a compelling heroine, Griffin is the kind of walking red flag fantasy readers can't help but root for anyway, and the slow-burn tension had me happily turning pages.

The only thing keeping this from earning a full five stars was the pacing. The middle settles into a slower rhythm that lingers just a little too long, and then the story suddenly slams on the gas. The final stretch is packed with exciting action, but it arrives so quickly that some major moments feel rushed and a bit messy when they deserved more room to breathe. Even so, the action itself is well written, the twists land, and the ending left me curious enough to pick up the next book. If you're looking for a fantasy filled with vengeance, court intrigue, enemies-to-something-more tension, and a heroine who'd rather stab first and ask questions never, this one is well worth the read.