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Title : Gold Spun
Author : Brandie June
Pages: 368 pages
Release Date:
Where to buy: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY
Thank you Jean BookNerd and CamCat Books for providing a review copy and the opportunity to be a part of this tour.
Synopsis
If Nor can’t spin gold, she can always spin lies.
When seventeen-year-old Nor rescues a captured faerie in the woods, he gifts her with a magical golden thread she can use to summon him for a favor. Instead, Nor uses it for a con—to convince villagers to buy straw that can be transformed into gold. Her trick works a little too well, attracting the suspicion of Prince Casper, who hates nobody more than a liar. Intent on punishing Nor, he demands that she spin a room of straw into gold and as her reward, he will marry her. Should she refuse or fail, the consequences will be dire.
Review
Gold Spun is a face paced Rumplestilksen retelling you didn’t know you needed. Brandie June created world that was equal parts magical and corrupt. Talking about the worldbuilding, it was so well written with the intention that every detailed of the setting described was important to the story. At times, the powerfulness of the worldbuilding spoke for itself, making the story all the more attractive. It had a strong fairytale feel to it that I welcomed from the first page opened to the last page closed. Although a retelling of a very popular Grimm Fairytale, Brandie managed to take this classic tale and spin it completely around into a unique story full of characters you find yourself fighting to figure out which is your most favorite. Let’s not forget that this tale had Fae and I am honestly a sucker for any story has has Fae included in a different way.
The story itself is pretty great. You get Prince Casper, a war captive who is returning back to his home kingdom to take the throne and hears word of a girl who can turn straw into gold. As a Prince who despises a lie more than anything else in this world, he sets his journey to find the truth to this suspicious miracle. He gives Nor a chance to prove her magical gifts are true in exchange for his hand in marriage. Marriage to a prince would mean Nor would no longer have to commits the schemes and cons she has been doing to feed her family – so what will she do?
I love both Casper and Nor for what their characters brought to the story. Casper, a brooding now free Prince trying to navigate the responsibility of becoming a king. Nor, a young girl scheming away to feed her family and trying to survive. Both lives seemingly changed through one Fae exchange. Casper is a swoon worthy character in my book. The way he goes about important decisions and figuring out what is behind the straw to Gold tough, I couldn’t help but continue to root him throughout the story. What I enjoyed about Nor was how clever she was. She knew he con was a lie, but she became clever in figuring out how to navigate this lie to save her life. Nor is also caring, having saved a Fae even though the very kingdom she lives in wants nothing to do with them. She is the big sister who is trying her best and only hopes that she gets a happy ending.
While I did enjoy many parts of the story, I did want to see more character development between the three main characters within the story; especially with Nor and how she came into the predicament she was in. I think this addition would have definitely made it an easy 5 start read for me. Overall, Gold Spun is a fast paced red, full of so many magical unfolding and with a cliffhanger that will make you stare at the book hoping that more words would magically continue the story. I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy, and/or fairytale re-tellings with a twist.
About the Author
Brandie June spent most of her childhood onstage or reading, as both activities let her live in fantastic stories. She moved to Los Angeles to study acting at UCLA, and eventually branched out into costume design and playwriting. While she spends most of her free time writing, she will still take any excuse to play dress-up, especially if it involves wearing a crown. She happily promotes more stories as a marketing director for kids’ films and anime. When not writing or marketing, she can often be found doing aerial arts, playing board games, drinking too much espresso, and coming up with new art projects. She lives with her husband, two spoiled rescue pups, a spoiled cat, six fish tanks, and five bookshelves. You can find out more about her at http://www.brandiejune.com and follow her @brandiejune.
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram
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