Review: A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

A Curse Dark as Gold


Author: Elizabeth C. Bunce


Genre: YA - Fantasy - Fairy Tales


"Upon the death of her father, seventeen-year-old Charlotte struggles to keep the family's woolen mill running in the face of an overwhelming mortgage and what the local villagers believe is a curse, but when a man capable of spinning straw into gold appears on the scene she must decide if his help is worth the price." ~Goodreads

----------------------------------------------------

A Curse Dark as Gold is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, and after reading the synopsis I was immediately intrigued.

I really enjoyed the authors style of writing, the descriptions were very well done and I felt as if I was actually there experiencing all f the events as they happened. I really liked the fact that the story presented an accurate picture of the industrial revolution, there wasn't anything that was over the top and unrelated to the time period. It was easy to see that Ms. Bunce did her research.

I really like how the romance came into the story, at first it isn’t too obvious but it progresses nicely throughout the story. It wasn’t “cheesy” romance, it had more of a real, true feeling to it that made it more realistic and I found in some ways I could relate to it.

The characterization was great, all of the characters were interesting and I was able to connect with them and that made the story more real for me because I actually cared about what happened to the characters.

Charlotte is the heroine and narrator of the story, there were a number of times when I found myself rather frustrated with her (I won’t say why to avoid spoilers) she was definitely stubborn but she was also kind, forgiving, and carried so much on her shoulders. Overall I thought she was a likeable character and I found in some ways I could relate with her.

I loved Rosie’s character, she is Charlotte’s younger sister and very strong willed and outspoken. She’s also extremely loyal and ready to help the people she loves at a moment’s notice; she was definitely a likeable, fun character.

Every time I read the story of Rumpelstiltskin I found myself wishing there was more to the story, so I really liked the fact that Ms. Bunce decided to rewrite the story because it bothered her as well. And she did quite a wonderful job filling in the gaps and adding more history to each of the characters involved in the story, especially Jack Spinner (the “Rumpelstiltskin” of the story) which added more depth. She created such a lovely tale that is full of fantasy, magic, suspense, curses, bad luck, and courage.

I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. If you have a fondness for fairy tale retellings or if you’re just a fantasy lover, I would recommend reading this book.

4 Stars!