I felt the familiar rush of starting a new scheme, but this time, I would have to fool an entire kingdom.
Gold Spun
by Brandie June
Genre: YA Fantasy
About: Nor is an unabashed con artist. Or maybe she's a little abashed. But all the lies and thieving she's done has put food on the table. Having lost her parents in the war, she has to provide for her brothers. So when she saves the life of a fay who can transform anything into pure gold, she hatches a new scheme that will have the people believing she can make gold out of straw. Only when the newly returned prince hears of this miracle he demands proof. If she can spin the lie into reality, she'll win herself a crown.
Thoughts
What an addictive read. This starts off at a whirlwind pace where Nor encounters her first ever fay (and saves his life) then stumbles into a prince (and steals his ring). Both men are soon to become fixtures in her life and I loved the push and pull between these two love interests.
Pel, the fay, is everything a girl could want from a magical being. He's handsome, mysterious, not to be trusted... He flies, spins gold and wants to whisk her away to a magical realm. Sign me up. There is also some nice depth with Nor realising just how similar in spirit she is to this fay and you feel the genuine temptation she has to fly off into the night with him.
Casper, the prince, is a more sensible choice. Of course he's handsome too, but more focused on his responsibilities and keen to walk the path of righteousness. A bit of a polar opposite to a con artist like Nor, but there are quite a few cute scenes that show enough playfulness and passion for me to believe why Nor might fall for a man like Casper. He isn't boring nice, he's safe and loving nice.
Then there's the story itself. A fun retelling of Rumpelstiltskin with a fully realised world, court shenanigans and a brewing war. Nor is a great main character to follow through all of this. She's clever and clearly has a heart but the author gives her ambition as well that makes for an interesting female lead.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and look forward to delving deep into the fay realm for the second half of this duology. The series leans towards the younger age bracket of YA and is a perfect introduction to the Romantasy genre. For fans of Holly Black's The Folk of the Air series and Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses.
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