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readingjag's review
4.0
Really enthralling Rumplestiltskin retelling. However, I think it suffers from being in the teen section. Really reads like an adult book to me (reminded me of Keturah and Lord Death in that way)
whatsmacksaid's review against another edition
2.0
"A Curse as Dark as Gold" is good-a worthwhile read, for sure-but it's not mindblowingly spectacular. It deviated from the original story in a way that made it clear that it was still a Rumpelstiltskin story, but still made enough changes to feel fresh.
akublik's review
3.0
A retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin tale - great story-telling voice, but some aspects of the story didn't seem to fit to me. Read for my YA book group.
barbtetnis's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! I'd give it 4.5 stars if i could. A retelling of Rumplestiltskin - a mix of obsession, superstition and the supernatural. I loved the setting of an old English village. This author did her homework on mills! I loved the author's artistry with words and her pacing.
ameserole's review
4.0
Well, A Curse Dark as Gold was a delight to dive into. I'm not sure how many retellings of Rumplestilskin I've read in my life.. or if this is even my first. All I know is that I enjoyed the heck out of it. This book had so much to fall in love with it. Whether it was the characters or the storyline - I devoured it all.
Charlotte was so likable throughout the book. I felt her tragedy and loved how hard she worked to keep Stirwaters. Especially when Jack Spinner comes into her life and says that he can giver her anything she wants the most. Of course, there's always a trick to this sticky situation and I hope Charlotte knows what it might cost her.
The one thing I could've done without is the romance though. I mean, it was there and it was nice.. but not really something I came for. In other words, it was pretty forgettable and didn't really hold my interest. I am, however, very happy that this book came into my life and now I need another retelling!
Charlotte was so likable throughout the book. I felt her tragedy and loved how hard she worked to keep Stirwaters. Especially when Jack Spinner comes into her life and says that he can giver her anything she wants the most. Of course, there's always a trick to this sticky situation and I hope Charlotte knows what it might cost her.
The one thing I could've done without is the romance though. I mean, it was there and it was nice.. but not really something I came for. In other words, it was pretty forgettable and didn't really hold my interest. I am, however, very happy that this book came into my life and now I need another retelling!
go_maggs_go's review
4.0
My favorite thing about this book was how real everything felt. The backdrop felt like any small village right before the Industrial Revolution, and the fantasy elements were just sprinkled in in a way that felt natural instead of heavy-handed.
cari1268's review
3.0
This was an "okay" read for me. I must admit that I was a little disappointed. I thought that it was excessively depressing for the first 40%. I think that the story could have benefitted from more lively characters and more humor. The book was a little slow and never became terribly exciting. I thought the author could have done more with the relationship between Charlotte and Randall. Also, I could not understand Charlotte's dishonesty in their relationship. It made me a little hardened towards her.
All that being said, I still enjoyed this book. I thought that the story setting was fun and I enjoyed learning about weavers. I liked the lessons taught at the end. I love retelling of fairy-tales and I've never read a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. So although I won't be rereading this book, it wasn't necessarily a waste of time.
All that being said, I still enjoyed this book. I thought that the story setting was fun and I enjoyed learning about weavers. I liked the lessons taught at the end. I love retelling of fairy-tales and I've never read a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. So although I won't be rereading this book, it wasn't necessarily a waste of time.
cathyatratedreads's review
4.0
Bunce spins a rich novel from the old fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin. The characters are fleshed out, the story is weighty. She says the tale had always bothered her, with a number of unanswered questions and motives. She sets the story in the 1700s, indeterminate location, with good country folk who work hard and whose lives are steeped in tradition and superstition, who generally work for the common good.
The novel satisfies on all counts; perhaps it sometimes seems a little bit TOO lengthy and detailed; that might be my only complaint. But very well done.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/curse-dark-as-gold-clean-young-adult-book-review/
The novel satisfies on all counts; perhaps it sometimes seems a little bit TOO lengthy and detailed; that might be my only complaint. But very well done.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/curse-dark-as-gold-clean-young-adult-book-review/
tani's review
3.0
I'm very fond of fairy tale retellings, so when I heard of this book, I was very excited about it. Perhaps my expectations were too high? I wanted to like this book much more than I did; if there was a 3.5 stars, that would be about perfect for how I feel about it. I loved the last hundred or so pages, when everything was coming together. The pages before that were a bit of a drag (except Charlotte's developing relationship with Randall, which was 5 stars all the way). I don't know if it was the never-ending stream of bad things happening that depressed me, or Charlotte's stubborn disbelief in all things supernatural that annoyed me, or just the slow pacing, but I wanted something more from the first half of the book.
Still, this was an enjoyable read, and I'm certainly glad that I gave it a chance. Rumpelstiltskin will never be the same to me.
Still, this was an enjoyable read, and I'm certainly glad that I gave it a chance. Rumpelstiltskin will never be the same to me.