I found the premise for A Touch of Gold to be entirely fascinating. We read all about these Greek myths, but rarely about what happens afterwards. I’ve always found the Greek Gods kind of cruel in their aloofness. And now we get to find out what happens afterwards.
Summary
King Midas once had the ability to turn all he touched into gold. But after his gift—or curse—almost killed his daughter, Midas relinquished The Touch forever. Ten years later, Princess Kora still bears the consequences of her father’s wish: her skin shines golden, rumors follow her everywhere she goes, and she harbors secret powers that are getting harder to hide.
Kora spends her days locked in the palace, concealed behind gloves and veils, trying to ignore the stares and gossip of courtiers. It isn’t until a charming young duke arrives that Kora realizes there may be someone out there who doesn’t fear her or her curse. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals precious items from the kingdom, leaving the treasury depleted and King Midas vulnerable. Thanks to her unique ability to sense gold, Kora is the only one who can track the thief down. As she sails off on her quest, Kora learns that not everything is what it seems—not thieves, not pirates, and not even curses. She quickly discovers that gold—and the power it brings—is more dangerous than she’d ever believed.
Midas learned his lesson at a price. What will Kora’s journey cost?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The premise entirely captivated me. The concept of a girl who was turned to gold because of her father who also has secret powers? Count me in. And the premise really delivers in a fun and unique way. It’s not only about Kora and her powers, but also about Kora learning to accept herself, of her realizing that she doesn’t need to push people away. She cannot remain an island, afraid of touch.
One theme that I really enjoyed was do we let our parent’s crimes define us? How can we escape the shadow of their legacy? Sullivan explores this in two different characters and asks us how we can learn to live for ourselves. We spend a lot of time running from our shadow, trying to escape what we think our fate will be, sailing off into the abyss, but what if we could just find the strength, the courage, to change our own fate?
(There is also a larger messy complicated family that only becomes even twistier as the book progresses. At the same time, the crew of the ship is entirely endearing and I wish I could read more about them!)
There are plenty of twists during the book and I really appreciated that there weren’t just reveals at the end, but throughout. This book has all these fantastic elements, women who are resourceful and deadly, pirates with deadly secrets, and camaraderie where we least expect it. The characters are really what keeps you reading as you try to make sure your favorites as safe and that our villains get what’s coming to them. Check out A Touch of Gold on Goodreads.
Character of my heart: Kora
Pine over: Royce
Sleepover with : Hettie
Fight a dragon with: Rhat
I’m looking forward to reading this debut for my challenge. I’ve never read a King Midas retelling before–clever idea, especially focusing on his daughter.
Yes! I feel like I don’t know a single book like this!