A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (♥♥♥♥♥)

• It's hard to express how satisfying this read was. But the short of it is this: the book is amazing. I can confidently recommend you read it as soon as you have an opportunity to do so. I never thought I would give a five-star rating yet here I am.


• Bunce has managed to assemble a fantastic carefully crafted story that puts a new spin (ha!) on an old tale. It is Bunce's special attention to detail, while maintaining ease of readability, that allows her to move past any possible misgivings a reader may have about the subject matter. I am not a fan of the Rumpelstiltskin story; I am not a fan of stories set during times of industrial expansion; I prefer my stories to be heavy on romance (though equally heavy in plot), with ample use fantastic and magical elements, A Curse Dark as Gold was certainly not the best example of a book with these characteristics. Yet, I think it would surpass many that do meet my rather restrictive criteria.


• Actually, I first tried to read this two weeks ago, and stopped after two pages, thinking that it wouldn't suit my tastes. How wrong I was!


• I love how real all the characters are in this book. Everyone is fleshed out and genuine. Charlotte's falling into the trap is well-developed and understandable; her character in general is very true. My one qualm in the book, the lack of attention to Rosie's position as the second daughter and her right to feel a claim on the mill, is easily understood by Charlotte's position as described in the book.


• This is marked as a young adult story, and there is certainly nothing brazen in it, but I would more easily fit it in a sort of middle ground between adult fiction and young adult, simply because of the maturity of its tone. This book can easily be enjoyed by adults who are not necessarily fans of the young adult genre.


• Again, I cannot properly express how satisfying this read is. It is most easily summed up by one word: balance, which every author should strive to have, for it makes for the highest quality of reading: equal in enjoyment, education, and exploration. This book is equal part coming of age story, mystery, romance, horror (I actually was scared at some points!) and historical.


• Although, one has to wonder, I thought gold was supposed to be bright?