by Annie Sullivan
King Midas may have been the one cursed with the Touch to turn things to gold. But he isn’t the only one the Touch affected. The king turned his daughter, Princess Kora, to gold. And even though she is back to normal, the curse hasn’t left her alone. Kora has been left with golden skin. Golden skin that causes people to scream and run at the sight of her.
Because of her golden skin, Kora has scared away every suitor that her uncle has managed to bring to the palace. So when Duke Wystlinos doesn’t react to Kora’s skin, she wonders if she has found someone who can look beyond her cursed skin to her real self.
Before Kora can find out, disaster strikes at the palace. The objects that King Midas turned to gold have been stolen. Aside from leaving Kora’s skin golden, the curse has also made King Midas dependent on the gold. Without it, he will die. Already, King Midas is starting to fade. The gold must be retrieved. And Kora is the only one who knows how. Because she was once one of the golden objects, she is linked to the gold and can track it in her mind. Soon, Kora and Duke Wystlinos–Aris–are sailing after the gold. But not everyone is happy about this mission, Captain Royce seeming the most unhappy.
But golden skin and an ability to sense the golden objects aren’t the only effects of the curse on Kora. And people’s stories aren’t always what they seem. But as Kora, Aris, Royce, and the others come closer and closer to retrieving the gold, truth will be brought to light.
One of my favorite things about A Touch of Gold is the originality of the story. While fairy tale retelling are pretty common, I feel like based off of myths are scarce. A Touch of Gold takes place after the story of King Midas, and we are able to see just how much the curse of Midas has affected him and those around him.
The book jumps right into the plot and carefully gives the reader backstory when it serves to advance the story.
While the book overall is really well written, there were a couple things about it that I might have changed. The character of Captain Skulls felt almost cheesy to me. I don’t know for certain, but I think it mostly had to do with his name. It didn’t seem to fit in a story that was off of a Greek myth.
That brings me to another minor thing about the story. I couldn’t quite decide if the setting was supposed to be Greek or something else. There were times when it felt Greek and other times when it didn’t.
And while the book is paced well for the most part, it felt off when it came to the climax. I think that was due to the fact that it had two climaxes or a false climax. That made the ending feel a little abrupt.
While the book seemed to end on a note that hinted at a series, as far as I know, A Touch of Gold is not a series.
Overall, I really liked the book. While a few things in the book wobbled a little, the originality of the story made up for it.
Cautions: romance, four kisses, some violence and graphic descriptions
Hailey Huntington 