Review – A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan

Title A Touch of Gold

Author Annie Sullivan

Description from Amazon

After King Midas’s gift—or curse—almost killed his daughter, he 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 concealed behind gloves and veils. It isn’t until a charming duke arrives that Kora believes she could indeed be loved. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals treasures her father needs to survive. Thanks to Kora’s unique ability to sense gold, she sails off on her quest to find the missing items.

Magic, mythology, fantasy, and pirate adventures charge through every page as Kora learns that not everything is what it seems—not her companions, not the thieves, and not even Kora herself.

Release Date August 14, 2018

Initial Thoughts

I ordered this book from Book Outlet a while back after I read Tiger Queen by Annie Sullivan. I really loved her writing style and the premise sounded like nothing else I had ever read. I enjoy a retelling and hadn’t read much about King Midas. Ok, full disclosure, the only exposure to King Midas I had besides reading the original tale was watching the third Aladdin movie (you know, the one where his father tries to track down the Hand of Midas).

Some Things I Liked

• King Midas retelling. As state above, this isn’t a story I’ve read much about so I really enjoyed the new exposure to a classic that I wasn’t familiar with. I knew the basics but was excited to see the way Annie Sullivan changed the story to suit the world she created.
• The romance. And the plot twists in relation to that. I loved it. No spoilers but this story, unexpectedly, featured a trope that I’m a big fan of.
• Pirate of the Caribbean vibes. The entire story was reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean, Curse of the Black Pearl and I loved that aspect of it so much. From Royce’s coin that he carried around to the idea of breaking a curse tied to gold. I also loved the side characters in this story because they reminded me of the crew of the Black Pearl in the movie.

Series Value

This book had a conclusion. Honestly, when I bought it, I thought it was a standalone. And, the main reason I read it now was because I was approved for the sequel in NetGalley. Could this book have been a standalone? Yes, absolutely. Am I excited that there is a sequel? You bet I am. There is so much more to this world and I can’t wait to see what new adventures Kora and friends go on.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read with great characters and a fast paced story. I am excited to read the sequel and would definitely continue to read Annie Sullivan’s writing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

• A Curse of Gold by Annie Sullivan – if you liked this book, definitely check out the sequel, coming out in September 2020.
• Tiger Queen by Annie Sullivan – if you liked the writing style here, definitely try Annie Sullivan’s 2019 release. Tiger Queen is a retelling of a short story with a really unique spin.
• All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace – if you liked the magic and pirates themes seen in A Touch of Gold, give this February 2020 release a try.
• The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano – if you liked the idea of a curse that turns people and things to gold, check out the magic that the main character in this series possesses. There is also a similar pirate / ship motif going on.