Review of Son of Gold and Sorrow by K.B. Hoyle

Son of Gold and Sorrow by KB Hoyle

Until I read “Son of Gold and Sorrow,” I was unfamiliar with “The Story of Pretty Goldilocks” fairytale by Madame d'Aulnoy. Do not confuse it with Goldilocks and the Three Bears as it’s a completely different story! (And the fact the KB Hoyle chose THIS particular quirky tale to retell shows her writing mettle.)

Hoyle kept some of the original quirkiness of talking fish, giants, and potion-making in her retelling, but she also brought depth and a redeeming character arc into the plot. She creatively added in fae, and the witch Baba Yaga and her house with chickens legs from Slavic folklore. She also included the one bed trope so be aware that “Son of Gold and Sorrow” seems most appropriate for younger YA audiences as romance plays prominently in the plot but is handled vaguely.

In “Son of Gold and Sorrow,” we follow Princess Aurelia who is the daughter of abusive parents and the betrothed of an evil prince. In her attempt to derail an unwanted future, she creates a magically binding contract that requires the completion of four impossible tasks in order to marry her. And then she proceeds to run away! In her escape, she runs into an old acquaintance, James, who seems willing to be her companion on the run, which means they’ll be spending a lot of time together: over half of the book is spent on a journey or quest of some kind.

What Aurelia and James experience physically throughout this tale seems to strain human strength. There was quite a bit of violence surrounding them, as is typical in true fairytales.

This is the third book in Hoyle’s fairytale collection and I love the Easter eggs she has strewn about to include characters from her previous novels. And I’m wondering…will Aedan and Lily be our hero and heroine in the next installment?! I sure hope so!

Thank you to @kbhoyle and @owlsnestpublishers for the arc.