A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce is a fabulous debut novel that retells the Rumplestiltskin folktale.
The story takes place just at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution when much of the mechanics of life are still run by water, horses, or people. Steam is a new technology, just beginning to take its place. Two young women recently left without their father, a local miller, must run the town’s main source of income. The mill has always had a dark history and many whisper "cursed" when the sisters can’t hear them.
An unquiet spirit is the spinner of gold, continuing a practice that has long held the millers in thrall. The eldest sister must untangle the curse before love, prosperity and the very safety of her village can be won.
It has many of the traditional elements of the original tale, but the darkness of the curse really puts an interesting spin on the story. The heroine is strong and battles fiercely against the stereotypes common in both the original tale and the time which this story is set.
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