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Tellus #3
The City Bleeds Gold
In this twist-filled fantasy adventure set in the world of 'Take Back the Skies' and 'The Almost King', a young man must choose between two faces: dangerous master of shadows or beloved of the future queen.
Noah is the finest mask-maker in all of Erova. He is responsible and loyal, and has won the heart and hand of the future queen.
Daniel is dangerous and daring. Infamous. He prowls the filthy rooftops of the maze-like lower city in search of secrets and crime. Its people, hungry and forgotten, have come to need him.
Noah and Daniel are the same person, and Daniel’s life is beginning to tangle with Noah’s, ensnaring the people he loves in a complex web of deception and heartbreak that will become deadly unless Noah can decide once and for all who he really wants to be.
Noah is the finest mask-maker in all of Erova. He is responsible and loyal, and has won the heart and hand of the future queen.
Daniel is dangerous and daring. Infamous. He prowls the filthy rooftops of the maze-like lower city in search of secrets and crime. Its people, hungry and forgotten, have come to need him.
Noah and Daniel are the same person, and Daniel’s life is beginning to tangle with Noah’s, ensnaring the people he loves in a complex web of deception and heartbreak that will become deadly unless Noah can decide once and for all who he really wants to be.
- GenresLGBTYoung AdultFantasy
400 pages, Paperback
Published March 9, 2017
2 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Saxon
5 books129 followersLucy Saxon is 26 and lives in Hertfordshire with her parents. She describes herself as a cosplayer, con-goer, book-lover and all-round nerdgirl.
Lucy wrote her first novel, Take Back the Skies, at the age of sixteen, finding a home for it with Bloomsbury at seventeen, and is now working on the rest of the series.
When not writing, Lucy spends most of her time on the internet, reading books and slaving over her sewing machine.
Lucy wrote her first novel, Take Back the Skies, at the age of sixteen, finding a home for it with Bloomsbury at seventeen, and is now working on the rest of the series.
When not writing, Lucy spends most of her time on the internet, reading books and slaving over her sewing machine.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 26, 2017
Review originally on Heart Full of Books
Even though this is a companion series and the majority of the world building has been done in the first book as or general concept, I feel like there needed to be a bit more in the beginning. I know that sounds weird asking for clunky world building, but I would seriously appreciate a bit of settling in to the setting, or something.
Still, reading The City Bleeds Gold you really see how Lucy Saxon has progressed as a writer. I was way more entertained for a larger portion of the book because she has nailed how to pace fantasy stories! It didn’t take me long to get a grasp of the characters, I was hoping for some more prominent women though, I have to say, considering The Almost King had a male focaliser too. I want Rosa, Crysta the future-queen’s younger sister, to have her own book, because she was fabulous. I liked how this book tried to focus on the emotional consequences of making choices though, retrospectively that’s a huge theme in the book and I liked how that didn’t just apply to Noah.
I really enjoyed the mix of court and market street setting, and the way the story shifted between Noah and Daniel’s section was obvious and had a good sense of flow. Things were also getting increasingly more intense on both sides, with the stakes getting higher, and the pressure of Noah to make a choice about who he wanted to be becoming more apparent. Overall, I’d say I was fond of Noah, but he could be a bit slimy at times too. I think my biggest problem was the lengths the other characters, namely Lena, went to excuse Noah’s actions and secrecy. He’s literally blackmailing Rosa at one point, and everyone’s like “no no, that’s okay, don’t worry about it,” or the fact that he was sort of involved with Emilia emotionally if not physically but this isn’t (and shouldn’t) be regarded as cheating because Noah loves Crysta more?? This scene just didn’t sit well with me.
This book has to be my favourite of the series, because there was something almost…Disney about it. I don’t know if it’s that whole double-life thing, or the Esmerelda-vibes Noah was giving me (and let’s face it, the whole series has a bit of the Treasure Planet about it!)? I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would and, with series, it’s always a good idea to read the next book even if you didn’t like a previous story, because it’s going to be very different! I can’t wait to see what Tellus has in story for us next!
Even though this is a companion series and the majority of the world building has been done in the first book as or general concept, I feel like there needed to be a bit more in the beginning. I know that sounds weird asking for clunky world building, but I would seriously appreciate a bit of settling in to the setting, or something.
Still, reading The City Bleeds Gold you really see how Lucy Saxon has progressed as a writer. I was way more entertained for a larger portion of the book because she has nailed how to pace fantasy stories! It didn’t take me long to get a grasp of the characters, I was hoping for some more prominent women though, I have to say, considering The Almost King had a male focaliser too. I want Rosa, Crysta the future-queen’s younger sister, to have her own book, because she was fabulous. I liked how this book tried to focus on the emotional consequences of making choices though, retrospectively that’s a huge theme in the book and I liked how that didn’t just apply to Noah.
I really enjoyed the mix of court and market street setting, and the way the story shifted between Noah and Daniel’s section was obvious and had a good sense of flow. Things were also getting increasingly more intense on both sides, with the stakes getting higher, and the pressure of Noah to make a choice about who he wanted to be becoming more apparent. Overall, I’d say I was fond of Noah, but he could be a bit slimy at times too. I think my biggest problem was the lengths the other characters, namely Lena, went to excuse Noah’s actions and secrecy. He’s literally blackmailing Rosa at one point, and everyone’s like “no no, that’s okay, don’t worry about it,” or the fact that he was sort of involved with Emilia emotionally if not physically but this isn’t (and shouldn’t) be regarded as cheating because Noah loves Crysta more?? This scene just didn’t sit well with me.
This book has to be my favourite of the series, because there was something almost…Disney about it. I don’t know if it’s that whole double-life thing, or the Esmerelda-vibes Noah was giving me (and let’s face it, the whole series has a bit of the Treasure Planet about it!)? I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would and, with series, it’s always a good idea to read the next book even if you didn’t like a previous story, because it’s going to be very different! I can’t wait to see what Tellus has in story for us next!
Read
November 11, 2017Lucy's best book yet. A new take on the alter-ego superhero narrative, set in a fantasy world. I particularly loved the subplot with the princess' sister and her maid. I can't get enough of this world.
March 24, 2017
Holy hell guys. H-O-L-Y hell.
This book blew me away.
I absolutely loved Take Back the Skies and The Almost King, the first two books of Lucy Saxon's series of standalone novels set in the continent of Tellus. I really enjoyed them.
But this. This was so bloody fantastic.
The City Bleeds Gold follows Noah Hansen, upper city born and courting the Princess of Erova, Crysta. Or at least, that's who he is by day.
By night, he is Daniel Novak, vigilante and saviour of the lower parts of Talen, protector of the poor, scourge of the gangsters.
As the Festival of the Goddess rolls around once more, Noah realises that his time as Daniel needs to come to a close so he can commit to his life with Crysta. But he can't leave Daniel behind while mobster Diora still prowls the lower city. Determined to put an end to Diora, Noah/Daniel sets out to take him down once and for all.
The City Bleeds Gold is a great story of intrigue, secret identities, carnivals, royalty and - because its Tellus - mecha. The new setting of Erova brings with it green and gold, the colours of the royal Octavians in the Venetian-esque Talen, a city of masks.
Saxon's character work goes into full thrust, giving us the not just divided Noah, but his grieving father Ellavander, duty bound passionate Crysta, secretive quiet Rosa, moral Damien.
This novel feels cinematic in all aspects, a sweeping grand story that doesn't seem out of place alongside Marvel's recent vigilante creations.
Not to give things away, but the last 50 pages had my heart racing almost constantly, biting my lip and squealing for Noah to catch the bad guys.
I recommend reading the Tellus saga in order (although they are stand alone titles and actually this one doesn't give spoilers to the previous books, unlike The Almost King) in order to appreciate the constantly evolving brilliance of Lucy Saxon.
Interested? Of course you are. Get on this!
What to read next:
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
Ms Marvel (Kamala Khan), Volume 1: No Normal by Adrian Alphona, G. Willow Wilson & Jacob Wyatt.
Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review.
This book blew me away.
I absolutely loved Take Back the Skies and The Almost King, the first two books of Lucy Saxon's series of standalone novels set in the continent of Tellus. I really enjoyed them.
But this. This was so bloody fantastic.
The City Bleeds Gold follows Noah Hansen, upper city born and courting the Princess of Erova, Crysta. Or at least, that's who he is by day.
By night, he is Daniel Novak, vigilante and saviour of the lower parts of Talen, protector of the poor, scourge of the gangsters.
As the Festival of the Goddess rolls around once more, Noah realises that his time as Daniel needs to come to a close so he can commit to his life with Crysta. But he can't leave Daniel behind while mobster Diora still prowls the lower city. Determined to put an end to Diora, Noah/Daniel sets out to take him down once and for all.
The City Bleeds Gold is a great story of intrigue, secret identities, carnivals, royalty and - because its Tellus - mecha. The new setting of Erova brings with it green and gold, the colours of the royal Octavians in the Venetian-esque Talen, a city of masks.
Saxon's character work goes into full thrust, giving us the not just divided Noah, but his grieving father Ellavander, duty bound passionate Crysta, secretive quiet Rosa, moral Damien.
This novel feels cinematic in all aspects, a sweeping grand story that doesn't seem out of place alongside Marvel's recent vigilante creations.
Not to give things away, but the last 50 pages had my heart racing almost constantly, biting my lip and squealing for Noah to catch the bad guys.
I recommend reading the Tellus saga in order (although they are stand alone titles and actually this one doesn't give spoilers to the previous books, unlike The Almost King) in order to appreciate the constantly evolving brilliance of Lucy Saxon.
Interested? Of course you are. Get on this!
What to read next:
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
Ms Marvel (Kamala Khan), Volume 1: No Normal by Adrian Alphona, G. Willow Wilson & Jacob Wyatt.
Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review.
February 4, 2017
I think this is my favourite of the Tellus Series so far. I love how each book is its own separate tale yet woven from within the same world so that it immediately feels familiar but also new at the same time. It's difficult to say much more without giving a single thing away but Lucy effortlessly builds suspense, twists and turns into the plot while still allowing us to get to know each of the characters well enough to actually care about them. True to form there are a few heart-wrenching moments thrown in for good measure!
Thanks to Netgalley & Bloomsbury for giving me early eBook access to this title.
Thanks to Netgalley & Bloomsbury for giving me early eBook access to this title.
May 13, 2020
I’m not going to lie—I was confused for the majority of the book. I kept getting caught up in little plot devices that weren’t majorly important to the story. At one point, I thought Noah was going to die, and before the assassination plot was even announced, I thought Crysta would, simply based off the first two Tellus books. I was sitting thinking “one of them is going to die”.
Then I got to the end, and there had been so much buildup to Noah proposing, that when I didn’t get to read about it, when I didn’t get to read Crysta’s reaction, I was a little disappointed.
Then I got to the end, and there had been so much buildup to Noah proposing, that when I didn’t get to read about it, when I didn’t get to read Crysta’s reaction, I was a little disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 16, 2025Lucy's best book yet. A new take on the alter-ego superhero narrative, set in a fantasy world. I particularly loved the subplot with the princess' sister and her maid. I can't get enough of this world.
March 10, 2017
By far my favourite so far. Mystery and intrigue, plots, betrayal and true love. What more could you want.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews