A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan

King Midas once had the ability to turn all he touched into gold. But after his gift—or curse—almost killed his daughter, Midas 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 locked in the palace, concealed behind gloves and veils, trying to ignore the stares and gossip of courtiers. It isn’t until a charming young duke arrives that Kora realizes there may be someone out there who doesn’t fear her or her curse. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals precious items from the kingdom, leaving the treasury depleted and King Midas vulnerable. Thanks to her unique ability to sense gold, Kora is the only one who can track the thief down. As she sails off on her quest, Kora learns that not everything is what it seems—not thieves, not pirates, and not even curses. She quickly discovers that gold—and the power it brings—is more dangerous than she’d ever believed. Midas learned his lesson at a price. What will Kora’s journey cost?

Ever since the day her father turned her into gold, Princess Kora has been urged to stay inside the palace, where the guards and other staff can ensure her safety. However, the palace funds are dangerously low. Her uncle proposes marriage between Kora and a neighboring royal may be the best form of action. Except every suitor runs away screaming at their first look at the golden girl. Until Aris, that is. When the king’s gold is stolen right under everyone’s nose, it’s up to Kora and Aris—with his fastest ship—to recover the gold and kill the thief.

• A Touch of Gold is a fresh new take on the King Midas tale.
• Kora is extremely headstrong, yet secretive. It takes a bit for readers to warm up to her and get to know more about her. Her secrets lie deep within the rumors strewn about her. It’s interesting to have the minor characters believe they know tons about Kora based on rumor when readers know very little about her, based on fact, until much later in the story. Kora’s intelligence and curiosity of the outside world gives her a certain edge. She is incredibly relatable. A lot of her powers when King Midas had accidentally turned her to gold is kept a secret. Each reveal is as surprising as the next. It definitely keeps readers on their toes, guessing where Sullivan will take it next. 
• Aris' relationship with Kora seems way too insta-love. Since they hit it off quickly with their supposed similar family situation, Sullivan gives readers the impression that they've known each other forever when they've only just met. Since Kora is so isolated, she doesn’t have much experience in people showing an interest in her, thus the insta-love is to be expected.
• The romance does not take center stage, in A Touch of Gold, which comes at a surprise but serves as a breath of fresh air. It focuses on its fun adventure of gathering the gold to save Kora’s father.

• Almost every chapter ends in a perfect cliffhanger that makes it difficult to put down. It's a masterful story that weaves a retelling in a unique way. Sullivan, also, gives us some fantastic mythology along with the King Midas tale that I would have loved developed a bit more. 
• Unexpectedly, the open seas and terrifying pirates make A Touch of Gold one amazing adventure.  Going into A Touch of Gold, I wasn’t expecting a pirate book at all but was astonished to find Sullivan’s work leaning in that direction when Kora and Aris track down the stolen gold for King Midas.
• The writing is phenomenal. It’s fast paced in all the right places with nonstop action, unbelievable adventure and fantastic magic that keeps readers wanting more. The twists and turns measure in epic proportions. It’s one of those books that you could never guess what will happen next—who’s going to die, who’s going to get marooned, and who’s going to get the gold.
• The ending is a wild ride that will leave your heart in knots. Pirates make books 100 times better and A Touch of Gold is no exception as Captain Skulls, the villain of the story, takes over the plot with conniving schemes that will make you clutch the book in fright. 
• Sullivan hints at a sequel in the acknowledgments which I hope comes to fruition. A Touch of Gold was such a fantastic adventure that I would love to join Kora on her next big journey.