A beautiful story about a Storyteller. A dark, gothic, Germanic setting makes for a wonderful Rumplestiltskin re-telling!

When Serilda, a miller's daughter, is taken by the wild hunt, she has no idea what is in store for her. In the castle of the Erlking, she meets Gild, a boy who helps her and together they unravel the mysteries that surround them.

I absolutely loved this book, I am no stranger to Marissa Meyer's work and this has to be my favourite so far! I took longer to read than I thought I would, I think I found the spacing between 'moons' a little long but all the little details came together at the end and the last 40% of the book I flew through! I will admit, I didn't know it wasn't a standalone, I'm desperate to find out what happens next!
I would have also loved to have a map accompany the book as I love a map, it helps me picture the world.

A wonderful journey of imaginative splendour, the language itself gives a sense of being gilded, and the story is full spectrum from joy and delight, friendship and love to grief and sorrow, pain and cruelty. Interesting cast of characters, with the ending the perfect beginning for what might unfold next.

Huge thanks to Fabre and Fabre Ltd and NetGalley for the e-arc of Gilded by Marissa Meyer in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I’m not new to the world to of Marissa Meyer and following The Lunar Chronicles, my expectations were high.

Gilded is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin, set in a Germanic location with all the trappings of myth, fairytale and magic with a distinct edge of darkness, death, murder and curses! If you thought you knew Rumpelstiltskin, you’re soon going to find out that you and the Brothers Grimm were wrong.

The story centres on Serilda, the 18 year old daughter of a miller, who has always been considered ‘different’ having been ‘blessed’ by the God of Lies. Serilda and her father have lived a quiet life until one night of a full moon, when Serilda tricks the dark king Erikling to save 2 fae beings from his Hunt, telling him that she can spin gold from straw.

Serilda is then commanded by Erikling to spin gold from straw for him or die in his dark world of trapped ghouls, ghosts and phantoms and his dark and dangerous Court. At this most desperate time, a young man appears who offers to help her, for a price.

This wonderfully dark retelling draws on aspects of the worlds of fairytale, fae and mythology to conjure up a world that borders both sides of the veil, abounding with interesting characters and danger, and excitement aplenty.

My only complaint is that it’s not a standalone and I definitely want book 2 now. If you live a retelling, twists, tales, darkness and a little romance then definitely pick this one up, but be warned it’s not for the little ones.

If you are looking for a great author who can really pull of a fairytale retelling then look no further thanMarissa Meyer. Highly enjoyable book that I finished in one day.


Gilded is a very dark and highly entertaining story about Serilda who has a knack for spinning tales, tales which are entirely untrue or so everyone believes. She catches the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters and finds herself whisked away to a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth. The erlking commands Serilda to spin gold out of straw or face death for her lies. In her desperation she manages to summon a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her at a price…


Such an amazingly written story with a well drawn out world and characters, I can’t wait to read more from Marissa Meyer.

Marissa Meyer writes an atmospheric reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin set in Germany, an enchanting gothic fairytale world firmly rooted in the nightmare horror end of the genre. 18 year old miller's daughter, Serilda, lives with her father, bestowed with her golden wheeled eyes and talent for deception, she is shunned by most locals as cursed, untrustworthy and a born liar. As a school assistant, however, she is loved by children for her ability to spin stories from what appears to be thin air, but are her stories really lies? Her patron deity is Wyrdith, the god of stories, fortune, lies and fate, and at the full moon every month, a time when a the veil of the other darker world lifts, this opens the entry into our world of the wildly exuberant hunt led by the evil Erlking.

The hunt is notorious for taking children and bewitching others to join, none of whom are ever seen alive again. One night, with his entourage of the undead and hellhounds, the Erlking is seeking 2 moss maidens whom Serilda hides, deceiving him that she can spin gold from straw. This is to haunt her as the following full moon, she is taken to the Erlking's home, Adalheid Castle, located in the middle of a lake, to be punished for her lies. She is taken into a dungeon full of straw that she is expected to spin into gold by the morning, if she fails she will die. Her demise seems certain, she cannot fulfil this impossible task, but a boy, a polstergeist, named Gild appears. He knows nothing of himself or his past, Gild is cursed to inhabit the Castle and its grounds, unable to ever depart. What he can do is take straw and spin it into gold, providing he is paid for his magical abilities. What was not on the card was love. And why does the Erlking, a highly skilled magician, want the spun gold?

This is the first book I have read by Meyer, it is exquisitely written, she weaves a wondrous fairytale world of dark magic, Aschen Wood where no mortal belongs, the creepy territory of the dark ones, and the forest folk, Adalheid Castle, along with the inclusion of a host of other dark beings, the dead and other magical creatures. This is a beguiling and immersive read, whilst horror lies round almost every corner, you cannot help but root for Serilda and Gild, wondering how or even if they can escape the terrors of the fate that has befallen them. I am eagerly looking forward to the next book to see where it all ends. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book
This was one of my most anticipated books of this year as Marissa Meyer is one of my favourite authors!
This book lived up to the hype for me and I loved every minute of it!
I highly recommend this book especially if you're a fan of fairytale retellings.

Now, I’m not very familiar with the story of Rumpelstiltskin, but Gilded is a retelling of this fairytale, set in a German-inspired world.

Now, I do think that readers would benefit from a map with this book, because I was kinda confused, but this might have something to do with my love for books with maps.

Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller’s daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.

Or so everyone believes.

When one of Serilda’s outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her… for a price. Love isn’t meant to be part of the bargain.

Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.

Serilda is a bit of a main character for me, but her stories are incredible. My favourite character was Leyna.

Despite the fact that I really don’t know this story, Meyer’s take on a classic tale was stunning, a gorgeously dark retelling that left me desperate for book two.

With a forbidden romance and magic lurking around every corner, nothing is just a story in this dazzling new novel, perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir’s Ember In The Ashes, Gilded is an immersive fantasy that will have you hooked till the very end.

Personally, I adore Marissa Meyer’s writing, so I might be just the slightest bit biased, but trust me. Gilded is definitely worth it.

2.5 stars

First of all, I wish I would have known this was not a standalone. I would have managed my expectations better.

I enjoyed it at first. I liked the folklore elements and the wintery, magical atmosphere. I was intrigued by the Wild Hunt and the haunted castle - the mystery surrounding it was great.

It just got a bit repetitive after Serilda's first test. I know it follows the fairytale, but I hadn't expected such long breaks in between, with not much happening. I found it a bit frustrating that solving the mystery was so obviously important, yet Serilda barely did anything to find out more, so it was quite slow for me.

I really wish the romance hadn't progressed so quickly. It didn't seem too realistic and I didn't get invested in it at all, sadly. I did think that a few of the choices were made just to be able to take the plot to a certain point towards the end.

I don't really know what will happen in the second part, but I think Gilded was too long and would have worked better either as a standalone or a shorter book.

Finally, (and this is perhaps just me showing my age) I though this read very YA. The dialogue and often modern language made it sound too young, if that's possible. Quite a bit of, dare I say, unnecessary drama that a 15 y.o. me would probably have appreciated :P

Wowee!!! Where do I start?? Gilded has kept me awake, guessing and wanting so much more that now I’ve finished I just cannot cope!! Marissa Mayer has created a fantastic world of magic, gods and evil villains. The book is long but well worth it!
The story follows Serilda, an 18 year old girl who has been blessed by the God of stories, but not in a good way…….Serilda has pitch black eyes which are inlaid with a golden wheel which makes her look untrustworthy and most of her village treat her as such. Serilda helps out at the local school where the children don’t fear her and love her stories of the gods and the Erlking, a ‘dark one’ who rules the other side of the veil….which happens to open up on the full moon. On these nights the Erlking hosts a hunt throughout the kingdom and sometimes innocent people get lured to it and don’t always make it home.
After hiding two forest folk from the Erlking, Serilda spins a story so full of lies to him that he leaves her to her work…..but things go from bad to worse and he comes back the next full moon…..If Serilda cannot do the Erlking’s bidding then she will be killed and her soul will join the others under his command, but can she make the impossible possible?

I would recommend the story for 13+, there’s gore and plenty of killings that may make younger readers upset.

I really enjoyed Gilded and I cannot wait for the next book!

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for a chance to read an ARc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Gilded follows the tale of Serilda, a village peasant who can weave great stories and is blessed by the god of lies. One day she attracts the attention of the evil fae king, convincing him she can weave straw into gold leading to him kidnapping her to a mysterious realm of ghosts and secrets every full moon to turn straw into gold. Trapped by her own predicament she recruits the help of resident poltergiest, Gild, and learns that magic always comes with a price.

Based on the tale of Rumplestiltskin, this novel reads very much like a grimm's fairy tale - it's dark, atmospheric and slightly unsettling whilst having a core moral of the story. I loved the tone of the story, it perfectly captures the magical enchanting quality of a folklore tale whilst still being seeped in creepy atmosphere. I really love the tale of Rumplestiltskin - it makes me feel nostalgic for Once Upon a Time (the tv show) where my favourite character was always Rumple. I also thought the story was similar in vibes and tone to Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (also based on Rumplestiltiskin) so I think if you enjoyed that definitely have this one on your TBR.

I really enjoyed Serilda as a main character, she was sweet and caring but could also be unexpectedly ruthless when she needed to be. She felt like a very familiar main character, being likeable but not anything super unique. I especially loved Gild, I love cheeky trickster characters and I really enjoyed all the scenes he was in. I thought the romance, while not super developed was cute. Additionally I really liked the relationship Serilda had with the village children, it was really sweet and added an extra layer to the story - protecting vunerable children at the mercy of an evil entity.

Marissa Meyer books have always been so comforting and cosy for me to read and this was no exception. The fae and forest spirit elements of this book I really enjoyed, magical woods are an absolute favourite setting of mine and I love learning about all the different forest spirits and castle spirits. I also really liked how the history of the characters was tied into the main story and some of the revealations (while slightly predictable) were very heartbreaking to read.

The one thing I was a little unsure of, especially since my understanding is this book is YA was a certain twist towards the end. I thought it did make a lot of sense for the story but did seem to come a bit out of left field. Although I think it sets up the angst and drama for book 2 perfectly. It is also pretty dark for a YA book, some of the horror elements of the book shocked me a little (from Marissa Meyer haha) but were super chilling and added a lot to the overall ominous atmosphere of the book.

In conclusion I would highly reccomend this for fans of atmospheric fairy tale retellings and loveable characters.

Writing - It's been a while since I've read such an atmospheric book. I felt transported into the world and even ended up shivering while reading about the cold winter weather. It definitely also read like a fairytale, which I quite enjoyed but it might not be everyone's cup of tea. Considering it's a retelling I think the writing was on point.
Characters - Serilda was a great main character, though I couldn't connect to her as much as I would've liked. She was nice, but felt a little underdeveloped which meant that when something happened to her, be it good or bad, I didn't feel much. Gild was definitely a favourite of mine though. He was charming and sweet and I wish we saw more of him! Give me all the Gild content!
Plot - The beginning dragged a little, and while I enjoyed reading about Serilda and the kids, I was definitely waiting for the story to pick up and introduce the conflict. I understand why the longer exposition was necessary though.
World building - When it came to the myths, we were given a lot of world building, starting from mythical creatures through deities all the way to traditions surrounding them. There wasn't much when it came to geography or politics, but then again it's a fairytale retelling, so politics weren't the main focus of the story.
Overall - It was a very enjoyable book, atmospheric and sometimes kind of scary, which means you should definitely read it as soon as it comes out because it's perfect for the late fall and winter! I didn't connect to the characters as much as I wanted, but I still enjoyed reading about them. I do hope that there is a sequel in the works though, because the ending left me all kinds of speechless.

I love a retelling, but a rumpelstiltskin one? Brilliant. Actually it seems to be doing the rounds at the moment, with multiple similar retellings after having never seen one before! But who better to trial that with than the retelling Queen that is Marissa Meyer.

Gilded was a fantastic retelling, because the links are obvious but the story is completely its own. Gild is a poltergiest, his soul tied to a castle ruled by a corrupt and potentially (definitely) crazy (masochistic), fae King. Serilda lives in the village with her father, her mother lost to the Wild Hunt many moons ago, and has a strange wheel outlined in one of her eyes - the villagers believe she was cursed by a God. Serilda is a keen storyteller to the children in the village, until one day one of her stories leads her to the castle, trapped by the King under orders to spin gold out of straw in order to leave. She may be God-cursed, but she certainly can't do that. But Gild can.

I loved the world building. The world felt entirely real to me, each character was tangible and well developed and the relationships had real heart. I think Meyer really is a gifted storyteller. I couldn't put it down. My only complaint was that some of the plot devices used within the ending, to allow for certain steps to unfold, were a little difficult to follow and could have been explained slightly better.

Regardless, I love this book. I pre-ordered it long before I received an ARC and I'm so pleased that I did. I highly recommend you give this a try if you've enjoyed Meyer's retellings before. This is a huge step up from her previous work, with much more mature themes and lots of graphic scenes (many including the death of young children), but her compelling style remains the same.

ARC provided from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️ Possibly mild spoilers ahead, but nothing that would spoil the book.

It feels like it took me an age to finish this book, it was good but I had trouble concentrating on it. I liked the fact that it was in-part a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and the world building felt both very imaginative and unique.

I did struggle a lot with the pace of the story. It felt very slow and the plot very obvious, so I was waiting for the MC to pay attention and catch-up a lot. It felt like some of this could have been condensed and made better use of pace. Especially because I didn’t realise this was a series, it felt like the ending for this book should have been the middle and it was dragging getting there.

I liked Serilda and Gild, even though Serilda wasn’t very proactive in her own story and therefore didn’t really drive the plot, she was still an interesting MC. I hope we find out more about Gild because it felt a bit like she didn’t really know him before deciding that she absolutely liked him (and etc).

All in all, this book felt confused. There was a fair amount of gore, some serious themes, fade to black sex and the MC did not act like a teenager. I feel like this should have been an adult book with an aged up protag and love interest, like late 20s-mid thirties. Serilda was mature, motherly and cunning, and while not all teenagers are brash, she seemed to not fit with the norm in a way that drew me out of the story. There were also a few parts in here that I now know were necessary for the story but I think could have been done better/more naturally in an adult book – like the fade to black sex and it’s relevance.

Overall, this was a good read with excellent world building. In my opinion, this story could have been pushed further and really excelled had it been adult or NA as it felt like that just lacking depth, heat and tension. Trying to press this story into a YA mould held it back. It felt like reading a classic story book, which was good but not what I was expecting from the synopsis.

Captivatingly magical and phenomenally written, the queen of fairytale retellings is back,with a spectacular reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin—and it’s an absolute page turner!

“All magic comes at a price, but love was never part of the bargain . . .”

Cursed by the god of lies, Serilda (the miller’s daughter) has developed a talent for storytelling. When one of her tales captures the attention of the legendarily cruel Erlking, Serilda finds herself swept into a world of enchantment where ghouls prowl the earth and ravens track her every move.

The king imprisons Serilda and orders her to spin straw into gold or be killed for lying. In her despair she accidentally summons a mysterious young man, who agrees to help her for a price—but love wasn’t meant to be part of the bargain...

It’s absolutely incredible, the world building and setting was stunningly detailed and completely immersive, which I loved. The characters were very well written and full of depth, Serilda especially so! Her backstory as well as her firm stance on morality (despite her penchant for lying) made her an incredibly bold and certainly loveable protagonist.

I also enjoyed the villainy of the Erlking who was absolutely perfect in his role, as was Gild as the mysteriously mischievous and endearing love interest. His charming demeanour and well developed (and emotional) backstory made me really love him and the slow burn style romance with Serilda was sensationally swoon-worthy and utterly intense.

I’m also desperately hoping there’ll be a sequel because that cliffhanger style ending has me maddeningly eager for more.

Overall, Gilded is a magically dark and enthrallingly twisty YA Fantasy— perfect for fans of dark fairytales, gothic romances and Meyer’s signature blend of storytelling.

Also, thanks to Faber&Faber and NetGalley for the e-arc.

thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. i really enjoyed this book, more than i thought i would! because of this i am going to give it 4/5 stars.

The Queen of the fairytale retelling takes on Rumplestiltskin in her new series, kicking off with Gilded - in which a girl gets caught up in the dark plans of an evil king and her only hope lies with a poltergeist who lives within the walls of the King's dark castle..

What Marissa Meyer does so very well is create a believable magical world peppered with characters you care deeply about then throws them into the maelstrom of a story that you kind of know but also is absolutely surprising on all levels.

I adored this, getting immediately immersed into this beautiful, scary and wonderful kingdom, absolutely caught up in the fate of these people (and creatures) I'd only just met. The story twists and turns throughout and the descriptive sense of it is gorgeous- richly layered and utterly immersive.

To say I'm a fan would be an understatement. Dying to read the next instalment already.

Highly Recommended.

Gilded follows Serilda, a miller’s daughter who has been blessed by the God of Lies with an ability to spin stories, as she catches the attention of an evil undead ruler and lies her way into his favour. Convinced that Serilda has the ability to spin gold from straw, the Erlking draws her back at every opportunity and Serilda finds herself trapped between the dead and the living, trying her hardest to escape the web of lies she’s found herself in and find a way to ensure nobody she cares about gets harmed in the crossfire.

I’ve never read any of Marissa Meyer’s other retellings, but I’ll absolutely be reading them all after this one. Gilded is in part beautiful and magical, and in part grotesque and gothic, as every good Grimm-inspired fairytale should be. The descriptions were so beautifully written that I found myself fully immersed in the villages, castles and forests as Serilda was, and the plot twists were so dark and often unexpected that the amount of scene-setting didn’t slow the pace for even a page.

Serilda is a bold, impressive protagonist with an unexpectedly solid moral compass for someone so adept at lying, and the cast of characters she surrounds herself with are equally fascinating, from the schoolchildren, to the forest folk, to the dark king himself. Gild (the castle’s mysterious resident poltergeist) was, unsurprisingly, my absolute favourite character, with his intricate and beautifully-told backstory and his adorably charming personality.

I knew halfway through this book that it was going to be one of my favourite reads of this year, and the second half fully lived up to my expectations. Gilded is a dark, magical, twisty tale, and I’ll be very eagerly anticipating news of a potential next instalment.

An emotional and vibrant re-imagining of the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, Gilded is a fast paced and slightly Gothic read. Serilda is a gifted storyteller - although some would say she's a gifted liar. When she foolishly lies to the wicked Erlking, she must go to extremes to save her life and the lives of those she loves.

This book was fast paced non-stop action and I couldn't put it down for a moment. The characters are well developed and there were enough twists to keep my guessing throughout the book. I'd recommend any fantasy lover pick this one up!

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say except wow! I loved this book from start to finish. I fully fell into the world head first. A retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale but with enough of a twist that you don’t know exactly what to expect.

For a YA book the subject matter is pretty dark and Meyer does not hesitate to go to places others wouldn’t with some of the details.

Sure there’s romance in there for the YA staple and whilst it is slightly Insta love it is pretty cute. There is also a strong theme of helping others, found family and self sacrifice.

Whilst a couple of parts were predictable I found myself not minding because I didn’t know how the rest was going to play out and I did not see the end coming.

I need book 2 right now!!

Omg what a book, so so glad I recieved this as an ARC because I couldn't put it down, fantastic read, the story was so gripping and scary but so good all in one, loved the main character serilda she's kinda my new hero, you will not want to miss this book, it's a must read