Pros
Meyers writing is rich and gorgeous to read.
The world was creepy and atmospheric.
The first third / first half of the book was compelling.

Cons
The novel was too long by 100 or so pages, and the second half dragged.
The romance was lacklustre and didn't win me over.

I have read and enjoyed everything that Meyer has written, but this book was way too slow to keep my attention. I would read a few pages and my interest would immediately drift. There just didn't seem to be any focus or driving impetus.

I made it to about 30% but the dilly dallying is annoying me.

I loved this Rumplestiltskin retelling from Melissa Meyer. I raced through it and finished it almost in one sitting! I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

A magical and mystical retelling which I adored from beginning to end. Lucky enough to read an advance copy of this, I was thrown into the world of Marissa Meyer and her fabulous take on the fairytale world interlinked with YA narrative grabs. Rumpelstiltskin is so darkly timeless and this new narrative telling brings the story to life again for new readers. A wonderful read.

This book built a world of wonder and intrigue that had me under its spell from start to finish. It was magical with a gritty edge and I loved each and every minute of it.

I’ve read two, maybe 3 rumplestiltskin retellings until now but this was definitely one of the more intriguing ones. I was invested the second I started reading this and honestly I’m not surprised considering Marissa Meyer is so good at writing retellings. This was deliciously dark and I can’t wait for the sequel !!

I had a few download issues with the book and by the time it was sorted, the file had unfortunately been achieved. Happy to re-review if it becomes available again.

I’m really sorry to say that I read approx 60 pages & just couldn’t get into the story. It felt too confusing to follow. So I did DNF this one.

There is something so fantastic about fairytale retellings and this one did not disappoint

Meyers writing style is beautiful and easy to follow and makes you wish the story never ends. One book I’ll definitely be recommending for a long time!!

I adore Marissa Meyer and have read a lot of her books but unfortunately this was not the one for me, i dnfed around 100 pages in. I just couldnt get behind the story.

Gilded is a very fun, atmospheric, twisted retelling of Rumplestiltskin written by the queen of fairytale retellings herself, Marissa Meyer. The plot is addictive and filled with wonderful characters. The character development is solid. The romance at the center of the story is sweet. The tale is dark, but not too dark that YA readers can't enjoy. And the setting is so fun! I look forward to reading more Meyer fairytale retellings in the future. Highly recommended!!

Gilded, a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, with added menace, is the first part in a duology by Marissa Meyer. The story follows Serilda, a young woman with a difference, her father saved a God, Wyrdith, who was being hunted by the Erlking and as a ‘reward’ for such kindness the God granted her father his wish, to have a child with the woman he loved. However the God of stories cursed Serilda with eyes containing gold fortune wheels and a mouth that cannot resist telling stories. The Erlking and his hunt, riding onyx horses with lightening white manes, and slobbering hounds, ride every full moon when the veil for his dark world lifts, and he shows no mercy, capturing trophies, even children. Then one night Serilda saves 2 moss maidens seeking refuge from the Erlking and in an attempt to disguise her actions, she tells him she is out collecting straw to spin into gold, a lie that costs Serilda much. Taken to his home beyond the veil, Adalheid Castle, at risk of death, Serilda is locked in a dungeon and told to spin her straw, and meets a stranger with magic who can help …

There’s nothing bad about Gilded, although unfortunately there was nothing particularly special about it either, it’s pretty standard YA, you know what you’re getting but it doesn’t push the boundaries unfortunately.

I enjoyed the imagery, the hunt is deliciously menacing and creates a wonderful visual, I also like the addition of the various creatures, the ghosts, the stories Serilda tells, and the various people she meets along the way. That said, the Erlking is somewhat flat as a villain, he’s just plain dastardly to the point he doesn’t feel very real, although that isn’t to say he isn’t still enjoyable on the page. Gild, our Rumpelstiltskin, is OK although only really serves as a love interest when so much more could be done with this character, even the reveals are pretty blaring. Then there’s Serilda herself who I’m rather torn over, she’s defiant and brave, but also willingly risks herself and others by being so unprepared to the point of frustration and causes or provoke situations by not simply being quiet. For example, literally twice she is told by Gild that he can only give magic as a trade, and yet she enters a 3rd time and acts shocked that she is required to give something (after literally handling gold), she is warned not to do things but does them anyway and is a bit of a cliché ‘doesn’t know how beautiful she is’ character. Her romance with Gild also feels a little forced, these are 2 characters who gravitate towards each other because they both feel like no one else wants them or could be with them, I don’t know if that’s love, they are just there in front of each other, but I don’t particularly know what they even like about each other to feel any of the longing or intimacy of a romance.

Then there’s the tone of the book, it’s pretty dark. As i’ve previously said, the Erlking is dastardly and bloodthirsty and Meyer doesn’t hold back from him doing very bad, evil things. Part of me commends that, a lot of books create dread but with actual little cost or threat, that is quite the opposite here, but then I’m undecided if it’s possibly too much. We’re talking a lot of death, infanticide thrown around quite freely, the fact this is a duology, it feels like a lot was ruled out in this first instalment and too much happened to really digest it all.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for my review.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Faber & Faber for approving me for an ARC of this book. After reading and loving the Lunar Chronicles I was excited to see what Marissa Meyer came up with next.

The story follows Serilda, a village girl that is believed to be cursed and is therefore deemed an outcast to the rest of her village. She lives with just her father after her mother abandoned them but Serilda herself plays a very motherly role to the children in the village, often helping them with tasks and telling them her own twisted stories. Let there be no mistake Serilda is a superb storyteller and certainly has a way with words. It is these words however that often land her in trouble as she soon learns when she meets Erlking.

When Serilda finds herself in a sticky situation we then meet Guild,. I loved the conversations these two had and how they helped each other. Watching there friendship blossom into something more was only inevitable but as always Meyer throws a few twists along the way. Not to mention one hell of a cliff hanger that has me eagerly anticipating the next book!

What I have come to love about Meyer’s writing are the worlds she creates. Her descriptions of them and the different mythical beings and creatures she includes bring the story to life and add to an already chilling atmosphere. I was transfixed by the description of the castle when it was in ruins and behind the veil.

Meyer is the master of retellings and the nods she made to Rumpelstiltskin were excellent. She put her own spin on it (see what I did there!) and gave this fairy tale an even darker edge!

I received an e-arc of Gilded from Faber & Faber and Netgalley. Even though I have been gifted this book for review, all opinions are my own.

This is my review of Gilded by Marissa Meyer

This is a new series by the author of the Lunar Chronicles which are a series of fairy-tale retellings set in space. This time we are in a new fantasy setting based on the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin. Once again this author has taken a well-loved tale and made it a unique and wonderful tale. The story is charming as a prince and completely magical. The characters are both engaging and rememberable. I cannot wait to continue the series and to be back in this world once again.

Highly recommend it if you enjoy reading fantasy retellings of classic fairy tales.

In concept, this book really appealed to me as I had previously loved Meyers works, especially Heartless. However, I found the middle to be quite boring and tedious to get through. I put this one down for a while and picked it back up again recently to finish it, which was a concious decision rather than being drawn back to it.
I loved the relationship of the MC and Gild, would've loved more from them. I wasn't aware this was a series, agree with other reviewers that wasn't shared in an obvious way.
Big thanks to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Marissa Meyer has an incredible talent for fairytale retellings that completely breathe life into much beloved classics. Gilded is no different. This Rumpelstiltskin retelling is not as dark as I remember the original to be but wonderfully atmospheric and immersive. I loved Serilda's characterisation and appreciated her wit and sarcasm. This is a duology which I think is perfect because we'll be able to see more interaction between Gild and Serilda!

A very atmospheric account and reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin! This gothic fairytale world is firmly rooted in the nightmare horror genre. I couldn't put it down as I needed to know how it would end.

I enjoy a dark Grimm, Germanic, Black Forest-style twisted tale.

This is the first Marissa Meyer book I've read, and I really liked the atmosphere, the darkness, the castles, the Wild Hunt, and the various creatures and peoples we meet. The world felt pretty rich and vivid.

I wasn't that fond of Serilda, I couldn't really relate to her, for most of the book, but she grew on me as the book developed, and she became a bit more sympathetic.

I really liked the idea of the romance, but, given the very few, and brief encounters that the characters had, it seemed kind of sudden, especially since it wasn't written in a love-at-first-sight kind of way, it was as if the romance had developed but without the time for that to have happened. <spoiler>(Also it made the title a bit icky for me).</spoiler>

I love that the villain is a proper villain, no redeeming features or attempt at morally grey, which is appropriate in many contexts, and can make characters more complex and believable, but doesn't always work when it's forced. The villain of this story someone to fear and he commits absolute atrocities, which some might not like, but it fits with this style of dark story, it fits with his character, and it had the shock value which was really driven home. It also works really well here, because it comes as a shock to Serilda too, as a person, you're not expecting someone you meet to be wholly bad even if there are legends saying as much, so though, rationally, you know not to mess with them, when they live up to their reputation, it still comes as a shock. Loved that.

The parts with the main love interest, the villain, the castle, the wild hunt, and the village in thrall are what made the book for me, I know the fairy tale requires the stakes to be raised, Serilda to be returned to her home, then summoned again, but I wish that could have been done better somehow. For me the creepy castle, and the tension, danger, and mystery there were so good, that the times in between where Serilda was just waiting felt like that, like I was just waiting for those bits to be over and for the good bit of the story to get going again, so the pacing seemed to suffer at times.

In general though, it's still a great twisted tale, and I loved that Merissa Meyer chose a less obvious fairy tale for inspiration with this one. I'll definitely be reading more of her books, and the next instalment of this story.

Twisted fairy-tales are really popular mostly its the princesses but this reworking of Rumpelstiltskin is pretty awesome.
i really enjoyed this, it was refreshing to read something different and fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc!

This was very interesting! I liked it a lot