Gilded by Marissa Meyer

This was not the first Marissa Meyer book I’ve read. I’m a huge fan of her work and to date have loved everything she has written. And Gilded is no exception. When I tell you this book was an experience, I mean it.

At first, I honestly couldn’t get into the book. It was a slow beginning and I was slightly sceptical of what to expect, but the more I read, the more I got hooked. The story definitely had elements of Rumplestilkskin but it’s also so much more. It’s a story of chance, love and so many captivating stories within. I cannot emphasise enough how this has now become one of my favourite Marissa Meyer works.

The story building is impeccable and from the very beginning Marissa Meyer enchants you with a new world that is very different from what I’ve read previously of hers. I loved the rural fairytale aura that is reciprocated throughout the book and honestly Marissa Meyer amazes me with the constant feeling of what a book is supposed to do: transport you to another world.

All the characters are distinct in their personalities and you fall in love with them instantly. (And the evil characters you grow to detest them by the way😂)

Serilda, the main character, was not someone I was expecting at all. She had an air of distrust around her, but I loved how strong-headed and passionate she could be about everything. And by the end, she is now one of my favourite characters and I would happily trust her with my life. And Gild. My innocent, beloved Gild. He had my whole heart throughout the book and I am so excited to find more about him. And the slow burn was good. That’s all I’m saying because I don’t want to spoilt it 😅

I didn’t want the book to end and as I was reaching the last few pages all I could feel was dread. Literally PLOT TWISTS OF THE CENTURY one after the other, dropping like bombs.

And of course your girl is going to be reading book 2 the SECOND it is out, because now she is invested.

Rating: 4.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨


Thank you to NetGalley and the punlisher for providing an ARC!

She’s BACK! Marissa Meyer is back and more than ready to spin a new fantastical fairytale retelling. In this case, meet Gilded - a beautiful yet haunting reimaging of the classic Rumpelstiltskin.

Serilda has been labelled as unlucky her whole life, never really fitting into the town she lives in, not helped by the fact she tells the most outlandish tales about princesses and monsters. But of course like in any fairytale one fateful night changes her destiny changes forever.

After catching the eye of the dark king - The Erlking with her tale of spinning straw into gold, she is swept into his world of magic, decay and curses. Given the night to do the impossible, Serilda is certain she is going to die, that is until a boy shows up willing to take on the impossible task for a price.

The more time Serilda spends with the boy, and in the castle, the more she realises there is something else, something dark and terrible is happening. With a mystery - centuries-old to figure out. It's only a matter of time before the stakes are raised and for Serilda to find a way to save herself and her loved one from the tyranny of the Erlking and his wicked plans on both the magic and mortal world.

The best way I would describe Gilded in my typical regular shmegular way would be: girlboss bosses too far and gets more than expected.

Ok jokes aside here's why I enjoyed Gilded

Gilded has truly reminded me as to why I love fairytale retellings. I always find it amazing how folklore stories so old can be interpreted and reinvented in numerous ways, yet, still, be recognisable. Meyer does a stunning job with Gilded - no surprise.

Serilda character and POV does a great job of guiding the reader through the world of the novel. What I really appreciated the most was how Serilda felt genuine as a ‘young adult’. Serilda has this belief that nothing can harm her, this invulnerability that we lose as we reach adulthood. But as the story progresses, you witness that, as she grows both in age and in character she starts to realise that she is in fact extremely vulnerable. However, despite her vulnerability, I love how Meyer enables Serilda to weaponise it for her benefit and strength. Yes to girl bossing all the way.

It’s this subtle character development that I love. It not only comes across as sophisticated but illustrates smart storytelling too.

Paired with her mischievous, fearless personality Serilda won me over.

The cast of side characters all of which play an important role in furthering Serilda's journey be it emotional, character growth or simply continuing the story. My favourites by far were the children Serilda taught in her village, each had their own vivid personality that jumped off the page.

My overall favourite element of this story has to be the embedded narrative (look at me digging out my A-Level English Lit terminology lol) I really enjoyed the parts where you get swept into Serilda's storytelling. Filled with the lore surrounding the old gods, sometimes about the Erkling or other magical creatures that inherit her world. It adds to the overall magic and mystery within the novel.

My tiny qualms with the novel overall would be the pacing. The first ⅖ was perfectly paced but the time you get to 70% of the story it lags a bit with what I would call buffering to pad out the story. But by the time you get to the last ⅕ of the book, it's amazing with the right amount of tension and intrigue that leads to a gripping cliffhanger. Oh, the romance, it's ok, it's cute, sometimes I found it a bit insta-lovey. I can forgive it because I like to believe the main focus of Gilded is following a girl’s journey in stepping into her own worth and power. The romance is an easy add-on.

Overall, Meyer’s writing captivates you into this atmospheric tale of magic, curses and mystery. Definitely, a must-read if you’re a true lover of fairytale retellings.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Faber and Faber for providing me with an e-arc of Gilded in exchange for an honest review.

All the thoughts and opinions above are my own

Please view the trigger warnings prior to reading.

I have loved every one of Marissa's fairytale re-tellings and this is no different. It is beautifully written and brings a lot of character to a lesser known heroine in fairytales.

I wish there had been more time to develop the romance within the novel, it felt like the 100ish pages given to it was not enough to make me truly feel for them as a couple.

I'm a huge Marissa Meyer fan so had high expectations going into this, and though there were a few things about it I didn't love, overall I adored this story. Serilda has been told she is unlucky her whole life, never really fitting into the town she lives in, not helped by the fact she tells the most outlandish tales about princesses and monsters. But one fateful full moon changes her destiny forever. After catching the eye of the Erlking with her tale of spinning straw into gold, she is dragged into his world of magic and curses. Given the night to do the impossible, Serilda is sure her death in imminent, that is until a boy shows up willing to take on her task for a price. The more time Serilda spends with the boy, and in the castle, the more she realises there is something else, something dark happening and she will have to unravel a mystery centuries old if she and the boy she loves are to make it out alive.

Serilda was such a fantastic POV to read from, and easily one of the most realistic 'teen/young adult' I've ever read. She has this belief that nothing can harm her, this invulnerability that we loose as we reach adulthood and, as she grows both in age and in character she starts to realise that she is in fact extremely vulnerable. She's a little mischievous, constantly battling against the hand that fate has dealt her. She so wants to be seen as normal, but she loves telling her stories too much to truly give it up and I really enjoyed her coming to realise that the two parts of her can live side by side. She is a little flighty in parts, and her inability to see what was right in front of her eyes did get on my nerves a little, but as I stated before, she's written as a girl entering her womanhood, so understandably her eye will get turned by the 'cute' boy and she will struggle to look past that.

Meyer also introduces us to a whole host of side characters all of which play an important role in furthering Serilda's journey be it emotional, character growth or in simply continuing the story. My favourites by far were the children Serilda taught in her village, each had their own vivid personality that jumped off the page and I loved their innocence and fearlessness at hearing Serilda's stories. And then there's Gild, the boy that helps Serilda in the castle, there is a hint of mystery surrounding him, not least because he has no idea who he is, or why he ended up tied to this castle. Throughout the story we are given clues to his true identity, and I will admit to guessing it pretty early on, but I did love following the characters as they worked it out themselves.

As with her other stories Meyer treats us to a well built and fleshed out magic system. She uses folklore, as well as adding in little bits of her own making to ensure it doesn't stay to true to the original story. I really enjoyed the parts where we got swept away by Serilda's story telling, sometimes about the old gods, sometimes about the Erkling or other magical creatures that inherit her world, but they all add to the overall magic and world building to create a world that I would certainly like to visit. Gilded starts dark and just gets darker with every page, and though there are parts of it that would fit quite easily into a horror novel, Meyer's writing style adds a lightness to the story ensuring we never feel too bogged down in the darkness that surrounds the story.

I do feel like the pacing was a little off with this story. The first and last quarters of the book are brilliant, well paced, full of information and eureka moments. The middle 50% however I did felt dragged a little, after Serilda's first night in the castle the story got a little too repetitive and I did find my attention waning in parts. Overall, Meyer creates a high stakes tale around whether Serilda will manage to escape the Erkling, plus the added mystery of the cursed Castle and Gild himself which, despite the pacing issues, made sure I stayed glued to the pages desperate to find out what happens. There is a romance arc for those who like a little love in their fantasy, I do feel it was a little too quickly formed, but again we have to realise this was written from the POV of a teenage girl, someone who has been shunned by the boys in her village for fear of her bad luck rubbing off on them, so her falling for the first boy to not be afraid of her isn't that out there.

The last quarter of this book shook me! And although I did guess the main mystery, there were still parts that I did not see coming at all and ensured I will be eagerly anticipating the sequel. Filled with magic and mystery, a sweet romance and a brilliantly written main character, Meyer has easily got another hit series on her hands.

My first Marissa Meyer book, and what a way to start!
I loved every second of this (apart from that last cruel 15%👀😂). I’m a sucker for a YA fantasy, especially if it’s a retelling! I have to admit I’ve never read the original Rumplestiltskin (or if I have, I can’t remember!) and I quite liked going into this blind. It certainly has that typical fairytale feeling (in a good way). It had that sense of magic and the unknown and all things fantastical.
Can’t wait for book two!

GILDED is Marissa Meyer's return to fairy tales after her debut series <em>the Lunar Chronicles.</em> Having been a bit let down by her most recent series, I was looking forward to something more in line with her debut, which I loved. However, this book didn't quite hit the right notes for me. The difficult thing is I can't quite pin point the exact reason why.

As Rumpelstiltskin retellings go, I really liked that Serilda is able to leave the castle and the Erlking between her various tasks. We could see more of the outside world and the effects of the Hunt. Plus it allows for more time with the Hunt hunting as they come for her again. That second time they were actually pretty intimidating (the king seemed to diminish inside the castle.)

I did read it quite fast, but that was because I did have a big block of time. The story was not particularly engrossing that I had to know what happened next, nor was so complex that I needed to slow down. It's one of those stories I floated through pretty indifferent (though the prose style did niggle at me at times, which was something I didn't expect. There were phrases that just jumped out as awkward or overstating things.)

I think that one of the main reasons I never really invested in this book was that things just seemed to happen to Serilda without her having to work for them or earn them. She cries and then the boy with the magic she needs just happens to turn up. She just happens to be in the right place to get taken to see people who can confirm pieces of the puzzle. The person she's disliked (and who's been mean to her) just happens to be a witch totally willing to help her (in a complete character reversal.)

The romance was a bit unbelievable. They had two encounters, where she tells him stories and he spins straw into gold in exchange for trinkets, and she's thinking about kissing him from interaction one. And then they're full on snogging at the end of interaction two? Then interaction three goes full on sex? (Not explicitly written, but there's no doubt what happened.) If it was written as lust, I'd believe it, but love?

I did not realise this was a duology until I had pulled up the Goodreads page to copy across the synopsis. For some reason, I'd thought it was standalone. However, that ending is very much not a standalone ending, and I am interested to see how she gets out of the predicament. There are some hints laid that it'll be one of those twisty bargains being used to trap the Erlking.

I've read a few Marissa Meyer books now and are never quite sure what to think when going into them. Usually they are a pleasant surprise and Gilded in absolutely NO exception.

Gilded is a retelling of the classic Rumplestiltskin fairy tale in a loose manner but it's a beautifully told first book in a new duology. I did think it was a one off to begin with but I am seriously thrilled that there will be another book as I virtually inhaled this story and seriously need more as soon as possible.

Serilda has a knack for storytelling that gets her into serious bother with the Erlking and The Wild Hunt when she accidentally and quite falsely leads the Erlking to believe she can spin straw into gold and from there the story flies in fairy tale action but with a darker thrilling twist to it than I was expecting.

An alluring and positively charming novel that is a must read for retelling fans and bring on book two!

Serilda is what some would say cursed and others blessed by a god giving her eyes that make her seem unlucky and untruthful. The wild stories that Serilda creates doesn’t help with that problem. When she ends up spinning a wild tale to the Erlking, she ends up trying to spin more than just stories.

The writing is so incredible and transports you right into the world. The German folklore was amazing to read and learn all about.

All of the characters were so well written though with Serilda being the main character I didn’t feel as connected to her when things good or bad were happening in her life. Gild was such a charming and loveable character.

I loved Serilda’s stories and how lyrical they were written.

I also loved how the Erlking isn’t a stereotypical villain with him being surprised when Serilda called him one. The hunt was a great aspect to it and learning all about the veil in the castle.

I was surprised by how dark it got and audibly gasped a few times when reading what was happening but it fitted well with the story.

When reading I assumed it was a standalone but with the shocking plot twist at the end I’m pleased to find out it’s a duology

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. The start of the book pulled me in straight away. Magic with a cool spin on fairytales and storytelling made this book perfect for me. I enjoyed every minute of it. Would recommend and looking forward to the next instalment.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

I am on the fence with fairy tale retellings some I love and a lot are boring or worse badly done. Let me tell you this one did not disappoint and is definitely in the love category! This was a long book at 500 pages , but it never felt overly long if that makes any sense, it’s a well written and magical retelling of Rumplestiltskin , but this isn’t your light fairytale this is dark and macabre. It’s impossible to put down The fast-pace draws you through each page as you find yourself desperate for more, Meyer is a wonderful writer and I have enjoyed all her previous books, but this for me far surpasses any of her previous works. Overall, this is a compelling twist on the original with a cliffhanger of an ending. I mean if there’s not a sequel that’s just plain evil !

Another fantastic retelling from Marissa Meyer!

Gilded is a thrilling fantasy full of magic, storytelling and mystery. As always the world building and writing style are immersive and captivating. The characters are complex and engaging. The idea is fresh despite being a retelling of a well know fairytale (Rumpelstiltskin) and although there are various nods to the original, Meyer puts her own spin on it (see what I did there, I know I’m sorry 😂).

My only criticism of the book was that it was just too long. Much longer than it needed to be and that did mean at times the story felt like it was dragging. I think if this had been 100-150 pages less it would have been perfect!

I really enjoyed the majority of this book, in particular the twisted and dark storyline, and I’m looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

Gilded is an engrossing and riveting story of magical creatures, ghosts, a cruel king, and fairytales with a fantastic and engaging heroine.

The protagonist is Serilda, a young woman with the gift of narrating stories of legends, murders, and sacrifices. Everyone in the village believes Serilda to be cursed and weird. No one believes her stories, except for the children in the school where she works as an assistant.

Once a month, during the full moon, the evil Erlking leads the hunt in which he captures children and magical creatures. And it is to protect two magical creatures that Serilda lies to the Erlking and tells him she can spin straw into gold. Her lie will cost her as the Erlking takes her to Adalheid Castle and orders her to spin straw into gold by the morning or she will die. Help comes in the form of Gild, a mysterious boy with no memory of his past and cursed to never leave the castle. For a price, Gild spins straw into gold, saving Serilda’s life, but the Erlking is not done with her…

Gilded is my first novel by Marissa Meyer and her writing style captured me and kept me glued to the pages. Full of stories and legends, dark creatures, magical places, and forest folk and with a fantastic cast of characters that includes a brave and determined heroine, a witty and adorable romantic interest, and a wicked villain with no conscience, Gilded is a compelling, gripping, and gothic novel of fairytales and legends I can’t wait to read more.

This was dark, spooky and perfect for Halloween! I was not expecting it, but my oh my it’s perfect for the season!

Let’s list the spooky atmospheric must haves this book nails.

- A town located next to a spooky wood. ✅
- Gods that can gift and curse ✅
- Missing people ✅
- A castle of ghosts and ghouls with an evil force at the head of the table. ✅

So well built and written, the world building will have you feeling fully emerged into each setting the book has to offer.

The plot flows well moments of calm and moment of chaos balance each other well and I never found a point when the story lost my concentration and interest.

The characters are my favourite part of the story.
Our main protagonist is flawed, brave and interesting and the love interest is an adorable slow burn. The children in this story are adorable, cheeky, loveable and you can't help but wasn't more interaction with them.

Be warned its a cliffhanger ending, looking forward to the next instalment.

If you like a fairytale you will love this retelling of Rumpelstiltskin!

Marissa meyer did not disappoint with this newest book. I absolutely loved this book and I read it straight away in two sittings. I had read the lunar chronicles not long before this book and this retelling of rumplestiltskin was incredible, quite a lot darker than their other books but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless.

*a big thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an arc copy in exchange for an honest review *

This was my first Marissa Meyer book and I really enjoyed the writing style so would definitely read another of her books. That being said , I didn’t find this particular story a page Turner . It’s a retelling of Rumpelstiktskin which really intrigued me but I felt the pacing was a bit off. An enjoyable read but didn’t wow me

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

I really loved the concept of this book. If you know me, you know I love a retelling, and I'm very glad Rumplestiltskin is getting its day. The book does very closely follow the fairytale, aside from the addition of the Erlking and Wild Hunt mythology, which does sort of change the tone of the book if you know the fairytale well. It becomes more of a "how is what I know to happen going to happen?" rather than "what will happen next?". For me, that was still fun though, as that is often how fairytale retellings go.

My big thought for this book is why is it YA? I think it should have gone adult or new adult fantasy. I know Meyer's background is YA, but she goes pretty dark in some ways in Gilded, and I honestly think the story is slightly held back by needing to stay within a YA rating. As well as that, Serilda is dealing with a lot of things that feel more relatable to adults and new adults, rather than teens, especially towards the end of the story.I think if Meyer had committed a bit more to the dark angle she was taking, this could have been a really compelling adult retelling along the lines of Christina Henry's Chronicles of Alice.

Some moments felt a bit predictable, with the prince, the poltergeist, the true or false stories, and the name thing, but it is a retelling, so you can't blame Meyer for following the big story beats. I found it hard to slog through some of the more flowery and excessive description in the book (I don't know if I need to know how Serilda feels about every single color and shape in relation to her life), but I also tend to be more interested in narration and dialogue than description as a reader, so if you love detailed, specific things to picture, this would work well for you.

I also found Gild almost uncomfortably childlike at points? He doesn't have many memories, but he seemed to switch between being a very young child and a grown adult, especially when he's first introduced. He feels very Peter Pan-esque, where Serilda felt, to me, very clearly an adult and very clearly a woman. So at first, their interactions sort of confused me, but Gild's child moments become much less extreme as the book goes on.

This one also probably could have been a standalone, but when in YA fantasy do we ever have that? By the pacing in the first half, I had assumed it was a standalone, but it was clear in the last 30 pages that this is at least a duology, probably a trilogy.

I am definitely going to get the next one though. I think this book has a lot of unique features and anyone who enjoys stories will enjoy this, so give it a try! 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for Goodreads.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Faber Books for the free review copy of Gilded by Marissa Meyer. I loved Cinder and Scarlet by this author and have the others in that series TBR. I REALLY wanted to love this one too. I didn’t. I didn’t even enjoy it unfortunately.
I don’t like writing reviews of books I didn’t enjoy, I feel like my feelings aren’t really valid and I must say I’ve been struggling with physical and mental problems recently. This might have had a negative affect on how I got on with this book so if you usually enjoy fairytale re-tellings it might be worth giving it a chance.
I have to be honest though and I loved the book I read before this so I don’t think we can blame it all on my mood. I’m a slow reader but this book took me 3 weeks to read. I thought about giving up multiple times and after reaching the end (where it doesn’t really end but leaves it wide open for the next one I didn’t know there was going to be) I really wish I had given up early on.
I guess I didn’t connect. I love YA books but this one felt like it was almost for younger children in the writing style, not the content. Almost like it was talking to me as if I was stupid… and the main character Serilda is treated like an outcast and bad omen because of her strange eyes. I guess in the old days that might have happened but we all know she’s really quite pretty, probably more so with interesting eyes, and will find someone who loves her…
So I felt like things were maybe over explained, like maybe written for a younger audience and then things happen later on which are definitely NOT for a younger audience. I was kind of shocked but not in a pleasant or good way. It felt really strange and just didn’t sit right with me.
I guess the story ideas were okay, and I’m not a writer so again - I don’t like writing reviews like this. I couldn’t have even written a fraction of this. Unfortunately I just didn’t enjoy this read.

I stayed up late to finish this as it was so hard to put down.
Perfect for anyone who loved uprooted and spinning silver by Naomi Novik and Katherine Ardens Winternight trilogy.
I loved the writing and the story was reminiscent of an older persons Ghibli movie.

A tale spun from beginning to end that haunts you like a Grimm Brother's story. For in all happy tales there lingers a darker truer version, and I can genuinely see this as being a possible haunting shadow of the origin it is based off.
Reading that was honestly like reading a fairy-tale but knowing a happy ending was not in sight. There was a hero/heroine, a tale, a twist, a villain and all the other classic marker of a fairy-tale but told in a way that captures you mind and leaves echoes in your memory long after it has finished.
This is my first delve into a world created by the ever talked about Marissa Meyer, and I have to say...I captured my attention and had me fully intrigued from start to end.

Although this book did have me fascinated, I have to say it did not capture my heart. It was a wonderful tale, that I would absolutely recommend to any reader considering on reading it. It was as I said above, a brilliant tale, but for a book to get a 5 star from me it must capture my emotions and heart and although this one captured my full attention.... the emotional connection did not develop. 3.5 stars.

Serilda is the outcast in the small town she lives in with her father. Excluded by everyone because of her outrageous storytelling and unusual eyes. There one night she encounters the King of the Dead and claims she can spin straw into gold. This tall tale has dire consequences- can she keep her life and escape the Erlking?

Gilded had an absolutely killer start which drew me in fast with it’s magical mystical storytelling. I enjoyed the stories that Serilda told and how the story was initially set up. However my interest in the plot quickly waned after the first third and I found myself skim reading . The pace felt incredibly slow and even Serilda’s fantastic sassy feisty character couldn’t recapture my interest. Unfortunately I DNF at 50%

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.