3.75 ⭐
I was a big fan of Marissa Meyer’s books in my teens, so I was so excited to get stuck into this book! The stories and worlds she weaves are always so magical and intricate, and I love how she always puts a twist on her retellings. They are never exactly what you expect, which when re-writing such a well-known tale, is difficult to do. The world in which this book was set was beautiful, magical, and complex, and just when you thought you had a handle on the inner workings, something else popped out of the woodwork to surprise you. As always, it was beautifully written and described, and you could easily get lost in the pages.

Slipping back into her writing style was so comforting. Her characters are always a little feisty and I love that, and Serilda was an intriguing protagonist. Her storytelling added another fantastical element to the story and, even though it usually gets her into trouble, it's also what draws others to her. The love plotline was a surprise and wasn’t the direction I thought it would go originally, but I enjoyed the development and all the magical elements of the story.

My one gripe was that I found it a little too long (435 pages 😱) especially for a first book in a series. A lot of the middle of the book felt a little stagnant, but it picked back up in the last third. If it was a standalone, it would have made sense, but I think a lot could have been condensed and saved for the second book if the intention was to make it a series or duology.
However, I will be picking up the sequel as I love the world Meyer has created ✨

This book was so addictive. I found once i started i didnt want to put it down. It's so well written and i couldnt fault meyer at all.

I'm a sucker for a retelling and this was just pure perfection!

I loved the characters and the story as a whole.

Bring on the next book!!

Wow! Just wow. This was so good! That ending was incredible! I love this world and these characters are so interesting! This was such a fun, not to mention cool, spin (ha! See what I did there!) on the Rumplestiltskin ifairytale which I loved. I had high expectations because Rumplestiltskin is one of my favourite fairytale stories plus I usually do love Meyer's work and this doesn't disappoint! Would highly recommend and I'm already looking forward to rereading this before the sequel comes out!

Oh my god. I absolutely loved this book. I loved everything about it and it might just be my favourite Marissa Meyer book yet. The queen of retellings has done it again.

Gilded is an atmospheric, dark and irresistible tale which I pretty much devoured – it was so up my street it’s unreal. Gilded is quite honestly one of the best retellings I’ve ever read and has firmly placed Marissa Meyer on my list of favourite fantasy authors. I read Heartless (Meyer’s Queen of Hearts retelling) recently but was left feeling a tad underwhelmed, however Gilded was a completely different story altogether.

The story is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling – but instead of rehashing what readers may already be familiar with or playing around with the original story, Meyer makes it utterly her own and crafts this immersive tale with only little mentions or teasers of the original story which makes the story far more interesting and fresh. The whole book is imbued with this gothic, haunting edge and it gets pretty dark and twisted at certain moments – which I wasn’t initially expecting but it definitely makes all the events in the story and characters choices hold more weight.

I really liked Serilda and how she is a born storyteller – weaving these intricate and frightening stories out of thin air which enthral and scare her father and the children of her town in equal measure. One dark night when the sinister hunt comes through her small town, in a bid to save her own life as well as others she spins another story; that she has the ability to spin straw into gold. Thus she enters into a dangerous battle of wits with the sinister Erlking and his court; every new moon that passes she must demonstrate her abilities and produce more gold, the consequences if she doesn’t are more than she can bear.

The world building and folklore that Meyer includes in the story is absolutely brilliant and heightens the foreboding atmosphere. I especially loved all the moments spent in and around the quaint town of Adalheid and the nearby castle – there was something wonderful and also really sad about the history of this place and reading as Serilda tries to uncover this lost piece of time was really interesting. I also liked the inclusion of the Erlking and his deadly court, and all the other figures from popular folktales like moss maidens, goblins and kobolds which add to the rich fantasy element.

The love story / romance element also felt really well written and so genuine. I love when we have this really earnest and honest romance evolve in a way which feels natural and that’s exactly what we get here. When Serilda is tasked with spinning the straw into gold, she doesn’t expect to meet a strange boy who offers to help her, and certainly doesn’t expect to befriend him and fall in love. But that’s exactly what ends up happening and it was so incredibly tender and beautiful, there’s also this undercurrent of danger however as each time Serilda must make a wager and as we know how the original story goes, some wagers are heavier than others.

Overall, Gilded was a truly excellent read and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I’m assuming that there will be a sequel so I’m already in eager anticipation to see where Marissa Meyer takes us next.

I have read quite a few fairytale retellings and this is definitely one of the best. Captivating, enchanting and engaging right from the first page - brilliant!

Gilded is the best fairytale retelling I've read in a while. It is intriguing and fast-paced and beautifully written. The characters are well-developed and the world-building is so in-depth and interesting. I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading the next in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley for an e-arc of this to review honestly.

(Thank you to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

As with the other books I've read by Marissa Meyer, the writing style of Gilded was beautiful. It felt as though i was physically in the world and i was hooked the entire time. The world in which this is set was easy to understand and built really well. I absolutely loved all the fantasy creatures and the German folklore written throughout this book, the moss maidens where my favourite!

I liked our main character Serilda as well as Gild and thought they had a great connection and some amazing banter. I thought the side characters where well developed and weren't just added in for the sake of it (I particularly like Leyna as she was the most adorable person ever!).

The reason this book wasn't a five star read for me was due to the ending. I don't really like the direction it went in at the end with the Erlking and i'm not sure how much i am going to like the plot of the sequel if it goes the way i think it will.

Despite this, i think this book is a perfect read for this time of year with its spooky and dark vibes and would recommend it to anyone who loves a fantasy retelling

Having read Marissa Meyer's 'Lunar Chronicles' several years ago, I was looking forward to see how she would re-interpret the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin. While the beginning of this book was relatively fun and easy to read, my attention waned by the time I was around 1/3rd of the way through 'Gilded'.

I didn't buy how quickly the connection between Gild and Serilda grew, and I also didn't really care about Serilda's quest to discover the secret behind the castle. Additionally, there were several elements of the book that frustrated me from the start, for example:

- Serilda's name (I'm sorry, it's a bad name)
- Serilda's eyes (reminds me of people's OCs from fanfiction.net era fic)
- The relatively juvenile writing style

I think that the beginning of 'Gilded' was fun enough that I could overlook some of the problems I'd had with the book from the start. However, once the story began to drag, it was impossible to ignore these issues.

Nevertheless, I've still rated this book 3 stars, because I think that younger (and less picky) readers might enjoy this one, even if it wasn't for me personally.

Marissa Meyer, the absolute Queen of retellings, has done it again and has given us another wonderous fairytale reimagined!

Gilded is retelling of the German fairytale Rumplestiltskin. When I had first heard the story as a child, I thought that it was so scary and horrifying. Marissa Meyer definitley kept many of the elements of horror. The book follows the fairytale quite exactly and there wasn't alot of original addition to story, but it was still amazing.

As soon as you open the book you're sucked into an emaculately designed world filled with magic, ghosts, curses and mystical creatures. The story flows seemlessly. The characters are both unique and unextrodinary. I loved almost every bit of the book. And as much as I had hoped for a happy story, of course Marissa had to include a devestating ending (even after 5 years, I have still not recovered from Heartless).

I was at the literal edge of my seat during the last few chapters. I cannot believe I have to wait a year for the next book. I'm just hoping it will bring back some joy and a happy ending (PLEASE!)

Marissa Meyer's fairytale retellings are among my favourite YA fantasy books. So, when I heard about her latest creation, Gilded, a Rumpelstiltskin retelling, I couldn't wait to read it.

When Serilda, a miller's daughter, draws the attention of the feared Erlking, she sets off an irreversible chain events by claiming that she can spin straw into gold.

Meyer's Guilded once again combines her wonderful world building, with unforgettable characters, and the thread of traditional fairytale. It's a dark tale, gritty in places, but this, combined with Meyer's signature romantic interests, makes the book all the more enjoyable.

I didn't realise when I ventured into Gilded that it's the first book in a series, but now I cannot wait to continue Meyer's dark and twisty tale.

This is a deeply intricate and layered fairy-tale retelling with a lot of elements and whilst at times it teetered on overwhelming it pulled it together and presented a pretty amazing fantasy book. It was fairly straightforward in terms of plot and pretty much all of the 'surprises' were obvious from the beginning but it worked.

Serilda is a great character. She's complicated and nuanced and has a lot going on but is easy to root for and whilst I did feel like her romantic plotline left something wanting, she was still great. Gild was super sweet but again that whole plotline I felt could have been a little more intense. The children were so lovely and I liked every scene they were in.

The worldbuilding was very strong and explained simply and clearly and complimented the writing style which as always with a Meyer book was consistent and very good.

I think this is the first book I have read that is a retelling of Rumplestikskin and I have to say, it impressed me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

Everything about this book felt like it was made just for me. But I was still disappointed.

The pacing felt... off. The first 60% of the book moved slowly and any scenes between the climactic moments dragged and the climactic moments felt repetitive. I would’ve been happy if we had one less round of spinning straw. The threats were diminished too quickly and easily, and I wasn’t invested in the stakes. My interest picked up somewhere in the 60-80% area, and I was rushed into the finale in a way that felt exciting rather than rushed. Overall, the book just felt far too long, a short fairytale dragged out to over five hundred pages which becomes bland when you’re already familiar with the story. It ends in a way that leads perfectly into a suspected sequel which is also part of the reason why I wished this book was around a hundred pages shorter.

There were also too many scenes for my enjoyment where something exciting happened and then the main character woke up on the next page, leading to me being genuinely confused which of these scenes were really dreams (or nightmares) or if I was just misinterpreting the story. And these dreams were more enthralling than many points of the real plot (see: weird pacing). But, I will accept that this is more a point about me not enjoying this aspect of the genre rather than judging the book too harshly: I didn’t know this aspect about the book before going in.

However, I do really love the god of lies also being the god of stories, even though one of my recent reads had that quote almost word for word, so I did love the plot twist (or maybe just a reveal) at the 90% mark. Storytelling and blurring the lines between truth and lies played a large role in this book and I loved that it was used in a way to further the present plot and also tell the past without having to dip into flashback scenes and other narrators. I also did love Serilda as a character even though I didn’t love the romantic storyline that she ended up falling into. It felt out of place and unnecessary. There was such a sharp contrast between storylines when Serilda’s fighting for her life but her mind is busy thinking about kissing a boy.

Marissa Meyer is back at it again with her magical fairytale retellings. Her latest book is Gilded which is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling.

I dove into this novel without any idea of what was going to happen because I only read about Rumpelstiltskin as a very short story back in grade school and I don’t think I can remember any other element from it aside from the MC asking for his name to be guessed. ?_?

With a little background from the “main” story this was based on, this whole lot of story felt new to me. Did I like it? Yes, I did like parts of it. However, it felt flat for a Marissa Meyer book for me. It did not have the same adventurous feels Meyer had done for her past books. There were too many characters that did not add anything special to the story. The whole point of the story just revolves around Serilda, the Erlking and (few parts) with Gild.

I also find the romance problematic. Serilda is already in love with Gild after 2 or 3 monthly encounters? I don’t want to judge but maybe it was possible to be madly deeply in love with the person who’s always saving your butt. Lol.

Overall, I’d still give this story 3-stars and will still wait for the sequel just to know if the Erlking will have redemption and be the good guy (but that was already done by SJM😂, mybad).

A ​copy of this book was provided to me by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group through Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

I knew I was going to love this the second I heard about it but I didn't know I was going to love it that much. Fairytale retellings are hands down my favorite type of novel and Marissa Meyer has proved once again she is a Queen at writing them. I loved the characters in this one, especially Gild. The plot was thrilling and kept me reading and I found it really hard to put down. And the ending! wow!
I wish I could go back to the beginning and read it all over again and I really doubt it will be long before I find myself doing that.
5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Faber and Faber Ltd for gifting me an earc of this book for an honest review.

I really loved the world that Marrissa Meyer has built, the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin is not an overly well-known one, so I have been really excited to read this.

The world-building was really well done, I always struggle with books if their world-building isn't very good, but I was swept into Gilded with ease and found it really easy to follow. We start with an opening about the Endless Moon - where Serilda's father is able to get a wish from a God. Starting officially with Serilda as a 19 year old, where we are introduced to her everyday normal and the spectacular world-building starts.

I am not going to write any spoilers, but the twists this book takes are phenomenal, you think you know where this book is going to lead you, but you are wrong. The information we get is given at a great pace to keep you guessing but still satisfy your need to know what is going on.

I highly recommend Gilded and honestly, I need book two like now. I have already pre-ordered my copy and am excited to enjoy it all over again soon.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for granting me an Arc of Gilded. This is the first book I've ever read of Marissa Meyer's and I wasn't disappointed. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting but I thought it would be quite lighthearted and I was very wrong. There are some dark scenes that came as a total shock to me, especially towards the end.

Serilda was born with a gift, though most see it as a bad omen. Gifted by the god of storytelling, Serilda wows the children of her village with her elaborate stories, much to the chagrin of the villagers who believe Serilda is a curse on their village. Along with her gift of storytelling Serilda is excellent at telling lies, though this costs her dearly when she tells a lie to none other than the Erlking, the vicious king of the Wild Hunt. Taken from her home the Erlking calls her bluff and demands that she spin gold from straw or else face death and the death of her father. Resigned to her fate she's saved by a mysterious boy known only as Gild.

As the months go by, the pair find themselves drawn closer and closer together and Serilda is faced with choices that will change her life forever.

Many thanks to netgalley/author/publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

This was a wonderful read and I am so excited for the release date!

Marissa did an amazing job (as per) with this wonderful retelling. It had everything a “fairytale” should have.. ghosts, goblins, fairies, villains and hero’s and I am 100% here for it.

The world building in this book was also incredible and the descriptions of Adalheid Castle, the town, the forest made it so easy to envision the world.

Eagerly awaiting the release so I can re read!

Thank you Netgalley and Faber and Faber for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Gilded is a Rumplestilskin retelling by Marissa Meyer. Serilda has been blessed/cursed with the ability to weave the most marvellous story's that she entertains children with. However, this ability has caused more harm than good and brings her the attention of the Erlking.

Serilda as the main character is OK. She does have a good neck for engaging her mouth before her brain and ends up in situations, not like any other. In her defence who hasn't been guilty of doing this on occasion. The Erlking as a villain I thought was a bit meh, yes he did terrible things however he seems rather lacking.

The romance in this was also lacking for me. Two kisses and a night on the sofa and boom plot twist.

Although this book did start super slow I did find myself carrying on because I wanted to see how serilda made it through each of the full moons.

This wasn't on the level of The Lunar Chronicles but I will find myself reading book two.

I was sent a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles so I was very excited to read the first book in her newest series, Gilded. This is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling but with the addition of more mythology and fairy tales.

The book follows the wonderful Serilda, who is shunned by her village, who believe her black and gold eyes to be a sign of bad luck. When her lies get her into trouble and she is taken by the Erlking and asked to spin gold, she meets the mysterious Gild who offers to help her in exchange for something...

I really enjoyed this book overall. The characters were all so realistic and I absolutely loved Serilda's relationship to the children in her village; Gild was funny and intriguing; and the mystery behind everything kept me turning the page. I did guess the mystery pretty early on and some story beats were predictable but that was partly due to the nature of having heard the original tale so many times before.

Serilda was such a strong character and I actually really loved her ability to lie herself out of dangerous situations, and it was done without making the character feel unlikable.

I'm definitely interested in picking up the sequel which I feel will be more interesting since it will be less of a retelling and more of a conclusion to the story!