This was a good story but not one that wowed me or made me desperate to find out what happened in the next chapter. I found it a bit predictable if I’m honest. But it was an easy read.

Apologies for the late review.

I really enjoyed this book. It gives a proper fairytale vibe throughout and the rumpelstiltskin retelling was just perfect!

I have since picked up several more Marissa Meyer books and have loved every one of them.

I’ve been a huge fan of Marissa Meyer for a long while, ever since I read and adored The Lunar Chronicles years ago. Since then, I’ve bought her books as soon as they released but for some reason Gilded sat there unread for a number of years. While trying to clear out some of my audiobooks, I decided to read the audio edition of this one. I am so glad that I finally picked this up as I absolutely loved every moment of it.

Gilded follows the story of Serilda, a poor miller’s daughter with a penchant for telling stories. She is favoured in her village by the children as they love hearing her stories. However, when one of her particularly tall tales, catches the attention of the evil Erlking, he kidnaps her expecting her to spin straw into gold. If she doesn’t… he will kill her. Enter, Gild. A handsome poltergeist who just so happens to be able to spin straw into god and… well… you know the tale! This is a super faithful adaptation of the Rumplstiltskin tale… only add up the sinister evil characters and the creep factor. I remember absolutely loving the Rumplestiltskin tale as a kid and so to see this retelling sticking really close to the tale was a definite plus for me. I love retellings but 99% of retellings stray away from the source material significantly, whereas with this one I found that Marissa stayed true to every aspect of the original fairytale, while adding more backstory and lore around that. That’s what has made this one of my favourite retellings of all time.

Marissa Meyer’s writing is super addictive. Right from the very first word, I was completely obsessed and taken away on a journey by this book. I couldn’t stop reading (or in my case listening). I was loving every word and couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen. I love how she added a ghostly twist to this tale, which made it even more high stakes than the original fairytale. She has just cemented herself as one of my favourite authors, and I will pick up anything that this woman writes.

Gilded was such a fantastic book. It was fun, action packed and had a hint of romance along the way. I feel like this book was really overshadowed by another similar titled book that released at a similar time, and it is honestly a shame because this book is everything! It’s absolutely fantastic and despite me not being a binge reader of series, I will be going straight into the next book of this duology as I cannot wait to see what happens. If you’re a fan of some good fairytale retellings then I urge you not to miss out on this one. I loved every single moment. Fantastic start to what I’m sure is going to be a phenomenal series.

A great retelling. I love retelling and how this author reimagined this story was great. I can not wait for more from this story.

I love a fairy tale and this one had that proper fairy tale feel . I found that it felt original even though it was retelling as there was so much more to this than the original Rumpelstiltskin. A great fairy tale to retell too as it’s not done enough.
Serilda is a great main character and I really enjoyed the setting.
I’m really looking forward to finding out how this story is going to end.

I love a retelling and this book is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I found it took me a little while to get into the story but this could be because I was in the middle of a reading slump. I loved the writing style of this book and gosh that ending!! I cannot wait to pick up the next book. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

There isn't a single thing that I could love more than Marissa Meyer's writing style and I loved this just as much as I loved the Lunar Chronicles.

This was way too long and rambling to be a new favourite unfortunately, and while I love a fantasy retelling, I found Gilded to be a little too saturated with characters too - none of whom I felt I really got to know. I also didn't like the romance at all. It felt forced, at odds with the story, and felt a little pigeonholed by the plot. And the pacing, as a result of all this is really slow.

Too long and convoluted for me, but I'd certainly try more from Meyer. I've enjoyed her retellings in the past, and she is an incredible writer, but this just didn't work.

I wasn't sure how I was going to enjoy this one, I found it quite slow and hard to really get into but the ending definitely got me hooked enough to carry on and read the sequel to find out how it's all going to wrap up as I am most definitely invested in finding out what's happening with Gild but hoping I'll enjoy it more than this one.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I no longer have an interest in reviewing this title but would like to thank the publisher and author for the opportunity, it is now far past the publication and archive date. I have awarded 3 stars to keep this review neutral.

Another great book from a great author. Great story, kept me instested throught, great characters and looking forward to reading the next instalment.

2.5 stars

Serilda is a miller's daughter and lives in a small town where her unusual eyes have always marked her as something other, something to be wary of.
When Serilda crosses paths with the ruthless Erlking, she is drawn into a dangerous world of ghosts and dark creatures.
The Erlking orders Serilda to spin straw into gold - an ability she told the Erlking she has, but lied about. If Serilda fails, she will die. Luckily, a young man appears, able to help, but he needs something from Serilda in return.
Can Serilda escape from the Erlking?

As a fan of the author's previous novels, and being intrigued by the Rumpelstiltskin-retelling aspect of this book, I was intrigued to read it.
Serilda was a likeable and relatable protagonist. As someone who was treated like a curse because of her eyes, Serilda didn't really have any friends, and I felt sorry for her. I liked her relationship with the school children she told stories to.
Gild and the Erlking were were both interesting characters.
The setting and lore in the book were interesting and I liked finding out more about them.
The plot was enjoyable to begin with, and the author did a good job of setting the story up, but after a while the plot became a bit repetitive and dragged for me. I felt that the book could have been a lot
shorter, and because I did lose interest and was not very invested in what happened, I was not shocked by certain events that happened.
At the moment, I am not planning to read the sequel, and am disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall, this was a mixed read.

2 1/2 stars

The middle of the book was a real slog. I loved the idea but the execution was not brilliant, and the book is far too long. No chemistry with the romance, and there were too many other things going on to invest in the romance.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. I was looking forward to reading this due to the interesting synopsis. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. It read a little to young for my personal taste due to the characters. I still highly recommend this due to the interesting plot and world!

Gilded

Cursed by the God of Lies Serilda a Miller's daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories fantastical stories that are entirely untrue ... Well that's what everyone believes.

This story is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I love a retelling and this did not disappoint. This book was heartbreaking but such a beautifuly written story. The magical world building was just brilliant. It was a little slow to start but the last 150 pages I just couldn't stop reading. That ending! What a cluffhanger I can't wait to pick up the next book to continue this story

Thank you to Netgalley, Faber and Faber LTD and Marissa Meyer for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

Although this had an enjoyable premise unfortunately I couldn't stand the characters. It aimed for whimsical but came across as childish, and I had to give up halfway through the book.

While I wanted to love it, I unfortunately just didn’t find myself pulled into this book and did end up DNF’ing it. I’d say it just isn’t for me.

I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read the next book. I used to love the story of Rumplestiltskin as a child and this YA version does not disappoint at all. A fantastic retelling of a fairy tale with some great twists and turns.

This was an absolutely brilliant fantasy retelling and I adored it from start to finish, very well written with fantastic world building and engaging the whole way through