I absolutely adored the lunar chronicles by Marissa Meyer so when I got my hands on Gilded I was EXCITED! Meyer always does such wonderful twists on fairy-tale retellings, so let me tell you when I saw that this was going to be a Rumpelstiltskin one I was very intrigued.

Firstly the story itself - Serilda, the millers daughter, cursed by the gods of lies on her birth LOVES to spin a tale, however her stories often end getting her into trouble. Trouble such as catching the attention of the deadly Erlking where because of her tall tales finds herself subject to his wills as she promises him she can spin straw into gold...

The characters - I really liked Serilda, she was witty and caring, her banter with all the characters was wonderful and made me laugh out loud on occasion. Gild the male MC was very sweet but you didn't have that much time to warm to him completely, despite this I enjoyed them both together.

I will admit I read this entire book in pretty much one sitting as I couldn't stop myself, I just wanted to know so badly what happened next! HOWEVER, without giving too much away, sadly one of my MOST HATED tropes popped up towards the end and I have now completely lost interest in reading the sequel, which is a shame, as up until the last 5 or 6 chapters I would have jumped at the next one and held this as a 4/5 read.

Overall - 3 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will always read Marissa Meyer's books. I adore her writing style and she's the queen of fairytale retellings.

I was nervous going into this one, like I always am when a favourite author comes out with a new book however I had no reason to be nervous. I thoroughly enjoyed Gilded and cannot wait for the next and final book in this duology!

Whilst I don't know too much about Rumpelstiltskin it didn't stop me from becoming fully invested in this story and our main characters journey.

I really do recommend picking this one up if you love a good retelling!

I was massively disappointed by Gilded. I'm loving retellings of fairytales at the moment, and had high hopes, but the book dragged and the romance didn't grip me at all.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

A retelling of Rumpelstiltskin with some Scheherezade thrown into the mix. I found it a little hard to get into, but persevered and it kept me occupied and entertained me.

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.