Gilded

Marissa Meyer

Nov 2021 · Gilded Duology Book 1 · Sold by Feiwel & Friends

About this ebook

In Gilded, #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer returns to the fairytale world with this haunting tale.

Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller's daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.

Or so everyone believes.

When one of Serilda's outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her... for a price. Love isn't meant to be part of the bargain.

Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.

Ratings and reviews

Marissa Meyer is the queen when it comes to fairytale retellings and Gilded is no exception. I absolutely LOVED the story and the plot twist at the end really had me jumping around and yelling silently at 4am (flashbacks to my experience reading Heartless). I'm so excited for the sequel to come out towards the end of the year..

This one was SO good! It hooked me from the very first page, and despite saying I'd take my time with it, I binged the first 400 pages in a day. I was slightly disappointed with the ending, but that's my fault. I totally thought this was a standalone, so the cliffhanger killed me. If I had to choose one thing to love about this, it would be the subtle developments. From the very beginning, ideas are repeated, but they seem so unimportant. You skim over them, thinking they're just filler info. But by the end, those ideas have combined into the most beautiful story. Everything developed so slowly and in the most perfect way. Another thing I really loved was Serilda's magic. It wasn't overpowered, it was barely even helpful. It was woven so brilliantly though. Even it's origin story was done super well. It was just as captivating as the actual story, and I would've gladly read a full length book about it. It was yet another thing that developed slowly into something amazing, and although I suspected there was more to the picture, i had no idea what was coming And finally, I loved the relationship between Gild and Serilda. Yes, it was insta-love, something I normally hate. But this time, it was done so well! Their relationship was so tender and loving. They were everything I want from a romance, and what I eventually want for myself. It was adorable, and I hope it's explored even more in the next book I had no idea what to expect from this one, but I really loved it! I kinda hate that I read it now when there's such a long wait for the sequel, but at least I've read it. Now just gotta wait a year. Thanks to BookishFirst for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Oh my! This is so much more than a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin! It is chockful of other stories and combines them all into a great tale, courtesy of the gift that Serilda has from the good of stories and lies. From the Erlking to moss maidens and tatzelwurms and many other creatures, nightmares, and magic beings. Like the little children that Serilda helps out with at the school, I thoroughly enjoyed the stories that she told them, even if some of them were quite dark. It matches the setting of the world though and what happens to Serilda due to one lie she told to the Erlking to save a couple moss maidens. The story that gets revealed as she is taken to the Erlking's castle to spin straw into gold is also quite good. And I much prefer Gild, the poltergeist over the traditional Rumpelstiltskin character. It opens up so many more possibilities with his character and makes him much more rounded. Be warned however, it may be a good, long story with over 500 pages of excitement and danger and sadness, but sadly it ends in a cliffhanger of massive proportions and you will definitely need the next book now! I know I do.

About the author

Marissa Meyer is the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles series, the New York Times-bestselling Renegades trilogy, as well as the graphic novel Wires and Nerve: Vol. 1 and 2, and The Lunar Chronicles Coloring Book. Her first stand alone novel, Heartless, was also a #1 New York Times bestseller. She lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and their two daughters.