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

ꜱᴏ DANG ᴇɴᴛɪᴄɪɴɢ, ɪ'ᴍ ʜᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ!!! Let me tell you, this book is something that I didn't know that I needed in my life. I've always loved retelling of old stories, fairytales, and or history. The book cover only feeds my internal desire to bite into this series and suck out as much info as I can until my hunger for amazing writing of a book is squelched. Just from reading the first paragraph I'm already in love with the introduction of the iconic Madam Sauer. The mention of pettiness, and a women together has me in a choke-hold of judgment and wonder, but a women being assertive and selfish has me bubbling in laughter. Women mentioned in the same sentence of spirits and moons makes me THAT MUCH MORE interested. On to what could she have done to have been perceived that way by others. Too pretty? Too rich? Too confident? Or maybe too perfect as she is, and charismatically so, put in the category that any patriarchal system tries to fool & put down women manipulatively. Even though witch's are truly amazing, empowering & mystical in real life. This book sounds promising and very interesting. I can't wait to finish reading the rest of the sneak peak and after the whole book. I'm truly wondering how everything is going to play out. Can't wait to read on!!

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.

Gilded by Marissa Meyer is an amazing fairy tale retelling that will appeal to fans of Little Thieves or Six Crimson Cranes. The story revolves around Serilda, a young woman whose only talent is spinning tales. One day, she tells the dark Erlking that she can spin straw into gold. Soon, she's kidnapped and given a night to do just that. Desperate, she makes a deal with a mysterious boy, and he grants her wish of spinning the straw into gold. Will Serilda be able to keep up the charade for the Erlking? Who is the mysterious boy who came to her aid? And will their deal turn into something more? Here is an enchanting excerpt from Chapter 2, which establishes the setting: "Serilda drew her cloak tight as she left the schoolhouse. There was still an hour of daylight— plenty of time to get home to the mill— but this winter had been colder than any she could remember, with snow nearly to her knees and dangerous patches of ice where wagon wheels had cut slushy grooves along the roads. The wetness was sure to have soaked through her boots and into her stockings long before she got home, and she was dreading the misery of it just as much as she was looking forward to the fire her father would have started in the hearth and the bowl of steaming broth she would drink while she warmed her toes. These midwinter walks home from the school were the only times Serilda wished they didn’t live quite so far outside of town. Bracing herself against the cold, she pulled up the hood and surged forward. Head lowered, arms crossed, pace as quick as she would allow while trying not to slip on the treacherous ice lurking under the most recent layer of feather-soft snow. The crisp air mingled with the smell of wood smoke from nearby chimneys. ... The world was full of small enchantments, when one was willing to look for them. And Serilda was always looking." Overall, Gilded is a great YA fantasy and the first in a new series for a famous author. I wasn't aware that it was the first in a series, but after that cliffhanger, I added the second book to my TBR right away. One highlight of this book is the magical, old-timey, German-ish setting of the book. I thought it was the perfect setting for the mystery and fairy-tale nature of the plot. If I had to complain about one thing, I would say that the first half of the book is pretty slow. I was satisfied with the romance, action, and twists in the last quarter of the book though. I can't wait for the sequel! If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy, you won't regret checking out this book, which is available now!

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.