Gilded (Gilded Duology, 1)
In Gilded, #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer (Cinder; Heartless) 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.
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Community Reviews
I came for a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. I stayed for the lies, the curses, the undead hunt, and the general sense that absolutely no one here is having a good time—including me, emotionally. Thanks a lot, Marissa Meyer.
Serilda is a protagonist whose main personality trait is lying so beautifully it becomes an art form, which honestly felt relatable. Girl cannot stop spinning stories, gets cursed by a god of lies (rude), and then accidentally catches the attention of the Erlking, who runs a ghostly murder parade and has zero tolerance for whimsy. Naturally, this leads to straw-to-gold ultimatums and a “helpful” mysterious boy who absolutely does not come with emotional fine print. (He does. It’s a lot.)
The atmosphere is DARK dark. Grimm dark. “Do you need a blanket and a candle?” dark. The castle is creepy, the magic has rules that hurt my feelings, and the stakes are permanently set to panic. And yet—somehow—it’s also witty, clever, and weirdly tender. Meyer balances horror and heart like she has a color-coded spreadsheet for emotional devastation.
The twists are sharp, the folklore elements are deliciously eerie, and the themes about truth, stories, and survival hit way harder than expected for a book that started with “once upon a time.”
Serilda is a protagonist whose main personality trait is lying so beautifully it becomes an art form, which honestly felt relatable. Girl cannot stop spinning stories, gets cursed by a god of lies (rude), and then accidentally catches the attention of the Erlking, who runs a ghostly murder parade and has zero tolerance for whimsy. Naturally, this leads to straw-to-gold ultimatums and a “helpful” mysterious boy who absolutely does not come with emotional fine print. (He does. It’s a lot.)
The atmosphere is DARK dark. Grimm dark. “Do you need a blanket and a candle?” dark. The castle is creepy, the magic has rules that hurt my feelings, and the stakes are permanently set to panic. And yet—somehow—it’s also witty, clever, and weirdly tender. Meyer balances horror and heart like she has a color-coded spreadsheet for emotional devastation.
The twists are sharp, the folklore elements are deliciously eerie, and the themes about truth, stories, and survival hit way harder than expected for a book that started with “once upon a time.”
A retelling of the rumpelstiltskin tale. I chose this book because I needed a retelling for my 2022 reading challenge. I didn't have high hopes, and almost gave up on it early on because the lies were causing me anxiety, but I got over that quickly and I'm so glad that I did. I really enjoyed this story. The only negative for me is that I didn't realize it was a two parter and that #2 doesn't come out until November.
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
Gilded is another masterful tale by the brilliant Marissa Meyer that delves into the creases of storytelling, bringing Serilda to life and the dangerous Erlking of the Wild Hunt.
Masterful Storytelling
Meyer has done it yet again. As a massive fan of her Lunar Chronicles and forever heartbroken by Heartless, I expected nothing but something spectacular from Gilded.
My expectations were high.
I was not disappointed.
Meyer is retelling the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. But in her own brilliant way. This is much darker than Heartless, but it doesn’t begin that way. Instead, Meyer builds the plot, raising the tension and creating a dark and gothic atmosphere. At times I felt as though I was reading a Grimm fairy tale.
Serilda is blessed by the god of stories and lies. Through this, we see her weaving together a fantastic story within a story. The tone takes the reader’s breath away without breaking the pace of the storytelling. The transitions between the main story and her stories are seamless. And as the plot thickens, those snippets that Serilda told become increasingly important.
They are more than just stories, masterfully adding to the overall plot, allowing the plot twist at the end to catch the reader off guard.
Characterization
Those stories also worked to build up Serilda’s voice.
Serilda is a wonderful character. She has her sorrows, yet she finds the strength to continue. She finds the light in the situation, the hope, when all it seems like is despair. I love her resilience and her sharp tongue. Her cleverness is as well.
The way she grows and changes throughout the story allows the reader to connect to her. Not only does her voice jump off the pages, but her personality shines. I loved her dynamic with her father, the townspeople, the children, and most importantly, Gild.
Theirs is a soft burning romance. Two characters, drawn together out of loneliness, form a friendship that blossoms into a wonderful romance.
Final Thoughts
Gilded once again highlights Meyer’s prowess in writing and natural talent for storytelling.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Dark and enchanting, Gilded respins the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, capturing the reader with masterful storytelling, mystery, and a hint of romance.
Gilded is another masterful tale by the brilliant Marissa Meyer that delves into the creases of storytelling, bringing Serilda to life and the dangerous Erlking of the Wild Hunt.
Masterful Storytelling
Meyer has done it yet again. As a massive fan of her Lunar Chronicles and forever heartbroken by Heartless, I expected nothing but something spectacular from Gilded.
My expectations were high.
I was not disappointed.
Meyer is retelling the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. But in her own brilliant way. This is much darker than Heartless, but it doesn’t begin that way. Instead, Meyer builds the plot, raising the tension and creating a dark and gothic atmosphere. At times I felt as though I was reading a Grimm fairy tale.
Serilda is blessed by the god of stories and lies. Through this, we see her weaving together a fantastic story within a story. The tone takes the reader’s breath away without breaking the pace of the storytelling. The transitions between the main story and her stories are seamless. And as the plot thickens, those snippets that Serilda told become increasingly important.
They are more than just stories, masterfully adding to the overall plot, allowing the plot twist at the end to catch the reader off guard.
Characterization
Those stories also worked to build up Serilda’s voice.
Serilda is a wonderful character. She has her sorrows, yet she finds the strength to continue. She finds the light in the situation, the hope, when all it seems like is despair. I love her resilience and her sharp tongue. Her cleverness is as well.
The way she grows and changes throughout the story allows the reader to connect to her. Not only does her voice jump off the pages, but her personality shines. I loved her dynamic with her father, the townspeople, the children, and most importantly, Gild.
Theirs is a soft burning romance. Two characters, drawn together out of loneliness, form a friendship that blossoms into a wonderful romance.
Final Thoughts
Gilded once again highlights Meyer’s prowess in writing and natural talent for storytelling.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
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