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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Published Nov 2, 2021

512 pages

Average rating: 7.77

39 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Cyn's Workshop
Aug 20, 2025
8/10 stars
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop

Dark and enchanting, Gilded respins the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, capturing the reader with masterful storytelling, mystery, and a hint of romance.


description

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.

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Hayden Mattick
Nov 18, 2024
8/10 stars
4.5, I really enjoyed this book, I just think it was a little slow at the beginning and could have been a bit shorter. Didn't realize this was a duology but I guess I'll roll with it
Shahna
Jul 18, 2024
8/10 stars
I've made the mistake of reading other reviews and maybe I'm staring it too high.
But I liked it. It is probably a little too long. And the ghost sex was weird.
Whatevs.
margardenlady
Dec 27, 2023
8/10 stars
High fantasy duology. And part 1 is a cliffhanger. Ugh. On the bright side, this story of magic and ghosts acting in conjunction with the moon is compelling and well written. Serilda is a young woman with an unappreciated gift for story telling, except by the children of her village. Her stories help her in and out of trouble throughout the story.
Cozy-Becca
Oct 23, 2023
8/10 stars
I gave this book a 5/5 when I first read it, but looking back, I don't know why I did. Really thinking about the plot I was kind of lost in some places and certain things don't make sense, but I still liked in general. I just wanted to lower the rating a bit after really thinking about it

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