Book Review – Gilded by Marissa Meyer

Gilded (Gilded, #1) by Marissa Meyer
Narrator: Rebecca Soler
Series: Gilded #1
Published by Feiwel and Friends on November 2, 2021
Length: 15 Hours 33 Minutes
Genres: Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy, Retelling, Young Adult
Pages: 502
Format: Audiobook
Goodreads

Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author, returns to the fairytale world with this haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.
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.
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.

This month, Julie and I actually listened to the same book! So in celebration, here’s our joint review of GILDED by Marissa Meyer.

 

 

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Julie’s Review:

AHHHH! Why did this have to end! No I need the next book now!

Ok let’s back up. I’m in a solid 4+ rating on this one. The Rumplestilskin fairy tale wasn’t a favorite of mine, but this retelling is one of my favorites from Marissa Meyer. I loved her Lunar Chronicles overall, but had some mixed feelings over 2 of the books (but the 5 novel + novallas series is a must read!). Her Queen of Hearts story was very good (and thankfully standalone), and this one even better. I love the storytelling style Marissa Meyer has, and even more loved the stories within the story here.

I will say I didn’t get a good feel for how to picture Gild in my mind, I’d love some illustrations. Serilda is a great protagonist. She definitely has a strong moral compass and just wants to do the right thing even if she’s a tale spinner and has a liar’s gift. But is it all lies? I want to know if she can pull the truth into a story without realizing, or perhaps if she can control the outcome by telling a story. Please tell me more in the next book!

I enjoyed the easy friendly banter between Gild and Serilda, their growing need for understanding and each other. Knowing the story of the “first born” being used as payment for spinning straw into gold, some of the turns of events in the book were not a surprise. But some, oh wow. The Erlking and his never-ending cruelty, the threats and ultimatums. I love the darkness in the stories, the Grimm’s fairy tale feel of everything. This draws me in and makes me want to keep reading (or listening in this case). I love that. I need more stories that pull me in and keep me there.

Just when I felt like I was getting to know Serlida so well and understanding her abilities, just as we get all the juicy bombshells, we have to stop and wait for the second book. And I’m thankful it comes out in just a few months and this is a duology. This means the next book will answer all my questions soon.

Let’s next talk about the audiobook since we both listened to this one. I love Rebecca Soler. Love her! I’ve read a lot of Marissa Meyer’s book and most of them were via audio. I’ve come to really connect with Rebecca Soler’s voices and her great narration helps move the story faster and build excitement.

Anyway now I’ll be waiting for the next book because I want to know how the curse will be broken, or if our fun characters will forever be trapped by the Erlking.

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Lynn’s Review:

Let’s start with the good stuff – the rating right away! I’m going with somewhere between 4 and 5 Stars. I enjoyed it. But wasn’t blown away. I also can’t really pinpoint issues, other than I kept picturing Gild as Gold\Rumple from Once Upon a Time. And after that picture stuck in my head, it was difficult to erase! No matter how attractive Gild in the novel might have been. So 4 stars it is.

via GIPHY

I really enjoyed the fairy tale vibe going on in GILDED. Serilda weaves some great stories. Some were cute. Some were scary. This novel has the German fairy tale vibe down. (Not sure what that is? How about this helpful info from Mr. Gaiman!) I’m not going to attempt to spell any of the creature names, but let’s just say a chandelier taking a bite out of your shoulder certainly gets my attention.

Honestly, I don’t have a lot of recollection on the actual Rumpelstiltskin story, other than the general gold spinning & what’s his name mystery. Julie reminded me about the baby part of the original tale. And by golly, does that part of the story come into play at the end of GILDED! Given my lack of memory, I think this novel, like Ms. Meyer’s other retellings, offers a fresh look at the fairy tales, with enough twists and turns to keep me interested. I appreciated the plot point of the real world and the undead world only being able to cross at the full moon. This moves the plotline forward at a rapid pace. 

As for the characters, they are richly developed and fully formed. The Erlking makes an excellent villain. And his cast of ghosts and ghouls are equally as delicious. Gild is more of a mystery, which I think is the whole point of the novel. 

Ms. Soler does an excellent job with the narration (see the above mention of creature names!). And thankfully it’s been awhile since listening to the CINDER series, so I didn’t have those character voices stuck in my head while listening. Overall, enjoyed this listen, and I’m looking forward to discovering the conclusion in CURSED. 

Personal Side Note: Totally forgot that Jamie Dornan was in OUAT for a short amount of time. Might need a rewatch party! Obligatory Captain Hook GIF! 

via GIPHY

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