Book Review – Cursed by Marissa Meyer

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Cursed (Gilded, #2) by Marissa Meyer
Narrator: Rebecca Soler
Series: Gilded, #2, #2
Published by Feiwel & Friends on November 8, 2022
Length: 16 hrs and 29 mins
Genres: Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy, Fantasy & Magic, Retelling, Young Adult
Pages: 496
Format: Audiobook
Goodreads

Serilda and Gild attempt to break the curses that tether their spirits to Adalheid's haunted castle before the Endless Moon, when the Erlking means to capture one of the seven gods and make a wish to return his lover, Perchta, from the underworld. But as the story progresses, it becomes clear he doesn't want just one god - he wants to capture all seven, and force them to bring down the veil that keeps the Dark Ones separate from the land of the mortals. Serilda and Gild must try to thwart his plans, all while solving the mystery of Gild's forgotten name, freeing his younger sister who is trapped inside Gravenstone Castle, and trying to protect their unborn child.

---

This month, Julie and I actually listened to the same book! We wanted to finish out the GILDED duology! So in celebration, here’s our joint review of the audiobook of CURSED (Gilded #2) by Marissa Meyer.

If you want to read our review of GILDED, check it out here!

 

---

Julie’s Review:

I really enjoyed Gilded, but Cursed was mostly underwhelming. I love how this author has a unique take on fairy tales and spins them up in a wild new story. But this excitement and interest seems to wane after the first book. I loved Heartless, and it was a standalone perfection. I thought the Lunar Chronicles were too long, the first book being amazing, the middle books getting kinda so-so before the finale was amazing again. I expected this two-book-only series to be perfection since we have little room for getting muddled up in the middle books. But this second book felt like the second book in a trilogy, except for the last couple of hours.

Serilda annoyed me through most of the book, so much self-sacrifice for everyone else that it was too much. She was willing to sacrifice her own happiness, her own legacy, and all the important things she needed to accomplish, time and time again. And she keeps making such dumb decisions! Decisions that feed right into the Erlking’s plans. But her drive to save everyone was admirable, and in the end was what gave us a happyish ending.

I will say I am satisfied with the way it wrapped up. I was about to be very heartbroken after that almost ending.

My favorite part was all the storytelling. All the stories of the gods and their connection to their humans, all the intricately woven tales like tapestries that are almost a character themselves in Cursed.

My next favorite? The audio narration. I love Rebecca Soler and all the books I have listened to with her as the narrator. She does all the voices and accents so perfectly.

I’ve always liked Gild, and unlike Lynn, I don’t see Gold from OUAT. He stands alone here.

I agree with Lynn on the 3.5 star rating. I liked it overall, but had a really hard time getting into this one. I kept putting it down and forgetting I was reading it. Until I finally got into it, then I finished it quickly.

---

Lynn’s Review:

I was even less blown away by CURSED than GILDED. Honestly, by the end, I didn’t even care if there was a happily ever after.

Let’s break it down:

• Gild is absent for a lot of the book. His humor and antics were definitely missed by me.
• Serilda spends 3/4 of the book wringing her hands & worrying. About the children. Who are already dead. About her unborn child. About saving the ghosts. So much hand-wringing. Even the children have better sense than Serilda sometimes!
• Every decision or action Serilda takes ends up in a catastrophe for herself and others. Except for the Erlking. He definitely benefits from Serilda’s naivety.
• Ms. Meyer’s writing is as descriptive and lyrical as usual. But I found most of the surprise plot twists predictable.
• Once the action picks up in the last 1/4 of the book, I was slightly more engaged. But only slightly.
• There are a lot of unanswered questions about the world building that niggled at me. How did Serilda even become pregnant when Gild is a spirit? Why do spirits need to eat or sleep? Generally, I’m fine with not knowing all the details. But because I was bored with the plot, the missing details were all I could think about.
• On the positive side, the Erlking gives off Kirigan\Ben Barnes vibes from SHADOW AND BONE. A bit flirty. A bit scary. Definitely a liar. I didn’t know if I wanted to root for he and Serilda to make a go of their sham marriage or not. I suppose at least I got Gold\Rumple’s face out of my head this time!

via GIPHY

Who else is excited for the new season of SHADOW AND BONE!

I’m calling CURSED 3.5 Stars.

---

Subscribe to Chapter Break posts.