Gilded by Marissa Meyer Book Review

 

Title: Gilded
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publish Date: November 2nd, 2021
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review!

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. 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.

Penelope's Review

Marissa Meyer truly has a gift when it comes to reimagining the classics. I've never read a Rumpelstiltskin re-telling so I was beyond excited when I heard about this book. I was pleasantly surprised with the direction Ms. Meyer took this story, and loved the addition of the Erlking and the Hunt. 

Serilda is the miller's daughter, touched long ago by Wyrdith, the god of stories, fortune, lies... and left with golden-wheeled eyes and an ability to spin stories that the children love but the adults shun her for. One night, in an encounter with the evil Erlking and his wild hunt, she tells a story about her ability to spin straw into gold. The Erlking is intrigued, which is most unfortunate for Serilda. He orders her to spin straw into gold for him in exchange for her life. With no one to turn to, Serilda is desperate. And then comes a boy. For a price, he will spin the straw into gold for her, and save her life.

This tale takes so many surprising turns, there's never a moment for boredom. Marissa Meyer has this fantastic ability to spin magic into every word and make you feel like you're right there in the story with her characters. I loved the creepy, dark aspects in this story, the tales of murder and entrapment. And yet, in the midst of all the darkness, I was hoping beyond hope for a happy ending for Serilda and Gild. Love and romance when all seems impossible and hopeless is just my kind of story. I'm looking forward to the second book in this duology - I can't wait to see what becomes of all these characters!

Rating: 4/5 Devils!