Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

What an interesting take on a fantasy retelling. I think it was longer than it needed to be, and the romantic chemistry was a little weird. I didn't realize that it was a sequel so I think I was missing some things- but I'd try more books from this author!

Gilded was such a perfect fairy tale. Serilda is such a great main character. And the german setting gave beautiful images of the towns. Marissa meyer is one of my favorite ya authors ever, the audio book is amazing as well.

I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this sampler down and purchased the book as soon as it was published! I highly recommend this series if you want a fun read with many twists and turns!

I only got a sampler from Netgalley, but it was enough to know my students will love this Rumplestiltskin retelling.

Marissa Meyer has been a favorite of mine since I was a teenager and reading her Lunar Chronical series. The world building is always top notch, characters are always believable and she always keeps you engaged until the end. After reading the sampler of Gilded, I have every expectation that this one will be no different.

I've long been curious about Marissa Meyer's books because she is so popular, so I was happy to get access to this review copy. I love the idea of updating the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale. Overall, I enjoyed this, although I didn't think that the writing was all that great.

This is a spin off of the traditional Rumplestiltskin story. I was very hesitant with this book because I've never been a fan of Rumplestiltskin but I'm a huge Marissa Meyer fan. I think she did a good job in retelling this story and it's not quite as macabre as the original. However, this one didn't hit the mark for me. I felt it was too long for the story being told and at times a little redundant. However, it was entertaining overall.

I can't wait to read this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this amazing sample!
I loved The Lunar Chronicles and I will read any book that Marissa Meyer writes!

Not quite what I was expecting. I didn't know this was part of a series. I don't think that was mentioned in the promotion or I wouldn't have requested it. The premise (a fairy-tale retelling) is intriguing. Nice setting in a German village with a castle, ghosts, witches, monsters and a magical forest. The main character was surprisingly likable. But the middle was slow, there was way too much repetition, and overall the book was way too long and should have been trimmed by 1/3. The dialog felt "off" at times, wavering in and out between old-speak and modern. The romance didn't work; I didn't feel any chemistry between the characters. With trimming and addressing these issues in another draft it might have worked better.

The book starts out pretty average, about halfway through it begins to really pick up. This is in a large part due to Gild and Serilda's relationship. The only critique to be offered about them is that there could've been more scenes between the two of them that led to the buildup of their relationship. Characters are well developed and the twist at the end was a big surprise. A nice coupling of fae mythology and the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin.

3.5/5 Stars

This was an extremely engaging read. The premise is very interesting and Meyer does a fabulous job of setting up the world and getting the reader interested. As this is a sampler, I was upset when I reached the end and have already made a plan to purchase the book so I can continue with the story.

Dark and haunting. A masterfully woven tale of a seemingly cursed girl, a fae king, and a lot of blood shed. Gilded was a truly wonderful take on Rumpelstiltskin with a cliff hanger I didn't expect.

I love this contemporary spin on the story of Rumpelstiltskin. I will be using this in my classroom when we work on our standard regarding classic stories being modernized. Loved this one!

A haunted retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, I really wanted to love this book because who doesn't love Marissa Meyer? I also really love Rumpelstiltskin so I can't believe this book was so hard for me to read.

Marissa Meyer is an absolute gem of a writer. I read a sample, but in the little bit I was able to read, Serilda was a strong MC with great plot potential.

I adored Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles, but I didn’t really enjoy Renegades, so I didn’t know what to expect from this novel. But fairytale retellings are my weakness, and I’m so glad I gave this book a chance. It’s an interesting and unique take on the Rumpelstiltskin story. Reader beware - this isn’t your average fluffy sanitized fairytale. Instead, this novel is very much an homage to Brothers Grimm, and it gets quite dark and even gruesome at times. But I loved this return to the darker European fairytale lore. With that ending, I cannot wait for the second book!

I am already so in love with this prince.

So, despite not really having any plot twists (I’d argue they exist, but that they were fairly easy for me to guess) and existing as a fairly predictable story overall, this tale is everything to me. There’s so much heart to every step of the main character’s journey and an amazing amount of depth to the experiences within.

I can only aspire to be as amazing at retellings as the Queen, Marissa Meyer. What an emotional rollercoaster.

I’m not sure I’ll survive the wait for book two.

*Will be posted on September 14th

This was a book I was super excited to read! I read the author's Lunar Chronicles series and enjoyed it though I wasn't super in love with it. But Gilded? I was hooked! It was such a great read that I'm a little bummed it's only a duology, but I can deal with it, haha!

I really love how well the author captured that fairytale quality. Not just in the overall tone of the story, but in Serilda's own storytelling. It was so well done and instantly sucked me into the story. It begins with Serilda capturing the attention of the Erlking (always a big no-no in any fairy book lol). She's taken to a castle and forced to spin gold or risk losing her life. Fortunately, she meets a friendly ghost who is able to help--though in surviving the night she has only played further into the dark fairy's plans.

Between wandering the castle, spending time with Gild, and talking to the local townspeople, Serilda realizes there is something very strange going on. The more she tries to unravel the mystery the harder the castle and its illusions seem to fight back. Uncovering its secrets was one of the driving forces of this book. I couldn't wait to discover another piece of the puzzle!

I also really enjoyed the romance in this one. It developed so slowly and naturally, especially for a duology (though with how long this book was it definitely had the time/space to do so). I liked the budding friendship that developed before the romance. It was cute and just what I needed between all the tension and dread from the Erlking.

The ending had so many twists and reveals. I was racing to the end just to see where it would all end up for the characters. It was engaging and exciting. Gilded was an awesome book and I'm expecting this to end up being one of my favorite reads of the year (and one of my favorite duologies). Anyone who enjoys YA retellings should pick this one up!

Loved this sample! I am very excited to see what comes next for the characters! Marissa is one of my favorite authors and I love what she has done with the fairytale already!