I have been eyeing this book, seeing it around, and was excited to get into the story. I did enjoy this retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, although it is much darker than I expected. This is my first Marissa Meyer story so maybe all of her retellings are violent/dark. This seems to be the first book in a duology or series, but I don't exactly know.
I honestly couldn't remember the original story all that well, but did remember things as I was listening to the Gilded. I was curious how the author would take the original fairytale and make a novel and she did a great job.
The main character tells a lie that gets her involved in completing tasks for the evil Erlking...or die. In not knowing what to do, she unintentionally summons the help of a boy in the castle. I recommend this one if you like fairytale retellings!

Gilded is the perfect start to a new fae themed series by Marissa Meyers. The story is retelling of Rumpelstiltskin but with the added twist of the wild hunt and a girl blessed with the gift of telling lies. After she is caught out of her house one night by the Erlking and the wild hunt, Serilda tells a lies that she can spin straw into gold. Once the lie is told though the Erlking demands to see her gift and she is whisked away to his castle to spin straw into gold. This is where she meets an unlikely ally who might just be able to save her. She is then brought back time and time again to preform the same task while the veils down. But the more she is there the more she learns about the mysterious castle and the town next to it. This is what builds this story into so much more than just a retelling. A whole new story is created within Guild that I was not expecting.

Serilda is the main character that the story follows. She’s been motherless since she was a small child, her mother taken by the wild hunt, and her father is a miller who has always made sure to keep her safe. Working with the local school students, she spends her days telling the children tales of the wild hunt and the fae from her imagination. I think she was a well rounded and well designed character. The secondary ones are added in a way that really makes the story work just right.

Overall i really enjoyed Gilded and I cant wait to see where the next one is going to go after the surprising ending of this novel.

NARRATION REVIEW

The narration of Gilded was not one of my favourite narrations. It didn’t draw me and keep my full attention. I really liked the story itself but i felt it dragged a little bit when listening to the audiobook. That being said I found it was a good one if your wanting an audiobook to listen to while you multitask. I think I just would have enjoyed it more as novel and actually reading it over listening to it.

It's hard to believe that it is already time for another new Marissa Meyer series, and yet here we are! (and I'm not complaining) Gilded kicks off her latest series of the same name, once again delving into a different fairytale element.

Serilda has always had a gift for words. More accurately, she's had a knack for twisting them. Her entire village knows well that Serilda loves stories, tall tales, and the occasional outright lie. That isn't the only reason they are concerned about this young woman, as her eyes mark her as something other.

Yet it is those eyes and her talent with words that saved Serilda's skin – or so she thought. Now she's neck-deep in danger with the Erkling himself, as he believes she has power not her own. Again, it all comes back to the tales she has spun.

“No, I’m not a witch. And I didn’t summon you. I was just sitting here, crying, contemplating my own demise, thank you muchly.”

If you love fractured fairy tales, unique twists on the classics, or Marissa Meyer's writing style, then the odds are more than good that you're going to love Gilded. Her magic rises to the surface here, and I am absolutely enchanted (and counting down the days for the sequel).

Serilda's story is, well...fascinating. It's all based on a simple fairytale premise: turning straw into gold, and yet it so quickly gets blown out of proportion. I think that is what I loved the most about this novel – seeing how far it would stretch.

Other elements I loved include Serilda herself (she's so full of energy and mischief), the tales she tells, her romantic adventure, and the magic she comes across. Each of these parts worked hard to capture my imagination, and I cannot wait to see more regarding each and every one. Okay, I'm a bit more excited for some over others, but you get what I'm saying.

I should probably mention that there are some heavier plots inside Gilded. Given that we're dealing with the Erkling, that probably isn't too much of a surprise, but I thought I'd mention it all the same. There are scenes in this book that depict hunting, brutality, child death, and animal injury/death.

Overall I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Gilded, and I already was expecting something amazing. I honestly can't wait to see what happens in Cursed, but unfortunately, we've got a bit of time before that happens. It'll be worth the wait, I'm sure.

I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me access.

Marissa Meyer's retellings are my favorite and this one did not disappoint. Gilded has made its way to the number two slots of favorited Meyer books.

This isn't your typical Rumplestiltskin but it does contain some of which you may be familiar with. Meyer's writing really draws you in with each page, until the very end where she leaves you hanging on for more. Let's just say that ending was mind blowing and I need book two like yesterday.

I picked up this book because I've enjoyed Marissa Meyer's works in the past. However, this book did not hold up for me and I put it down halfway through. The tail of Rumpelstiltskin is certainly fascinating to work into a retelling but this simply didn't interest me. It was one of those self-indulgent book spent too long in the protagonist's head, who frankly, I found boring. I think other people will enjoy it but personally it wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gilded begins with Serilda, a God touched girl whom has a gift of weaving stories and lies. Her eyes show her as a god touched, so she is often seen as bad luck. One night while aiding some fae in hiding from the mythical and bloodthirsty Erlking, Serilda's lies create a new problem for her: the Erlking thinks she spins straw into gold. Taking Serilda captive every full moon to weave straw into gold, she finds herself aided by a ghost who haunts the castle and is in fact capable of spinning straw into gold. However, when Serilda learns magic demand payment, what is she willing to offer to accomplish this task? And what does the Erlking need with all this gold?

Gilded is my first book by Marissa Meyer. The beginning had me hooked from the start. Serilda weaving stories impressed me with how flawless the author went from not only writing one tale, but many throughout the novel. The reveals were great to unravel and I will look forward to the next installment of this novel for sure, but this story was much longer than it needed to be. The Erlking and the hunt portion of the book felt very jarring in the flow of the rest of the story, thus only earning 4 stars and not 5.

I recommend this for any fantasy lover 14+ as there are some topics and tales that could be frightening to younger readers. I publish the review with 4 stars and interest in book 2 to continue Serilda's plight and how she is able to unravel her predicament.

This book is fantastic! I love everything this author writes, and this was no exception. This Rumplestiltskin retelling is from the point of view of Serilda, a storyteller. When she lies to the ErlKing, she is put in his dungeon and forced to spin straw into gold under threat of death. Fortunately, a young poltergeist named Gild knows how to do just that. But does he ask too much in exchange for his magic? The ending of the story will leave you breathless and you will be craving the sequel right away.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Readers, Marissa Meyer, and Rebecca Soler (narrator) for the opportunity to listen to Gilded in exchange for an honest review.

From best-selling author of the Lunar Chronicles and the Renegades series, Marissa Meyer brings forth a unique retelling unseen in the genre so far, taking the classic children's tale of "Rumpelstiltskin" and weaving it into a fantasically magic-filled romance with high stakes for poor Serlida as she enters the Erlking's domain. When her outlandishly spun stories get her into a tight predicament, only Gild can help her weave straw into gold.

Narrator Rebecca Soler is back to bring life to the main character, Serilda, who tells the story from a first-person perspective. Soler is also known for narrating other young adult works, including Marissa Meyer's other more recen nove, Instant Karma. She is a phenomenal reader and highlights the characterization, msytery, and romance that surround this novel.

Serilda is a poor miller's daughter who loves spinning stories. When the Erlking is drawn to one of these ridiculous tales, she is taken against her will to his domain. Here she remains a prisoner, and her false tales get her into a dire situation: spin straw into gold (as stated in one of her stories), or be killed for spreading such lies.

Gild, seemingly out of nowhere, comes to Serilda's aid. He happens to have an affinity for magic and can spin anything into gold...for the right price. Serilda may soon run out of bargaining chips and find herself unable to please the Erlking. Along the way, Serilda learns what she can about Gild, even though he doesn't have the memories of his past, and even begins to fall in love. The trade for a magical task is a serious happening that love may not even be able to vanquish.

Not once is the name "Rumpelstiltskin" mentioned, thank goodness, but those familiar with the tale can certainly see the connections. I love the romantic aspect added in, as well as the secret past of Gild, quite the exciting turn of events. This is quite a long novel, but it certainly has Meyer's craft and flare for writing the fantastical and bringing a twisted tale to life.

At this point, I think fairytale retellings are sort of overdone, but honestly Marissa Meyer could keep writing these types of books for the rest of her life and I wouldn't complain.

Meyer does a great job of hooking you from the beginning. Rumpelstiltskin is an interesting story anyway, but Meyer takes it and makes it her own in a way that's unique and interesting, yet makes total sense. She incorporates worldbuilding in such a seamless way that there are moments I forgot this is set in a fantasy world. I loved the characters, I really liked Serilda as a protagonist, and honestly, I just had a really fun time reading this book.

I listened to this book on audio, and I was hesitant to start it at first because I saw the book was like 13 hours (I tend to try to listen to books that are less than 8 hours just because I do still prefer to read physically most of the time) and I have a lot going on with final and stuff. Luckily, with 1.5x speed, an engaging narrator, and a great story, I was able to read the book in a reasonable amount of time. And even though I wasn't so sure about listening to it on audio, but I'm actually glad I read it in that format. I really really liked the narrator, and I think she added a layer of drama and emotion that really took the story to the next level.

I do think this book was just a little too long. There were parts in the middle that were kind of bland and got a little repetitive; I just didn't think were especially important to the plot or the characters and they didn't necessarily need to happen. There was a period of time that I also thought the romance happened a little too fast, especially considering how long this book is, but by the end, with the final reveal and everything, I was kind of okay with it. Even with these nit-picky critiques though, there were a lot of great moments that really elevated the story and made it worth reading. The first 25% and last 25% of the book were particularly great. Apparently this is going to be a duology. There is not a happy ending to this book and it ends in a major cliffhanger, so if you're the type of person that needs the sequel immediately, I'd wait until the sequel comes out so you can read them together.

Was this book my favorite Marissa Meyer retelling? Probably not. I don't think it was better than the Lunar Chronicles as a whole, but I enjoyed it more than I did some individual books in that series (*cough* Scarlett *cough*). If you're a fan of Marissa Meyer, you'll like this one.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Serilda was long ago cursed by the god of lies. The stories she spins are enthralling and captivating, but untrue. Those who live in her small community don't trust her for all the lies that fall from her lips. But on a night where the Wild Hunt rides, Serilda catches the attention of the Erlking and his hunters. She luckily easily spins a tale to get herself out of the situation, but the Erlking's interested doesn't wane and on the next full moon he takes Serilda beyond the veil and threatens her life, and the lives of those she loves, if she doesn't spin gold out of straw - as she brazenly told him was within her power.

In a panic, Serilda ends up summoning a boy to her aid. A boy who is able to help her spin the straw into gold. But his help comes at a price. As Serilda tries to break free from the Erlking's clutches, she realizes there are secrets buried deep within a castle in which no one remembers.

I immediately recognized Rebecca Soler's voice from Marissa Meyers previous book [book:Instant Karma|55690366]. Honestly, that threw me a little bit because I had most recently associated her voice with the character of Prudence. It took me a bit to acclimate myself to her as the voice of Serilda. But I appreciate the emotion and enthusiasm she has for her narrations.

The story is obviously a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and not even the first retelling of that particular fairy-tale I've seen this year. I feel like retellings come in waves, alternating as each story has its own moment.

I liked that Marissa Meyer really made the story her own. There is the recognizable spinning of straw into gold aspect, but there was also a lot that I don't remember from the story I was told as a child. I kind of kept waiting for Meyer's story to line up more with my memories, but ended up appreciating more that she didn't always go the same route.

Now, this is all to say...yet. It's clear by the end that there is going to be a sequel. As I neared the end, I kept thinking that there has to be more to the story because things do not end all neat and tidy. I almost feel like this first book is one huge build-up of what's to come. Kind of setting the stage so to speak. I think in that way I can forgive its more languorous pacing. Marissa Meyer knows how to build a story and can always be counted on to deliver a very enriched world. Gilded is no different.

I think my favorite thing was the idea of all these stories - or fairy-tales - within a story. The idea of Serilda spinning stories instead of spinning straw. The stories that are tied up in history and how often truths become fables become tales. I'd say more but I don't want to spoil anything. Suffice it to say there are a lot of interesting ideas that were touched upon here that I cannot wait to dig deeper into in the sequel.

This book may have taken me awhile to finish and get through, but I really enjoyed the journey. I loved the twists and turns along the way. I can't wait to see where things go next.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!!

Let it be known that I actually was approved for the audiobook from Netgalley but the audio quality was poor so I ended up physically reading it after pub!


I was delightfully surprised by this one! Having never read any Marissa Meyer I knew she was hyped but I wasn’t sure if she would live up to the numerous people recommending her stuff. But this was quite good! Not blow you out of the water kind of story but I see real potential in this series! Around the 300 page mark I figured it would be a tree star read but the last 50 pages actually really intrigued me and were quite grotesque which was a nice surprise. I hope that the second book creates more parallels between the story and the original retelling but we shall see!!

Firstly, I'd like to thank NetGalley for sending me an audio copy of this book to review.

Secondly, I'd like to point out that I am a huge fan of Marissa Meyer's previous works. Lunar Chronicals is one of my favorite YA series. I also really loved Heartless, so when I found out she was doing another retelling, I was pumped.

However, there was very little about this story that I enjoyed. I am a huge sucker for the Fae, so immediately knowing that this book features The Wild Hunt got me excited. Yet, it was the most lackluster part of the book. Barely explored with only the figurehead as the point of reference.

The call of The Wild Hunt wasn't even explored much in this book. Her mother succumbs to the call, ad does she... but that's all that is even mentioned.

This book was a ton of filler for what should have been an, at most, 300 page story. None of the in between was interesting. It was repetitive and it lacked that charm that the rest of her books usually have. In my opinion, I believe it may be because Meyer took on a relatively dark story but then didn't know what to do with it.

Overall, I felt like this book was lacking on all fronts.

Marissa Meyer did it again!
I love fairytales, but Rumpelstiltskin has always been my least favourite. I always wondered why someone would agree to marry a king who threatened to kill them if they didn’t accomplish an impossible task. I also wondered why someone would treat the person helping them with so much disdain. I have so many issues with Rumpelstiltskin. Meyer seems to have had the same concerns as me, because she addresses each issue and makes them plausible. She has turned Rumpelstiltskin into a compelling tale.
Gilded is a dark fairytale verging into the realm of horror. Meyer does a brilliant job of incorporating German folklore and creating a world oppressed by the terrifying Erlkönig.
I can hardly wait to read book two in this duology.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital audiobook of Gilded in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley

Serilda has always been spinning tales - so when she finds herself face to face with the Erlking on the night of the full moon, she finds herself in the middle of one of her tales without a plan. Locked in a room full of hay and tasked to spin it into gold(as she claims she is able), she encounters a boy without a name who will be able to help her - for a price.

This Rumplestiltskin retelling was everything a Marissa Meyer book usually gives you - a complex story, interesting characters, and great writing. I love Rebecca Solare as a narrator, and am thrilled that she continues to bring her voice to all of Marissa Meyer’s books! She really fits the fantasy vibes for me.

I was a bit shocked to be nearing the end of a 15 1/2 hour audiobook without a resolution… and that’s when I found out that we are getting another book(at least one more - I predict a trilogy)

I loved the children that Serilda tells her stories to, and they definitely brightened up parts of this. Gild was also a huge highlight for me, and the mischief that he gets up to in the castle.

I am so intrigued where this is going, but I feel like it almost took too long to get to where we are. After 15 hours, a lot has happened, but it feels like the bulk of the story hasn’t been told yet. I will impatiently await book two and hope I don’t have to wait too long!

I've read and enjoyed Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles, but I prefer Gilded because of the retold fairy tale feel. Rebecca Solar, Meyer's go-to narrator, did a wonderful job, as always, bringing the characters to life. I even listened to it at 1.25x speed and the quality was still good.

Gilded is an expanded version of Rumplestiltskin that focuses on Serilda, a local girl who is ostracized by much of her neighbors, who is swept up in the wild hunt of a toxic king and forced to visit his castle every month. While there, she meets a ghost boy, Gild, with whom she develops some instalove, which I justify as neither of the participants has been exposed to any available peers. Serilda spends much of the story attempting to find a way to both lose the king's interest and also be able to visit the enchanted castle to see Gild.

The story ends with quite a cliffhanger so there will clearly be another installment in the series. The worst thing about this book is the shocker of an ending and that now I've got to wait for book 2 to find out what happens.

I am definitely a fan of fairy tale retellings, and I love Marissa Meyer's books. I flew through the Lunar Chronicles, and really enjoyed Instant Karma. However, I found myself liking Gilded less than I wanted to. I think one of my biggest issues was with the narration. While I really love Rebecca Soler as a narrator, and on a technical level she did a fantastic job with this one, for me her voice came across as too modern for the rest of this story. It did not fit the level of fantasy and magic that I think this would have benefited from. Her voice worked perfectly for Instant Karma, with its modern setting in our own world and time. However, for Gilded, I wanted something more lyrical to fit with the darker fairy tale aspects.

I also never quite warmed up to Serilda. For me, she was not a particularly likeable character. She came across as a little self-absorbed and cocky. I may give this a try in print after a while and see if that changes my opinion. I did enjoy Gild's character much more. I thought the characters within the hunt were interesting. The direction that the Erlking's character went was not really what I expected or would have picked (which wasn't really a fault of the book, just my own thoughts).

Overall, Gilded was not a bad book by any means. I enjoyed the stories and the interactions of Serilda and Gild. I thought the world was done really well. The more I think about it, the more I want to try this and the sequel in print. I kept getting pulled out of the story too much to really feel connected.

I would still recommend this book. There is much to be enjoyed, and I really like that this focused on lesser-used mythology and fairy tales, and can't wait to see what Marissa Meyer comes up with next.

I’m a huge fan of fairytale retellings and I really enjoyed the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, so when Gilded was announced I was very excited. There aren’t very many Rumpelstilskin retellings that I have found and it’s not a fairytale that I’m as familiar with as others, so I was curious to see where the story was going and felt like I was going into it more blindly than if it had been any other retelling.

First the things I did enjoy; I really like the stories with this book that Serilda was telling the kids and Gild throughout the book. It reminded me of The Starless Sea and the fables that were being told within that story, so that was my favorite part. I also really liked Gild and he was probably my favorite character, I just found him for more interesting than anyone else. I was definitely more invested in finding out more about him than the main character.

Now the things I didn’t enjoy; unfortunately Serilda wasn’t someone I was fond off, she annoyed more than anything. She came off as selfish and self-centered at times, plus she’s the only person to blame for all her misfortunes. I also wasn’t a fan of the main storyline, it just felt like something was missing and I honestly considered giving up on reading this book until Gild was introduced.

When it comes to the audiobook part, the narrator wasn’t my favorite and I think it was just their delivery that made it hard for me to focus on the story. That may have affected my overall enjoyment of this book, so I may give it a re-read when the sequel comes out; see if my opinions change at all.

Would I still recommend this book? Yes. I’m still a fan of Marissa Meyer and do enjoy her writing overall. Plus it’s a fairytale retelling and I always find myself enjoying these types of stories to a certain degree. Just because I didn’t fall in love with it like I thought I would, doesn’t mean I don’t think someone else won’t. I definitely am curious enough to see what direction this takes after the way it ended, especially for Gild; that I will be picking up the next book.

I love Disney and all retellings - this one was a very great retelling. I love Rumplestilskin so I’m so glad I enjoyed this so much! It was great!

Marissa Meyer shows her incredible storytelling capabilities with a wonderfully creative retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. While this will absolutely appeal to newcomers to Meyer's work, I appreciate that Meyer has grown with her audience by pursuing something a little darker with Gilded.

The narrator for the audio is fantastic. By the second half of the book I couldn't stop and listened through in a single afternoon.

Somewhat disappointingly, this is not a standalone novel and this led to serious issues with pacing in my opinion. The story is uneven and it became clear that the plot would not be resolved by the last 25% of the book. This may be a deal breaker for some readers and many will wish to wait until the duology (?) is complete before starting book one.

For the most part I enjoyed this imaginative re-telling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, but felt it rambled on too long, with too many diversions. In fact, I stopped at one point and re-read the original tale to make sure I hadn't forgotten how it went. Afterwards, I went back to listening to this story and patiently waited for it to come back around and end the tale. The narrator was excellent and kept me engaged with the story--if not for her skill, I might have drifted off.