writehollydavis
Written on Jan 19, 2022
All magic comes at a price, but love was never part of the bargain . . .
The look he was giving her. Serilda had never been looked at like that before . . . The intensity.
The heat. The raw astonishment. He was going to kiss her.
Cursed by the god of lies, a miller's daughter has developed a talent for storytelling - but are all of her tales as false as they appear?
When one of Serilda's stories draws the attention of the devastating Erlking, she finds herself swept away into a world of enchantment, where ghouls prowl the earth, and ravens track her every move. The king locks Serilda in a castle dungeon and orders her to spin straw into gold, or be killed for lying. In despair, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious young man to her aid. And he agrees to help her, for a price. But love wasn't meant to be part of the bargain.
A compulsive read, and as bewitchingly good as you'd expect from a YA bestselling author. You will stay up all night reading this.
'Gilded glitters as brightly as the stories and gold that Serilda and Gild spin.' Kate Corr (The Corr Sisters), authors of The Witch's Kiss trilogy and A Throne of Swans duology
'Forget spinning straw into gold, Meyer can spin words into magic and worlds into reality.' Alexandra Christo, author of To Kill a Kingdom, Into the Crooked Place and City of Spells
'The queen of fairy-tale retellings is back, this time with Rumpelstiltskin as her inspiration, and the result is a gorgeously intricate tale that will have readers locked in from the start [...] Meyer weaves an enchanting tale filled with whimsically magical moments and some serious suspense.' Booklist
'Meyer explores the power of fiction in this inventive Rumpelstiltskin reimagining [...] Intricate worldbuilding and star-crossed romance help temper the Erlking's brutality [...] well-drawn characters will leave readers craving a sequel.' Publishers Weekly
- ISBN10 0571371582
- ISBN13 9780571371587
- Publish Date 2 November 2021
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Faber & Faber
- Edition Main
- Format Paperback
- Pages 512
- Language English
Reviews
Quirky Cat
Written on Dec 30, 2021
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.
Thanks to Feiwel & Friends and #BookishFirst for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
thepunktheory
Written on Dec 5, 2021
Oh man I loved this. We all know that I’m a sucker for a good fairytale retelling, so this was 100% down my alley. I was so heartbroken when I found out that this is a duology and the second book isn’t out yet. I legit thought it was a standalone! So, I’m both happy to read more and sad to wait for it.
Anyway, let’s talk about the story. I absolutely adore the idea that stories somehow become flesh, that you drag what you speak into existence. While this is not exactly what is going on in the story, this is the underlying vibe and I think it showcases nicely how magical stories and books can be. Certainly, something every avid reader can relate to!
Meyer waves quite an intriguing tale taking familiar elements and combining them with something new and unexpected. She always does such a good job with that, I was unable to put the book down and read the whole thing in almost one sitting. The story isn’t without flaws but overall it was just fascinating. She weaves in so many different things as well. It’s never just one fairy-tale that she draws from. Making all of this work together so seamlessly is no small feat but Meyer really has this down. Some of the works she draws from you might be more familiar with, other aspects maybe not. For example, she also writes about the Wild Hunt, and the only place I had ever heard about that before was in The Witcher. I’m really curious to read up on that now. I think it is part of the folklore of many different regions and countries but it just wasn’t in any of the fairy tales I grew up with. If you have an idea of what the Wild Hunt is, you can tell that this book does feature some rough and slightly darker moments than you might initially expect. But guess what, I’m 100% here for it.