Marissa Meyer can do no wrong. This was a darker take on fairytale retellings, but still expertly plotted. If you are a fan of her Lunar Chronicles, you will not be disappointed!

i really wanted to like this book, but ultimately, it came up a bit lacking for me. i was expecting more from the characters and the romance was a let-down, but at the same time, with the next book, although there are a lot of areas for potential improvement, there are also a lot of opportunities for improvement as well.

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!

i love me a good fairytale retelling and i haven't loved Marissa's books in the past and this was okay too! it felt a little slow and the plot twist was a little predictable but so this was an okay read!

I LOVE MARISSA MEYER! This retelling was one of my absolute favorites! I cannot wait for the next book!

A good retelling of rumpelstiltskin. Very fast paced and I liked Gild as a character. I also enjoyed the twist at the end and look forward to continuing this story.

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

I read about 10% of Gilded and was super intrigued and really enjoying it, but then I came across several reviews where people mentioned animal cruelty in their trigger warning sections. This is a major trigger for me, and I had to stop. I will not be continuing this book, but Marissa is a wonderful writer and I will continue to recommend her books. This one should have had a trigger warning, though. It worries me that I would have read something upsetting if I hadn't come across reviews that warned me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the published for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This is by far Meyer’s best work to date. This story and its mythology will hook you from the first page and leave you desperate for the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This book was so magical and full of whimsy! I must admit that this is my first Marissa Meyer book and it did not disappoint… I mean, helloooo romance *swoon*. This was such a fun and adventurous book, something I would absolutely recommend to friends who enjoy a good romantasy.

GILDED by Marissa Meyer is another immersive and complex addition to her YA classic retelling titles. As with her Lunar Chronicles series, GILDED is an original adaptation of a fairy tale story. This spin on Rumpelstiltskin feels like such an original take on the story while holding the essential themes of the original close to it.

I can't wait to read the second installment of this duology. This is an essential purchase for all school or public library collections which serve young adult readers, especially where Marissa Meyer and/or retellings are popular.
SUGGESTED AGES: Grades 9 and up

Each time I read a novel written by Marissa Meyer I become an even bigger fan. She is a master of character and plot development and I can’t wait to read more in this world.

This book was a delightful surprise. I was expecting something a little more whimsical but this retelling of Rumpelstiltskin was dark and intriguing. Serilda was silly and such a fun character. I loved the way she would weave stories together and tell them in a way that was magical. I loved the take on the grumpy/sunshine romance trope (it is one of my favorites) and Meyers did a really great job with it.

If you are fan of YA fantasy I would recommend checking this one out.

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 wanted to like this but I could not get into the story or the characters. I felt that it was pretty far fetched and not something I could connect to.

Serilda, a poor miller's daughter, was blessed by the God of lies. She can spin fantastical tales, but none of them are true. Or, so she believes.

However, when she saves some moss maidens from the evil Erlking, she lies about being blessed by the God of labour to spin straw into gold. Her tale is so believable that the Erlking spirits her away to his haunted castle to perform a miracle or die. Luckily, there is a poltergeist living in the castle who can spin straw into gold. So, she makes a deal with Gild (the poltergeist) and together they continue to trick the Erlking.

​That is, until all of Serilda's lies begin to unravel.

Marissa Meyer is a gifted storyteller. Her novels always have such detailed world building. This story is full of magic, dark ones, old Gods, gifts from those Gods, fair folks, romance, and danger. I was immediately mesmerized by Serilda. A storyteller shunned by most of her community, but loved by children for her wild tales. She has a gift, but some would say it is a curse, to be able to tell a tale that captures the attention of those around her. She knows her life is meant to be dull and poor, but she dreams of more.

The relationship between Serilda and Gild was charming. The two of them so lonely, but also so intrigued by the other. Serilda wonders who he could possible be, Gild wonders who this weaver of words is. They are similar in their hatred for the Erlking and their ability to spin (one straw into gold, one words into wonder). Both are blessed by Gods, and soon find out what the Erlking really plans to do and are trapped in intrigue and court politics hoping to stop the terrible release of a true monster.

The book did drag at moments, but quickly flew back into action. Also, this book was dark with many elements of horror. I thought at one point it could not get any worse, only to be proven wrong. It was refreshing having a fantasy novel that was not afraid to push boundaries and really scar the main characters inside and out. Serilda had to fight tooth and nail to survive and lost so much in the process; she is good and ready for revenge come book two.

I cannot wait to see where Cursed takes this storyline. A unique and imaginative retelling of the Rumplestiltskin tale. Lots of twists and turns, evil and good, darkness and light, with moral ambiguity thrown in to heighten the whole novel.

Gilded can be read throughout the year, but it is the perfect read for the spooky season. I admit I went into it without realizing how dark this fairytale retelling would be. When stories ended differently and people also disappeared, it was unexpected in a good way. Like Serilda's stories, Gilded never went the way I thought it would. The world was also one I easily got lost in. Although a bit long-winded, it was still an immersive read that was made even better when I never knew what was going to happen next. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

I feel like I would have enjoyed this more if it had been edited down significantly. There were a lot of things I liked about this story. Serilda was a good main character, the world building was interesting and of course a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin is why I read it in the first place but as others have pointed there are also flaws. It draggggsss in certain places and the romance was not interesting or believable. I plan on reading the next one anyway because I'm interesting enough to continue.

This was an enjoyable fairy tale retelling. However, I did feel like there was a lot of filler and lots from the middle of the book could have been cut. Still looking forward to reading the next me,