4.5 if I have to be critical. Otherwise this is a 5 star read.

I've been a big fan of Marissa Meyer's ever since Cinder came out. Heartless wasn't 100% my vibe mainly due to Cath being such a passive protagonist, but you can't deny Meyer's writing is still fabulous. I got Gilded out of curiosity for the fantasy elements plus the intrigue of a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. I got way more than I bargained for.

Just a quick disclaimer that there is violence toward children and talk of children's death/being killed in this, so if that's upsetting for you, I don't recommend.

I loved the mish mash of the classic Der Erlkonig story plus Rumpelstiltskin as well as various magical entities and creatures. Serilda, the protagonist, is a force of nature, driving this story while also, at times, being dragged along by her decisions. She's a pathological liar, a fate brought on by her love of telling tall tales in a town that is superstitious and distrusting of anything "other." Since she is god-touched, she falls into that category and is ostracized by the village, where she finds that only by telling extravagant stories of fantasy can she be noticed by the villagers--for good or ill. This choice of hers comes to bite her in the butt and kicks off the main plot of the story.

I liked how this took the classic story of Rumpelstiltskin and turns it on it's head. You see a lot of the classic story in this, and Meyer does a great job weaving the main themes of the original story in a new, unique way to coincide with the Erlkonig's tale.

If you're wanting a darker YA fantasy with lots of magic, whimsy, and spooky vibes, this is the perfect story for you, and perfect for Halloween times.

I absolutely LOVED this book. It gets a standing ovation from me! Marissa Meyer never disappoints, but I loved this retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. The writing was beautifully crafted, the story engrossing and I hope there will be a sequel. It definitely left me wanting more.

I absolutely adored this book! I am a huge fan of the author, and this book did not disappoint. I loved the retelling aspects, which introduced new elements to a story I thought I' knew before. I also loved the interactions between the characters. I would absolutely recommend this book, and I can't wait to have a physical copy for my personal collection.

When I saw that Marissa Meyer had a new book coming out, I had to read it. I loved Heartless, (Alice in Wonderland retelling) it was probably my favorite book of hers. The Lunar Chronicles were great too. (Several stories) Rumplestiltskin isn’t necessarily my favorite fairy tail, but I was excited to read it, because Marissa twists the stories just enough to make them super enjoyable. She also tends to delve a little more into the original Grimm versions rather than the Disney versions, which I really love. Gilded was no different. This should have had an early October release. The world building that she did gives a truly spooky vibe and towards the end, the book gets pretty dark.

Our main character, Serilda, is a young adult who was either blessed or cursed by the god of stories when she was born. Her eyes have the look of a golden spinning wheel and her tongue weaves the most interesting stories or lies depending on who you ask. These traits endear her to the local children and shun her from the adults. It isn’t until she meets the lord of the wild hunt, the Erlking, that her stories get her in real trouble. In order to save two fairy creatures, Serilda tells him that she is harvesting moonlight grain to spin into gold. She believes all is well until the next full moon when she is summoned by the wild hunt to do just that or she and whoever she loves will die.

The twists in this story are great. Yes, you see some of them coming, but they just lead up to even bigger twists. When you finally get the whole story, it just kinda hits you in the face. My main complaint, is that this story is not a standalone. Not that I don’t love series or duologies, (more story to love) but I felt that there was a lot of filler that made the early middle of the book kinda slow. After that, the story ramps up and really draws you in, so that when you get to the end, you’re like “No! I must know how this ends!” Regardless, I really enjoyed the story. Now I just need the ending.
I want to thank Marissa Meyer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

This is the story of Serilda, a girl who was touched by the god of fortune and is an amazing storyteller and liar. One full moon, a pair of forest maidens are running from The Wild Hunt and happen upon Serilda's mill. Serilda hides the maidens and lies to the Erlking telling him she is collecting special midnight straw to spin into gold. He lets her go, but on the next full moon, Sarilda is brought to the king's castle to spin straw into gold. She is saved by a ghost named Gild who actually can spin straw into gold.

Y'all...I am disappointed. I love Marissa Meyer and will literally read anything she writes, but this was a drag. I had to force myself through it. I really feel like at least 100 pages could have been removed and we wouldn't have lost any world-building and the story would have moved faster and flowed better. Serilda makes a lot of stupid-romance-novel-heroine decisions that just annoyed me. I'm sure a lot of people will love this one, but it's not for me.

Also, this is not a stand-alone. I was fully excepting a resolution until about 70% and realized that was not going to happen.

Pros
-unique retelling of Rumplestinskin
-it's dark and has lots of creepy fairy tale creatures in it
-I got nothing else...

Cons
-The near insta-love romance
-The pacing is so slow and it's so long
-Lack of memorable characters
-Did I mention this was slow and too long?

It’s Marissa Meyer, so you know it’s going to be good. From the opening paragraphs, I feel like I’m getting a bedtime story told to me.

Serilda is shunned because of her “unholy eyes” and her stories full of lies, but when the violent Erlking finds her, the lie she tells him becomes the truth. She must spin the straw into gold or lose her life. Thankfully, a boy appears who can do the task, but who exactly is he?

In over 1,000 pages, Meyer includes many characters and creatures, but it was easy for me to visualize the story as it unfolded. Meyer’s descriptive writing creates a dual reality. We see life (and death) from both sides of the magic veil. There’s a lot of strings tying this book into the next installment, and I look forward to seeing how the story resolves. I made some predictions, but I’m certain Meyer’s story will surprise me.

This retelling of Rumplestiltskin is an absolute gem that I was unable to put down. Full of delightful characters, incredible world building, and small twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I cannot wait to see Serilda’s story continue and will be recommending this book to all of my YA Fantasy fans.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Marissa Meyer never failed to fascinate me with her retellings! It’s a twisted rumpelstiltskin story and oh man i’ve fallen in love with it.

The story is a little bit slow at the beginning but as the story progresses it gets exciting with thrilling adventures. The setting of the story is whimsical and full of fantasy that you've read in children's books with a twist. I love how the author drags me into these two different worlds (humans and the hunt) and the way she writes the stories is remarkable. I love how she mends and bends the both worlds together and you can totally feel the connection of those stories as you read it.

Each character grows and progresses in every situation and I love to see they're highs and lows. Serilda is more like a badass-ish but sweet girl. She has this sweet spot all over the book which I like about her and her confidence just boosts up so quickly throughout the book. On the other hand, Gild is such a sweetheart. He's pretty irritating at first (I agree with Serilda) but overall, I love him and I love his side of the story. The Erlking, the villain, he's really harshful and so painful to read but I like it, especially this book. I love how the author projects him as the villain that I'll never forget.

The twist is completely shocking. It really blows my mind when reading the story and the ending... GOSH :D I was saying to myself "please don't end there, please don't end there" but ugh... it's a big cliffhanger for me. I hope there will be a second book because I badly want to know what happened next!

Overall, the book is so good and I cannot wait for you guys to enjoy this another twisted retelling from Marissa Meyer. It's absolutely fun to read! It's one of the books that I've been eyeing and thankfully that I got a chance to read and review this for you!

This was such an original retelling! Of course the characters were beautifully developed as was the world. Marissa Meyer does such a great job with all if her retellings and I was so excited to see her tackle rumpelstiltskin. Im really excited to read the next book and see what happens

In Gilded, Marissa Meyer (of Lunar Chronicles/Heartless fame) returns to fairy tale retellings in this version of Rumpelstiltskin that is steeped in German mythology.

If you've read Meyer's aforementioned fairy tale retellings, I think this one is best compared to Heartless. It's an interesting and creative take on Rumpelstiltskin, and I loved the invented mythology around the gods in this world. Ultimately, though, the addition of the Erlking made what was otherwise a creative offering a bit stale, at least for this adult reader who has read approximately 20983478540 fairy books. And y'all, I don't struggle with names that much, but the love interest is called "Gild" and...it just doesn't do it for me. Maybe that's why I'm comparing it to Heartless, because I had the same problem with Jest (insert gif of Nadja from What We Do in the Shadows trying to say "Jeff" with a disgusted look on her face). My other main issue is that there's a lot of dead air in the middle of the book - I actually set it down, read three different books and came back to it. The beginning and end are captivating and strong, but I really struggled to get through the middle.

TLDR: If you liked Heartless, you'll like this too! 3 stars - I liked it.

Marissa Meyer's strength is definitely in the fairy tale retelling department. Here she chooses to tackle the legend of Rumpelstiltskin, which isn't a retelling I have encountered previously. There's a bit of a supernatural twist to this Rumpelstiltskin and I certainly enjoyed the vibes. The overall tone of the book is actually kinda spooky, and it's a shame this book comes out in November. I think it would be a great October time read. Anyway, it's not strictly Rumpelstiltskin, as it also incorporates the Wild Hunt as well. The Wild Hunt emerges every full moon to hunt and collect beasts and call to mortals vulnerable to their draw, whisking them away forever. The King that takes our heroine Serilda away is the leader of this hunt. His castle fits the spooky vibes of the book, creating a dark and atmospheric tale. I really liked the setting and atmosphere; it was what sold the book to me. The King is also a great villain character, though he takes a little bit to actually build. This is in part though to the villain being integral to the world, and the world is rich so it also takes awhile to develop. Mrs. Meyer is really good at writing villains as there hasn't been a bad one yet from her.

The romance in this book is nothing you won't expect, but it wasn't as cute as Ms. Meyer's usually are. Maybe it's because this book is a little darker and has more going for it. Another slight drawback for me were the side characters, as they didn't connect with me as much as they usually do. The side characters also come and go in this story, so when they came back I forgot who they were. But this was also in part to where my personal interest was in the story, so the side characters appearing took away from it.

This is a first book in what I think is a duology. In any case there is a followup book; this is not a standalone which is what I thought when I first went into it. The ending definitely leaves more to explore. I'm looking forward to it, and hoping it will sell the romance and side characters to me a little more. It's a good thing more books are coming.

Because of how much I loved Heartless, I was super excited to read Gilded. I've honestly never liked the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, (what is there to like about a tricky spirit bent on stealing away your future children in exchange for a little bit of gold?), so I couldn't wait to see what Marissa Meyer would do with an older tale in need of some fresh magic.

I loved the new gods and mythology, and the hints to the fae were fantastic. Gilded had a fresh take on the traditional fae Hunt, and getting to experience the character embodying Rumpelstiltskin as a younger person was an amazing surprise. There were just enough explanations about the various gods and "dark ones" to make it easy to understand Serilda's background and the various festivals taking place, but not so much that it was an overwhelming amount of information.

The pace was a little odd at times. Parts of the book seemed to go on for ages, while the ending felt a bit rushed. I honestly thought Gilded was a standalone until the last twenty or so pages, and kept waiting for everything to somehow be wrapped up in a nice little bow. That said, considering some sections of the book took place over weeks or months at a time, the pacing really didn't bother me that much.

I'm excited to see how Meyer is going to continue the story. Are we looking at a duology? A full on series? Whatever it ends up being, I'm on for the full ride. The book was amazing, and it's definitely one I'll read again.

Thank you to Fierce Reads for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Welp, I continued with it and as I guessed this was just too young. Who uses the term 'fell on her rump' anymore? The writing felt like it was trying so hard to be an fairytale book (like A FAIRYTALE BOOK).

It was weird, and it took so long to even get to the actual plot. We're talking about 1/5 of this book before we get to any of the real conflict, so about 120 pages or so (I think?). And those pages weren't even used for world building or hardly any character development. This read more as MG than YA.

I really wanted to give this book a chance, but it was unfortunately a disappointment.

The best part about this book is the building of the setting and the plot. Meyer does a fantastic job of making the little towns, the houses, the castle and the forest feel extremely real in my mind. If I really feel pulled into a setting than I'm often willing to forgive other shortcomings. I also have never read a retelling of Rumplestiltskin so I was very intrigued by the actual retelling part of the plot. There were some shortcomings though. I think the character development was a bit lacking. We've pretty much only got Serilda who has been fully fleshed out. The romance was a bit abrupt and rushed, though with certain plot devices I'm not sure how you could work around that and include the romance element. All in all I really enjoyed it. I hope we get more hashed out characters in later books.

This is a tough review for me to write. As a fan of Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series, I expected to adore Gilded. And I did! For the first 1/4 or so, and then it...just...stalled.

Things I loved:
- it's dark, at times very, very dark (considering it's YA)
- it's a twist on a class fairytale with a feisty/smart/smart-mouthed heroine: Gilded is an inventive retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I don't think I'm giving much away by saying that I like how Meyer turned the original story on its head by making Rumpelstiltskin the cursed and ill-fated love interest, casting the deliciously evil Erlking as villain instead.
- the villain. He's a great baddie.

Things I did not love:
- the romance, maybe because it's designed for a YA audience? But it felt inauthentic and overly sentimental in a way I did not enjoy (and I am unwilling to simply give it a pass because there are plenty of YA fantasies with excellent romances). I have many more thoughts on this that I won't share here to avoid spoilers.
- the pacing, which was s.l.o.w.
- that it's evidently the beginning of a series - why didn't I anticipate this? Your guess is as good as mine, but I expected and wanted this to be a standalone.

I liked Lunar Chronicles enough that I'm willing to give any future books in this series a chance, but I won't be eagerly counting down the days until a release date.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is listed as a standalone. I will say that if there isn't a second book, than I am not sure how I feel about the ending. I feel like for all of the build up that led to the end and all the events that transpired, the ending left a lot of questions and a disappointing conclusion.

This book also could've probably been 200 pages shorter. In the beginning of the book we learn that on the night of different full moons, the veil is lifted and the Erlking and his band of dead are free to go on "the hunt" where he searches for prized creatures throughout the land. Our main character, Serilda, was blessed (or cursed) by the God of stories, who is also the God of lies. Serilda spins the most fascinating tales, one of which gets her in trouble when she meets the Erlking as she claims that she can spin gold out of straw.

The following moon cycle, the Erlking tracks her down and demands that she spin gold out of straw in exchange for her life. Resigned to her death, a mysterious boy shows up who can help her spin gold in exchange for something of value. He explains it is the only way his magic can work. She gives him her necklace and by the morning, he has spun gold out of straw. She encounters this mysterious boy, Gild, over three different moon cycles. And each cycle he helps her in exchange for some kind of payment.

It is only until we get to the fourth (or five moon cycle at this point) that the story really picks up. Yes, throughout the story Serilda is attempting to learn more about the mysterious castle and its inhabitants that no one seems to know anything about, even the people who live in the same town. Yes, there are minor events that occur between each moon cycle, but it feels like they are just there to keep the plot moving along and they aren't very memorable or substantial. The events leading up to the final moon cycle and when she is back in the castle are what make the story captivating and I felt like at that point, I really did want to know what would happen to Serilda and Gild and if she would ever find a way out of this mess.

One of the things I did love about this book was the story Serilda started weaving the first night she met Gild. She tells this story throughout their various encounters and it plays a crucial role in Serilda understanding the power that stories have as well as providing the pieces to the puzzle to explain the mysterious castle and why no one seems to remember it.

I think I would be more inclined to like this book overall if there was a second book. Otherwise, I'm not sure it is a must read.

I will purchase a copy of this title for my school library because I have quite a few readers who love Marissa Meyer and fairy tale retelling. It’s not my favorite of hers, and I think the plot threads wander as much as Serilda’s stories at times, but it will have a place in my library for sure.

This is such a difficult review to write. I have actually waited days before writing it. Would I recommend this book to any of my students? No. Even though my older students are mature enough to handle the dark and gory parts toward the end, I have 9th and 10th graders in my class as well that it would not be appropriate for.
Would I buy this book? Yes.
Would I recommend this book to my fellow fantasy book club friends? Very much so.
I suggest some sort of distinction that it is pretty dark for a YA book. Truly, the book should have been written a bit more New Adult and labeled as such.
I was so excited to read this retelling because it was original. As far as the character, she was childish. I loved her positive attitude and quirkiness though! I just wish she could have been grown up a bit. The only thing about the writing I didn't like was that since so much time has to pass before she goes back to the castle, the in between parts were boring and sort of filled with nonessential space fillers. It caused the story to lull a bit, making it a longer read. I found myself easily distracted in those parts.
The cliffhanger redeemed the book for sure, and I will certainly be reading the second one! I can't wait!
On facebook and GoodReads, I gave the book 4 stars, because it is quite enjoyable and original. I am going to be looking at the authors books, Lunar Chronicles. I have actually never read them, but I hear they are very good after researching this author. For every book I read on NetGalley I find myself purchasing 3+ more from the same author or publisher...
Also, just as a note. Gilded theme is super hot right now, but when you search Gilded on GoodReads it doesn't come up at the beginning. It is just such an overused term. However, I shouldn't criticize because I'm not sure what else could have been used in its place.

i really enjoyed this book. i haven’t read anything else by marissa meyer yet and i really enjoyed her writing and although there’s quite a few rumplstilkin retellings i haven’t read any so i enjoyed this

It's Marissa Meyer doing an interpretation of Rumplestiltskin, so of course it's good, it's just...The pacing was a bit strange and the level of detail in the begining was kind of awkward given the absolute lack of detail by the end. Also? The main character was a bit too impetuous for me, like, she could have saved herself some serious shit if she thought things through from time to time.