Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Gilded follows a protagonist who spins wonderfully tall tales that entertains children but frightens adults. One day, her fantastical stories gets her in trouble with a mythical being that takes her stories as truth. She's now stuck creating gold out of straw...until a strange creature named Gild comes to her rescue and makes a deal with her. How will Serilda keep up her golden charade with the Wild Hunt?

I really enjoyed this! It's not my typical read, I usually prefer the generic fantasy happy-endings type but this was pretty compelling I was hooked from start to end. I will say though the protagonist is pretty dumb at times with her logic but eh, it worked for the story's progression. And yes, it's annoyingly insta-love but honestly, it's still a really fun ride despite it. I think the worldbuilding and the mystery made it incredibly compelling and I had trouble putting it down!

If anyone's a fan of chaotic and unique fairy-tale retellings, go for "Gilded"!

Fair warning: cliffhanger abound. I wrongly assumed this would be a self contained story...can't wait for the next one though!

Book Review for Gilded (Untitled #1) by Marissa Meyer

Cover Story: Drip
BFF Charm: Heck Yes
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Talky Talk: Retelling
Bonus Factors: Gods and Goddesses, Sexy Evil Dude
Factor: Series Starter
Relationship Status: Spinning

Content Warning: Gilded contains graphic scenes of death, some of children.

Cover Story: Drip
Is drip still a slang term for being extremely fashionable/fancy? Hopefully so, because this cover is that. (Can you tell I'm an old?) And also a little wicked, which goes well with the story. I really love that title treatment, too. Very old school fairy tale, which is—again—very appropriate. On the whole, it's not quite Montell Jordan-worthy, but close!

The Deal:
Serilda Moller, daughter of the local miller, was born with the blessing of a god. But the god in question was not only the god of stories but also the god of lies. And Serilda's blessing, the physical manifestation of which is "untrustworthy eyes—pitch-black irises, each overlaid by a golden wheel with eight tiny golden spokes," has always been seen by the townspeople as a sign of back luck. Serilda's penchant for telling outrageous fairy tales doesn't help her case any; most people view her as strange, and the worst ones will tell her that to her face. (Or worse.)

Her storytelling gets her in even worse trouble one full moon when the Erlking and his band of demonic ghosts ride through their homestead, looking for prey that Serilda hid in their cellar. When the Erlking questions why a young woman would be outside so late at night, she tells him that it's the best time to gather the straw she needs to spin into gold. Serilda thinks she's gotten away with the lie until the next full moon, when the Erlking comes for her … and forces her to prove her gift.

BFF Charm: Heck Yes
Serilda has the kind of imagination that I've always longed to have—one that allows her to spin wild stories at the drop of a hat. It's a brilliant gift, and I disagree 100% with the people of her town who view that skill as something evil. She's also a truly kind individual and an outsider who hasn't let the rudeness of her neighbors dull her shine. I applaud that kind of confidence! I would always wonder a bit if she was telling me the truth, but her earnestness and genuine kindness would always outweigh those concerns.

Swoonworthy Scale: 7
When Serilda's taken by the Erlking and told to spin straw into gold OR ELSE, she has no idea how she's going to do it. But then a strange young man appears, a young man who calls himself a poltergeist, with an offer of help, Serilda takes him up on it, even while being conflicted on his true motivations. And although she's completely unsure of whether she can trust him, there's something about him that she can't deny is very compelling.

Talky Talk: Retelling
With Gilded, Meyer returns to her roots as a reteller—something she is undeniably gifted at, and something I'm so glad she continues to do. Gilded is a retelling of the Rumplestiltskin tale, and it leans much more toward original fairy tales—including some grisly deaths and not-so-happy endings—than the more sanitized, HEA-ending Disney versions folks are often more familiar with. And I loved that about the book. Fairy tales don't have to be shiny and happy, and when you're dealing with actual faeries—the kind that would rather you dance to your death than dress you up for a ball—it's often more "realistic" that they're not. Meyer found a great balance of that in Gilded; while there are happy elements, they don't outweigh the darker themes.

Bonus Factor: Gods and Goddesses
The gods of this universe are an interesting bunch, and I particularly appreciate the fact that Meyer made them non-binary beings.

She looked at Serilda. "Is Velos a boy?"

"They can be, if they wish to be," said Serilda. "But sometimes they might wish to be a girl. Sometimes a god might be both a boy and a girl … and sometimes, neither."

Gerdut's frown became more pronounced, and Serilda could tell she hadn't helped matters. She chuckled. "Think of it this way. We mortals, we put limitations on ourselves. We think—Hans is a boy, so he must work in the fields. Anna is a girl, so she must learn to spin yarn."

Anna released a disgusted groan.

"But if you were a god," Serilda continued, "would you limit yourself? Of course not. You can be anything."

(This quote was pulled from an e-galley of the book, so the final wording might have changed.)

Obviously, this is a bit, well, binary as far as Serilda's view of mortals goes, but I like that the people of this world, which is set in an old-timey, horse-and-carriage time period, are willing to give thought to ideas outside of the "norm."

Bonus Factor: Sexy Evil Dude
I know, I know—it's not good to find super problematic characters appealing. But when they're described as otherworldly handsome and sinisterly charming, I CAN'T HELP MYSELF.

Factor: Series Starter
I did not realize this when I started reading, but I got to about 10 minutes left in the book (per my Kindle app) and realized that things were not going to be wrapped up by the end. The ending doesn't leave you with a major cliffhanger, but you'll definitely be left wanting more/needing the next book to come out NOW. (Per Goodreads, there will be a sequel that'll come out next November, but it'll just be a duology.)

Relationship Status: Spinning
I had an inkling going into this relationship, Book, that you'd appeal to me in a variety of ways, and I was not wrong. I am already planning long vacations we can go on with our earnings from our spun gold, as long as we can escape the Erlking's clutches relatively unscathed. I believe in us. We've got an HEA in our future, I just know it.

I really enjoyed this one! I really just enjoy Meyer's books in general, the way her stories are so "timeless" in a way. Her stories are not too childish but not way too adult either, so I feel many different ages can enjoy her books which is really interesting!
I really enjoyed the main characters in this and I found the interactions between Serilda and Gild really entertaining. I did, however, find the romance a bit off. Maybe there wasn't enough tension?? lol idk. But it wasn't bad necessarily and I feel like it'll probably get better in the sequel.
I also really liked the villain in this, I found him really interesting and a real true villain, his character making me really NOT like him which is a good thing haha
I also was not expecting the cliffhanger because I thought it was going to be a standalone but I am excited for the sequel!

I have not read a book by Marissa Meyer yet so I was excited when I got the chance to read this book. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed. This book started off amazing, I was so excited and happy and I was pumped for the story and then all of a sudden it because to much. Everything kept happening over and over again, always the same thing. The main character gets away, then she gets captured again. There were also things that happened in the book that just went a little to far for me. I'm hoping that the next book in the series can back track and wipe away all the awful things that happened in the first book.
Overall, this book just wasn't for me but I would still recommend it to people who like dark fairytale retellings. Even though I'm only giving it a 2 start rating, I still plan on reading the next book because I do need to know what happens.

I really enjoyed this retelling. This book is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin which is one of my favorite fairytale stories. Not only was this a retelling but the author added German folklore to the story which I thought it was a great thing to add to get a more cultural blend but the retelling was kind of getting blurred into the German folklore. I would say that it's kind of like ACOTAR which has that touch of Beauty and the Beast retelling which you can notice but it's blurred into the story. I still enjoyed the author's writing as I loved her past novel, Instant Karma, but damn why are the books longer than necessary. Just like Instant Karma, I felt that this book could have been shortened up as the story dragged. The plot, plot structure, and pacing were all great but the story started to drag towards the end. Also the world building is great in this book where it was easy to understand and not enough explained where you will be more surprised for the second book.

Serilda is the main character and I have to say that in the beginning I was kind of annoyed with her but then I started to love her. She is brave and has a great character development throughout her journey. Then there is Gild who I feel I shouldn't talk much about as you should read the book yourself. There are also some amazing side characters in the book that were very involved in the story and can't wait to meet again in the second book. The romance in the book is a slow burn and forced love trope.

The ending ends with a cliffhanger which was mouth dropping for me. Totally didn't expect it. This book was dark and magical which is perfect for a Rumpelstilskin retelling. I did have some minor problems with the book but it's still an amazing book which I can totally understand what the hype is all about. I will for sure be reading the second book which I can't wait for. Totally see why fairyloot made a special edition for this one!

2.5 stars rounded up

Honestly, this was disappointing. I was SO excited to see Meyer return to fairytale retellings and while there are a lot of elements I liked here, as a book this feels very bloated and repetitive at over 500 pages, AND it's apparently not a standalone. I wonder a bit if the success she has had as an author has led to editors not pushing her as hard to make cuts. This could have been a fantastic book, drawing on various elements of German mythology, clearly well-researched, with a compelling premise for a Rumplestiltskin retelling. But it either needed to be a standalone or like 300 pages long. It feels repetitive, meandering, and while there were scenes I was into, I spent a lot of time being kind of bored and wondering when the plot would pick up. And then when intense violence occurred, even toward children, it felt like it was more for shock value than being earned.

The audio narration is very good, it's just WAY too long! The bones of this is something great, but as a novel it was lackluster and while the ending is quite the provocative cliffhanger, I'm not sure I care enough to continue if the next book is going to be just as long for a relatively modest payoff. And I preordered a signed copy! *sigh* I received an audio review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

What a deliciously dark fairy tale, perfect for a winter's night read. Marissa Meyer is a master when it comes to retellings. She takes the essence of the original story and weaves her own unique magic into the tale, spinning it into something wildly original. Her take on Rumpelstiltsin is haunting and enchanting, with plenty of dark twists and glittering romance. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait for the story to continue.

Meyer going darker, I like it! Cliffhanger ending, not so much, but that was on me for not realizing it wasn't a standalone. This fairytale mishmash goes lots of places and there are a few moments where the language is a little too modern, but otherwise I was completely entranced.

Marissa Meyer focuses on a Rumpelstiltskin retelling in this novel Gilded. I found this book to just be okay and
I was disappointed, especially after loving the Lunar Chronicles. Serilda, lives with her father, with the ability to spin fantastical tales. That is what happens when fateful night when she lies saying she can turn straw into gold.

The pacing of this book has its high and lows. Some parts thrilling, others falling flat. This will be a series, so do not expect a concrete ending here.

Happy Pub Day to @marissameyerauthor and Gilded!

I know I’ve been talking about this one a lot but I just loved it so.

I’m a huge fan of dark fairytales and folklore and this hit the spot. Gilded is about a girl who tells the Erlking she can spin gold from straw in order to save a life. There are consequences for lying and this takes her down a path she might learn to regret.

Read if you like:
✨Stories within Stories
✨A Fantastical Germany
✨YA Fantasy with dark storytelling elements
✨The Wild Hunt
✨Ghosts and Mythical Creatures
✨Swoony Sweet Romance
✨Rumpelstilskin Retellings
✨Dark Princes and Evil Villains
✨Haunted Castles and small villages

It’s been out a day and I already want book 2. This is the type of book you’ll want to buddy read just so you can talk that ending out…because believe me, you’re going to want a support group.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @macmillanusa for my advanced copy.

I was going to wait for my Bookishfirst copy to arrive before reviewing but alas I am impatient and wanted to spill the beans.

I am a mixture of in love and impatient with this novel. I loved the German folklore. The way Meyer takes her readers through a whirlwind of older lores and classic tales is everything that I adore about her writing skills. Her characters always connect to my heart by the end of each book. Even the ones that may not rank as highly as others. This was no different. I especially like how it’s almost like a tale within tales within a tale.

But don’t let me get ahead of myself just yet. The majority of readers know the tale of Rumpelstiltskin; and while Meyer brings in parts of German folklore we may not know, it tended to get a little daunting and repetitive at times. You can tell this is a thickum novel, and while I do like big books, this could have shaved a bit off and held true to the plot Meyer was following. The romance I will leave for readers to decide on. I felt a bit of insta-love in the making but I also liked the twist from the original tale.

The worldbuilding was everything I wanted it to be with vivid imagery and her signature way of bringing her imagination to life in the pages. The mythological tie ins were well researched and wove expertly into the original tale. The main characters individually were fleshed out, but the side characters lacked the depth I am used to with other novels by Meyer. That aside, atmosphere is everything and the prose drips with gothic inspiration. It may have been what kept me going strong till the end.

I am a massive Meyer fan, and just like the others I will devour anything she puts to paper. Even though every element didn’t add up to create what I would place in my five-star category, Gilded is still an exquisite look into the talent and creative mind of this author. I would recommend to those who (of course) love Meyer, adore retellings and are truly fond of the young adult genre without critical expectations.

Thank you, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Fierce Reads, for the gifted digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Shoutout to Bookishfirst for providing the opportunity to throw all of my points at this beauty! I cannot wait for it to show up in the mail! True rating 3.5/5.

Thank you for giving. me the opportunity to read an ARC of Gilded!

I really wanted to love this one, and I really did love the first 2/3 of the book. It's a wonderful retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, involving a dark fae king and a whole bunch of fantastic and interesting characters. The main character, Serilda, is a poor miller's daughter who tells lies/stories about everything and anything, and her character, overall, is well-developed and sympathetic. I also loved the Rumpelstiltskin character himself, in this version named Gild, who is a poltergeist with no memory of his past. The romance between Serilda and Gild was a bit of a stretch to me, but I didn't particularly mind it. I also especially loved the setting and the many mysteries that are discovered throughout the story.

So why didn't I love the book? Because it was too long. Not only was it too long, it didn't even end! I got very frustrated when I realized that the story wasn't going to wrap up at all in this volume, even though most of the key elements of the Rumpelstiltskin story had been told. So while there is some beautiful storytelling here, I would have liked for this to have been a standalone, and it could have been shaved down by 50 or 100 pages and been even better. I think, ultimately, the author was trying to do too much. I may read the sequel, since I'm still interested a bit to see where the story goes, but I'm not going to rush out for it. I'm sad that I didn't love this book as much as I thought I was going to in the beginning, but I'm glad I got a chance to read it!

Marissa Meyer overhauls another fairy tale, this time the story of Rumpelstiltskin, in Gilded. Serilda is a storyteller with a penchant for exaggerating the truth and a bit of an outcast in her home near Märchenfeld. She lives with her father; her mother disappeared with the Erlking and the Wild Hunt when Serilda was young.

Now the Wild Hunt has come to Serilda. When trying to hide two of Grandmother Moss's granddaughters from the hunters, she comes face to face with the Erlking and spins a tale ... one in which she can spin straw into gold. Soon she finds herself in his castle, saddled with the task of spinning straw. Unable to complete the job, she is visited by the castle's resident poltergeist who completes it for her - at a price.

Serilda can't evade the Erlking, and he repeatedly summons her to spin gold for him. She also grows closer to the mysterious Gild, her gold-spinning rescuer. But can she find her mother, uncover the mysteries of the castle, bring down the Erlking, and save herself?

It's a grim retelling of the classic fairy tale, and Meyer brings new stories to the table for us to feast upon.

I have enjoyed every Marissa Meyer book I've read and this one is a bit darker though it's still in the YA cat. I'm so silly I thought this was a standalone 😂 so excited when I get to the end and there is so much left in this adventure. I was delighted and in horror when I got to the cliffhanger lol. What am I kidding I love a good wind up to the next book. Reel you in and leaving you wanting more! ✨

This is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling and I'm not familiar with Serilda, the Erlking and Gild. But I want more! It might even be multiple stories combined.

Serilda hears noises during a full moon and finds herself in the company of the wild hunt and the Erlking. She is already an outcast able to spin the most outlandish stories which she does for him. She insists she has the gifts from a god to spin straw into gold.

This tale brings him back and her to his castle where she must prove it. That's where it starts to get interesting and we meet Gild.

I'm so used to an ugly little Rumplestiltskin so this was an interesting change 😉

Each new visit to the castle during the subsequent full moons to use the gift, left clues to the past of this town and how to possibly defeat him and deceive him.

Serilda's gift of stories was amazing I loved all the stories she told throughout especially the story of the castle. She is finding her place in this world since she doesn't quite fit in with her village she gets blamed for everything bad that happens. She seems to know all the stories even if no one else knows due to a curse.. Ok I just love that for some reason.

Thank you macmillanusa and netgalley for the e-ARC for the honest and voluntary review.

“He had made his own prison, and he had done it for her.” Omg, my heart! Meyer retells the classic Rumplestiltskin with some intriguing and magical twists that pulled me in and had me until the end. Although admittedly a slow start, once the story got moving, I was hooked trying to figure out the details and waiting for the story to unfold. The unique strands Meyer wove through the classic tale are captivating, and although I’m completely yelling “UGH!!!” that the story has to have a continuation, I will definitely be scooping it up as soon as Meyer puts out the next book. This is an adult centered fairy tale you won’t find in Disney!

A haunting Rumpelstiltskin retelling by the queen of retelling herself! Marissa Meyer wrote another great story in Gilded and made her own unique spin to it without removing the fairytale feel from the story. In fact, she even made it more magical with a lot of influences from the German folklore.

The story was whimsical and the romance is adorable in its own way but it has grown darker and darker in every chapter! It was full of lore, legend and mystery that would make you keep guessing. It was also full of conflict with no resolution in sight, Serilda, the main character couldn’t catch a break. I love how brave, reckless and quirky her personality is.

The pacing was a little slow given that the events happened in months and in my opinion the story could have been a little shorter. I also wished there was a bit more emotion especially with the scenes in which the characters were forced to make some big decisions.

Overall a great Rumpelstiltskin retelling that made my jaw drop and scream at the end, I can’t wait for the sequel!

Thank you Raincoast Books and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy!

I am a sucker for the bad boy. I wanted Serilda and the Erlking to get together. This was an interesting take on Rumpelstilskin. Enjoyed the fairy tales within the book. I felt such despair and was not sure how Serilda was every going to get away. Sadly, the suspense continues as there will be a sequel.

I love the way that Marissa Meyer writes fairytales. This was absolutely stunning & I definitely recommend picking up a copy on release day (tomorrow)!

Gilded is a dark amalgamation of the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale with mythology. As enticing as the summary sounded, the actual execution of the book left something to be desired. As with Meyer’s other books, this one weighs in at about 500 pages. Staying motivated to continue to read was challenging, due to the slow moving plot. The characters felt flat, which also created a sense of the book dragging. The feel of this one is a little similar to Heartless, in that it’s darker than the Lunar Chronicles, and seems written for an audience that is older than the intended audience of the Lunar Chronicles. Readers should also go into the book knowing that it is not a standalone, so there will not be complete resolution at the end.

In terms of the audiobook quality, I think Rebecca Soler was a great choice as narrator, since she has narrated other Marissa Meyer books in the past. She does a fabulous job of using different intonations for each character, making the book seem as if there is a multi-person cast.

Thanks go to NetGalley and MacMillan Children’s and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In a world of princess retellings, a slightly darker tale like Rumpelstiltskin stands out. Marissa Meyer’s new book, Gilded, is just that. Incorporating Germany mythology, Gilded spins the story of Serilda, a young girl long cursed by the God of Stories and Lies. Her outlandish tales have always gotten her in trouble, but when her latest lie catches the attention of the Erlking, Serilda finds herself in over her head. With the help of a mysterious poltergeist, she must accomplish the impossible or die.

The summation of this book sold it for me and I was excited to be gifted an eArc by the publisher. But for all its golden promises, this book was a let down. To start, I was unaware that this would be a new series and Gilded was the first of it. With Rumpelstiltskin being such a short tale, the addition of the mythology could have stretched it into the perfect standalone novel. Instead, the reader is left with unnecessary scenes and plot points to drag out the story into more books.

The core plot to this book is the romance between Gild and Serilda. But the romance is unrealistic and weird at best. Two touch starved teens, one a cursed poltergeist, fall in love after one night together? I expect that in most books like this, but I truly hoped for more. The was no spark between them. There were so many other plot points that get should be more important that truly get lost behind the love story.

Overall, I was disappointed in this one and probably won’t come back for the sequel.