This preview was dreadfully boring. It was only 155 pages but I was left not wanting to finish it when I have the opportunity, or rather, not needing to because I can tell how it will play out. Super predictable. Despite using the erlkonig and other awesome elements to create a story, it just felt flat and unimaginative.

This is a classic fairytale retelling by the goddess of retellings, Marissa Meyer. This time, it’s Rumplestiltskin. Serilda is a wonderful storyteller, blessed, or cursed, with the ability to lie. She is an outcast for the most part, her only friends her father and the children of the village, who listen to her stories with rapt attention. One night, she saves some forest folk from the Erlking’s hunt. In doing so, she tells the Erlking a lie: that she can spin straw into gold. The next hunt, he takes her to his castle. If she lied about her ability to spin straw into gold, she’ll be killed and mounted on his wall. If she told the truth...well, I haven’t gotten that far yet! That’s the horrible thing about excerpts.

I am absolutely entranced by the storytelling, both Meyer’s and Serilda’s, within the story. Her ability to lie makes me think that her storytelling has magical powers of its own, that she might perhaps be able to convince herself, lie to herself, and make it so she totally can spin straw into gold. If this is true, just know that I read a mere excerpt, not the entire novel, so this isn’t a spoiler, necessarily. Just as with the original fairytales, the story quickly gets gruesome, almost unexpectedly so, if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve read my fair share of tales. Even when Serilda is telling tales to the children, she has the villain slit the throat of the victim, even though the children are between five and eleven years old. Anything to save them from the creatures and the king that would take them, being killed the least of their worries.

I’m very much looking forward to reading the continuation of this story. I’ve only read two of Meyer’s books before, Cinder and Renegades. I never continued with either of those series, though reading this makes me want to backtrack and read both of those series in the meantime, unless I get approved for an ARC of the full novel.

3.5 STARS

What an intriguing sampler! I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of fairytale retellings, so I was hesitant about going into this sampler, but I did enjoy the concept. Marissa Meyer is an expert at crafting these wonderfully magical worlds, and I can definitely understand the hype behind her books.

Gilded is a yound adult fantasy Rumpelstiltskin retelling. When one of Serilda's magically spun tales catches the attention of the frightening erkling, she is forced to either spin straw into gold, or be killed for lying in her stories.

I really like Meyer's worldbuilding, and how she can create a spooky world that sets the scene for a spooky story. I feel like the introduction was a bit too slow-paced for me, and I would have enjoyed it more if it didn't take ten chapters for the inciting incident to take place. The characters are fairly interesting, and I'm excited to see where this book goes. Overall, this was an enjoyable sampler and I think that readers will be excited to read Gilded.

I received an eARC of this book sample in exchange for an honest review - thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

I’ve read a few of Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles books and I enjoy the twist she adds in the retelling of classic stories/fairy tales.

The opening of this book definitely sets up the world and characters with great detail and suspense. This story takes place in a world that’s a bit grim, and a bit Grimm - slightly magical and dark and definitely not a very safe place for children or the average impoverished peasant.

The character set up is top notch. Serilda is a very engaging protagonist and I like that there’s a possibility of her also being a bit of an unreliable narrator. She seems to be making good decisions, and I’d like to see more, since the sample ended right at the introduction of a very important character/plot point.

Would definitely check out the rest of the book. Would recommend for fans of Naomi Novik or those who have enjoyed this author’s other works.

I was enchanted by this story… every word brought to life around me like I could reach out and touch the straw or feel the chill from the woods across the back of my neck. Meyers has spun an utterly magical tale that I can not wait to get my hands on. I have mot felt such a pull into a story since I read Kingdom of the Wicked last year. Those few chapters immersed me in magic so fully that I could feel every emotion. This will be a masterpiece of that I am sure!

I'm very happy to be returning to Marissa Meyer's writing style! This is such a good story so far and is so well paved that it just has me hooked. This seems like a really quick fantasy read that I'm just all here for. Honestly, like most of her books, this seems to have an amazing story written in a more relaxed writing style which makes for a fun reading experience. Ultimately, I'm hoping to pre-order this book as soon as possible because I just can't pass up on a story about Rumplestiltskin by Marissa Meyer!

This sample convinced me that I absolutely need to preorder Gilded. I've never read anything by Marissa Meyer, but I was blown away with the effortless prose and compulsively readable story. I love a good twisted fairy tale, and this one is going to be amazing. The writing is amazing - writing style is a huge reason for me to read or dnf a story, and this is definitely going in the read pile. So many details are packed into such a short bit of story, without feeling the least bit like info-dumping because they're expertly woven in to the story as it progresses. I need to know more.

I read all of Marissa Meyer’s other retellings and the way she brings those classic fairytales to life through her original storytelling is so fascinating. This one is no different. Even though the sampler only has a few chapters, I’m already loving the way she spun the story of rumplestiltskin. I can’t wait to read the whole book!

The sampler made me so excited to get this book and read it. I’m so excited to get a rumplestilskin story!

I loved this first look into the characters and world of Gilded. Marissa Meyer certainly has a talent for fairytale retellings, perfectly exemplified by her series The Lunar Chronicles, and I'm really loving how she's taking the Rumplestiltskin fairytale in a fresh and interesting direction. Serilda is a compelling protagonist, and the side character pull their own weight in being interesting on their own and making a world that feels inhabited. I'm so excited to see what happens next in Gilded. As always, I love anything Marissa Meyer writes.

reading this sample makes me so excited to read gilded!

it is automatically intriguing and seems like it will be a very fun read. meyer’s writing style is gorgeous as always!

i will definitely be reading gilded when it comes out, and i have a feeling it will become a favorite!

I received the first 10 chapters of this book via Netgalley and I flew through them. It’s a Rumpelstiltskin retelling and I already love the world of magical characters

Serilda loves to help with the children in her village. They love that she can spin wild and magical tales from the superstitions and lore of the village. But Serilda’s stories have caused her to have a reputation for lying. When one of her stories seems to come to life, no one believes her.

Serilda’s story has gotten her into more trouble than she can imagine with the undead Erlking. She must spin straw into gold or risk her family and possibly her village from being destroyed.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this SAMPLER.

Well, color me intrigued. I feel like I really need to brush up on the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. I remember the trails of three rooms/piles of straw into gold. I remember the promise of a first-born child. After and before.? I’m not too sure of. Anyways, this story is definitely interesting. I love Winter as a backdrop for a story. The Hunt is always fascinating to read about. Everything was melding together perfectly. Of course, my sampler had to end right when it gets going. *woe is me*. But, I suppose it did it’s job. I feel like I definitely need to preorder this book to see what happens. Fairyloot did just announce a gorgeous edition.

I only have 3 words to describe this sampler: I. Need. More!

Marissa Meyer has always had a way with words that has drawn me in, making it easy to picture the world and characters she describes. I stumbled across Gilded not too long ago and between the cover and the summary, I knew this was going to be a book I needed to read - and I wasn't wrong. November can't get here soon enough so I can get the completed book!

i'm not a big marissa meyer fan. i loved her lunar chronicles series and ever since i've been trying to relive that love for her books, but it just doesn't work for me. i've started reading heartless, renegades, and instant karma and dnfed all of them. i want to like her books so bad, which is why i picked up this sampler.

it's not doing for me.

from the first chapter, we're thrown into a conversation with zero context and zero world building, expected to know what's going on. i was immediately lost and struggling to figure out what was going on and that made it really hard for me to get through the rest of the sampler.

while i very much respect meyer's work and i do think it's incredible that she is loved by so many readers, her work (especially this one, it should seem) is just not for me.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for this ARC - Extended Chapter Sampler.

This chapter sampler has me dying to finish this book. I can't wait to get more into the story and explore this world. Marissa Meyer is known for her retellings, and I know this will be just as amazing as her previous work.

I was already hungry for this, but now I'm STARVING.

I love Marissa Meyer's writing style. I can't wait to read more!

I decided to try this sampler, as I have this one on my list of upcoming books of interest, and I wanted to further gauge my interest since I haven’t read any books by this author yet. (I know. This is shocking and sad and something that needs to be remedied.)

The synopsis of the book really appeals to me and now that I’ve gotten a taste for the story, I do feel certain this is one I’d like to read! The writing isn’t overly complicated, which I struggle with in fantasy (I’m just so lost with some fantasy worlds!) and it really has a fun tone to it. Will it be fun all the way through? I do not know. But now I know that I’d really like to find out!