Thoroughly enjoyed this story, even though I did not read the first book in the duology. It was easy to get invested in the characters even without all of the background. Loved the ending.

Marissa Meyer is the QUEEN of fairytales. This story is so intricate, with so many fairytales and characters, but she writes it effortlessly. You’ll cheer on Serilda from start to finish and won’t expect these plot twists! Enjoy l!

This was a really fun duology. Marissa Meyer is the queen of retellings and Rebecca Soler is the queen of her narrations.
This book is really long (16 1/2 hours) and at some points you can really tell it's long, but overall the pace moves along smoothly and a lot happens. I went into this not remembering every detail of this first book, so I read some spoilers I could find and it was enough. We get enough background information without it seeming repetitive and explanatory of the first book, and it's woven in nicely with what is happening in book 2.
In this book, I continued to like Serilda's protective nature, especially towards the 5 ghost children who's death she blames on herself in the first book. I liked how her relationship with Gild grew slowly since Serilda became betrothed/married to the Erlking. One of my new favorite characters was Agatha who was the ghost of the weapons master at the castle.
Like I said, a lot happened in this book and it was really fun to see all the pieces start to click together and had me really wondering how everything was going to turn out.
The ending wrapped everything up in a nice way and had me really enjoying my time with these characters. It made for a good duology.

Audiobook Review - Yet another fantastic book by Marissa Meyer. I think I enjoyed Cursed more than I enjoyed Gilded. Meyer wraps the story up nicely, while leaving readers on the edge of their seats right up until the very end. Hand this to fans of Meyer's other works and fans of fairytale retellings.

What a marvelous ending to this fantastical retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale. It is full of adventure, gods, dark creatures and love. I so enjoyed every moment of this duology and even though it took some turns that were unexpected, things worked out well in the end.

This was my first time listening to an audiobook ARC and I was not disappointed. Rebecca Soler does a fantastic job with the narration. She captured Serilda’s personality perfectly and she also does a great job with different voices for each of the many characters. I especially enjoyed some of the voices for the various gods that Serilda encounters. I look forward to listening to Ms. Soler again.

Serilda is just as wonderful in this book as she was in the first. She still occasionally made some rather poor decisions, but they do eventually work out for her. I loved her banter with the Erlking throughout the book. The wedding scene was perfect and quite amusing as well. Gild also continues to entrance and I loved the playfully wicked games that he played on the court and the king. Gild and Serilda also have such a lovely relationship that is supportive and protective of each other. I think they are my favorite couple of the year.

Lots of new characters are introduced as well as many from the first book. We do get to meet some of the gods, which was fun and I loved the back stories for each of them. The Erlking continues to be the villain that you almost have to like. I do think he had some feelings for Serilda in the end, but his love for Perchta was so overwhelming that no one could take her place.

The plot of this story was masterfully done. I had some ideas of where I thought it might go and some of them were spot on, but there were still some twists that I did not see coming. There is a bit more action in this one and Serilda ends up traveling to different places in the kingdom, many of them fantastical and wonderful. The beautiful and detailed descriptions of places, people and things made the story very immersive. The pacing was well done with nice quiet spots followed by exciting action scenes. This book is long, but it certainly didn’t feel long.

Rumplestiltskin is one of my favorite fairy tales and this retelling certainly did it justice. This story goes places that I could never have imagined. I look forward to seeing what fairy tale this master storyteller tackles next.

Another great entry in the series! Love Marissa Meyer's writing and definitely think it would behoove the reader to be familiar with the series before picking this one up.

Cursed by Marissa Meyer
Narrated by Rebecca Soler
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Teens & YA, Fantasy
Expected Publication Date: November 8, 2022

Cursed is the 2nd book in the Gilded duology by Marissa Meyer It is an amazing retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. It is captivating and brilliant and I could not get enough of it!

Once again, Marissa Meyer had created a world that draws the reader in that is filled with a vibrancy, wonder, and magic!

I did not want Cursed to end! I loved the characters and the story was filled with so many interesting things! It is fast paced and filled with so many twists and turns. This book truly has it all! I will definitely be re-reading this book because I did not want it to end!

I highly recommend this book to fantasy fans and fairy tale lovers! You will love every minute of it!!!

The narration by Rebecca Soler was breathtaking! She gave each character a voice and added another dimension of suspense to the book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

First, I will say that I am very thankful for the opportunity to have advanced listening for this book. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel! Marissa Meyer delivers a thrilling conclusion to her Rumplestiltskin duology in her trademark twist-y way. Even though the book was long, it never dragged and had many twists and turns I wasn't expecting, which is nice in a retelling (where you often feel you know what will happen). There were gruesome parts but it became part of the charm of Meyer's storytelling. The characters were nuanced and developed organically as the story progressed. The pacing was fast but detailed, never feeling rushed. I was very satisfied with the conclusion and the time spent getting to it! I will be recommending this series to my library patrons for sure!

I was given an audio copy of this book from MacMillan Audio and NetGalley. I was SO EXCITED to be able to listen to this early and review it. Thank you to the publishers!

Okay. So I’m going to do my very best to review this beautiful book without spoiling any big plot points. There will be more minor spoilers.

PREORDER AND READ THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK IMMEDIATELY. (It should be noted that it’s the second book in its series).

Things I disliked:
I’ve got to get this out of the way. I disliked nothing. This was an amazing book. 🤷🏻‍♀️😅

Things I loved:

The pacing! This was a really well paced book. When I read Gilded (book 1) I had a hard time pushing through it. It started a little slow, and it was too easy to put down. But from page one, this story gripped me. I jumped right back in to the story, and into the action. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it didn’t ever lull.


The villains! I hate them so much, and the author starts to tease a softness to some that you have to start to think about. I was appalled that I could begin to wonder if there was something good there. It was so well written, the depth of the characters. That they have some kind of morality somewhere, even when it doesn’t extend to the extent that would make them good.

The gods. Goodness, the lore in this world is so intrinsically tied up into this story, and it works. The way it builds on itself, and reveals new things… I love it. Which leads me to…

The retelling… it’s SO WELL DONE. The way it finally culminates in more than a gold spinner… the way it is revealed. I LOVED IT. I had tears and tingles and I just adore how the mystery unravels itself. 💛💛💛💛

Our heroes! So we have the same cast of characters: Serilda, the children, the ghosts, Gild, some villagers… and we finally see Gild’s sister in real life and she is SO COOL. I love seeing Gild grow. I love seeing Serilda deal with the pregnancy and her heartache, and her strength in all of the adversity.

All in all… This is one of my favorite conclusions to a story. It was so good.

Also: AUDIOBOOK!!!! I read this series as an audiobook. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it forever, Rebecca Soler is AMAZING. If you can, listen to the audiobook, and then look at her backlist and find every book she’s voiced and listen to those. She’s so talented at emoting and making you feel what the characters are feeling. She makes magical stories MORE magical. Always worth it to listen to her narration. 🥰

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

If you're a fan of fairytale retellings, this is a duology that you are going to want to make sure to get your hands on! I feel like this was the perfect wrap-up to the story and gave so much more than I had imagined! The way that it weaved so many fairytale elements throughout this story was really fun to watch, and I loved seeing the ode to the originals as well!

I do feel as though things seemed to just be happening to Serilda. There was no sense of direction for her other than just waiting for the next thing to happen to her and then reacting to it. It made it a little frustrating as it simply felt as though one thing after another was happening without any sort of overarching plot or scheme.

I loved the love story, but I was a little put off by the pregnancy trope. Serilda and Gild are so adorable, and I loved watching them grow through this book and make their story their own. I also loved watching how fierce Serilda was and the way her love and loyalty really shone in this book. It made the plot all the more intense and gave a sort of urgency to it.

All in all, I adored this duology and would definitely recommend it to any fantasy lover!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced reading copy of Cursed by Marissa Meyer.

Marissa Meyer’s first book in this duology is called Gilded. It is a dark retelling of Rumpelstilskin. (Enough said.) Gilded follows the character Serilda, a captivating story teller who’s tales reach the dark and haunting Erlking. Serilda finds herself in Adalheid where the Erlking has her spinning more than just stories.

The second book Cursed follows Serilda who wants to help her friend Gild find his real name and past history. All while trying to defeat the Erlking and save her friends from his deadly games.

These are books you just have to risk going into blindly as they are about so much more than just that synopsis but I always find myself engrossed in Meyer’s retellings as she knows how to craft an engrossing story. As for Rebecca Soler, she is one of my absolute favourite audiobook narrators.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of the audiobook.

What a great ending to this duology. I enjoyed listening to this way better than reading the first one. The narrator is fantastic and does a brilliant job expressing emotion in the more intense parts of the book.

Was this too long? Probably. But it did't feel like filler and a rushed ending like most duologies I've read. There is action and down time and it's pretty gory like the fables and fairy tales it's based on. Meyer does a great job crafting twists and turns and really torturing the protagonists to the point where you actually believe there can't be a happily-ever-after after all. Spoliers, there's still a happily-ever-after. And it's worth it. Great finish to this series.

Another amazing fairy tale retelling from Marissa Meyer. I found the finale of this duology captivating all the way through.

The first book had a slow start but this book jumps right back into the action and does not stop.

I loved the story telling aspect through out the book, making it stories within a story but it all ties together in the most satisfying way.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced audiobook for review.

Cursed begins where Gilded ends. Serilda is engaged. Gild is still running from the Alder King, and everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. What happens next is mostly plotting how to outsmart the Erlking, sulking over the spirit children, trying to figure out how to keep her child, and keep Perchta from being returned to earth on the Endless Moon.

I honestly don’t know how to felt about this book. There are so many bad things that happen to Serilda, and she makes so many bad decisions ask because if guilt. My secondhand discomfort made me listen to the story on double time. I just wanted it to be over. Serilda is just not the brightest bulb in the pack, and I get terribly frustrated by simpletons.

Despite how it sounds, Meyer’s writing is fantastically original. Serilda’s stories and unique eyes are intriguing, but it’s Meyer’s version of Rumplstiltskin, the seemingly unoriginal aspect of the novel, is what drew me into the story. And my favorite part happens about 75% into the novel when the gods show up. It’s the first real action in this massive tome. It’s the first time Serilda is not losing. It's a spectacular ending.

Thank you to Marissa Meyer, Macmillan Audio and Net Galley. I received an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. I love Gild so much and was so happy he found his sister too. And those sweet little kids, 🥺 I'm so glad she got to spend time with the five of them.

I'm going to be straightforward, I have not yet finished this book. I do plan on going back and finishing it, but I have other books that deserve the time more than this one does right now. I got to the halfway point and just needed a break. However, a review is due for this book.
I received an audiobook of this from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review, so here it is.
They did not choose the right person to do this audiobook. The narrator makes the book sound immature with her different voices.
As far as the story itself, it dragged on. This was something the first book did as well, and I was hoping it wouldn't happen this time around as well. I was having to put the speed on 2x just to try and get through it faster. That is not a good sign. Another thing that did not change from the first is that the main female character is so boring. I'm not sure how Marissa Meyer goes from having these amazing strong characters in The Lunar Chronicles to these characters, but it was a major letdown.
The plot was so so. It was good, but not enough to make up for the boring characters.
If you really loved Gilded, it would be a good book to pick up and read. However, if you were on the fence about Gilded, I probably wouldn't waste my time.

After reading and recommending Gilded to many customers, I eagerly anticipated the sequel, Cursed, by Marissa Meyer.
It far exceeded my expectations.

I went on a journey with Cursed and couldn't sleep before finishing the final chapters. The scene-setting is grim, the fairytale villains are clever and terrible, and our protagonists are brave and resourceful. They depend on eachother and grow together. It's pretty much everything I could want from a fairytale reimagining.

(Spoilers)
My only note of caution with these two books is that they contain scenes of violence against children. In true YA & Marissa Meyer fashion, everyone gets a Happily-Ever-After of some kind, but it was hard to love the children with Serilda only to see them harmed.

Overall, a great series

Continuing from the story of Gilded, Zerilda must do everything she can to save all that she has left.

Being the conclusion to the duology, there were lots of ends to tie up, and I think this book did a good job of introducing us to new conflict while still resolving the existing ones. I liked this book more than the first, because all of the action felt more pointed and impactful - I spent a lot of Gilded checking how much time was left, and this book flew by.

Rebecca Soler was fantastic as always, and I’m thrilled that she continues to bring Marissa Meyer’s stories to life.

This was a thrilling conclusion, and while this is not my favourite series of hers, Marissa Meyer must have been blessed by the god of stories, because this fairytale was a great retelling.

Well this book I unabashedly loved. It started out right where the first one left off and we were taken on a whirlwind adventure with the same characters I grew to love in Gilded and finally got a sort of closure. I don't want to spoil the ending, so that's all I'll say, except that it does fit my personal book requirements in that way.

I love the characters, there was absolutely character and plot development up the wazoo, as expected from Marissa Meyer. I was blown away by unexpected plot twists and also gratified when some of my own predictions came true. All around this book did not disappoint.

Also, I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator (again) was wonderful, she perfectly fit the tone and did the voices wonderfully, I felt fully immersed for the whole story. All around this book was wonderfully done and I feel safe trusting my storytelling to these lovely ladies.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advance review copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

I love this author she is an auto buy for me thas for the approval. I loved the writing and pace of the book I loved and hated all the characters I would recommend this to anyone and everyone it is perfect for this time of year