Review: Gilded (Gilded #1)

Title: Gilded (Gilded #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: November 2, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author, returns to the fairytale world with this haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.

Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller’s daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.

Or so everyone believes.

When one of Serilda’s outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her . . . for a price.

Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.

Review:

Serilda, the miller’s daughter, has been cursed by the god of lies to spin stories and lies. When she meets the Erlking and his hunters one night, she tells him the lie that she can spin straw into gold. Instead of letting her go, he takes her to his castle where he sets her up in a room to spin a roomful of straw into gold. If she fails the task by morning, he will kill her. Then, Gild appears in the room. He tells her that he can spin the straw into gold for her, but for a price. Once the task is completed, Serilda is free to return home until the next moon when the Erlking will return for her again. Serilda must figure out how to end the tyrannical reign of the Erlking, which may mean losing some people along the way. 

This retelling of Rumpelstiltskin was exactly what I wanted in a Marissa Meyer fairytale adaptation. I’m not as familiar with Rumpelstiltskin as I am with other fairytales so I was surprised as the story progressed. I loved the shocking twists in this story, particularly at the end. 

I really liked the incorporation of German folklore. There were quite a few creatures that I had to look up, which were based in German folklore. This gave it an authentic fairytale feeling. 

Though there were some heartbreaking parts in this story, the ending was so suspenseful that I can’t wait to read the sequel!

What to read next:

Other books in the series:

• Cursed (Gilded #2)

Have you read Gilded? What did you think of it?