Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

44 reviews

bluevirgo's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I went so back and forth with this book. There are parts that I really enjoyed and I will definitely read the second one. But at times it felt like this was dragging on, and I don’t particularly love any of the characters. I also found it at times just utterly depressing for no reason, like things being sad not for the plot but just to be sad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Blood, Child death, Death, Murder, Animal cruelty, Violence, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Abortion, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual content

lottsofplots's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Gore

Minor: Sexual content and Abortion

kmdahlgran's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, and Murder

Minor: Sexual content and Kidnapping

maublew's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion and Sexual content

arthur_ant18's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Death of parent, Child death, Animal death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Gore

Moderate: Slavery, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Pregnancy, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Minor: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, War, and Sexual content

purplehulk713's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Beware the nachtkrapp. Marissa Meyer’s newest retelling is eerie and beautiful, like a full moon on Halloween night. Magic abounds, in some of the best world-building I’ve read in recent years—Pusch-Grohla and her moss maidens, the Erlking and his dark ones, and of course, Gild, the mischievous poltergeist. The dark German folklore and sentiments characteristic of the Brothers Grimm haunt the pages like the ghosts of Adalheid Castle. And of course, the unique pantheon of seven gods like Wyrdith (god of stories and lies) and Velos (god of death) are fascinating not only in power and mystique, but also Meyer’s characterization of them as gender-fluid. Serilda is one of my new favorite protagonists—clever, unique, loyal, courageous, and magical, she faces ghouls and demons even though she has fear. Her arc is mostly based on her initial view of herself as cursed rather than blessed by her godparent Wyrdith, as the people in her village see her. The setting is well-spun (pun intended) with the significance of the full moons, equinoxes, and solstices tearing back the veil for the wild hunt. Subplots in the form of Serilda’s stories also provide unique parallels. And of course, the fairytale that it spins anew, “Rumpelstiltskin”, provides marvelous shades of allusion which keen-eyed readers can spot to add to the novel’s cleverness and complexity. This novel truly is gilded in 24-karat-quality. Remember, all magic comes with a price. Do you dare enter the Aschen Wood?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Child death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Torture

grace_p's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, and Child death

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Sexual content

lewnie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Blessed by the god of fate, fortune, and stories, Serilda has always had a talent for telling outlandish tales. When one of her stories captures the interest of the savage Erlking and his ghastly Wild Hunt, Serilda must make her stories a reality or face death. Tasked with spinning straw into gold, Serilda makes a desperate bargain with a strange young man. But all magic has a price, and Serilda may not be ready to pay. 

The good: I was so delighted by the prospect of a Rumpelstiltskin retelling and I did not expect this story to be as dark as it was, having read Meyer’s other YA. The world-building is superb and incredibly immersive. I had no problems with Serilda’s characterization. She has flaws, but she loves her family and her friends. She is also a bit of a firecracker, which is amusing and it is clear how she gets herself into trouble. Between her devotion to her loved ones and her spirited personality, I had no problems believing in her heroism. The Erlking is a terrifying villain and I really enjoyed what Meyer did with the Wild Hunt. There is horror and gore, but it isn’t incredibly off-putting.  

The bad: There isn’t a lot of representation in this book. Everyone seems to be generally “tanned skinned” but not presented as people of color. The world itself is also clearly Western-based. There is one character presented as potentially bisexual, but that is not on-page nor is it confirmed by the character. The idea of bisexual or gay relationships seem to be accepted as somewhat normal, however there are no on-page same-sex relationships. That is really the biggest detractor for me in this novel. 

The pregnancy at the end of the book also bothers me. I should have expected it, being a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. However it just made me a little uncomfortable. This may not bother others, and I also know that teen pregnancy is a reality that is often not addressed in other novels featuring sexual relationships.

Overall: I absolutely adore a long fantasy full of world-building and character development and at 500 pages, this is definitely a time commitment. However, I think the payoff is absolutely worthwhile. The twist on the classic Rumpelstiltskin fairytale is interesting and doesn’t feel overwrought. While I did see the twists coming, I don’t think that ruined anything about the story for me. I was invested in the characters and their stories throughout the entire novel and I will absolutely be reading the sequel. I wish there was a little more representation built into the world, though. With the darker themes and brief sexual content, I would suggest this for a little older teen audience than Meyer’s previous YA novels. I think this is a great transition for fantasy readers who are looking for something a little more ‘adult’ or adult readers looking for a less complicated fantasy read.

For fans of: Elizabeth Lim, Hafsah Faizal, Melissa Bashardoust

Rep.: off-page bisexual minor character. 

CW: abandonment; abortion (mention); animal cruelty; animal death; blood; body horror; brief sexual content; cannibalism; child death; confinement; death; death of a parent; grief; gore; murder; pregnancy; torture; violence.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Confinement, Animal death, Death, Child death, Blood, Body horror, Kidnapping, and Grief

Moderate: Abandonment, Torture, and Cannibalism

Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, and Pregnancy

havengracea01's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual content