Reviews with content warning for Torture - Gilded

Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

32 reviews

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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lewnie's review against another edition

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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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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Let's all bow down to the absolute queen of retellings because Marissa Meyer has done it again.

I can't say that I'm surprised by how incredible this book is, but I will say that I'm shocked by how dark it is! I was definitely not expecting the level of gruesome, gory, and just outright gross scenes that were in this. It's something I haven't seen her do before and it almost reminded me a little bit of Schwab's writing. It felt much more mature than, say, The Lunar Chronicles - or even Renegades. It was the first book I've read by her that included sexual content (though it was completely closed door and really just mentioned more than played out) and it had some honestly terrifying scenes.

I've wanted to read a Rumplestiltskin retelling for years. That's the honest truth! While everyone and their mom might love a good Beauty and the Beast tale, I have been itching for something new and different and I always thought Rumplestiltskin would provide that. Meyer certainly put her special sauce on this story because it was everything I wanted it to be and so much more. In fact, aside from the "turning straw into gold" bit, there wasn't much else that was related to Rumplestiltskin - but I liked that! It felt wholly original while maintaining that timeless fairytale element.

Though parts of it were super predictable, there were other things that definitely kept me on my toes. I wasn't sure how much Gild would find out about his history, I had no clue that some characters weren't who they said they were, and there was something really fascinating about Serilda's story-telling! On that note, I loved that there were stories within stories as she weaved her tales. Like Gild, I wanted to hear more and more of them!

The way it ended left me with a million and ten questions, all of which I hope are answered in Cursed. At this point, I can't see how things are going to unravel and that's a really great feeling. It'll be so exciting to find out what happens next!

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bookwyrm_sisters's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

pedanticangel's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Still sorting through my feelings.

i feel like the idea of this book is better than the story told. The pacing was confusing. I thought the story would be wrapped up by the end of the book and was really surprised once I got to the end. I'm curious how the second and third books are going to go. I'm not certain there is enough story for them.

On the positive side, I really liked the mythology incorporated. Meyers really did a good job on her research. It's refreshing to read a story and see mythological creatures I haven't seen before.

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rbircumshaw's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

3.25

I’m glad I stuck with this book as it only really got going after about 1/4 of the way in. ( I always give a book 100 pages to impress me ). It was a bit slow to start but the world building was nice.

It was definitely mysterious and I think I will read the second book. Unfortunately it does introduce a trope that isn’t my favourite towards the end but I’ll give it a god anyway as the end of this book sets up for the second very well.

It is sad, emotional and heart reaching in places in my opinion and if you are sensitive to any form of child abuse or death just be aware of this book.

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silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

It took me about a hundred pages to really get into the story, but then it was very absorbing. This was the kind of story I hope for when I start a book, that pulls me in and makes me keep reading without checking how many pages are left in the book. And it even explored the nature of story itself a bit, which gave it a bit of depth I quite enjoyed.

My frustrations with the book, which kept it from quite being a five star read, were mostly with the author's worldview. Most of the magic fits into a made up, fantasy world feel that I'm fine with, but one short part of the story involves the good side using magic that both has a more 'real world' flavor, and plays with the line of of what would normally be portrayed as 'dark' magic. I also felt a lack of characters who appreciated both hard work AND stories--that shouldn't have to be an either/or. And there's a lesbian side romance shoehorned into the story.

I also didn't realize going in that there's a book two, which may well be my own fault, but definitely made the cliffhanger ending feel abrupt!

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heytherekaity's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced

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

5.0

HELLO YES THIS WAS WONDERFUL AND FANTASTIC AND somehow I missed that it's a series?????????

Absolutely LOVED it, but was very taken aback when I got to the end and realized.... the story isn't over.

My love of fairy tale retellings is back and I am so happy that this book was perfect!

Content Warnings

beckyg1016's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

bookishflaneur's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

4.5

title: Gilded

author: Marissa Meyer

my rating: ️️️️ (4.5 stars)

This book is a heartbreaking story of curses, mistakes, loss of hope and darkness. You thought fairytales were supposed to have a happy ending? Marissa Meyer will snap that thread of hope before you can say Rumplestiltskin.

I am in total admiration of the way Meyer creates her characters. I felt so connected to everybody, even the side characters, and it was so hard for me to see everything go wrong for them that it took me over a week to read this book; I didn’t want to turn the page for fear of the new challenges that arise in every single chapter.

The writing was beautiful, and perfect for a YA audience. I loved reading the stories Serilda spins throughout the book, and how the book was structured generally. We deserve a sequel please, you can’t just leave me hanging like that, even if it is by an unbreakable golden rope.

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