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nova_lilias's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Child death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Death of parent, and Body horror
clairew97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Body shaming, Violence, Torture, Cannibalism, Grief, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Abandonment, Animal death, Death, Blood, and Body horror
aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
Definitely did not see the plot twist coming and a big fan of how this story relates to Rumpelstiltskin, intrigued for the next book. I did like the fairytale style of writing and description, though at times, it was a bit tedious, especially when the plot was ramping up
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, Child death, Violence, Animal death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
soupymsc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
Easy read and I enjoyed the mystery of Gild's past. They spent a little too much time on the fluff on every moon but when things happened in this book, they happened.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Child abuse
xtsukix's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
This book was agonisingly slow and I found so much of the content utterly boring. When S was in the castle (I listened to the audiobook, please don’t ask me to spell her name) and doing the tasks set out before her and interacting with Gild, I was absolutely interested and hooked, but there was so much needless other stuff going on that took up the majority of the book that I found myself disinterested the majority of the time.
I found that this book had moments that were notably dark and grotesque, but that they didn’t necessarily FIT the book. Whenever they happened it would take me out of the book and have me wondering why it was necessary, I think purely because the suspense and tension was not kept throughout the book. The main cause of this, I think, is because the villain of this story is utterly underwhelming. He’s supposed to be cold, ruthless and cruel, but instead just comes across as a template for the evil character archetype. He has no real depth, his cruelty is seen few and far between and almost entirely happens offscreen, and although the book unravels his desires and what he wants, he really doesn’t showcase this himself at all, and seems utterly dispassionate about his desires.
I think all of the deaths that happened also happened offscreen, which created such a dissonance between the random moments of gore and the reality that the most horrific things were just told to us to have happened.
The mystery was interesting, although S feels like she’s ten steps behind the reader in understanding what’s going on. The romance was somewhat rushed and rooted in nothing but them both being alone and happening to find another person they can be with, no matter who that person is, which did not culminate in the most root-worthy or shippable romance, but it was not awful considering they were only together for about 5% of the book.
The book really picked up for the ending and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, and seeing how the revelations play out, and if the various curses can be lifted. Also, it’s not often you see a ginger male romance lead, so that was very exciting. 10 points for that.
Also please do not let Gild’s real name be Rumpelstiltskin, I am praying for all that is good and holy.
I found that this book had moments that were notably dark and grotesque, but that they didn’t necessarily FIT the book. Whenever they happened it would take me out of the book and have me wondering why it was necessary, I think purely because the suspense and tension was not kept throughout the book. The main cause of this, I think, is because the villain of this story is utterly underwhelming. He’s supposed to be cold, ruthless and cruel, but instead just comes across as a template for the evil character archetype. He has no real depth, his cruelty is seen few and far between and almost entirely happens offscreen, and although the book unravels his desires and what he wants, he really doesn’t showcase this himself at all, and seems utterly dispassionate about his desires.
I think all of the deaths that happened also happened offscreen, which created such a dissonance between the random moments of gore and the reality that the most horrific things were just told to us to have happened.
The mystery was interesting, although S feels like she’s ten steps behind the reader in understanding what’s going on. The romance was somewhat rushed and rooted in nothing but them both being alone and happening to find another person they can be with, no matter who that person is, which did not culminate in the most root-worthy or shippable romance, but it was not awful considering they were only together for about 5% of the book.
The book really picked up for the ending and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, and seeing how the revelations play out, and if the various curses can be lifted. Also, it’s not often you see a ginger male romance lead, so that was very exciting. 10 points for that.
Also please do not let Gild’s real name be Rumpelstiltskin, I am praying for all that is good and holy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Misogyny, Animal death, Body horror, Abortion, Blood, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Gore, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexism
Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, Sexual content, and Bullying
amberelaine94's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Child death, Blood, Gore, and Death of parent
Moderate: Slavery, Kidnapping, and Murder
vonfluffypants's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
Did not realize until the last chapter that this is not a standalone book, but a duology. I hate when this happens to me. *sigh* Don't get me wrong, I love to read series, but I like to know that it's a series going in to it, because otherwise I assume everything is going to get wrapped up by the last chapter and then I start to realize, there's a lot to still be wrapped up and not enough pages left! And it stresses me for a bit lol. Anyways, it's a me problem but there it is. Now I have to hunt down the sequel to this book and I thought I was going to have a nice tidy ending...
That being said, I did enjoy this one! It was a fun YA fairytale retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. There's magic and curses and an evil king and a haunted castle and ghosts and magical creatures and a mystery. There's a romance, of course. This one has a bit more violence than a typical YA. Serilda was a fun main character; she has a lot of lies and tricks up her sleeves that keeps the story interesting.
It was a bit long and repetitive in parts, but I remained interested in the story, and now I'm interested enough to read the sequel. An entertaining read, especially if you like fairy tales!
That being said, I did enjoy this one! It was a fun YA fairytale retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. There's magic and curses and an evil king and a haunted castle and ghosts and magical creatures and a mystery. There's a romance, of course. This one has a bit more violence than a typical YA. Serilda was a fun main character; she has a lot of lies and tricks up her sleeves that keeps the story interesting.
It was a bit long and repetitive in parts, but I remained interested in the story, and now I'm interested enough to read the sequel. An entertaining read, especially if you like fairy tales!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Animal cruelty
bookish_bookerz'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This book was picked up for two reasons:
1. I am a huge fan of fairytale retellings
2. I am huge fan of Marissa Meyer
To start this review, let me focus on the positive firsts and why I enjoyed this story so much. This Rumpelstiltskin retelling did have a dark spin on it while keeping some of the main details of the original, which I liked very much. I think Marissa Meyer did a fantastic job adding new elements to such a classic fairytale to create a new setting for it. Which in turns influence, my positive outlook of the characters in whom I enjoyed. I like going through the ups and downs with characters that I connected with emotionally.I did not find any of the characters flat and enjoyed how I can see the relationship of side characters with the main. Another thing I am fond of this story was the character development of the main character. Even though it was not a significant growth, I appreciated seeing the female main character growth in courage through the novel. I am also very fond of the stories told by our main character. I found it absolutely exciting that there were stories inside of a story. To me that added a nice touch and a glimpse into what our character was known for while sharing things about the plot without making it boring or overly informational. Lastly, I liked how the plot did focus on its main objective instead of deviating into a different direction. I though there was a good blend between world building, character driven, and plot. It was just enough to keep me engaged. Now to focus on the negatives. While reading there were some times I found myself a little uninterested due to some of the world building or descriptions. It was not overly heavy but, I found myself a little bored and would skim over the description parts when I wanted to get to the action. In addition, I disliked how our main character acted at certain times. Some of her action made me confused or asking why would she do that. She was infuriating at times, but nonetheless I stilled enjoyed her. Overall, I was satisfied with my read and enjoyed it enough to read the second book. I cannot wait to continue this story.
1. I am a huge fan of fairytale retellings
2. I am huge fan of Marissa Meyer
To start this review, let me focus on the positive firsts and why I enjoyed this story so much. This Rumpelstiltskin retelling did have a dark spin on it while keeping some of the main details of the original, which I liked very much. I think Marissa Meyer did a fantastic job adding new elements to such a classic fairytale to create a new setting for it. Which in turns influence, my positive outlook of the characters in whom I enjoyed. I like going through the ups and downs with characters that I connected with emotionally.I did not find any of the characters flat and enjoyed how I can see the relationship of side characters with the main. Another thing I am fond of this story was the character development of the main character. Even though it was not a significant growth, I appreciated seeing the female main character growth in courage through the novel. I am also very fond of the stories told by our main character. I found it absolutely exciting that there were stories inside of a story. To me that added a nice touch and a glimpse into what our character was known for while sharing things about the plot without making it boring or overly informational. Lastly, I liked how the plot did focus on its main objective instead of deviating into a different direction. I though there was a good blend between world building, character driven, and plot. It was just enough to keep me engaged. Now to focus on the negatives. While reading there were some times I found myself a little uninterested due to some of the world building or descriptions. It was not overly heavy but, I found myself a little bored and would skim over the description parts when I wanted to get to the action. In addition, I disliked how our main character acted at certain times. Some of her action made me confused or asking why would she do that. She was infuriating at times, but nonetheless I stilled enjoyed her. Overall, I was satisfied with my read and enjoyed it enough to read the second book. I cannot wait to continue this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion, Cannibalism, and Sexual content
outer_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a great one to read! I enjoyed it and it was so much fun!
I enjoyed the first few chapters until right before the last few ones. Those where I enjoyed the introduction to the world, to the German Folklore creatures and not just Rumpelstiltskin. The writing was so good! It was the most atmospheric.
I also refused to believe that this was a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin! I refused! I had no knowledge of this book and have never read any works of Marissa Meyer until this one but have heard of and been in my wishlist for so long! And this made me want to keep on reading here amazing work because if this type of writing is the same within all of her books then I would be happily to swim in it.
The only complaint about that I have to give was the romance. I felt nothing towards it, there was no chemistry there but I understand it. These are two people who had never experienced romantic and yearning love ever, BECAUSE OF REASONS, and they share that common reason. Makes sense to me and I know it might not to others but I do wish to see more interactions between them, a chemistry build up and something to form together in the next book.
I enjoyed the first few chapters until right before the last few ones. Those where I enjoyed the introduction to the world, to the German Folklore creatures and not just Rumpelstiltskin. The writing was so good! It was the most atmospheric.
I also refused to believe that this was a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin! I refused! I had no knowledge of this book and have never read any works of Marissa Meyer until this one but have heard of and been in my wishlist for so long! And this made me want to keep on reading here amazing work because if this type of writing is the same within all of her books then I would be happily to swim in it.
The only complaint about that I have to give was the romance. I felt nothing towards it, there was no chemistry there but I understand it. These are two people who had never experienced romantic and yearning love ever, BECAUSE OF REASONS, and they share that common reason. Makes sense to me and I know it might not to others but I do wish to see more interactions between them, a chemistry build up and something to form together in the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Violence, Death, Slavery, and Child death
Moderate: Stalking, Torture, Grief, Genocide, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy