Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Rumpelstiltskin retelling
Gothic, dark vibes
German fairytale
Serilda is a miller’s daughter and an incredible storyteller. Unfortunately, the villagers hear her wild stories and think she’s a terrible liar and bad omen, a girl who was cursed by the God of Lies to only bring bad fortune. Serilda lies and tells the Erkling she can spin straw into gold and the next time he comes and takes her away to his castle full of ghosts, locks her in the tower demanding she spin straw into gold by morning or she’s as good as dead. A mysterious being helps her spin gold on multiple times in return for payment. when she doesn’t have any more possessions to give away, she promises to give him her first born.
From that point everything goes downhill and the level of drama is just right!
The world building was a bit lacking and I was confused whenever the Erkling was mentioned. I still don’t know if he is a god, a vengeful creature or just the chief of the riders on the Wild Hunt.
If you love fairytales and retelling, you definitely need to read this one.
Gothic, dark vibes
German fairytale
Serilda is a miller’s daughter and an incredible storyteller. Unfortunately, the villagers hear her wild stories and think she’s a terrible liar and bad omen, a girl who was cursed by the God of Lies to only bring bad fortune. Serilda lies and tells the Erkling she can spin straw into gold and the next time he comes and takes her away to his castle full of ghosts, locks her in the tower demanding she spin straw into gold by morning or she’s as good as dead. A mysterious being helps her spin gold on multiple times in return for payment. when she doesn’t have any more possessions to give away, she promises to give him her first born.
From that point everything goes downhill and the level of drama is just right!
The world building was a bit lacking and I was confused whenever the Erkling was mentioned. I still don’t know if he is a god, a vengeful creature or just the chief of the riders on the Wild Hunt.
If you love fairytales and retelling, you definitely need to read this one.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My favorite Marissa Meyer book thus far. Might be too long for committee.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
Gilded - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Well, where do I begin? Let's start by saying this is definitely not a bad book. But it's not a great one either.
There are a number of things I disliked about Gilded. The biggest one being the pacing. Gilded is based on the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin. The original tale lasts 3 days, and also in this book the infamous gold-spinning happens within 3 nights. But can someone tell me how one can write a 500 page book about a measly 3 days and make it an engaging story? Let me answer my own question: you can't.
The pacing was absolutely atrocious. Lots of the parts in between the gold-spinning nights felt unnecessary or just stretched out to the point where I couldn't enjoy it anymore.
What the hell was up with the romance?? Our main character Serilda, who doesn't really seem interested in the boys except for the one who didn't want her, suddenly falls in love with a GHOST (I am NOT okay with that) in just 2 nights?? Well if that already didn't make sense, buckle up for this shit: she becomes pregnant with the ghost's baby. It completely threw me off and I really can't rate Gilded more than 3 stars since that.
Why did I feel more sympathy towards the villain in this? We might never find out.
I did really like Meyer's take on the fairy tale. She's given it an interesting (although stretched out) turn and really lifted the story to another level. For that, it does deserve its 3 stars.
Well, where do I begin? Let's start by saying this is definitely not a bad book. But it's not a great one either.
There are a number of things I disliked about Gilded. The biggest one being the pacing. Gilded is based on the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin. The original tale lasts 3 days, and also in this book the infamous gold-spinning happens within 3 nights. But can someone tell me how one can write a 500 page book about a measly 3 days and make it an engaging story? Let me answer my own question: you can't.
The pacing was absolutely atrocious. Lots of the parts in between the gold-spinning nights felt unnecessary or just stretched out to the point where I couldn't enjoy it anymore.
What the hell was up with the romance?? Our main character Serilda, who doesn't really seem interested in the boys except for the one who didn't want her, suddenly falls in love with a GHOST (I am NOT okay with that) in just 2 nights?? Well if that already didn't make sense, buckle up for this shit: she becomes pregnant with the ghost's baby. It completely threw me off and I really can't rate Gilded more than 3 stars since that.
Why did I feel more sympathy towards the villain in this? We might never find out.
I did really like Meyer's take on the fairy tale. She's given it an interesting (although stretched out) turn and really lifted the story to another level. For that, it does deserve its 3 stars.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
I received a digital sample of this book in October from Netgalley and immediately fell in love with the characters. I began it as soon as I could get my hands on it and absolutely loved it!
This story s an intricately woven tapestry of love, loss, the courage to go on even when all seems lost, and the hope that things will get better.
This is the first book I have read by Marissa Meyer and fell in love with her writing style. I will definitely be reading more of her books!
Marissa Meyer did an incredible job creating this world and the characters within it.
This story s an intricately woven tapestry of love, loss, the courage to go on even when all seems lost, and the hope that things will get better.
This is the first book I have read by Marissa Meyer and fell in love with her writing style. I will definitely be reading more of her books!
Marissa Meyer did an incredible job creating this world and the characters within it.
The premise of this book is great and I was really excited. The execution however is what let it down. I loved the first 200ish pages of this, I enjoyed the world building and the setting up of the plot. To give context this book was a solid 4 stars for me for most of the book. The last 100 pages however??? What was that I'm sorry but no. The last 100 pages are non-sensical and rushed compared to the rest of the book hence my star rating dropping by 2 stars by that point. I love Marissa Meyer's art of retelling but that part? Nope I could have done without. I am unsure whether I will be reading the sequel.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes