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A review by bookish_bookerz
Gilded by Marissa Meyer
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