Scan barcode
A review by jen1804
Gilded by Marissa Meyer
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Not sure how I feel about this book. It’s obviously the first in a series as the ending is left very much on a ‘what happens next?’ vibe. If it was a stand alone then the ending would be extremely disappointing.
It felt quite YA, and the main character’s depth of emotions seemed really shallow which was a shame. She goes through so much loss and yet I don’t feel the book really explores the grief an 18 year old would be experiencing at the loss of her father, especially after seeing him reincarnated as what is essentially a zombie before needing to then decapitate him, like that’s gonna give the girl some trauma and yet Serilda seems very okay throughout and I don’t find it very realistic. Similarly, the way her emotions are so simply described causes the reader to achieve no great connection to Serilda and thus when further tragic events occur, I found myself feeling no sense of loss or heartbreak for her.
I found the romance between Serilda and Gild happened really fast and overall it was bizarre, it’s not built on much at all and I found myself thinking ‘what, why???’ whenever things seemed to progress between them. I wanted more depth and more complex relationship threads to be woven.
The main character herself is kinda weedy and a bit pathetic, she does not have a strong personality, or any real strength. It is a rumplestiltskin retelling where she heavily relies on the assistance of Gild and his power to spin straw into gold whilst she just sits and tells him stories. The ending gets a bit more interesting when her story telling becomes a way of actually achieving something. I’m used to badass female main characters in fantasy books and this simply did not deliver, but I expect I will read the second book to see whether her character builds into someone more powerful.
Satisfactory ending? No, but there’s a second book.
It felt quite YA, and the main character’s depth of emotions seemed really shallow which was a shame. She goes through so much loss and yet I don’t feel the book really explores the grief an 18 year old would be experiencing at the loss of her father, especially after seeing him reincarnated as what is essentially a zombie before needing to then decapitate him, like that’s gonna give the girl some trauma and yet Serilda seems very okay throughout and I don’t find it very realistic. Similarly, the way her emotions are so simply described causes the reader to achieve no great connection to Serilda and thus when further tragic events occur, I found myself feeling no sense of loss or heartbreak for her.
I found the romance between Serilda and Gild happened really fast and overall it was bizarre, it’s not built on much at all and I found myself thinking ‘what, why???’ whenever things seemed to progress between them. I wanted more depth and more complex relationship threads to be woven.
The main character herself is kinda weedy and a bit pathetic, she does not have a strong personality, or any real strength. It is a rumplestiltskin retelling where she heavily relies on the assistance of Gild and his power to spin straw into gold whilst she just sits and tells him stories. The ending gets a bit more interesting when her story telling becomes a way of actually achieving something. I’m used to badass female main characters in fantasy books and this simply did not deliver, but I expect I will read the second book to see whether her character builds into someone more powerful.
Satisfactory ending? No, but there’s a second book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Child death, and Suicide