ARC Review: "Gilded" by Marissa Meyer


Gilded by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author, returns to the fairytale world with this haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.

Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller's daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.

Or so everyone believes.

When one of Serilda's outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her… for a price. Love isn't meant to be part of the bargain.

Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.



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REVIEW



I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 

Holy wow...I have no words from where, to begin with this review. Marissa Meyer was one of the first authors I had read in my first blogging days and seeing a new book by her and a retelling at that made me have high expectations of it.

And she didn't disappoint!

Gilded takes place in a fantasy world where magic exists, old gods can take various forms and grant boons or curse their victims.

Serilda is blessed by the god of lies and stories at least the people in her village say so as she loves to spin stories and sometimes lies, innocent ones. But when a chance encounter with the horrible and vicious Erlking causes his attention to be drawn to her, she will be swept into a castle that hides more secrets than it shows.

The Leader of the Hunt wants Serilda to spin gold out of straw or he will kill her. In her desperation she allies with Gild, a mysterious boy trapped in the castle with no memory of who he was and what powers he has.

As the days pass and the Erlking's demands become higher, Serilda will realize that not only her life is in danger but also her heart.

I loved the new world Marissa Meyer introduced to us. There is mystery magic, myths inspired by the Fae Lore and no this has no relation to any Holly Black Fae (someones in the blogsphere tried to compare them).

It's a uniquely beautiful story with its trials and bloody times, romance and friendship. Towards the end, I did feel like everything was rushed and some characters did not have the development I wanted but I am sure that in the next book the mystery will clear and the curse hopefully will be lifted as Serilda made a bargain I don't know how she will escape from.

Amazing, beautiful writing and new characters! Totally recommended!




About the author:

I live in Tacoma, Washington, with my husband and beautiful twin daughters. Represented by Jill Grinberg. Learn more about me and my upcoming books at http://www.marissameyer.com.

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