Gilded by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Gilded is the latest release from the ultimate Queen of Retellings, Marissa Meyer.
Pitched as a haunted retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, Gilded was one of my most anticipated 2021-releases. I preordered the heck out of this book and am so pleased that it now graces my shelves.
The narrative follows, Serilda, a miller’s daughter, who spends her days spinning tales for the children in her village. Her stories are wildly entertaining and full of untruths, even though to hear her tell them, you would think everything she says is possible.
Serilda is a truly gifted storyteller. Cursed years ago by the God of Lies, Serilda’s talent was bound to get her in over her head eventually.
When one of her stories draws the attention of the Erlking and his wild hunters, Serilda gets drawn beyond the veil into a world of ghouls, phantoms and other mythical creatures.
Based on her story, the Erlking demands that Serilda weave straw into gold for him, locking her in a tower, threatening her life if the task isn’t completed by morning.
After a mysterious boy appears in her tower room, Serilda discovers he has the exact magic she needs to save herself.
But who is he and what does he want with her? As the two get to know one another, their fates become intertwined in Serilda’s epic battle to free herself from the Erlking’s clutches.
As mentioned above, I had been really excited to get my hands on this book and it did not disappoint. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the audiobook from the publisher, Macmillan Audio. I decided to go with the audio version because of that and I am so glad that I did!
I previously listened to the entire Lunar Chronicles series on audio and had such a blast with it. To my sheer delight, I quickly discovered this audio is performed by the same fantastic narrator, Rebecca Soler!
She just has the perfect voice for Meyer’s stories. Whimsical and captivating, she breezes through Meyer’s whip-smart dialogue like she had written it herself.
In fact, that is one of my favorite aspects of Meyer’s writing; the dialogue. It is always so witty and fun, keeping me smiling even during the most intense scenes. Serilda’s perspective provided plenty of opportunity for Meyer to show off that comical style.
I actually read this entire story believing it to be a standalone novel. Surprise and elation, it is not!
This is actually the first in a duology, with the second book expected to be released next November. I cannot wait to find out the conclusion to Serilda’s story. I will definitely be rereading this one prior to that release.
If you have enjoyed previous works from Meyer, or just love a dark fairytale retelling, you absolutely need to pick this one up and give it a shot.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy of this to listen to and review. It’s an incredible story with some phenomenal narration to boot!
I cannot wait for the continuation of this story. 2022, here we come!!!
