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.
I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
This book was somehow simultaneously dark, atmospheric, and fun. I really had a blast reading it and I loved each and every one of Serilda’s stories. I’ll be honest, a lot of the time when I read a book with side stories, I find myself reading through them quickly to get back to the main plot. In Gilded, I can honestly say that I enjoy Serlilda’s stories as much as I enjoyed the main plot.
One of my favorite things about Marissa Meyer’s books has always been the way she consistently writes sassy main characters. Her banter is consistently on point, and I loved how quirky Serilda was. She was so caring and protective of not only the people in her life, but the new people she met as the story progressed.
Overall this was a really incredible twist on the classic tale of Rumpelstiltskin, and I can’t wait to continue Serilda and Gild’s story in the next book.
As The Book Ends 