MARISSA MEYER
(Book 1 in Gilded)
Synopsis:
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.
Content:
Language: Very few uses of minor swear words, insults
Violence: Most of the violence is off page, or told about in a story. However, there are depictions of murdered children and the ghosts in the castle have been disfigured by the ways they died (ex: someone has gardening shears stuck in their back, etc). The Erlking is also well known for his brutality and it is mentioned throughout the story.
Sex: Several kisses, allusions to intimacy, including one fade-to-black sex scene (nothing is described or shown on-page)
LGBTQ: side f/f relationship, non-binary gods
My Review: Gilded is a Rumplestiltskin retelling set in a German-inspired world. The romance does move fast (if you are familiar with the fairytale, you might be able to guess why), so go in expecting things to move quickly. Serilda was a little annoying at times. It had some dark moments and the atmosphere was mysterious, but it wasn’t too creepy. A really enjoyable read, like most of Meyer’s books.