Gilded: A Dark and Compelling Rumpelstiltskin Retelling Spun into Gold by Marissa Meyer

Marissa Meyer opens Gilded with a haunting line that sets the stage for a chilling fairytale full of danger deception and gods. In hindsight, perhaps it was a bit my father’s fault. Perhaps he should have known better than to accept a wish from a god. After all.. wouldn’t you?   

 Serilda, the miller’s daughter, was either blessed or cursed by the god of stories, a being known for twisting truth into tales. One night, while saving the moss maidens from the ire and wrath of the Erlking and his undead hunters, she spins the most magical story yet, she can spin straw into gold. Unfortunately, while the moss maidens are saved, she ends up in a grim dark world of the Erlking and his castle where each full moon she is tasked with spinning straw into gold or else be killed. Just as Serilda’s luck is about to run out, a mysterious boy comes to her aid. He agrees to help her for a price… Serilda finds there are many secrets hidden in the Erlking’s walls & this gives the young millers daughter hope that she can break the Erlking’s curse and end his tyranny once and for all…

 Marissa Meyer Spun a Story Into A Unique Fantasy

Retellings of fairytales, myths & legends can be a hit or miss. With Marissa Meyer’s Gilded, it’s a hit. For a story like Rumpelstiltskin, Marissa makes it her own weaving in eerie imagery, high stakes, & rich world building inspired by German folklore. You do feel immersed in this dark fairytale with the haunted castle, the moss maidens and the children Serilda tell the stories too and the looming foreboding presence of the Erlking, which feels vividly real. My favorite characters were Serilda & Gild (a clever take on the Rumpelstiltskin figure) along with the moss maidens and the children which also add emotional depth to the tale. Gilded is the first in a duology, and since I enjoyed it, I already have Cursed on hold at the library. If you love fairytales, especially retellings with a darker edge, I highly recommend this one. After not getting into Heartless or The Lunar Chronicles, I’m glad I gave her books The Happy Writer & Gilded a chance & I look forward to reading Marissa’s Bluebeard retelling The House Saphir. I look forward to seeing what other fairytales Marissa spins into gold next.