Child Book Review: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

The Queen of re-tellings is back with her new book, Gilded, a gothic take on the fairytale Rumpelstiltskin. 

Serilda, the miller’s daughter, is blessed by the God of stories, despite her village long believing she is cursed by the God of lies.

Content to ignore the grumblings around her and entertain the local children with wild tales of heroes and villains, she goes about her days helping at the school until The Snow Moon.

On that night, Serilda chooses to save two innocent lives with a bald-faced lie to the Erlking himself. One that involves spinning straw into gold. 

Caught in a prison of her own making, Serilda relies on the help of the castle’s poltergeist to keep her alive.

But on each full moon the Erlking asks for a little bit more. How much longer can Serilda keep the King fooled? And are her stories really as made-up as everyone believes? 

Meyer’s talent for vivid world-building will pull you into this immersive read. Although not a light-hearted retelling, the dark and sudden twists in this book make it all the more compelling. And, of course, a dash of romance never hurts! Serilda is a wonderful main character; brave, quick, unapologetic and incredibly stubborn.

Be warned, you will be left dying to read the sequel!