Gilded: 1 (Gilded Duology)

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a b c Sailor, Craig. "Tacoma novelist hits it big with her futuristic story "Cinder" ". The News Tribune. Tacoma News - McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Q&A: Marissa Meyer, Author of 'Supernova' ". The Nerd Daily. December 21, 2019 . Retrieved December 1, 2021. In 2013, Meyer received a two-book deal from Feiwel & Friends for a young adult series featuring the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. However, it later ended up being a standalone book called Heartless, which was released in Fall 2016. Utah students adapted the novel into a musical which Meyer attended in 2021. [18] Gild and Serilda's relationship was honestly so lovely, they are so much fun to see work together to both cause mischief and save their unborn child. They bring out the best in one another and seeing them struggle but then also bloom at the same time was really heartwarming. I wish there had been more time with their relationship that wasn't just in passing in some parts but it all worked out. Meanwhile, the Erlking is plotting revenge against the seven gods who trapped the Dark Ones behind the veil. If he succeeds, it could change the mortal realm forever.

The stakes are high. Can Serilda and Gild figure out how to free themselves from the Erlking's grasp before the Endless Moon finds them cursed forever? Meyer manages to insert humour and heartache, and gives her characters some wise words and insightful observations about human nature and life. Often, Serilda sees her gift as a curse: “Have you been cursed by the god of stories? Does every word out of your mouth somehow land everyone you love in danger?” When she is finally able to make that complaint to Wyrdith in person: “I do understand,” said Wyrdith. “Stories are powerful.” They threaded their fingers through Serilda’s. “What you don’t understand is that you have not yet written the ending.” None of which happens! There is no love triangle, thank goodness, and the Alder King stays a bastard till the very end, thank Marissa Meyer. I'd have absolutely loathed either option, and both would've made this book my first DNF in years. That it didn't happen saved the book and made it possible for me to forgive a lot of what did happen, although not everything. We do get to meet some new characters this time around, several of which were super interesting—not the mention all the secrets and intrigue that Serilda manages to stumble into. The second 25% is torture, 1-star in every sense. It's a mud puddle to plough through at extra slow speed. Nothing happens there, Marissa Meyer overdoes the descriptiveness even more than usual, and the writing is horrendously basic; so basic many "paragraphs" are one word or three words, no exaggeration. It's so repetitive and soporific I lost 3 days trying to wade through it and losing the battle every time, I nearly abandoned the book in this stretch, and would have if, at approximately 42%, Meyer hadn't dropped a plot bomb, the first of several to come until the end, that enlivened the dull story and made it more interesting, turning the third 25% into another 4 star read.Likewise, Gild’s roguish charm and mischievousness was offset by several nuanced and emotional scenes surrounding the loss of his memories and an unexplainable sense of guilt, which I felt brought new dimension to his character. The chemistry between the pair was still fairly swoon-worthy but their dynamics were certainly angstier this time around. Marissa Meyer (born February 19, 1984) [3] is an American novelist. A large portion of her bibliography is centered on retellings of fairy tales. She is best known for her series The Lunar Chronicles, which includes her 2012 debut novel, Cinder. For half of the story I listened to the audio. Fortunately, the narrator, Rebecca Soler, is also very good. The story was easier to get through in audio format and I would recommend listening to it. Fantasy Author Marissa Meyer Reveals Her Next Book Cover: Gilded". io9 . Retrieved February 27, 2021.

In November 2021 she released Gilded, a novel based on the story of Rumpelstiltskin, the first in a duology. [24] It sold 9,000 copies in its first week, and was the top YA title when released. [25] The second book in the series, Cursed, was released in November 2022. The vividly immersive and gorgeously woven sequel to Marissa Meyer’s spectacular reimagining of Rumplestiltskin continues where Gilded left off, returning us to Adalheid, the ErlKing and his malevolently dark court. The conclusion to this couldn't have been better. It felt so complete; a true 360. I loved sort of the exploration of the idea of what is in a story, folklore, legends that are passed down over generations. Is there truth in them? From where did these legends come?a b "Bestselling YA author Marissa Meyer details her career in writing". HS Insider. December 18, 2021 . Retrieved March 3, 2023. Purinton, Ellie (November 7, 2016). " 'Lunar Chronicles' Writer Marissa Meyer on New Book, 'Heartless' ". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 3, 2023. The start of Cursed is more sedate, overdescriptive at times, and with more quiet scenes than you'd have been expecting from how Gilded ended. En route to the Erlkönig and Serilda sealing their fate on the day of the Winter Solstice, something is bound to happen, she hopes, but so far nothing seems to be going to happen to throw a wrench into the Alder King's schemes. He and Serilda are keeping up a farce for the benefit of the whole of Adelheid, and it's not clear whether the court is buying it or not, and since nobody's helping her, Serilda is resigned. Because of this, Gilded, pitched as a haunted retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021. Spoiler alert: it did not disappoint!!

Since 2020 she has hosted The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer, a podcast in which she interviews authors about their work. [26] Personal life [ edit ] Sailor, Craig. "Tacoma novelist hits it big with her futuristic story "Cinder" ". The News Tribune. Tacoma News - McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Now that the story is finished, I can tell that this second book was not needed. The story could've fit in one book if Meyer wasn't a pathological overwriter or had an editor that didn't fear using the editorial hatchet more forcefully. I like her, I like that she is a good storyteller, but I'm not blind to the fact that she isn't a good writer. Like Serilda, she puts in too much, and she always overstays her welcome by cramming in too much and not knowing what to cut and where to stop; perhaps that's why this duology's heroine is the most reflective of her own storytelling. It's really exhausting, in the end. I'm not sure I'd read another retelling of hers, because even though I've enjoyed what I've read of her work so far, some more than others, I always have ended up with a sense of exhaustion after every one of them. Not elation, not the pleasure of having finished a great story, but tiredness and the feeling that I've eaten a greasy cut of beef with more fat than meat in it instead of the lean and delicious steak I sought. When a book makes you work this much to get to the point, you have to wonder if it's worth the effort, and in this case it wasn't.Meyer was born in Tacoma, Washington and attended Pacific Lutheran University, where she received a Bachelors in Creative Writing and Children's Literature. She later attended Pace University and received a Master's in Publishing. [4] Growing up, Meyer admits that she had a strong love for fairy tales and one of her favorite shows was Sailor Moon, both of which later impacted her creation of Cinder. [5] Meyer also says that her love of superheroes helped lead to the creation of Renegades. [6] In an interview with Los Angeles Times, she said she attempted her first novel when she was sixteen. [7] Career [ edit ] Meyer at the 2022 Phoenix Fan Fusion In a classic power move, the Erlking forces Serilda to become his wife. He's hoping to be able to use her powers for his own gain. She plays along, mildly, as she has her own agenda going on under the Erlking's nose; keep your enemies close and all that. Before my review of the story, I would just like to mention that I love the cover of this book. I think it is absolutely perfect. It is eye-catching and fits the story well. Excellent job with that art work. I did enjoy how the story wrapped up and learning more about the underlying story as it unfolded. Meyer's writing is very good and engaging. I ended up being glad that I pushed through the darkness and found my way to the end of the story. Additionally, I did listen to the audiobook for both installments, narrated by the always fabulous, Rebecca Soler.