Gilded: 1 (Gilded Duology)

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Haas, Shawnee (January 29, 2022). " 'The Lunar Chronicles' Series Gets Adaption From 'Ron's Gone Wrong' Animation Studio". Collider . Retrieved March 3, 2023. 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? 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.

Oh, but something does happen on the grand day! Will it ruin the Erlking's precious plans? We don't know! The sampler cuts off at the right moment to leave you itching for more, and now we'll have to wait till November to find out. Additionally, I did listen to the audiobook for both installments, narrated by the always fabulous, Rebecca Soler. 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.” Overall, this is a fantastic duology for Fairy Tale fans. It has such a classic feel, but is wholly original; great writing and character development.Our loveable protagonist and gifted storyteller, Serilda has really matured since the events in Gilded and watching her progression definitely highlighted her emotional development from her rash and impulsive tendencies. 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.

Media, Mast. "Author, alum Marissa Meyer talks 'Sailor Moon' and 'Cinder' | Mast Media" . Retrieved December 1, 2021. We return once again to the Court of the Erlking, the Alder King, where Serilda lives with five little ghosts whom she dearly loves. In the morning she’s to live a lie and marry the Erlking but they are, of course, at odds. He is determined to use Serilda for his own nefarious plans whereas she has only one aim which is to help Gild, the forgotten prince, to recover his true name and his past. Can they break the curse that binds them both to Adelheid Castle before the Endless Moon when it will become unbreakable? Q&A: Marissa Meyer, Author of 'Supernova' ". The Nerd Daily. December 21, 2019 . Retrieved December 1, 2021. Serilda is determined to help Gild, the mysterious boy who came to her aid in the first book, solve the mystery of his forgotten past. 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.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. Purinton, Ellie (November 7, 2016). " 'Lunar Chronicles' Writer Marissa Meyer on New Book, 'Heartless' ". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 3, 2023. 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!!

Cursed is the highly-anticipated follow-up to Marissa Meyer's 2021-release, Gilded. I genuinely love Meyer's style of writing and her always clever take on classic stories. In my opinion, she's the queen of retellings. Marissa Meyer '04: Living the Dream as a Best-Selling Author". Pacific Lutheran University . Retrieved March 3, 2023. 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.

a b "Bestselling YA author Marissa Meyer details her career in writing". HS Insider. December 18, 2021 . Retrieved March 3, 2023. 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. 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.

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? 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. 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. Staff |, P. W. "Print Sales Jumped 17% in Early November". PublishersWeekly.com . Retrieved January 3, 2023. 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.

Author Marissa Meyer on Her Inspiration to Write a Teen Superhero Story". theportalist.com. November 6, 2018 . Retrieved December 2, 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. This was extremely disappointing. I enjoyed Gilded (maybe not as much as the Lunar Chronicles or even Heartless, but enough to round it up to 4 stars), but this was one felt like an absolute slog. Serilda is a confusing main character because sometimes she's feisty and tough, sometimes she's real dumb, and other times she just stands there and screams "nooooo". Gild has potential, but most of the time, he's just kind of...there. I also didn't care for either of the two child-oriented plot lines. I know that the girl in the original Rumpelstiltskin offers him her firstborn child, but it just feels...out of place in a YA novel. Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I highly recommend that format for these stories. Soler's narration style lends itself perfectly to Meyer's writing. It's a match made in heaven.