Gilded: 1 (Gilded Duology)

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If the ErlKing succeeds (and Serilda and Gild cannot break the curse that tethers them to the castle, or learn to utilise their unique gifts before the Endless Moon) —then the mortal realm will be forever doomed… 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!! Following the final scenes of Gilded, Adalheid Castle is in chaos. Serilda has been trapped in a deadly game with the cruel and clever, Erlking, or Alder King. 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? 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 ]

Fantasy Author Marissa Meyer Reveals Her Next Book Cover: Gilded". io9 . Retrieved February 27, 2021. 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.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. Haas, Shawnee (January 29, 2022). " 'The Lunar Chronicles' Series Gets Adaption From 'Ron's Gone Wrong' Animation Studio". Collider . Retrieved March 3, 2023. 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. Additionally, I did listen to the audiobook for both installments, narrated by the always fabulous, Rebecca Soler. 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.

Staff |, P. W. "Print Sales Jumped 17% in Early November". PublishersWeekly.com . Retrieved January 3, 2023. HBO Max Options Marissa Meyer's 'Instant Karma' Novel for Series (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. February 26, 2021 . Retrieved February 27, 2021. 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.” 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.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. 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. 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. 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. I think Meyer did an incredible job of building this world, the characters, the lore and the action, oh my goodness! This one had so much action, but most captivating was Serilda's character arc over the two books. 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. Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. 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.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. 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. 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. 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.

Author Marissa Meyer on Her Inspiration to Write a Teen Superhero Story". theportalist.com. November 6, 2018 . Retrieved December 2, 2021. 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. a b "Bestselling YA author Marissa Meyer details her career in writing". HS Insider. December 18, 2021 . Retrieved March 3, 2023.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. Fowler, Tara (February 14, 2013). "Marissa Meyer talks 'Scarlet,' her worries over 'Cinder,' and a potential movie -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved September 30, 2013.