Gilded was first published in 2021 by bestselling author Marissa Meyer.
In this article, you will find answers to some frequently asked questions about this book. I have tried to answer them as best and honestly as possible.
I hope you enjoy reading these, and I hope this post answers some of the questions you may have about this book!
Since I will be answering questions about the book and it’s story, this article will contain spoilers.
Summary
Below is the official summary from the book:
Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller’s daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.
Or so everyone believes.
When one of Serilda’s outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold. She will die for telling falsehoods if she does not complete this task. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her. For a price.
Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.
Does Gilded have romance?
Yes, the relationship between Serilda and Gild is romantic.
But there is also romance in the relationship between the Erlking and his lover and many more smaller characters throughout the book. There is a lot of love and romance woven through this book. And it balances out grief and death in this novel very well.
Is this novel LGBT?
There are a few LGBT relationships casually mentioned throughout the book but not so much that I would call it an LGBT book.
It is normal to have relationships with the same sex in the world of Gilded. It isn’t frowned upon and Marissa Mayer describes it casually as the most normal thing.
Who is the love interest in Gilded?
Serilda is the main character in Gilded. Her love interest is Gild, the boy in the castle. He helps her turn straw into gold after the Erlking captures Serilda.
Gild does not know who he is or how he came to be under Erlking’s spell. At first, he helps Serilda because he wants to help her. But soon he is helping her just to be with her and to spend time with her while she tells him stories.
Serilda sees Gild as a friend. But she also knows that her feelings for him are changing. She also wants to be with him and even sneaks into the castle while the Erlking is away.
And so it isn’t long before they admit that they are actually in love with each other.
Is this book spicy?
Gilded is very mildly spicy. There is a sex scene in this book, but it isn’t told with an extreme amount of detail. There are also minor descriptions of fantasizing about sex but also not in a detailed explanation.
So Gilded is spicier than the average young adult novel, but it’s not up to New Adult levels.
Spoilers
There are a few things that can be major spoilers. So if you don’t want to know them just yet, keep scrolling!
- Serilda really is blessed by one of the Gods. And she plays a big part in a prophecy;
- Gild does not know who he is. But from the stories told by Serilda it is clear he is a prince. The prince who used to live in the castle with his family. He tried to save his sister from the Erlking and ended up killing the Erlking’s wife. The Erlking then took his revenge by binding the prince to the castle and to him, but taking away his memories;
- Serilda and Gild fall in love and sleep together. She then finds out she is pregnant.
Trigger Warnings
Below you will find a list of some of the content trigger warnings of this book. This is to make you aware of what you can expect when reading this novel. With this in mind, please take note of the next warnings:
- Violence
- Murder
- Death of children
- Gore/body horror
- Torture
- Grief
Is Gilded by Marissa Meyer a standalone or part of a series?
Gilded is not a standalone but rather the first book in a new series. It isn’t clear how many books there will be in total, but book 2, is called Cursed.
Who dies in this novel?
There actually is a lot of death in Gilded. Some of the characters in the book itself die, but also plenty of characters die in the stories Serilda tells.
The most important deaths in the story are those of the four children in Serilda’s town. The Erlking kills the children to punish Serilda when she tries to escape him. The Erlking then keeps the ghosts of the children captured in his castle so he can be sure Serilda does what he wants.
Ending Explained
Serilda is forced by the Erlking to marry him. She told him she is pregnant and that all her gold spinning powers are now inside her child. The Erlking then claims to his people that the unborn child is his forcing Serilda to comply in order to save the life of her child and Gild.
But she needs a plan to get out of this mess before the Erlking finds out she does not have any powers and that Gild has been helping her…
What to read after Gilded
- Bone Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie
- The Beholder by Anna Bright
- Heartless by Marissa Meyer
- Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Gilded by Marissa Meyer Quotes
- “Suit yourself. After all, why be accommodating when one can be difficult?”
- “It would appear that you’re trying to be aggravating, but that is my talent, I’ll have you know.”
- “I’m beginning to reconsider,” he said. “Maybe you really are a witch.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Let’s find out. Shall I turn you into a toad or a cat?”
“Oh— a toad, most definitely,” he said, not missing a beat. “Cats don’t get much notice, but a toad? Could cause all sorts of trouble at the next feast.”
Conclusion
Gilded is a very original retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale. With this book, Marissa Meyer once again shows that she is the queen of retellings. If you enjoyed her previous books or just love a good fairytale, this book is for you.
I hope I have answered some of the questions you may have had about this book! And if you have more questions that I didn’t answer, feel free to let me know in the comments below!
