#gilded and cursed duology

[honeyxmonkey]

Them... I need more of them

Miss Marissa please give them another book

[megumiifushiiguro]

MARRISA MEYER WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS HELLO?? IF NOT ENDGAME WHY SM CHEMISTRY??? WHY BEING VULNERABLE???

“His lips tilted to one side, but there was an unusual sadness as he peered back at her. “I want us to understand each other. I understand why you lied to me. Just as I understand you are more than your lies.”

At these words, the strangest warmth flooded through Serilda, spreading out until it reached her fingers and toes.

You are more than your lies.

The Erlking tipped his chair toward hers. “In the same way that you are not your god-gift … In the same way that you are not your mother or your father … We are not the vices that created us.”

She held his gaze a long time, debating whether or not to say the words that rose to the surface. In the end, she couldn’t help it. “So,” she said slowly, “you haven’t stabbed your arrows into the flesh of helpless mortals? And … you haven’t murdered children simply because they became inconvenient to you?” She shook her head. “Are you truly trying to convince me that you are not evil?”

She had not noticed that a wall between them had been opening up until it came crashing down once more. The Erlking slumped back in his chair and trailed his fingertip along the stem of his glass. “Forgive me for thinking you might understand.”

[4tarosho]

im bored so uh

[ugly-lizard-crab-thing]

Excuse me????

I've only just calmed down about this book you can't do this to mee

[sydneyofalltrades]

oh my GOD why must marissa meyer terrify me so?

[trolliworms]

Me, starting Gilded duology: oh this looks like a fun little twisted fairytale type thing, I’ve read so many before lol, I’ll try it

Me, finishing Cursed: AVSHSJNDBDNS WHAT THE ABSOLUTE SHIT DID I JUST READ IM DEAD DYING SCREAMING SOBBING MARISSA MEYER HOW COULD YOU

[bookishlyvintage]

current read: Cursed, Marissa Meyer

[dirgni-suniva]

I don't know what to think but...

Why do I see Velos - the sad boy god of death - as Murriel from arcane

Like...Yes Velos is described as having dark hair and pearly skin snd a green robe or cloak and elegant features and...but why Murriel?

I mean it's not bad but...still...

[max-imumbooks]

Cursed, by Marissa Meyers (#2 of the Gilded Duology)

Continuing from the events of Gilded, Cursed follows Serilda's efforts to escape the Erlking's grasp. Steeped in German folklore, the story woven by Marissa Meyer remains vivid and gripping as the stakes grow ever higher. As Serilda continues to learn more about her gifts and their origin, the novel doubles as an ode to storytelling, making it a must for any writer who reads.

Fewer characters are introduced compared to Gilded, but Meyer balances the limited cast with the deepening the relationships introduced in the first installment. The reader can expect remain invested in the characters in play, and the trials they face as the Erlking's machinations creep towards their endgame. In the face of impossible odds, Serilda must rely on the strength of the relationships she's forged-- both inside the castle and without.

I especially enjoyed watching the plot's established mysteries get puzzled out. Their discoveries and realizations felt rational and unforced-- it could have easily fallen into the territory of heavy-handed exposition, but didn't. While there were some areas where the pacing slowed--likely due to the limited location of Serilda's imprisonment-- it was never prolonged enough that I felt inclined to skip ahead or drop the book altogether.

Serilda remains as fierce a character as she was introduced in Gilded. She finds every opportunity to resist and rebel against the constraints of her circumstances forced on her. Her relationship with her love interest Gild continues its established tenderness and solidarity. Though isolated, Serilda always has an ally.

Again, I recommend this novel to lovers of strong female protagonists, folklore, and romantic relationships built on mutual trust, but this time I would also recommend it to storytellers of any kind. The love of the craft is palpable throughout, noted in the way Serilda can transfix her audiences, weaving her tales so artfully that even she gets swept away right along with them.

I also feel it important to note the voice artist for these two audiobooks: Rebecca Soler. Her gift in bringing the different characters alive and giving each of them unique identities is truly amazing. Her pacing and tones match the mood of the content perfectly, making it all the easier to get lost in the story. Honestly, I think she's spoiled me for all other narrators. Even though this book is worth the purchase of a physical copy, I highly recommend giving the audiobook a listen as well.

Rating: 4.8 stars

[ohwhatagloomyshow]

I’m rereading the Lunar Chronicles (one of my top faves) and Jesus Christ I forgot how fucking brutal Scarlet is. I met Marissa Meyer on tour when Heartless was published and she said she’s been thinking about writing a Bluebeard retelling, which I’ve been wanting since I heard her say those words back in, what, 2016, but man I’d forgotten she started her horror writing this early. Like I remember Heartless being gritty but she’s been sowing the seeds the WHOLE TIME

[trees-to-meet-you]

Oh fuckin hell did she go there

[honeyxmonkey]

I'm almost finished with Cursed and guys I am not okay 🥲

[blurrypetals]

Cursed by Marissa Meyer - blurrypetals review

originally posted jul. 19, 2024 - ★★★☆☆

Man, I didn't like this one nearly as much as Gilded. I really felt like it could or should have been just one book.

I think a lot of my issues come down to this book's length and pacing. Serilda is trapped for a vast portion of this book, which in and of itself is not a complete issue, but it serves to make this book extremely repetitive. A new moon comes to pass, Serilda and Gild find more information and almost act on that information...only to remember the ghosts of the children and not do that thing.

I found this loop very frustrating, partially because there was no other interesting development with any other character for so much of the story except for the Erlking.

Don't get me wrong, I found his backstory, development, and newfound depth to be one of the story's strongest suits, especially because it made me increasingly more and more worried he and Serilda were going to develop some kind of romance, which served to give the story some much-needed tension that went beyond the torture of the ghost children.

Other than the Erlking, we don't get hardly any development for the other characters. For lack of a less punny descriptor, Serilda and Gild felt like ghosts of themselves in this book, and Gild didn't even have a whole lot to him in the first book to begin with.

I think this book would have benefited greatly from a massive edit, cutting out at least 2 of the moons we go through to tighten things up, at least a little bit. As I said at the beginning of the review, this duology easily could have been reduced to one book, losing the vast majority of this book to either a time skip or a rework to have the Erlking have all the gods to begin with, keeping the reveal about Serilda's mother, having Serilda pregnant but not yet having her baby, but otherwise bringing the beginning and ending of this book onto the end of the first one.

Alas, this is the book we got, and while it is one of my least favorites of Meyer's, it still does have many of the hallmarks of her best work. Any other author would have made the Erlking a hot corner in a love triangle, given him a redemption arc, and maybe even made him the true good guy somehow who Serilda ends up with in the end. I'm incredibly glad that's not what this became.

All in all, I do wish this had gone differently in some areas, glad it went the way it did in other areas, but just glad I was able to read another Marissa Meyer special again even if it wasn't always as enjoyable as so many of her past works.

[4tarosho]

as rushed as the ending is, serilda's pain is portrayed so perfectly. in the time between gild + the baby dying and them coming back to life, serilda has lost everything. not even her own mother is willing to help her. the first time she gets to hold her baby, it's dead. the love of her life dies right in front of her after only a month of freedom, and she never got to tell him she loves him. serilda screaming and crying until she cant anymore perfectly fits imo

[theobviousparadox]

Review: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

Gilded (Gilded Duology #1)Marissa MeyerFeiwel & FriendsPublished November 2, 2021 Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads About Gilded 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…

[sydneyofalltrades]

i’m so into this book duology’s lore and no one even knows of its existence 😭

lunar chronicles fans i think y’all would LOVE the gilded duology since it’s written by the same author! it’s a lot more fantastical and romantic but it’s SO SO GOOD