Review: Cursed (Gilded #2)

Cursed (Gilded #2) by Marissa Meyer

Published By: Faber and Faber
Publication Date: November 8, 2022
Date Read: December 4, 2024
Genre: YA – Fairytale Retellings
Source: Bought
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 485

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New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer concludes her young adult retelling of Rumpelstiltskin in this breathtaking sequel!

It isn’t true, she wanted to whisper. To lean forward and nuzzle her cheek against his temple. To press him against the wall and mold her body to his. I am not his. I will never be his.

Serilda and Gild cannot break the curses that tether their spirits to Adalheid’s haunted castle. There they remain trapped for eternity. On the night of the Endless Moon, the Erlking means to capture one of the seven gods and so be reunited with his lover, Perchta, who has been banished to the underworld.

But it soon becomes clear that the Erlking’s hunger for vengeance won’t be satisfied with a single wish, and his true intentions have the power to alter the mortal realm forever.

Serilda and Gild have no choice but to thwart his plans, all the while solving the mystery of Gild’s forgotten name, and freeing all the ghosts kept in servitude to the dark ones. As the evil forces gather, it seems only their love is strong enough to sustain them . . .

After finishing Gilded, I couldn’t wait to dive straight into Cursed. I am not typically a binge reader of series. After I’ve finished one book, I can often get bored staying in the same world for much longer, but after that cliffhanger ending, I couldn’t resist but dive straight into the second book. I was not disappointed. Cursed was just as good as Gilded. I loved every single moment of this book. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, but the perfect ending to a fantastic duology.

Cursed picks up right where Gilded left off, with Serilda married to the Erlking, as he is after her baby, not knowing that she has already promised him to Gild in exchange for him spinning straw into gold for her. Serilda and Gild must now work together to try and find their bodies and break the curses that the Erlking has bestowed upon them, but they might not be able to do it alone.

I loved every single second of this book. It was fast paced and action packed. I couldn’t listen fast enough, and I found myself tuning into the audiobook every spare second I got, as I couldn’t wait to see how this was all going to end. There were moments where I was truly shocked and scared for what was going to happen to these beloved characters. Honestly, I just love what Marissa did to this fairytale. She took it and turned it into a dark and spooky tale filled with ghosts, poltergeists, gods and more. It was honestly fantastic how she managed to do this, while also keeping is so close to the original fairytale. That takes such skill to be able to do and Marissa Meyer did it effortlessly.

I loved every moment of Cursed. This entire duology was fantastic in how well it stayed faithful to the Rumplestiltskin tale while also adding in twists and turns you would never guess. It has gone straight onto the favourite duology list, and it is definitely one that I would re-read again and again. I cannot recommend this series enough! It was utterly fantastic!