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. 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… Serilda had memorized the route to the Erlking’s chambers, but she was nevertheless grateful for Manfred’s company as they made their way through the corridors, lit with torches and hung with eerie tapestries that depicted the most grotesque scenes of hunting hounds and ravaged prey. She was growing accustomed to the ominous, haunting shadows that filled the castle halls, but she doubted she would ever feel comfortable here. Not when any corner could reveal a dark one sneering at her or some otherworldly monster watching her with hungry eyes. 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 frowned. Though Manfred and many of the ghosts had been dead for centuries, it was obvious how their deaths remained open wounds. Literally, in many cases. 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. Nem igaz, suttogta volna legszívesebben. Előre akart hajolni, a fiú halántékához nyomni az arcát. A falhoz préselni, hozzásimulni. Nem lettem az övé. Sosem leszek az övé.” 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.

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It was the same with the children left sleeping in her chambers. The Erlking pretended they were a gift for her. Attendants for his queen. But they were also his spies. Or they could be, if she gave the Erlking any reason to spy on her. The Erlking laughed. It was a rare sound, and one that always gave Serilda a twinge of satisfaction, even though she didn’t want it to. 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? The vibes in this duology were absolutely immaculate. Creepy and dark and goth and just a little bloody, but immaculate. Marissa Meyer put her entire self into this sequel, and it shows. Cursed is a breathless and deliberately paced story with just enough twists to keep you gasping and an ending full of tears and bruises and full hearts. The tale Serilda weaves through her daring perspective is one for the ages. 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.

A touch of pity flashed over his features. “Of course, my lady,” he said, bowing. “I will leave you be, then.” 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.Romance, adventure, and Serilda’s journey to finding her power as a woman, a mother, and a partner make this a retelling that Meyer fans—old and new—will treasure. Szerintem ezt a könyvet még tovább kellett volna szerkeszteni, finomítani. Vagy esetleg egy 5 könyves sorozatot készíteni belőle, ez 2 könyvbe sok. 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.

Serilda nodded knowingly and shut the door. Manfred and the other ghosts might be serving the dark ones, but they loathed their masters. They tried to find small ways to annoy the Erlking and his court whenever they could. Small acts of rebellion, but rebellion all the same. She found, in trying to get to know the resident ghosts, that the closer someone had been to the royal family, the fewer memories they had of their lives before the massacre. A maid who scrubbed pots and pans in the scullery might remember her former life almost in its entirety, but someone who had regularly been in the presence of the king and queen, or prince and princess, would remember almost nothing. 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. Serilda és Arany mindenáron meg akarja akadályozni, hogy a király végrehajtsa a tervét. Közben próbálják kideríteni, mi Arany valódi neve, és igyekeznek felszabadítani a sötét szerzeteket szolgáló szellemeket is. Úgy tűnik, egyedül a szerelmük erejére számíthatnak, miközben a gonoszok csatarendbe állnak… Az eleje nagyon lassú volt, nem történt nagyon semmi, inkább csak a hangulata volt jó, aztán beindult a történet és vártam, hogy mi lesz a vége, de addigra már olyan dolgokat hozott be az írónő, aminek így nagyon nem volt semmi értelme. Így nekem a vége egy nagy összecsapott katyvasz lett. Hatalmas nagy kár érte.Csalódott vagyok, mert szerintem Marissa lett volna az az író, aki egy tökéletes Rumpelstiltskin retellinget hozhatott volna létre, de nagyon úgy tűnik, hogy ez sajnos kifogott rajta. Lassan, de minden titok kiderül és végre teljes képet kapunk, hogy mi történt Arannyal és a testvérével, közben újabb bonyodalmakat is meg kell oldani. Új helyszín ,új szereplők, újabb titkok, újabb izgalmak…. kicsit már úgy érzem sok újat is kapok egyszerre. She cast one more glance at the children, noting how they did not exactly appear to be sleeping. They were too pale, their breathing too still. In rest, they looked utterly dead.