Gilded - Marissa Meyer

Book: Gilded
Author: Marissa Meyer
Releasedate: 2nd of November, 2021

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, or be killed for telling falsehoods. 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.

Ooooh boy... If you have been following my reviews for a while, you must know that I love the way Marissa alters the fairytales and makes them into her own splendid versions. And she has done it again!

This story has the base of the fairytale of Rumpelstiltskin. And it took me quite some time to figure out how this fairytale fitted in her story, but as the story progresses the puzzle pieces slowly fall into their place. We see Marissa conjuring up a story with so much more detail and worldbuilding then the original story beholds and I think that is magnificent.

The only, really only thing that bugged me was... Why did she use German and Dutch names as a mix in this story? Isn't the story of Rumpelstiltskin of German origin? I am aware, as a Dutch person myself, that Americans tend to mix up Germans and Dutch people, which is still highly affronting for most of us. *cough WWII* So I was confused to read German and Dutch names in the story. I don't know if it was done deliberilately, because I can't imagine not getting your research straight if you start writing. 

But, overall, I really loved it and I am genuinly frustrated that I need to wait until November to read the next book! She left us on such a cliffhanger! Her writing style is easy as always and it was really hard for me to put the book down.

Remember the Butterfly - Rebecca L. Marsh

Book: Remember the Butterfly
Author: Rebecca L. Marsh
Releasedate: February 10th, 2022 

I was and am thankful for Rebecca that she involved me in her tour to tell you about her latest  book 'Remember the Butterfly'. So really, really thank you, Rebecca! 

--

What if you had to give up what you treasured most?

Something unexpected changes the course of Jillian’s life.

After witnessing her sister’s murder, she’s been tormented by survivor’s guilt. Her desperate longing for a child compounds her grief, while endless fertility treatments weigh down her soul.

Just when hope seems beyond her grasp, her dream of motherhood comes true. All Jillian’s pain is washed away and joy fills her heart.

But when someone shows up threatening to take it all away, Jillian must choose between holding on to her newfound happiness or giving it all up for the sake of someone she loves.

--

First and foremost; if you're going to read this book, prepare to get heartbroken. The emotions I felt whilst reading this book were all over the place. I felt endeared, shocked, angry, happy and satisfied. And that all in one book. Rebecca has done it again to capture my emotions and drag them along through the story she's written. We get to know Jillian and what heartbreaking decisions she has to make for love, for herself, for everyone around her. I really felt for her after reading what happened with her sister. And even more so when they failed to conceive. 

I have to be honest. I have debated to throw out my ereader out the window several times. And not because I didn't like the book. No, because what it did to me. At points I was so sad, and so angry at what happened. It is a form of art to take hold of someones emotions and take them with you in the book just through words. As always Rebecca's writing style is easy to read and that makes it even harder to put the book down. 

I cried at the ending of the book and not many books can do that to me. I was really satisfied with how it ended. Remember the Butterfly is a real pageturner filled with emotions you didn't know you could experience them through words.