Wow, it’s been exactly a month since my monthly reading wrap-up for August. Wasn’t intending to post this this late into the month again, but life happens.
Comparing last month to the one before it, I definitely didn’t read as much as I’d wanted to. I read more books in August than I did in September. I’m hoping to change that up in October, especially since we’re getting into my favorite reading season.
But yeah, without further prattling, let’s get into my states for The StoryGraph for my September Reading 2023!
September 2023 Reading
I read 4 books and 1157 pages
😐 MOODS:Adventurous was the biggest slice of pie, as it always is. There are so many Moods here, but less than in August. The other ones were: Mysterious, Lighthearted, Dark, Funny, and Dark.
👢 PACE: I read two different kinds of paced books: slow and medium.
🔢 PAGE NUMBER: Everything I read was either between 300 and 499 pages, or it sad under 300 pages. The pie graph was split during the middle.
📖 FICTION/NONFICTION: It was once again all fiction this month.
🎭 GENRES:Fantasy, as usual, was the biggest bar of the graph. Graphic Novel and YA were of the length this time, though. The other genres on the graph were Horror and Comics.
📄 FORMAT: This little StoryGraph pie chart is incorrect. Only one of the books I read was a physical print copy.
⭐ RATING: My median star rating for last month was 2.5. It was cuz I rated four different books four different star increments.
📉 PAGES READ DAILY: I read some during the first week, but dipped down during the second week, until near the last week of September.
As I mentioned above, I didn’t read nearly as much as I had wanted to during September. Between things popping up and getting sick, I didn’t end up having the time or energy that I needed. Hopefully October will be better. 🤞🍀
And so, the September 2023 Reading Wrap-Up comes to a close. As per usual, thank you all so much for reading and have a wonderful day/night!
What books did you guys read in September? What did you think of them? What genres did you read?
New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer concludes her young adult retelling of Rumpelstiltskin in this sequel!
Serilda and Gild attempt to break the curses that tether their spirits to Adalheid’s haunted castle before the Endless Moon, when the Erlking means to capture one of the seven gods and make a wish to return his lover, Perchta, from the underworld. But as the story progresses, it becomes clear he doesn’t want just one god – he wants to capture all seven, and force them to bring down the veil that keeps the Dark Ones separate from the land of the mortals. Serilda and Gild must try to thwart his plans, all while solving the mystery of Gild’s forgotten name, freeing his younger sister who is trapped inside Gravenstone Castle, and trying to protect their unborn child.
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.
My Review
“This is the stuff of fairy tales. You are the stuff of fairy tales. Handsome princes who kill wicked huntresses and get themselves cursed inside haunted castles are the stuff of fairy tales.”
Ugh, this book. This. Book. I was really looking forward to it. I really enjoyed Gilded for all of its flaws, and I love The Lunar Chronicles. But I really didn’t like Cursed. Marissa Meyer really dropped the ball here for me.
Honestly though, I think I hated it as much as I did not only because I didn’t like it, but also because I didn’t really like any of the other books that I read in September. If I had read other books that I ended up liking, I might not have rated this reading experience so lowly. But I did read a bunch of books I didn’t like, so I did give it a low rating. Oh well.
(Also, sorry that this review took as long as it did. I just couldn’t find the motivation to write it after the amount of disappointment this book made me feel.)
Pros
The first book ▼
As much as I didn’t like Cursed, my experience reading it made me appreciate its predecessor more. This definitely could have (and probably should have) been all one standalone novel.
The prose ▼
This book was competently written. It’s the biggest reason why I didn’t end up rating it any lower.
Cons
“Are you reading fairy tales, miller’s daughter? Or are you living one?”
The characters ▼
I have a slight confession to make: I wasn’t quite as fond of our protagonist, Serilda, as much as I might’ve said. She was a very reactive MC and she made so many stupid decisions throughout the first book. And that didn’t change with this one. In fact, Serilda was even more reactive and made even more stupid decisions. She also didn’t do anything for the first half of the book (at least), which made it quite the slog to get through. It was extremely annoying.
Gild was a character that I really liked in the first novel, though. And I was anticipating Cursed somewhat in part because I expected that we’d be seeing more of him, as well as more of his interactions with Serilda, because of how Gilded ended. Nope. He doesn’t appear any more often than he does in book one. In fact, sometimes it felt like I saw less of him sometimes.
The other characters didn’t feel like they mattered. The kids were sweet, like they were in the first one, but they kind of started to irritate me after a while because they prevented the plot from moving forward. It was very annoying. And the villains – the Erlking and Perchta were also really annoying characters. Perchta was just a bee-atch and I could never quite tell what the Erlking wanted. He had weird interactions with Serilda that implied he might’ve been having character development in a certain way, but it was all for nothing.
The plot ▼
This book lost the plot. Nothing at all happens until after the 50% mark, and nothing major happens until like two thirds of the way through.
The pacing was also terrible here. Every part taking place over a couple days over one month worked in the first novel, but it doesn’t really work here. Even though Serilda has always been a reactive protagonist, but in Gilded it at least felt like she was doing stuff some of the time. Here, she doesn’t really do anything for much of the early parts, and the plot doesn’t move along. As a result, the last quarter of the book has to tumble over backwards to wrap up all of the loose ends, and even then, it’s not even close to a satisfying end to the story.
The romance ▼
Guys, it really sucks. I was looking forward to watching Serilda and Gild’s bond go stronger, and relationship unfold further here, but we don’t get that. Much of their bonding happens off-page and in descriptions. Ew. I kinda would have liked to read about their bond happening Meyer! There’s also just so much insta-love aspects happening with it too.
Final Thoughts
“Human, god, monster – we are all the victims of fate and fortune.”
Cursed by Marissa Meyer was majorly disappointing. Because of this I, unfortunately, can’t really recommend it. It just didn’t live up to my expectations.
Not that everyone who reads it will hate it like I did. I think other fans of Gilded and Marissa Meyer’s other works have a decent chance of enjoying it. So don’t just take my word for it.
What books have you read by Marissa Meyer? Which books are your favorite? What are your favorite fairytale retellings?
As always, thank you so much for reading, and have a great day/night!
I wanted to end the year on a high note, and there’s no higher note to end on on a book blog than a post glorifying books.
So I’m going to be highlighting my 5 star reads from the past year. Let’s get started!
Note: Despite this being a numbered list, it is not ranked in terms of how much I enjoyed these books. It isn’t ranked at all, actually. It’s just organized in the order that I read them.
Gilded (Gilded #1) by Marissa Meyer: I absolutely loved this book. Just… so, so good. Marissa Meyer is truly the queen of fairytale retellings.
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton: This book got me out of a reading slump near the beginning of the year. Going into this book, I had a feeling that I would enjoy it a fair amount, but I was surprised just how much I enjoyed it.
Summer Knight (Dresden Files #4) by Jim Butcher: I started The Dresden Files very soon after finishing Mickey7 actually, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this series as a whole, as well. (Books 1 – 7 at least – I just... I haven’t gotten to reading the rest of the series yet, okay?!?) I only gave two of the books perfect 5 star ratings, however, and Summer Knight was one of them.
Death Masks (Dresden Files #5) by Jim Butcher: I almost enjoyed this more than Summer Knight if it were possible. Everything was absolutely perfect in this novel: the plot, the characters, the sass. I loved this book. (Note: I haven’t reviewed this series yet on the blog because I’m planning to do a massive review like with The Murderbot Diaries when I finish the entire series.)
The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells: Okay, so I’m cheating a bit here. I didn’t rate all of the novellas in this series perfectly. There were two that I gave 4.5 stars. But, as a whole, this series is definitely a 5 out of 5 for me. And the only reason those two even got that score was because they were just the slightest bit less than perfect. But I still consider this to be a perfect series.
Book hauls. Mm-hmm. Sooo… This is a book haul. Sort of. Everyone in the reading community has at least an inkling of what they are, and if you don’t, this picture above probably gives you a bit of an idea. But they’re usually kind of big – or at least bigger than this – but this is the best I can do. I just can’t commit to more than a couple books at a time, okay?
Now, I’ve gotta be honest here. I haven’t done too many book hauls, and the ones that I have done have always been a little too much. I know the reason, though. It’s cuz I read one or two, and then I feel obligated to read the rest of the books, but I’d also just gotten distracted and enticed by a new book I’ve come across, and I really want to read that one right now immediately.
So instead of doing five or six books, I’m doing three. That way there won’t be any anxieties about deciding on my next read.
So, here we go!
The Conjurer • Nick Oliveri
Length: 194 pages
Genre: Ancient Historical Fiction
Publication: Write My Wrongs LLC [December 8, 2021]
Book Description
In the thriving kingdom of Idaza, Mikalla is the adored Conjurer, the nation’s chief storyteller, using the shadows cast by the city’s glorious ceremonial flame.
But death awaits around every corner. Addiction rattles the king. Trauma haunts the nobility and their conflicting motives. Murder happens, but to find out who succumbs to it is a journey the reader must take alone through the halls and palaces of the glorious Inner Gardens.
With a beautiful family and his position as one of King Oro’s favorite courtiers, Mikalla’s life is perfect. That is, until the king commands him to deliver a deadly message—one that will inevitably end in bloodshed and a war-torn Idaza.
Why I Decided to Read This: book kind of popped up under my radar a couple of weeks ago from out of nowhere, and I just thought that it sounded interesting to me. I also like to dive outside of my comfortable science-fantasy box occasionally, and check out other books that jump out at me. So I thought that I’d give it a whirl since it’s pretty short.
This’ll most likely be the one that I read first (since it’s short), so keep an eye out for the review over the next couple of days.
Children of Ragnarok [Runestone Saga #1] • Cinda Williams Chima
Length: 560 pages
Genres: Fantasy, YA, Adventure
Publication: Balzer + Bray [November 8, 2022]
Book Description
Since Ragnarok—the great war between the gods and the forces of chaos—the human realm of the Midlands has become a desperate and dangerous place, bereft of magic.
Sixteen-year-old Eiric Halvorsen is among the luckier ones—his family has remained prosperous. But he stands to lose everything when he’s wrongly convicted by a rigged jury of murdering his modir and stepfadir. Also at risk is Eiric’s half-systir, Liv, who’s under suspicion for her interest in seidr, or magic. Then a powerful jarl steps in: He will pay the blood price if Eiric will lead a mission to the fabled Temple at the Grove—the rich stronghold of the wyrdspinners, the last practitioners of sorcery.
Spellsinger, musician, and runecaster Reginn Eiklund has spent her life performing at alehouses for the benefit of her master, Asger, a fire demon she is desperate to escape. After one performance that amazes even herself, two wyrdspinners in the audience make Reginn an irresistible offer: return with them to the Temple to be trained in seidr, forever free of Asger.
Eiric’s, Liv’s, and Reginn’s journeys converge in New Jotunheim, a paradise fueled by magic and the site of the Temple. They soon realize that a great evil lurks beneath the dazzling surface and that old betrayals and long-held grudges may fuel another cataclysmic war. It will require every gift and weapon at their command to prevent it.
Why I Decided to Read This: This was actually one of the books on my Most Anticipated Books Releasing November 2022 post. I explain why there, but basically I want to read this because Vikings.
Cursed [Gilded #2] • Marissa Meyer
Length: 496 pages
Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tales & Folklore
Publication: Feiwel & Friends [November 8, 2022]
Book Description
Be still now, and I will tell you a tale.
Adalheid Castle is in chaos.
Following a shocking turn of events, Serilda finds herself ensnared in a deadly game of make-believe with the Erlking, who is determined to propel her deeper into the castle’s lies. Meanwhile, Serilda is determined to work with Gild to help him solve the mystery of his forgotten name and past.
But soon it becomes clear that the Erlking doesn’t only want to use Serilda to bring back his one true love. He also seeks vengeance against the seven gods who have long trapped the Dark Ones behind the veil. If the Erlking succeeds, it could change the mortal realm forever.
Can Serilda find a way to use her storytelling gifts for good―once and for all? And can Serilda and Gild break the spells that tether their spirits to the castle before the Endless Moon finds them truly cursed?
Romance and adventure collide in this stunning finale to the Rumpelstilskin-inspired fairy tale.
Why I Decided to Read This: This was also on my Most Anticipated Books Releasing November 2022 post. Like Children of Ragnarok, I explain my reasons there, but the gist of it is that I loved the first book, so I wanted to read the sequel.
Annnd, that’s it for the books I’ve collected for reading this week. I don’t know if this’ll become a thing or not, especially since it’s unlikely that I’ll finish all three within the coming week, but who knows! And at least it was fun the one time.
Have you had your eye on any of these three books yourself? What books are at the top of your TBR? As always, thanks for tuning in, and have a fantastic day/night!
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. Love isn’t meant to be part of the bargain.
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.
My Review
Star Rating: 🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾 • 5 / 5 bundles of gilded straw (yes I know it’s the wheat emoji. shut up.)
“As I understand,” she said, “gold has caused as many problems as it has ever solved.”
I absolutely adored this book. Marissa Meyer has done it again – she’s written yet another amazing retelling of a classic fairytale.
I’ll admit it: I’ve never actually finished The Lunar Chronicles, though I have read the majority of the series. I loved the sci-fi twist on the magic and such. But I just never had the time to finish reading TLC when I was first reading it. Perhaps I’ll come back to it one day…
Anyway, back to Gilded. I definitely liked it just as much as the TLC books I read, probably ever more so. This time Meyer goes full fantasy with a novel packed full of dark-fairytale creatures, ghosts, curses, and even hellhounds. It’s amazing.
Now if you haven’t guessed by the book’s title, which alludes to gold, this is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. It’s very different from the original fairytale, though. Sure it’s got the bare-bones spinning straw into gold deal – along with a couple other things that are spoilers – but Meyer adds so many more subplots and characters that are entirely wonderful and original.
The characters are fantastic in Gilded, as per the usual with Meyer. Serilda 📖 is a great protagonist, and I loved her neverending mischievous streak. She does make a few pretty stupid decisions – that seem to only happen for the plot to continue which I hate – but this is only part one of two in a duology, so it can be forgiven (for now), and chalked up as arrogance.
“I know I’ve barely met you,” he said, his voice fighting not to tremble, “but I can tell that you are worth all the bad luck in the world.”
Gild 💛 , Serilda’s new friend (and possibly more?? 😉), is a total sweetheart. I’m so tired of the “bad boy” archetype that’s so often used in YA – wherein it’s especially popular – and Gild is the furthest thing from that. He’s kind, brave, supportive, and loves to joke around. And his relationship and banter with Serilda are absolutely fantastic. I look forward to more of him in the sequel.
The Erlking is a big ol’ a-hole. I’m sorry, there’s just no other way of putting that. But he’s the villain of the story, so it totally makes sense that he would be. He’s cruel, does whatever he wants, and goes on a magic hunt every full moon to kidnap and kill humans and beasts alike. That’s where all the ghosts in the book come from, see.
The Erlking and Serilda become acquainted during one of those hunts: she saves a couple of forest spirits that he considers his “prey.” She tricks him into sparing her life by convincing him that she can spin straw into gold. This comes back to bite her, however, when he returns on the next moon, expecting her to do just that for him.
Anyway, this book was absolutely fantastic, and a great fairytale retelling. It’s sooo good, and I can’t wait for the sequel that’s coming out.
Have any of you read Gilded? What did you think? Are you excited for the sequel, Cursed?
Anyway, thank you all so much for reading, and have a wonderful day/night!
