We’re back in Meyer’s fairytale world and this time she thoroughly delves into the tale of Rumpelstilskin, creating a distinct new world that unexpectedly fits in with the Halloween season considering the haunted castles and undead creatures that populate it.

Serilda was born out of a wish when her father comes across the injured god of storytellers, Wyrdith and he asks to marry the woman he lives and have a healthy baby girl. But Wyrdith is also the god of lies and such when his godchild is born she is marked by unusual eyes. Instead of pupils, she has the gold wheel of fortune sparkling out, earning her the distrust and suspicion of all the villagers. It doesn’t help that she has a natural ability and sometimes compulsion to spin stories which in this superstitious world is amounting to a liar. A slippery slope to bad luck and omen.

So yes, Serilda is pretty much an outcast except for the adorable children she helps to teach at school. Until comes the fateful Snow Moon when her stories come to life. She lives up to her tales of heroism by hiding two moss maidens from the undead hunt and comes face to face with the dark Alder King, Erlking. With her skillful tongue she lies that she wasn’t hiding his quarry but outside in the middle of the night to weave straw into gold as she was blessed by the goddess, Hulda.

That desperate tale turns out to be her biggest mistake when Erlking returns by the next moon to prove her lie true and that she spin straw into gold or else be mounted as a decoration on his wall. As you all know the story goes, a mysterious slightly trickstery creature comes to her aid in exchange for a valuable belonging and spins the gold for her. That boy’s name is Gild.

I bet you thought I was going to say Rumpelstilskin but as you know he doesn’t reveal his name till the very end and the sequel is still a month or two away. Anyway, Gild wouldn’t be able to answer that either as he has no memories of his past or his name or anything. He’s an unsual ghost as far as poltergeists are concerned which is just one mystery that Serilda has to unravel.

Now you can tell this is written by a writer as Serilda’s curse/gift allows for Meyer to write about why stories are so wonderful, so life-changing and vital to people not only in entertainment but in delivering the truth even if it’s considered fictional.

Meyer creates a distinct world populated by Germanic folklore. Not just having the deeply unnerving Aschen Woods with its dark pine boughs and fog-shrouded floor but populated with fairytale creatures such as tatzelwurms, elwedristch, dahut, nachzehrer, shellenrock and other mythological names that I could never pronounce. And yes, they’re just as uniquely surreal as their names would suggest.

It also has its unique traditions and festivals with having seven gods in their pantheon, Wyrdith, Hulda and Velos being the most important in this story. The last one being the god of death and wisdom whom the Elking has a particular hatred for.

Which brings me to the Elking whose enigmatic beauty belies a cruel, horrifying heart. Or no heart as it be. He’s a hunter through and through who loves to toy with his prey as he does with Serilda and has the arrogance of the old gods, making a decision on whim and showing off his control over little mortals. It’s amazing how Meyer manages to add new cruel deeds to his reportoire that when you think the Elking wouldn’t stoop so low he does. He’s just a horrifying villain.
Moreso because of the curse he laid upon Adalheid Castle which is an ostentious albeit gloomy piece of glory when Serilda is first brought through his archways when the veil is in place (the thin barrier between the world of mortals and the other world). When the veil is lifted, the castle is in ruins and haunted with the ghosts of a massacre, blood dripping down the walls and the Elking’s nachtkapp spies watching her every move.

That’s the other mystery Serilda must solve, the mysterious haunted castle and why its history and its inhibitants have been erased from history.

And also the question of her missing mother who apparently was lured by the undead hunt. Is she still there as part of the Elking’s trappped, undead retinue?

And why does this demon-like being want gold? It’s well known that these creatures prefer bone and carnage over material goods that mortals favor. Perhaps it has to do with his lost love, Perchta whom he abandoned in her last moments in favor of revenge.

That question and more will be revealed in its sequel but again I must applaud Meyer for her work in creating a deeply unsettling story. Even though some of the twists seem obvious, I’ll chalk it up to good forshadowing. Such as Serilda’s stories which are done in italic font to give it a dreamy feel are less spontaneous imaginings but retellings of the forgotten past. A mantra that keeps being repeated is that there are always two sides to a story which actually brings an interesting perspective when it comes to viewing what is lies and what is truth.

However, I found Serilda’s family mystery to be a less interesting thread but ties to the greater thread about death, loss and grief and I do wonder how or if it will tie into the greater mystery.

As for Gild and Serilda’s romance, it is done interestingy enough as he is a ghost and she is a human but that what gives them an extra bit of tension. She being the first mortal he has ever seen and being the first person who is warm, that he can touch. That combined with Serilda’s isolatedness from the other villagers create some poignant scenes of affection as they reveal in the feel of physical intimacy (some of its platonic, get your head out of the gutters. Not all intimacy is sex but yes that is discreetly included).

Plus Gild is charming in an awkward befitting that this is the first time he has gotten to interact with humans and the intense circumstances that they are entangled in makes it believable that their bond would be so strong in less than a year.

Meyer also adds some LGBTQ representation in this book that fits seamlessly as she explain Verlos can be nonbinary as the historical records indicate that gods are fluid because they’re gods, they don’t need to limit themselves.

As for the book, it can be slow at patches but as it takes place over the year, Meyer needs it to show the time passing and give Serilda a breath to compose her plans. Additionally, it builds the suspense as the book seems to be closing to a standalone until the final twist that raises the stakes. As for me, I can’t wait to see how she and Gild will be able to break the curse.