Cursed: 2 (Gilded Duology)

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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.

Hesitant at first, she has little choice but to trust him, as her desire to find her grandmother overrides the suspicion she has of him. When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten to disrupt the fragile peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko considers it her responsibility to hunt down the leader of the soldiers. Gild and Serilda's relationship was honestly so lovely, they are so much fun to see work together to both cause mischief and save their unborn child.And for all you cover judgers, this one’s a contender for the year’s best, bringing all the haunting fairytale vibes you could possibly want. So readers don't have to imagine a pregnant protagonist chasing down lost gods and beasts and running from cruel immortals with morning sickness and a bigger and bigger baby bump.

The chisel was stuck in his skull even now, the blood dripping slowly, eternally, from his eye socket. Classic fairytale antagonists aren’t always the most complex or nuanced of characters, but the Erlking never feels one-note. There is so much lore and mythology that really drive the story to feel like something entirely new, even if Rumplestiltskin is the underlying driving plot.If you thought the last book, Gilded, was heavy on the gory moments and creepy stuff -- an homage to the dark nature of the original Grimms' fairy tales -- you will experience more of the same with this finale. Perhaps this struck me so strongly because it was an audiobook (which is a much slower way for me to read a book anyway).

Iko, the brave android with a heart of mechanized gold, and best friend to Queen Cinder, is on a mission to hunt down Alpha Lysander Steele—leader of a rogue band of wolf-hybrid soldiers who threaten to disrupt the fragile peace agreement between Earth and Luna.Nothing happens there, Marissa Meyer overdoes the descriptiveness even more than usual, and the writing is horrendously basic; so basic many "paragraphs" are one word or three words, no exaggeration. Winter has over the years undermined her stepmother’s authority, and with the help of Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, and her allies, the Princess could very well spark an uprising that could finally bring down Queen Levana.