I've read all of Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series and her Heartless retelling, so I was expecting a good, rather innovative recapturing of Rumpelstiltskin. Meyer's does know what she's doing and she does it well. Serilda is a storyteller, to the point that no one knows whether any of her tales hold truth and most consider her a bad omen with her golden eyes. When she lies to the mysterious and deadly Erlking (think goblin king), saying that she can spin straw into gold, he demands proof. She needs to provide or be slaughtered. Luckily there is a poltergeist, just willing to help. I really liked Serilda - she knew her faults, but didn't let that stop her from looking for clever solutions or eventually, the truth of the Erlking. I thought her and Gild's relationship was very fitting and I can't wait to see where the second book takes their romance. The cliffhanger was too good and it will make for an interesting story!