"No matter my origins, there is worth in what I am." - Deka

The more YA books I read, the more powerful my belief in them becomes. Fortunately, I had read Toni Morrison's Beloved before I started reading The Gilded Ones and I just couldn't help but perceive the latter as a YA fantasy version of the former. I've always had trouble connecting with classics and books like The Gilded Ones just keep on restoring my faith in the power of the YA genre.

The Gilded Ones is set in a patriarchal society which hides the faces of its girls and determines their purity by the color of their blood in a ceremony. If the girl bleeds red, she is pure but if she bleeds gold, she's impure. She is then either killed for bleeding gold, or put through multiple deaths (due to the healing powers of the gold blood) until her final death is discovered. The book begins leading soon to the protagonist Deka bleeding gold. As the elders try to kill her, she keeps on healing. Then, one day a mysterious woman 'White Hands' takes Deka to a training ground for girls with golden blood like her - The Alaki. These girls are further trained to use their powers to battle their nation's enemy monsters - the Deathshrieks. Within the grounds, Deka finds her bloodsisters and the true extent of her powers which labels her as the only anomaly. Soon a vicious plot is unraveled which compels Deka to question who the real enemy is.

Namina Forna's first book in the Deathless Trilogy covers so many themes that it's impossible to finish the book and come out as the same person. Racism, abuse, inequality, xenophobia, abuse etc. are themes we encounter every day and Namina does an amazing job inculcating these within her storytelling and giving each and every character a voice of their own. I couldn't stop marveling over her wise use of the golden color. While the alaki's golden blood is seen as impure by the society, it is what gives them the power to save their society from the deathshrieks. When these girls should be revered for their golden blood, they are ostracized and exploited for being different. Deka herself is labeled 'abnormal.' I love the significance gold plays in the book. It just shows how cultures which do not conform to the mainstream practices of society are looked down upon as inferior just because they are different.

Each and every character in the book is developed well. Deka and White Hands stood out to me the most. As for Britta, Belcalis and Keita, I look forward to see more of them. They had limited scenes which intrigued me and made me wanting more. I hope the author brings out more of them in the sequel. Deka's relationship with Britta spoke out more to me than that with Keita. And that's okay because platonic friendships are very underrated but I do wish to see the Deka-Keita dynamic work out nicely. The story of Belcalis was quite a surprise and I won't lie but I did shed some tears. That moment was when I started connecting with the book on a more deeper level. White Hands was as mysterious and charming as a character playing her role should be. She was my favorite! A vicious, yet nurturing godmother. Can't wait to see her in action!

As for the storytelling, The Gilded Ones was a page-turner. After a point in the book, I HAD to pull off an all-nighter! The pace was well-suited for a high fantasy novel. But I did find things moving too fast by the end. Although the themes are clearly visible and the characters well-developed, I felt that the author just touched them and came rushing back because she had to touch the other themes and characters as well. But considering we have sequels to look forward to, I guess this shouldn't be much of a slip.

So yes, a fantastic plot, representation in characters, high emotional quotient, nerve-racking action, sequels to look forward to and even a bit of gore. The Gilded Ones is everything you need in a modern YA fantasy.

I don’t even know where to start with how amazing this book was. A cast full of beautiful Black girls and guys who are total badasses and take no mess.
Deka is such a lovable character who’s blood ran the wrong color, thus forcing her to be recruited for the emperor’s elite guard of women soldiers...
I cannot say enough good things about this book. Everyone needs to read it. And then read it again.




I am so thankful to have revived this book from the publisher and Terminal Tours to review and feature on my blog!

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is a fantasy coming-of-age story that features diverse and strong female characters fighting against the abusive, patriarchal society. There are many great things about this novel such as the message and representations, but there are also some things that kind of miss the mark. Nevertheless, this is a good start of a fantasy series.

First, the plot. It was truly exhilarating, fast, and had enough twists and revelations that would keep readers on edge. The world was mainly built on heavy topics such as racism and inequality, so it also touched some sensitive topics like trauma, abuse, rape, and some gory scenes that might be too graphic for some readers. Since the story was told through the protagonist's perspective, there was not much information about how the magic system worked. It was not well-developed yet, and I was hoping it would be delved more in the following books. Lastly, I was not fond of the romance. It was not the center of the plot thankfully, but it just felt rushed. It lacked tension and chemistry.

As I mentioned earlier, the book was fast-paced. I liked reading fast-paced books, as long as important elements were described and explained thoroughly. In this novel, unfortunately, the narrative and structure felt weak and inconsistent. There were times that it was dragging, but most of the times events happened too fast. The story skipped over periods of time. I would love to witness more of the characters's journey during their Alaki training. This would have been a good chance to learn more about the challenges faced to become an Alaki, as well as to make readers emotionally invested.

For the characters, Deka was definitely my favorite. She was a very likeable character. Others were really great, too. Despite having quite a huge cast, it was easy to differentiate each character. All of them had gone through harsh, horrible things anyone should not experience. However, these ladies stood up and honed themselves to become strong warriors. They showed bravery in their own ways. They also showed how important it was to have people who you trust.

Overall, The Gilded Ones is a fast, compelling read that highlights female empowerment. It is a promising start of a series that readers should watch out for.

3.5 stars!

"They might need us now because we're valuable, might pretend to accept us, to reward us- but never forget what they did to us first. If they did it once, Deka they'll surely do it again, no matter the flowery promises they give. "

Deka lives with his father in the village Irfut. She'd recently lost her mother to red pox & for years her family have struggled to get along with the villagers. Now that she's 16years old she finally had the chance to prove that she belongs to this village, all she has to do is to bleed red to prove herself pure during The Purity Ritual.

But on the final day her blood runs gold, a proof of IMPURITY & a MONSTER. The priests & elders of the village lock her in the cellar. Her father & best friend turn their backs to her. She knows what she's going to face further will be worse than death. She is killed 9 times by drowning, burnings, strangling, beheading & all terrible form of deaths. Her blood is drenched & further sold to get profits.

But one day she is offered to make an escape from the torture by a mysterious woman. Now she has 2 options: To let villagers use her, torture her & decide her faith or Go to a place where she is needed & her worth is of a warrior and she'll be able to fight the demons who are threat to her villagers & other people, The DeathShrinkers.

Eager to redeem herself she went along with the woman but that journey is also not easy. There she finds girls like her & harder challenges to become a warriors. She receives acceptance, sisterhood & an identity.

And at last who are more horrible? The DeathShrinkers bcz of their horrible behaviour & features or people who look like me-you & have made/support horrible rules in the society putting questions over our humanity?

An amazing mixture of feminist, YA & historical fiction,it kept me hooked since the 1st page only. World building & char(s) are amazing.Keta is such a fierce & loving character. This book presents the sexism that'd been present in our society. Women aren't allowed to travel alone, complete their education, learn anything other than household chores and even after that they are the only one who have to prove their worth to MEN.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is the first book in the deathless trilogy. It's a young adult high fantasy series, set in a world where females rule. All the females have to go through a blood ceremony at the age of 16-17.

Deka, our sixteen years old girl is living in fear and anticipation whether she has pure blood or impure, and whether this will allow her to be a part of the village. But there are warriors and more girls just like Her, they are called alaki--near-immortals with rare gifts.

The story revolves around she getting trained for the battle with other girls and she has people protecting her all the time. Over the course, she finds out the secrets about her mother, and eventually rescue her and others from the emperor's den.

There's a lot more going on in this book, and all I can say it I absolutely enjoyed my time reading this. It's a book which if I speak more about will give out spoilers, so if you are someone who is looking for s high fantasy where their battle, adventure, strong women, love & friendship, this one's for you. I highly recommend you pick this up.

"Who better to fight a monster than another monster?"

Deka has been waiting for this day - the Ritual of Purity, when she and the other sixteen-year-old girls in the village of Irfut will be tested to see if their blood runs pure. Maybe afterwards, she'll be treated more like she belongs, instead of the exclusion she feels due to the dark Southern skin she inherited from her mother. But as she stands with her father in line, deathshrieks arrive. Gaunt creatures with clawed hands dragging by their knees, spiked spines, and black eyes, their cries damage and even kill. They are known to attack villages, stealing impure girls. Deka feels a tingling before they show themselves and attack, and when, desperate, she yells at the creatures to leave, they do so. This sets off alarms for the village elders, who have Deka killed, and she watches as her blood flows, golden.

She awakens, imprisoned, to accusations of being impure, a demon. The elders continue to have her killed, harvesting the gold blood spilled, until a woman arrives for Deka one day. White Hands, as Deka names her based on her gauntlets, offers her a chance. Deka is an alaki - worthless, unwanted, sentenced to death. But White Hands has been sent by the emperor to recruit alaki into an army to combat the deathshrieks at Otera's borders. They are amassing at their primal nesting ground, and the best army are those who can heal from almost any death. Each alaki has one method of death that will cause their final death, but any other method is simply an almost death, from which the alaki will heal during the one to two week long gilded sleep. The elders have proven during her imprisonment that Deka's true death is not beheading, burning, drowning, hanging, poisoning, stoning, disembowling, bloodletting, or even dismemberment. With nothing left for her in Irfut and the promise of absolution after 20 years of fighting, Deka agrees. That is how she finds herself at the Warthu Bera, training alongside other alaki and the uruni, their brothers-in-arms, learning about her powers, and discovering why her mother wore a necklace with the insignia of the okai, the emperor's spies.

I loved the friendships formed in this book (though I'll admit since I read it a little quickly I did sometimes confuse some of the secondary characters). Women in this world are required to wear a mask covering the face from forehead to nose, and are severely limited in opportunities. Everyone has to learn to support one another while they fight side by side. A couple of surprising plot twists in this (I was actually mulling over some possibilities while I was flossing last night and something similar to the actual plot popped into my head and I had to stop and think about it). Fast-paced and wrapped up nicely - I see it's projected to be a trilogy, though I could honestly just see it ending here. I would have to see the description for the sequel to say whether or not I would read it. This one could be interesting for fans of Sorcery of Thorns or Children of Blood and Bone. Also, what a gorgeous cover!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the eARC. The Gilded Ones will be published February 9 2021.

Completely engrossing! Forna's world-building is fantastic. I also enjoyed the feminist themes, deep characterization, and unexpected twists; I gasped out loud several times while reading. There is intense content throughout (torture and a fair amount of violence) so not for those looking for a cozy read. But fantasy fans who enjoy an epic war between good and evil will like this one. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3801691316
Honestly, I completely forgot she was a debut author until I finished this. Namina pens an intricate fantasy world and her writing immerses you from the very first page to the last. I adored how she crafted the characters and especially built the relationships of the characters. She purposely throws you off as to who you can trust and whom you cannot. She also leaves you with the most important lesson after you finish: that those who love you the most will always be your family. I absolutely cannot wait to see what she writes next and cannot wait for everyone to be able to pick this up tomorrow. If you love Ember in the Ashes, Poppy War, and Graceling you will absolutely adore this book.

Deka has spent her childhood in submission and obedience to the laws of her father and village. At sixteen, she is tested and found to be impure, a demon, with cursed gold blood. She is brutally and violently punished by her village elders, including her father. Only when a warrior for the Emperor, White Hands, arrives is Deka able to leave her village and go to the Emperor's training grounds for the alaki, women demons like Deka.

I was not prepared for the bloody violence, xenophobia, and dystopian horror of this novel, but I was enthralled from the beginning. The bonds of the bloodsisters and the uruni as well as the raw emotions and pain they share throughout their training and battle kept me turning the pages. There is romance but it is secondary to the overall plot. A recommended read for fans of action, suspense, fantasy, and world-building. Be prepared for brutal violence.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's Delacorte Press, and Namina Forna for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

This is an excellent YA fantasy debut read!
This West African-inspired world is rich and complex! In a society that is governed by an abusive patriarchal order, this book is about the women and girls fighting to take back their lives. It is about realizing one's oppression, slowly growing out of it and then fighting against it with grace and fury. I loved that Deka's journey to fighting the power was one that was back and forth. An oppressed mindset is not easy for her to break out of at first, which I think is a truth of reality. Tackling themes of misogyny, racism, trauma and abuse, this book explores the harrowing and perilous journey women fight to liberate themselves from the violent hold of those who deem them impure, demons and monsters.
At the heart of this story is the power of friendship and sisterhood. None of the fighting could have happened without the women and girls banding together to fight the man instead of fighting each other. Deka and her friends are a stunning and fierce cast of characters with a flurry of personalities to love and enjoy.
I really liked the system of magic and how it was tied to the religious mythology. It was fascinating seeing how perspectives of stories and power are altered, changed and reclaimed in an empire so vast like the one in this story.
And that TWIST! I really liked that twist!
The only critiques I have are in terms of pacing and romance. The pacing was everywhere. There were some wild jumps and other really slow moments that had me off balance. I also didn't love that most of the action happened off page. I think we could have used some more battle scenes, although what we lose in battle scenes we make up for in some gruesome violence in other areas. The romance fell a little flat for me. I did like Keita, but I felt like the relationship could have used more time to grow together.
Overall, it is a solid read! I think many fantasy readers will enjoy this story of resistance and resurgence of women!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really liked the world building and that we got to understand the different training techniques they had to use and the creatures in this world. I really liked the friendships between these characters. I will say some of the pacing felt weird and made me feel disconnected at times especially with the romance in this book. Even though that wasn't the focus of this book, because we needed to see Deka grow as a person, I would have liked to see their relationship a bit more because it felt like they got along and that went straight towards her loving him. I felt logistically some of the situations did not make that much sense, like the fact the girls never got their periods before 16 and I didn't understand the villain's reasoning for overthrowing the old powers. Some of this book got boring at parts as well, but the ending was really good and I liked how everyone ended up.

I absolutely loved The Gilded Ones. Like Legendborn by Tracy Deonn and Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko (two of my favorite 2020 reads), I could not tell that The Gilded Ones is Namina Forna's debut novel. The characters were so dynamic, the worldbuilding so intricate, and the plot so intriguing, that it seemed she must have been writing published works for years. I was enthralled from beginning to end, and I highly recommend this book!

The first two things that come to mind that were some of my favorite aspects specifically are the evolution Deka experiences in her character arc throughout the story, and the feminist messages that Forna explores through this fantasy world. Deka starts out believing one thing due to how she was raised in her society, but through her adventures Deka becomes a strong and independent person as well as a respected leader among her peers. This transformation was so rewarding to see, especially when Deka and her friends decide to own their identities as women and to be proud of who they are. I will definitely be rereading this book and I have already added the sequel to my TBR. I can't wait to see what happens to Deka next!

Buy, Borrow, or Bypass: I am definitely going to buy a copy of The Gilded Ones for my shelves. I loved the story so much, and I already know I want this book on hand for whenever I want to reread it. This is one you don't want to have missing from your YA collections, either! At the very least, this needs to be the next book you pick up from your local library because it is that good. :D

Tragedy, heartache, friendship, and a hint of romance. This book delivered on so many things that I was hoping for and was happy that the author did not shy away from the dark parts. Yes, this story is violent and bloody but it full of so much. World creation, characters, plot, and over all writing style was brilliant and I would recommend to many of my library’s readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't want to say that this book had a slow beginning, because I don't think that's an accurate statement. To get to the heart of the story, the beginning required a lot of background and context to help set the plot in motion. In the beginning of the story, we learn about Deka and the village she lives in. We learn that at sixteen there is a ritual to determine the pure from impure. If you are impure, you face The Death Mandate, where the Elders or Jatu do whatever it takes to bleed you until they find your final death. Until then, you keep dying can coming back to life.

When Deka finds out she is impure, she is given the choice to fight for the emperor's army against the deathshrieks or face the Death Mandate. Again, the story is a slow build from the time she learns she is impure, to her journey to Warthu Bera, and finally when she begins training. I don't think any of the beginning of the story should have been skipped, as it was necessary to make the second half of the story as good as it was.

As Deka trains with her fellow alaki and uruni, events happen that force her to acknowledge that even though she is an alaki, she is still very different from the rest of them. As Deka continues to explore her powers and what it means for helping the emperor's army, she is still frustrated that no one seems to be giving her the answers she is looking for in regards to her mother and her abilities. Ultimately, as Deka and the army continue to strike down deathshrieks, Deka has to decide if that gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach about killing the deathshrieks is something worth listening to, and if so, why and what should she do.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved Britta, Adwadpa, Balcalius, and Keita. I loved the banter, support, and friendship that they built for themselves. I loved the themes of friendship, self-discovery, what family really means, and love. I didn't feel like any theme was overdone and I felt like it was a powerful message. Once it got going, this book kept me on my toes. I did not see where the story was going and thoroughly enjoyed how everything unraveled.

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.

My personal opinion: First of all, I was attracted to the beautiful cover. A black heroine? A book which could maybe stand the comparison the "Children of blood and bone"? I was thrilled.

Then, I read the foreword from the author Namina Forna, saying that she wanted to write a book for strong, empowered girls and women. Her words were so inspiring that my exactions for "The gilded ones" were really high.

I enjoyed reading the book, even though there were quite a few really violent scenes in it and I'd wish that it would not have been all the females suffering through the pain. Deka, the heroine of the story, is a classical underdog who has to fight her way up to the top. I really liked her development and the friendship between the girls. But I would have wished for a more complex world. After a very short training session and fast forward to a couple of weeks later, Deka is a professional fighter who uses her supernatural powers. From here on, I had the impression that one raid followed another. Suddenly then there was the end and all mad perfectly sense- maybe a bit to easy.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book, even though I would wish to have felt more connected with Deka. I liked the part when she got Isa, but then the battles continued. Still, I am very fond of the fact that Deka is female and black which is a wonderful change to all the white and/or male heroes. Also, the message of the book touched me. My advice: Please read the foreword.

The Gilded Ones has been on my most anticipated releases list for what seems like forever. I was so distraught when the release date was pushed back last year, but I was finally able to pick up my ARC this year and it did not disappoint.

We meet Deka just before her blood purity ceremony is supposed to take place. All she wants is to be found pure so that her father’s family and the village will finally accept her. Though she was born and raised in the North, she has the dark skin of the Southern villages, which she inherited from her mother. Everyone around her has white skin and so, though she was raised here in her home, she has always been viewed as an outsider or someone who doesn’t belong. Her father and his family are all she has left and if she can prove she is of pure blood and a virtuous woman, everything will be right in the world. That plan goes straight to hell when Deathshrieks attack her village the day of the Blood Purity ceremony. When the male warriors and her father go to protect the village, Deka unleashes a power that she didn’t know she had and pays the ultimate price for it: death or so she thinks. In truth, Deka’s death is the beginning of her journey to discovering who she is, the truth about her past, and what it means for her future.

Let me start off by saying that this book throws you into the deep end from the beginning. I did not expect things to take such a graphic turn early on. From the moment that Deka experiences her first almost-death, it’s clear this book won’t be an easy read. The experiences that Deka and the other alaki go through at the hands of people who are supposed to protect them were a lot to take in. Things get pretty graphic and because we are in Deka’s head while this is all happening, I definitely suggest preparing yourself because Naima does not cut cards on how the brutal torture affects Deka. Things do slow down on this matter a bit after the initial introduction, so it’s not in your face the whole time, but it is something that’s brought up throughout the story at different intervals. I think that Naima did a great job addressing the trauma that these characters have gone through in relation to the physical and verbal abuse as well as torture they’ve experienced. None of the girls are magically freed from their experiences and they don’t just go away because they’ve been promised a new life or because their bodies have healed. In fact, one of the characters, Belcalis, gives my favorite quote of the book addressing this when she talks to Deka about her scars:

“Once I stopped being hurt, being violated, they faded. And that’s the worst part of it. The physical body-it heals. The scars fade. But the memories are forever. Even when you forget, they remain inside, taunting you, resurfacing when you least expect…I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to keep the memory of my scars….[Deka says she’ll never forget]…Don’t you dare. They might need us now because we’re valuable, might pretend to accept us, to reward us- but never forget what they did to us first.”

Belcalis, The Gilded Ones, Chapter 25


Another big theme in this book to be aware of is the misogyny that takes place. The doctrine that women should be seen and not heard, must be “pure” and that they should confirm to certain beliefs and actions is a big part of the society that Deka grows up in. I will say that one of my earliest complaints was that the religious misogyny seemed to be so ingrained in Deka that at times it was extremely frustrating to read. She’s very concerned about becoming pure and keeping in line with the doctrine that she’s been taught even after the priests and men of her village tortured and abused her for being an alaki. I understood the reasoning because for years she’s been taught that she’s a monster and taught that “impure” women are undeserving, but still, I couldn’t wait for her to unlearn those lessons. Once she did though….wow. Deka came into her own and became the badass that the reader knew she could be. She trains both her mind and her body and begins to learn to question what she’s been taught. She becomes unafraid to be who she is and finally comes into her own in a very big way. It was an amazing journey to watch to be honest and I literally couldn’t stop myself from cheering her on.

There’s not much I can say without spoiling the book, but I love that this story takes you on a discovery journey. I spent the entire time trying to figure out the background and story behind who the Gilded Ones were, what the deal with the deathshrieks were, and the motives behind the individual players we meet on Deka’s journey. Did I end up coming up with a theory that was spot on? Yes. Did that make the story any less enjoyable? Absolutely not. Part of that was because knowing that my theories were right was extremely satisfying, but also because along the way we watch Deka and her alaki sisters form a sisterhood with one another. That sisterhood gives them the power and strength to do what needs to be done and bring my theories to fruition, so quite honestly, it was a win win situation. I would like to know more about the Gilded Ones because I feel like we only scratched the surface on them, their history and what happened to them, but I’m hoping that will be addressed in the sequel. It would also be great to explore more about Deka’s mother and Deka’s friends, as well as the other parts of the country.

I’m going to end this review here because honestly it feels like I’m going in circles and rambling, but overall what you need to know is that I really enjoyed this read and I think it’s definitely worth picking up when it’s released tomorrow, February 9th!

2.5 Stars

“And that’s the worst part of it. The physical body - it heals. The scars fade. But the memories are forever. Even when you forget, they remain inside, taunting you, resurfacing when you least expect.”

One of my highly anticipated reads of the year, The Gilded Ones piqued my interest from the moment I’ve seen the gorgeous cover. Have you seen the cover? It’s probably one of my most favorite covers of all-time!

A high fantasy novel with diverse characters that tackles the issues of racism, inequality, abuse, trauma, trafficking and other cruelty. Let me say this clearly - The Gilded Ones is set in a violent world and is very graphic that made my eyes bulged.

And while it tackles all kinds of cruelty, it also promotes women empowerment and feminism and was probably my favorite part of the story. Deka’s character development went through the roof but it wasn’t an easy road, she died for it - multiple times actually.

The premise and plot was intriguing but it lacked on delivery. I’ve mentioned that the world of The Gilded Ones was cruel and violent and indeed it was action packed but... there was no impact. The execution was lacking and I didn’t develop any sort of connection to the characters. I wasn’t a fan of the love interest as well as there was no building nor foundation to make me root for them.

I had hoped to like this but unfortunately won’t recommend it because of numerous reasons including inconsistency and lack of world building.

The Gilded Ones is the first in Namina Forna's Deathless series. A series about empowerment and determination, against all odds – and against those who would strike them down.

Deka has spent the last sixteen years waiting – and dreading – this day. The day her blood is tested, and the day she's accepted as a member of her village. Or not, as she will be worst than an outcast if her blood doesn't run red.

Deka's life changes forever on that day, as her blood runs gold. However, it doesn't end. It cannot end. Here she is granted a choice, fight for the emperor with girls like her, or stay here and face a slow, agonizing death. It's really no choice at all.

“Are we girls or are we demons?”

Wow. If you're looking for a novel that will make you feel every possible emotion out there, then you're going to want to pick up The Gilded Ones. Deka's journey is powerful and painful, as she learns to fight all the lessons that have been buried deep into her mind since the day she was born.

Her journey is a beautiful one, but it is also dark. She faces many challenges, and some of them are going to make this a difficult book to read for some. I know that personally, I couldn't read this book in one sitting (my preferred reading method, as I have no self-control). It's simply too heavy for that.

The Gilded Ones features a lot of graphic content, from the damage and pain that Deka takes, to the way society treats Deka and girls like her. It's raw and painful to read about, especially because it's so painfully easy to imagine being true.

Still, that element makes the conclusion, and Deka's change over the course of this novel, all the more impressive. All the more powerful. It's impossible not to cheer for her, and hope that there is something on the horizon. Not just for her, but for all the Gilded Ones.

“Never forget: the same gift they praise you for now they will kill you for later.”

The Gilded Ones is absolutely the heaviest YA novel I've read, and probably will read, this year. I also think it's one of the more important ones, as the impact cannot be avoided. I'm already looking forward to seeing how Deka's journey continues over the course of the next two novels, and can't wait for news on their release dates.

Dynamic and teeming with the energy of youth with something to prove. I was kind of taken aback with the violence here, but it's hard not to see it as a statement of trauma and experience from Forna.

This book follows Deka, who finds out that she is not pure after her blood runs gold. What she believed to be true about her identity turns out to be incorrect, and for the rest of the book, she is on a journey of self-discovery. She gets sent to this training camp for the kingdom with others like her in order to train to kill the Deathshrieks, which are wreaking havoc on the kingdom.
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I really liked the concept of the book. It was fun and engaging, and I wanted to keep reading to find out more about Deka. She was a great protagonist who was strong and well-liked, and she was kind to her friends but also harsh to her enemies. I liked how the author revealed pieces about Deka the more we read. I also really liked the action and suspense. It was not over the top, but just the right amount for what I would consider a YA book.
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CW: violence, sexual assault, death of a loved one, torture, execution.