5/5 stars

Holy wow. I mean...wow.

This book is...so good. I don't even know where to start because I'm just a mess. Just a mess. About halfway through I started realizing that every time, I mean EVERY. TIME. I sat down to read this book, something happened that completely shifted my understanding of the world and the direction the story was taking. Like I was NEVER in the know, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, just desperate to know where Deka, Britta, Keita, Adwapa, the rest of the alaki and jatu were going to go.

It was a wild ride and it was MASTERFUL in how Namina Forna took us on it.

The final few chapters, including the final battle, felt more rushed than I would have liked: I could have handled a bit of a slowdown, more fear, more "omg is this going to work out for them???" Although I will say, there were some foreshadows that were planted throughout the book which came to fruition at the end that I absolutely adored.

I'm both excited and scared for future books in this series: excited because, again! So good! And scared because I care so stinking much for almost every one of these characters and I just...I love them and worry for them.

I feel like this is the type of book that can be part of a (hopefully) epic saga, and I just want to see where the rest of the story goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this novel! The cover immediately drew in with the bright colors and I was not disappointed after reading this remarkable tale. This book does a brilliant job of addressing timely issues in a well-developed plot and through fantastic descriptions for world-building. This book did not shy away from the difficult and at times hard to read accounts of women in this society, especially the ones who are deemed impure who have to go through horrific trauma, however, the story strengthens the journey to highlight perseverance and strength. I am very very excited to see where this series goes in the future!

The Gilded Ones was one of my most anticipated releases for 2021. I preordered this a year and a half ago. So my expectations were pretty high and I was worried. I shouldn't have been though. I loved this and read it over two days. That's definitely quick for me with a fantasy.

In this world, women have pretty much no rights. Girls go through a ritual where they are cut to see if they are pure or not. If the blood is red, they are safe to stay at home. Deka lives in Irfut, but she's never fit in. Her skin is darker and it made her stand out. She lived with her father. Her mother had passed away before the testing. If a girl is impure, they are taken away by priests. Deka was nervous, but she assumed her blood would run red. She did everything right growing up. But when she was cut, her blood ran gold. There are monsters called deathshrieks that invade and kill. Deathshrieks showed up during the testing and killed a lot of people in Irfut. Deka was taken away and tortured for being impure. Before that happened, she yelled at the deathshrieks and they listened to her. They seemed to obey her. She had no idea what that meant. Deka realizes she's a demon once she wakes up. She's been tortured and killed over and over. But she always woke up all healed.

After awhile, a woman shows up and tells Deka what she is and what she could be. They call her kind Alaki and they are stronger and faster than humans. The emperor is planning an army to kill all the deathshrieks and Deka can be a part of it. She's taken with other impure girls to train. What Deka finds there changes everything. She makes friends. Real friends. She trains to kill and gets more skilled. She also finds out secrets about her parents and The Gilded Ones. Alaki are descendants of the Gilded Ones. They were told that the Gilded Ones were four ancient demons that preyed on humans for years. Before the emperor destroyed them, they had bred and had babies with humans.

This was a dark and gory book. I adored all the Alaki Deka became friends with. The sisterhood part of the story really stood out to me. I enjoyed the writing and the pacing. It's a great start to a new series, but it also read well as if it was a standalone.

I gave this book 5 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.

Warnings for racism, sexism, cutting, blood, captivity, torture, death.

This is fantastic and I think our teens will love it. It blends fantasy and dystopian with monsters and war, and there's lots to keep you turning pages. Also there's an amazing shapeshifting creature character that is SO CUTE.

I think it could be a good fit for fans of An Ember in the Ashes because of the layers of loyalty, rebellion, and mystery that surround the central adventure. And much like that series, this book depicts torture and other frightening and dark themes beside the beautiful friendships, exciting adventure, and gentle romance bits. The torture is heart-wrenching and awful, as it's meant to be, so do be aware of that content when you pick this up.

This book was amazing. I loved the magic, the mystery and the world that the author created. There was such great social commentary and I loved seeing these girls find their strength and purpose. A great read!

Definitely a 4.5.

CW: body mutilation, torture, talk of past rape

I have been waiting to read this book since the first time I saw that gorgeous cover. The color scheme and the stunning young Black girl on the cover impressed me immediately and I was so happy when I got the advance copy. But when the release date got pushed to this year, I decided to pick it up closer to when it comes out. And this was wonderful.

I started reading this the day after I sprained my ankle and was confined to the bed, so I really needed a good distraction. And this one turned out to be so good. The story starts off with a bang and it never slows down, keeping us engrossed in it throughout. The mythology and culture of this world is both fascinating and brutal, but just as we think we know something, we are bombarded with more twists and revelations and I couldn’t even imagine taking a break from the book. The writing also felt very personal and full of feeling, making us deeply invested in the proceedings and get emotional whenever something happened. The author also never shies away showing the cruelty of the people in this world, especially towards women whom they consider impure and it’s horrifying to read, but it’s also a tale of strength and survival.

Deka is such an amazingly written character. She is a young woman who has kind of been an outcast all her life and just wants to below. But then her life is upended and she is put through such ordeals that it is very despairing, but it also drives her to become a survivor. And after losing the only people she knows in such a brutal manner, the bonds she makes with her fellow survivors was a joy to watch. Her absolute trust of her fellow alaki women, who have equally suffered, and the way they all derive strength from each other was immensely satisfying to read. I am especially in love with her beautiful friendship with Britta who is a ray of sunshine among all the darkness. The bonds these women slowly form with male recruits who initially hate them is also very organically developed in the story, and it never felt contrived. And Keita and all his friends made great additions to a story which was otherwise full of misogynistic men, wanting to completely control women.

The author mentions in her note that this was her story about patriarchy and it’s vivid in every single page. This is the story of what happens when men decide they can’t have women be in any powerful positions, and what kind of lengths they will go to convince the whole population that women are meant to be subservient only. But this is also about women who can change their understanding about themselves if given the opportunity, and take their destiny into their own hands when they stand together, along with some men who are not scared to be supportive of them.

In conclusion, this is a stunning portrayal of what a brutal patriarchal fantasy world can look like, and what women can achieve when they decide they’ve had enough. It’s a story of resilience, survival and strong friendships which will definitely leave a mark on you. I feel lucky to have read such a marvelous debut and I can’t recommend it enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte for the ARC of this book!

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is a story most women know all too well - oppression at the hands of men. Deka is a 16-year-old getting ready for the blood ceremony - a ritual that will determine if she's pure or not based on the color of her blood. When her blood runs gold, the color of impurity, Deka soon faces the consequences at the hands of the village elders. When a woman comes to Deka, giving her the option to leave the village forever to fight for the Emporer in an army made of impure girls, she does the only thing she can. She agrees, in hopes that she will be made pure. What follows is a journey of harsh realities and harsher lessons, including that nothing is as it seems.

This book tackles so many issues. Mysoginism, racism, xenophobia, We see all of these through Deka's eyes. The world she lives in is a strict one, where women are treated as nothing more than servants to the men and fodder for their pleasures. It's disheartening to read, and even more so when you realize that yes. This is how it is for so many women, especially in cultures where religion is used as an excuse to mistreat people who are deemed 'other'. A thing I really liked about this book was the fact that we saw women of all races here. All of them had a similar story of abuse and mistreatment at the hands of men, and I think that was an important message. We may be of different races and cultures, but we're still connected in this way.

The story is very bloody and violent, with dismemberment and death a common theme. It's hard to read, but I believe it adds to the overall theme of women being disposable commodities. If they're deemed unworthy or impure, who cares if they die? It's a hard lesson, but it's a very real one.

The characters were a little flat for me. I liked Deka, and her friend Britta. I wish I felt more connected to Keita as a love interest. The rest of the supporting cast of characters were all diverse and there was some sapphic rep, which I appreciated. But I didn't feel a real connection to most of them. The story was a good one, with an interesting magic system. Most of the action and resolution took place in the last 10% of the book, which made it drag in some parts.

Overall, a powerful story of women finding their inner goddesses to rise up and be heard above the noise of their oppressors. Can't wait to see where the story goes.

Fairly standard YA fantasy, although it's always great to see broader representation in the genre, I liked the strong themes of female friendship/support, and fighting patriarchal ideas. (Based on the author's note, I was expecting to see something more in regards to nonbinary rep, but maybe that will show up in following books?) I think it fell down a bit on character: many of the secondary characters had little to differentiate them and often felt as if they only existed in the narrative to prop up Deka's journey, and even Deka herself sometimes came off a bit inconsistent, still a devout believer in the ideals of her society in chapter 12 and then coming out with a big speech about how it was all trash two chapters later without some milestone event to change things in between. There also seemed to be some challenges with pacing - the large time jumps often made things feel choppy and episodic rather than allowing them to flow. This seemed to particularly show in the romance, which did not seem to have a real build to the relationship on the page and struck me as somewhat shallowly or inadequately portrayed, as well as in the last several chapters, which felt like falling headlong downhill between big reveals, a quick climactic battle, and the conclusion.

Still, perhaps hand to SFF fans who aren't quite caught by Onyebuchi's War Girls or We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia.

Deka lives in a world where the color of her skin and her lineage makes her a bit of an outcast. Her hope is that the traditional blood ritual will prove her pure and end any questions of where she belongs. But when her blood runs gold, her fate is irrevocably changed and she must make real life decisions about who she will become.

Admittedly, I have had a rollercoaster relationship with young adult fantasy and it seems that this book fell somewhere short of what I find enjoyable about the genre. The cultural structures in place were a great vehicle for the conversations about prejudices within a community of darker skinned individuals as well as the illusion that 'purity' somehow validates young women. The writing style, however, appears geared toward a younger audience (which is fair since this is written for a young adult audience) and I tend to like something a little bit more complex. I often found myself setting the book down and going days between picking it up. In the end, I put it down for good about a quarter of the way through. That being said, I am definitely going to try again when it is released as an audiobook since I enjoy that format more in cases like this.

This is hands down my favorite 2021 read and one that will be in my top 10. I am so glad i read this book and had me hooked from the moment i picked it up. I loved the plot twists and so many of the characters. I will probably come back to wrote a better review but whew i need to sleep on it.

5 stars

Thanks Netgalley for the e-arc

Firstly, thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Are we girls or are we demons?”

The Gilded Ones is a rich, enthralling debut with a stunning cover. I wanted to read it for that cover alone. Throw in a West African inspired fantasy with badass female characters? Hook, line, sinker.

The author says in her author’s note that book was an examination of the patriarchy and she did that exceedingly well. Sixteen year Deka, who’s mom has recently died, is anticipating her 15th year ritual where she will be deemed pure if her blood runs red or cursed/impure if her blood runs gold. Ritual day comes and her blood runs gold. All the while, there is a threat of monsters, called deathshrieks, who threaten the empire’s peace.

What follows next is a harrowing journey of Deka coming to terms with the violence of her society, deeming the status quo unacceptable and learning that the true monsters are not the ones she was taught growing up – but the patriarchy itself.

Part The Handmaiden’s Tale, part Children of Blood and Bone, this is a story that has you glued to the ages to see what comes next. Deka’s character development was the star of the show as she is forced to bear the trauma of not just the patriarchy, but colorism, tribalism, and religious persecution. She goes from a timid girl who craves nothing but acceptance from the men in her life to a strong young woman in her own right.
The shortcomings of this book were twofold. The lack of LGBTQ+ characters was very much absent. I find it difficult to believe that a dormitory of girls wouldn’t have sapphic relationships present. As much as this story is an examination of the patriarchy, we need to remember that feminism means nothing unless it is intersectional and inclusive. Second, I felt that the relationship development with the love interest, Keita, was nonexistent – it felt developed off page and so the eventual utter acceptance and sacrifice that Keita makes for Deka doesn’t feel believable. We are told that in their nascent relationship that they “embrace sometimes.” Because of that, I felt very little to no attachment to that relationship in general, so I’ll be interested to see if this is addressed in the published version or later installments!

Overall, a wildly enjoyable read and I urge everyone to add to their overly-long TBRs!

Sixteen year-old Deka is about to undergo the Ritual of Purity along with other girls from her village in the kingdom of Otera. The ritual involves cutting the girls to see the color of their blood. Red blood means the girls are good and allowed to live normal lives according to their customs. But if their blood bleeds gold, the girls are considered impure, demons that cannot be trusted and given the Death Mandate. All of Deka's hopes depends on her blood. Will she have a normal life with security or is she destined for an insufferable death? The Gilded Ones is a classic tale of self-discovery and self-determination mixed with rich world-building that deals with misogyny and socio-political issues. It's an amazing YA fantasy novel with heroines that epitomize true friendship, courage, and strength. The Gilded Ones is must-have for every public and high school library.

NetGalley ARC | I'm pretty sure that I already uncovered one of my top YA books of 2021.

With a gorgeous cover and equally mesmerizing mythological and fantastical plot, become completely engrossed in a tale about power, feminity, friendship, love, and family.

I had no idea that I'd be reading such a powerful book filled with feminist messaging and a fast-paced story that will keep you reading late into the night.

You'll champion Deka and all of the evil forces she goes up against, including abuse, racism, and xenophobia.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

You can find the full review on The Uncorked Librarian here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/february-2021-book-releases/

HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT

The HYPE IS REAL and I am disgusted with myself for stepping into it with such low expectations and so many reservations. I almost didn't pick it up, particularly after the release date was pushed back nearly a year due to the pandemic (for shame, publishers! this could have been in so many girls' hands for almost a fucking year!), but as soon as I read the first sentence, I was entranced, and by the end of the first chapter, I was hooked.

YA fantasy has burned me in the past, but this one has lit my fire, watered my crops and made me dinner.

If you're feeling a little jaded by YA, give this one a try.

You won't be disappointed.

THE GILDED ONES by Namina Forna is a YA fantasy novel and the first book in the Deathless series. The story follows sixteen-year-old Deka on the brink of her purity ceremony— one that all young ladies must go through to prove they don’t have demon blood in their veins. Deka, with her brown skin in a Northern province, is used to being different. That’s why she’s hoping to prove once and for all that she fits in— only her blood runs gold instead of red. When the Elders imprison her, she’s rescued by a strange lady who brings her to a warrior training ground with secretive plans of her own. There, Deka begins to learn the truth of who she really is, and more importantly, starts to decide who she wants to be.

Racism, colorism, sexism, and feminism are some of the themes covered in this book. Forna tackles them in such a way to evoke not only empathy but also empowerment. It doesn’t feel political. It feels human. The refrain from the story, “Are we girls or are we demons?” echoed in my ears for days after reading it. Along those lines, I love the female friendships that are formed among the “demon” girls. They are fierce, protective, and compassionate— and so are their male counterparts. While the powers that be are oppressive, the male partners to the female warriors grow to be supportive and kind. It shows what is possible when people work together.

The pacing occasionally took me out of the story as it revved up and slowed down in parts, but beyond that, I’m very excited for the sequels. I want to see how the romance between Deka and her partner continues to develop, and if the “human” girls are liberated in the coming books.

THE GILDED ONES is a mashup of the blood magic from RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard, the patriarchal society in THE GRACE YEAR by Kim Liggett, the threatening monsters in DEFIANCE by C.J. Redwine, and the training grounds in DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth. It encompasses the fantasy elements that we’ve come to love and expect while infusing the genre with a fresh perspective and tons of diversity. The cover alone is reason enough to read this book. It is absolutely gorgeous. That being said, if you are triggered by abuse, rape, or violence, this may be a book you want to skip.

I enjoyed The Gilded Ones a lot. This story covers sexism and patriarchal systems and how female empowerment overcomes those obstacles.

The Gilded Ones is a good young adult fantasy book. The fantasy aspect was something I’ve never seen before. There were different animal mixes, monsters, and a magic system that was extremely creative and original. I also liked the diversity of the people who lived in Otera. The characters aren’t strictly dark-skinned. Depending on what region they were from, their skin color ranged from pale pink to dark cocoa.

The characters were likable. Deka was a strong main character who refused to be limited to what she thought she knew. I liked witnessing her growth throughout the story. I liked the side characters as well. I loved the female friendships between Deka and the other girls at the alaki camp. They were so motivating and supportive of one another. I thought it was a nice touch to the story.

The Gilded Ones surprised me in many ways. As a young adult book, I was not expecting the amount of violence and themes that were covered. It was shocking to read what some of the girls had to endure.

The mystery surrounding Deka was intriguing. I followed the breadcrumbs and started to piece together the clues as the story went on, but I was still surprised when everything was revealed.

As much as I enjoyed reading The Gilded Ones, there were a few things that bothered me. There was a romance included that was nice, but not necessary. I think it would’ve been better if it wasn’t introduced at all. I believe that fantasy books don’t need a romance subplot and I think The Gilded Ones would’ve been a great read without it.

I like fast-paced books, but this book hit the ground running and didn’t slow down. I felt like the plot was rushed, which left me confused at some parts. Along with that, the time passed by too quickly. We barely get time witnessing Deka and her training as an alaki. She and her friends are progressing so rapidly that we miss out on that WOW factor. It was hard to believe that Deka went from timid village girl with zero fighting background to this badass warrior in a matter of a few chapters. I would’ve liked to see the progression, see more of the training she went through. I would’ve liked to see her try and fail before succeeding in the way that she did.

I feel like we got A LOT for one book. I honestly feel like we didn’t need everything that we got right now. Part of this plot could’ve been saved for book two and then there would’ve been more room for other aspects to be fleshed out. It makes me wonder what Namina Forna has planned for book two.

All in all, I had fun with The Gilded Ones. It was creative, it had mystery and it was very action-packed. I’ll be looking out for book two, whenever that’ll be released.

The Gilded Ones starkly set out a society brutally oppressive to women through religious control. Purity tests at the age of 15 check for “demonic” blood that literally bleeds gold. The violence that Deka faces in the opening sequence is tame compared to what others in her situation face before they are collected at the training ground of Warthu Bera. They prepare under the watchful eye of the enigmatic White Hands whose secrets may hold salvation for all of them or betrayal and “the final death”. Presented with the stark choice: train to hunt deathshrieks or face the death mandate, all choose the only real option. Deka and her growing band of bloodsisters are drawn deeper into a fight not just to destroy their enemies but for the freedom of every woman. They also work to discover the truths of their entire kingdom and the role they may yet play to restore the goddesses of old.

A powerful feminist coming of age story sure to be popular with fans of Kingdom of Souls, the Grace Year and Throne of Glass. Prepare yourself. The cruelty is vicious. A 9-12 selection, the opening sequence of violence inflicted upon Deka is horrific and agonizing, though necessary to the plot. The world building is tremendous. The relationships are complex and authentic. The tension built around who can be trusted is taut without being gimmicky. Ultimately, Deka forges a place in the world built on friendship, love and trust in a world that has stolen all of these from her through violence. A powerful redemptive arc.

I'm pleasantly surprised by this book. The writing is strong, the main character of Deka shows good growth in her life view and her self awareness, and there are some good supporting characters. The book starts strongly with describing how she fails the purity test and what the consequences are. After she's 'saved' and recruited as an Emperor's warrior, the second half of the book is a bit more militaristic (is that a word?)

As a YA book, I think it does a great job of illustrating a strong, repressive patriarchal society and then how Deka and other young girls learn there are different ways to think of being a woman as their world view widens. I think a good ground level was laid for the world building in this installment; I 'll be interested to see if it's filled in more in the next book. There's the obligatory developing love story that is very mild and incidental to the story. The focus was more on the developing and relying on girlfriend relationships which is a nice switch....there were no 'mean girls' so that's a positive impact for young girl readers.

By the way, I liked the way the book ended - it was a logical conclusion to what had been happening, you know which characters are staying around for the next book, but it wasn't such a cliffhanger that I felt incomplete.

Definitely recommended. - the review will appear on my blog the end of January. and on Amazon after publication

What an excellent debut fantasy YA novel. I loved the characters, the story, the plot twists, all of it. It was colorful and heartfelt and I really did enjoy reading this book. The pace flowed well, and overall the characters developed in a natural way. The story wraps up just enough at the end to be satisfied about a number of elements, but leaves the reader curious about what will happen in the sequel.

I received this book through participation with the Book Terminal Tours, and my post of this book will go live on my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ariel_reads/ on February 6th, 2021. A huge thank you to Book Terminal Tours, Netgalley, and Random House Children's for a copy of this book!

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

The Gilded Ones is an ambitious YA debut that verges on dark fantasy as it takes on war, violence, trauma and xenophobia from within a deeply patriarchal, oppressively religious society. This is a book I've been anticipating for a very long time and while it wasn't perfect, it was very, very good.

Deka is awaiting a ritual ceremony that will determine whether her blood is pure. If it runs red, she will become a full-fledged woman and begin covering her face. If it runs gold, she has demon blood and will be subjected to execution or joining the emperors army. (hint: it's not red)

I don't want to say too much about what happens because this is a book that really sucks you in and is quite fast paced. However, you should know that this book contains a great deal of violence and can be quite disturbing at times. Death, torture, dismemberment, sexual assault, war violence, etc. is throughout. (although most of the sexual assault occurs off page, we see a lot of the ptsd that results from it) The world is interesting, the magic is interesting, and there are great characters with strong bonds of sisterhood. It grapples with difficult subjects and explores topics including how children can be drawn into battle, the trauma and coping mechanisms we see in those exposed to such brutality, and the ways that oppressive teachings can enable violence against women and self-hatred. Thematically this is incredibly rich and does not flinch from difficult experiences.

However, I did struggle a bit with the ending. Though to be fair it's got to be tough to really nail the landing in such an ambitious project for a first time author. That said, some of the twists at the end weren't fully explained, nor were all of their ramifications adequately dealt with. Characters accepted things too easily and there weren't enough obstacles before things wrapped up in a relatively tidy bow. I don't want to get more specific than that because of spoilers, but suffice to say that most of this book was SO good, I had very high expectations of what the ending was going to do. And while the ending was fine, it was a bit of a letdown. Otherwise, this probably would have been a favorite of the year. That said, I still think this is well worth your time and Namina Forna is an author to keep an eye on! I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.