I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will also say that I actually own a physical copy for this ARC that I received in a Fairyloot box as well. All I can is that I am so happy that I own this beautiful book because I am excited to dive back into whenever the next book comes out - whether it's available as an ARC or not to me.

In The Gilded Ones, you will meet Deka. She is 16 years old and is slightly excited to go through her villages beloved blood ceremony. Knowing that the color of her skin has always made people see her in a different light.. she had hopes of having pure blood so that she could potential marry and have a family of her own.

Well, those dreams were small compared to the actual journey she went on throughout this book. Without spoiling anything, just know that it was so easy to devour this entire thing. Whether they were training or actually fighting - I ate it al up. There was just something about the characters themselves because I couldn't help by fall in love with them. Plus them creating one giant family made me so happy. It didn't matter if they were bloodsisters or not - I loved this group of friends so freaking much.

I will also state that I have a ship and I want NOTHING to happen to them in the next book. These two had so many close calls that I think they need a break in book two. Other than that, I still have so many questions that were developing in my mind while crushing this book. I'm hoping that the next book might dive into them and give me some amazing answers.. if not, then I will just have an endless pile of questions.

Definitely recommend and I can't wait for the second book!!

The premise of this book is excellent. I'm of the opinion the story didn't live up to the expectations. I had a really hard time getting into the story, and I only kept going on because I was intrigued by the worldbuilding. One thing Namina did incredibly right for this book was the amount of work she put into the worldbuilding. I can honestly say, this book was unlike anything else I've ever read. I was impressed by the care she put into the details of the characters and the world, and for that reason I kept reading.

However, I didn't really start to enjoy the actual plot until the introduction of Ixa. I think if anything, Ixa was the most exciting part of the book for me. By the time I got to the end, I was rolling my eyes at how important plot questions were being answered, and ultimately, I have to say this book was just not for me. While the worldbuilding was fantastic, the rest didn't cut it.

In the world of Otera, every girl is bled at sixteen to see what color their blood is. But when Deka’s blood runs gold, her entire world changes in a heartbeat. Reviled in the village and held captive by the village elders, Deka is trapped. When a stranger comes to the village, she makes an offer: leave and fight for the emperor or stay and die. Choosing life, Deka is taken to the capital and meets girls with the same gold blood. However, nothing is quite as it seems in the capital. When Deka realizes she has unusual powers, she must decide who to trust as she seeks answers.

I absolutely devoured the Gilded Ones!! Deka and her story grabbed hold and didn’t let go until the final pages. With strong themes of sisterhood, Deka’s exploration into her mysterious powers was spell-binding. I loved how while there was romance, there was also such a strong focus on sisterhood and friendship. One of the main battles in this book is against the misogynistic attitudes of the men in the kingdom. Forna handles this so well, critiquing and examining sexism, racism, religion, and more. While Deka shines incredibly bright on her own, I also loved her friends and animal companion. This story was fun, refreshing, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I would highly recommend The Gilded Ones to anyone looking for an exhilarating and inclusive adventure! The Gilded Ones releases on February 9, 2021. Thank you so much to Namina Forna, Delacorte Press and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc.

Holy wow, WHAT a debut novel - The Gilded Ones utterly blew me away!

Are we girls or are we demons?

After the ceremony determining a young woman's purity and therefore her place in her village goes horribly awry for sixteen-year-old Deka, she faces a fate worse then death. However, a mysterious woman comes to her and offers her the chance for a change in her fate - the chance to fight for the emperor, in a troop of women with beyond-normal abilities, just like Deka - and Deka wonders, maybe a chance to belong, even as they face a threat bigger than any of them ever dreamed of?

I completely adored the strong female lead in this novel, and although fantasy, I think Deka's inner struggles with figuring out who she truly is and feeling like she belongs will resonate with readers. The setting was also fantastic; I haven't read many YA books set in Africa and I love the representation here. I can't recommend this book enough!!

P.S. - let's not forget to talk about the cover, isn't it gorgeous??

This was amazing! I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down. It has so many great elements; a strong POC lead, a feminist, down with the patriarchy storyline, and women supporting women. I highly recommend this!

Deka is just a girl on a farm, waiting for the purity ceremony so she can officially be recognized as a woman. Her life is upended when it's discovered that she's an alaki, a demon with gold blood and the ability to heal from death. She's sent away to train with other girls like her and fight the evil deathshrieks. These girls have been through some terrible things and I really felt for them. The training ends up being great for the alaki, they bond with their sisters and learn how to use their abilities to be strong and no longer victims. The friendships were the best part for me, instead of being competitive with each other, they worked together and rose up.

There is a mystery here about what Deka actually is, her powers far exceed the other alaki. I enjoyed the reveals as they happened and was pretty surprised at the big one near the end. This played out well, spread evenly throughout the book. I didn't feel like there were any slow parts and the ending blew me away!

There is some romance that I cheered on, but I'm glad it wasn't the main focus of the plot. Keita is a good guy and I was happy when he supported Deka and didn't try to control her as many of the men of this world do. Deka and Keita are cute together and I totally ship them.

I can't wait until this is out in the world! It doesn't feel like a debut and I think there will be many more great books from the author.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

All Dekalb wants is to stop being seen as an outsider and to become a valued part of society as her purity ritual approaches. If she fails, she dies.

On the day of her ritual, the monstrous death shrieks attack. Her blood runs gold, and she is found to be impure. The gold blooded are the demons and she is subjected to horrific circumstances until she is saved by an envoy of the emperor himself and taken to a training camp where she and other "impure" girls will be trained to defeat the deathshrieks once and for all. However, something is different about Deka and she begins to question everything. Are the deathshrieks really the enemy? Is she really an impure demon?

I can't say enough good things about The Gilded Ones. The writing was spectacular, particularly so for a debut novel. Though the story line isn't far different from similar books in the genre I found it original and enthralling. The plot progressed quickly and I was not bored at all reading.

As for the author's goals of using the novel as an examination of patriarchal society and religion, it was absolutely spot on. I love how she delved into how deeply the extreme patriarchy affects girls and women emotionally and psychologically and how hard those beliefs are to break within oneself.

I highly recommend this book. It is a wonderful debut novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. My views are entirely my own.

I was so excited for this book and it didn't disappoint. I can't wait to own a physical copy of this inspiring book. Hopefully one of my book boxes does a special edition

"The Guilded Ones' was such a unique and fascinating read! I saw another reviewer classify it as a 'feminist fantasy' and I can think of no better description! Deka is exactly the type of protagonist I'm always looking for, powerful, yet vulnerable, naive, yet not gullible. She knows she has to look out for herself but she also knows she can trust those around her. It's a wonderful balance that can be very hard to find, especially in YA novels. The friendships in this story are so great. Britta is the type of friend you truly love and one could only ever hope to find someone as loyal she is in their lives. I liked the kind of muted relationship of the story. Keita is one of my favorite characters of the story and a great 'book boyfriend.' I appreciated that the relationship wasn't front and center in the story and played more of a background role so the female friendships and relationships could really get the focus. This may have been a 'chosen one' trope story, but it does it in such a way that you are rooting for her despite it! This story has a lot of themes running throughout out, the most obvious one definitely being female empowerment, women overcoming the patriarchy. The theme does, at first, seem a bit 'shoved down your throat' at the beginning of the story, but by the end of it, your realize why the author was so in your face about it. All in all, this was a fantastic story in an immersive world with brilliant characters that I truly fell in love with. What an amazing debut!

The Gilded Ones was my most anticipated books of the year and since it wouldn’t be released until March 2021 I didn’t think I’d get to read it this year. But I did! Although I won’t be adding it to my best books of this year I am glad I got to read it. I loved that this novel discusses the oppression of women in such a new and unique way. It’s grade appropriate for middle and high school, and I’m sure my fantasy kiddos will be lined up to read this book.

The Gilded Ones is such an incredible and unique feminist fantasy. And look at that gorgeous cover!! The story includes an inspiring group of strong female characters, great representation, romance, and everything readers could ask for in an epic fantasy. The one downfall is the brutal sexual content. While it didn't bother me as an adult, I do see how this could be too much for some younger readers. Aside from that, this book is fantastic.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh. My. God. This book was amazing! As an avid reader of YA fantasy, this book is very refreshing and new! Perfect for the fans of Rebel of the Sands! I can't hardly wait for the next book in the series to be released! #TheGildedOnes #NetGalley

Thank you to Delacorte Press for a Netgalley copy of this upcoming title.

The Gilded Ones packs a lot of adventure, character growth, and plot all into one book. I assume there will be a follow-up because the ending left me with so many questions.

All Deka wants is to be welcomed by the village she has lived her whole life in. The Ritual Purity test will prove to the people she belongs, but when the results are not what she expects, she is cast out of town and disowned by her father.

She travels with a group of impure girls to a walled city. Inside they are trained to fight the Deathshrieks, monsters who attack the villages of their country, killing men and capturing women and girls. Deka has finally found a group of friends she trusts and a warrior who would give his very life for her.

Will it be enough to heal her past hurts, and will the secrets yet to be revealed cause her new life to crumble.

Forna creates a believable world and deep characters. Some of the characters are a little all or nothing, but it doesn't detract from the story. My only critique of the book is I wished the author had paced the ending differently. It felt like an all-out sprint with all that happened and all that was revealed.

Definitely added as one of my favorite books of the year. Fans of the Hunger Games series will appreciate the tough demeanor and friendship the warriors forge despite being pitted against each other. Readers of fantasy will enjoy the world-building, and Forna adds a much-needed voice to the YA fantasy genre.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, and the Delacorte for the chance to review this title.

At the start, this book goes the way of many popular YA books-a girl enters some sort of ceremony to adulthood and discovers she is not who she thinks she is. Boy howdy, this book took a brutal and unique turn. Enter the deathshrieks. Enter golden blood and gilded death and an army of girls. THE GILDED ONES does not let you take a breath. it assaults you in the face with fascinating writing and unbelievably story-telling. I am kicking myself for waiting so long to read this, but also happy that I am ending 2020 (almost) with such a book.

Deka enters her purity test for excitement. She will finally be recognized as part of society. But when monstrous creatures called death shrieks attack her people, she discovers that her blood does not run red, but gold. Now considered a demon, she's subjected to violent beatings, dismemberment, beheading, etc (most are off-page, but if you're easily triggered, you may want to skip chapter three and some of four.) in order to find her "true death". Finally, a woman she dubs White Hands comes and takes her away, promising life at the capital training with others like her. There, she meets Britta whom she befriends right away, and together they learn how to fight alongsde the other "alaki". But Deka's past creeps up on her, and she soon learns that being a GIlded One means something else entirely.

First off, this book has some violent imagary that should come with a content warning. I did not have a problem with it, but others might so here's your warning. I think NetGalley actually updated the synpopsis with a trigger warning. for violence and mentions of sexual abuse. I think that's the reason for most of the lower ratings I'm seeing, and maybe a reason for my higher rating.

I believe this book took a huge risk with the content it contained, and I for one am here for it. Deka's world is not cupcakes and rainbows. It's cruel, and brutal (I'm using that word a lot, I know. It's the only word that comes to mind), and she must claw her way out of it if she wants to protect her sisters.

The author's goal in writing THE GILDED ONES was to examine the patriachry and how girls cannot thrive under it. The book covered a ton of themes, but it wasn't overwhelming or preachy. One theme that always gets me into a book is the bond of sisterhood. It's refreshing to see a group of girls rising each other up instead of breaking each other down.

Minor issues which did not affect my rating: The romance was meh, and I think the story could have done without it. And the ending felt rushed. I get the word count deal and having it end at the right place to set itself up for a sequel, but I felt like I needed more. I mean, I'll get more with the second and third book so here's hoping the story keeps up momentum.

Overall, this was a solid debut, and I think it's going to throw me into a book hangover. It was that good, you guys. I can't wait for you all to get a chance to read it next year.

I didn’t know much about THE GILDED ONES before requesting it, but I’m glad I did so anyways.
THE GILDED ONES is the feminist fantasy tale of Deka, who discovers that she has the “impure” demon blood of the alaki, a species (of a sort) of girls who are faster and stronger than regular humans and can only be killed in one way, their “final death”. Unlike those before her, Deka and other alaki discovered are taken to be trained as (almost) immortal warriors for the emperor and used to kill deathshrieks, deadly beings that feed on those fearful of them.
This story was so incredible and unique. There was an amazing group of strong female characters, great representation, romance, and everything you want in a fantasy novel.
Despite a lot of the focus being on Deka learning more about herself and her family, there’s still action, and the story is filled with unpredictable twists and turns.
Above all, I appreciated that there was a HEALTHY romance that wasn’t too rushed, and the loyalty between Deka and the other alaki despite Deka being an unknown even among the others.
Seriously, put this on your 2021 TBR.

“No matter my origins, there is worth in what I am.”

When Deka’s blood runs an impure gold rather than virtuous red at her coming of age ceremony she knows that a fate worse than death is awaiting her. Then Deka is given the first real choice of her life: stay to face the wrath of her village or leave with a strange woman to train to fight monsters that will likely kill her anyway. When Deka chooses the path to survival, she unknowingly sets the whole world on a new journey.


Y’all this book is an absolute must read. This book is feminist fury in a fantasy setting. It’s gorgeous, it’s heartfelt, and it’s surprising! Go in as blind as you can because you will not regret it. The Gilded Ones gets five big gold stars from me!

Book Review for The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

Just... wow. I can't explain how much I love this book, with its female empowerment, its fight to make the world better, its coming-into-oneself story. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for the next one

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

I can’t believe I finished this! I did NOT expect to with the slump and all...but anyways let’s move on to the review. EXPECT POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW!!!!

The Gilded Ones was a rather quick, light read that took me by surprise. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. But I think it was exactly what I needed despite the fact that I took 2 breaks from it 😭.

Deka is a wonderful protagonist. She questions literally everything instead of being a gullible child who takes everyone’s word for it. She’s strong, but emotional and even vulnerable at times, and she’s so caring. It was easy to root for her 🖤.

As for the rest of the cast, I liked them a lot. Britta and Belcalis being my favorites because of how much they stood out to me . Britta because of her fun, wary personality and Belcalis for her strength. Whitehands was enjoyable too, but I was quite watchful of her because I didn’t trust her one bit.

The plot was quite intriguing and refreshing. I dare say unique. Some elements of it reminded me of Shadow and Bone, with the whole “Nuri” prophecy situation, but besides that The Gilded Ones felt quite original.

The romance was the one thing lacking to me, as someone who wants as much romance as I do plot, Keita and Deka weren’t as well flushed out as I had hoped. There were plenty of time skips in this novel, and I just wished Namina would have touched on more moments during those time skips to give us a better sense of relationship developments of the coarse of ten months. Especially with the romance.

Needless to say it was still great and I cannot wait for the sequel 🖤

First of all, thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and honestly review this book.

Actual star rating: 3.75
Here we have 15 year old Deka around the time of her Purity Ritual which will determine if she is a pure human or a cursed one. The Ritual finds her as a cursed being and is sentenced to die by the Death Mandate of her village. She is eventually rescued and swiftly taken to a place that recruits cursed beings lile her called Alaki. It is here Deka begins her journey to discover who she is as a woman and her place in the coming war.

While the story's premise concerning the deathshrieks and the Gilded Ones being perceived as demons, the story passed too quickly to fully grasp proper character development and decision making on behalf of the characters. For most of the story, as Deka begins to discover her powers, she spends most of the time passing out and then we immediately jump back to her consciousness a few days later instead of gradually grasping what exactly she goes through from her perspective. It seems more distant than personal, like someone else is telling her story through her voice. I would've liked to have read more on her progress with her training with the other girls instead of skimming past it to move on with the story's main plot

Deka is likable, very driven. There's immense growth (a little too much growth) to her by the end of the novel compared to the mousy and deeply reverent person that she is at the beginning, so focused on feminine roles and habits, which is an added bonus to this story is the focus of feminine culture and that being different doesnt equate to evil. If there is one thing that I disliked about her is the fact that her growth happens too swiftly. Not just in personality, but in the rendition of her powers. I would have liked to see this progress maybe even within the span of two books, as impressive as she turns out to be, just to make it come about a little at a time. It's much easier to digest than have her power growth thrown out quickly then a rushed explanation afterwards.

The addition of Ixa was cute, the line about a girl needing a pet rings true and adds to Deka having more support and the emphasis on her divine blood.

The aforementioned rings true throughout the story, however. The Gilded Ones is very easy to read, it goes by so fast, and it's very enjoyable. But there are times when decisions, and the beliefs/thoughts/alliances of characters changed far too easily. It takes away sometimes from the struggle of the moment and the steady—and much more believable—pace that could be set. I truly would have also liked for the alaki training to last more than it does in as far as us, the reader, witnessing it. Seeing a character's struggle and grapple with their weaknesses really makes the story that much more impactful. It doesn't help if the main character is automatically or magically well gifted at controlling their powers with little effort. It's just not realistic enough. This book could have benefited from more school time and even to help forge the bonds between Deka and the other alaki, not just with Britta.