Review will be available on my blog, The Reading Fairy on December 14th.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review, this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes taken may not match the final copy. 

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars!

TW: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Near death incident, death, death of loved ones, Misogyny, Sexual Harassment (brief), Racism (challenged), Bullying, exorcism (mentioned), death incidents mentioned (beheading, burned alive, drowning, hanging, poisoning, stoning, dismemberment, bloodletting, disemboweling), Vomit, PTSD, Murders, Abuse, Mention of Sexual Assault 
Rep: Black PTSD MC, Black Side Characters

"Are we girls or are we demons?"

I'm trying to not cry as I write this review, because this book just gives me all kinds of feels! 😭😭. Thank goodness, I do not war makeup because I would be really a wreck right now. This review is going to be so hard to write, because this book was so emotional and so good. How on earth? Why wasn't this book in my life sooner? 

Right from the very first page, I was met with how society feels with girls and woman in particular. I saw the author's letter in the beginning and it is really true, "Sierra Leone is deeply patriarchal, and girls are often considered lesser than boys. When I moved to America, I hoped things would be different, but I quickly realized they were the same." (From the letter in the Gilded Ones)


Trust me, no matter where you go-it's the same old story every-time. Women are seen as weaker. We're treated like objects even in the United States. I know I'm in a privileged position where I was told in my life that I could be anything who I wanted to be and I was lucky enough to have an education-but not everyone has that sort of privileged.

I loved that Forna explored that in this book. She also shows how that sort of message of how women are seen as weaker is ingrained into people's minds. I could see reading it in Deka's POV on what sort of society she lives in. Even some of these quotes I've found almost made want to cry.

"-A constant reminder that women were created to helpmeets to men, subservient to their desires and commands"

"Rights? The word circles in my mind, shimmering and unbelievable. Rights are the domain of men and boys-not women, and certainly not alaki."

All I wanted to do was tell them a lot that they do not exist for men, that they do not have to marry a guy and be a wife. But eventually, I was like 'yess girl, show them what you're made of' after the characters got over the shock that they can be anything you want to be. I was so particular fond of Deka when she snapped and shut up the men.

The feminism is such a huge thing in this book. It's about standing up about the mistreatment of women on how it's perfectly okay to murder a girl on the blood ceremony that Deka goes through in her village, but it isn't okay to murder a girl on any day, and trying to empower other women. I feel like it's so nice and it's a huge message on what feminsim stands for; ALL genders deserve equal pay as white men. How we all deserve to have the equal rights from the very privileged people.

The characters were all so interesting. It's so hard to choose which character would probably be my most favorite. They are all so good and each played a huge role in this book, and help shape on what the next few books. Also, I still can't believe that I probably won't get a sequel for a while. I need the next book now especially after finishing this book.

Deka: Deka is an awesome protagonist that I really loved her. I loved her attitude and she was just really refreshing. She wasn't perfect; she had a lot of trauma from being discovered that she was "impure" since her blood bleeds gold instead of red. I felt the pain that she felt especially when it came to dark, confined places and how she almost tried to overcome it.
And how she eventually got over the cultural means of being a girl and she snapped. I'm still impressed with her new attitude, though it just kinda happened too quickly. All of a sudden she was learning, but still held the cultural attitude around women and then she no longer bowed down to men. No matter how many times I wish I could snap like that; I still go back to my old habits. I did wish the change was a little gradual instead of her changing quickly. It was a little unrealistic.
Deka also has a lot of mysteries surrounding on who she really is, along with PTSD depictions. I found the mystery of her nature and why she is so different. Deka handled it so strong, and how she still remains strong and a completely different person is awesome!
Britta: I loved Britta from the very first page. She's a side character as this book is told through Deka's POV in becoming who she is, but I couldn't help but love her. She reassured Deka that everything will be okay when she was suffering through PTSD and helped Deka out whenever possible. She is such a pure person that I will give her a blanket, wrap her up so tightly and stab whoever will hurt her. 

Even the other characters who greatly influence Deka and who she later becomes are so awesome! I didn't even know I'd love them like this, but I'm still in shock. They were all so well-developed and so interesting that it just makes this book so BEAUTIFUL. 

The writing! Aah! It was so beautiful and so hard not to fall in love. I will gladly buy this book, recommend this book to everyone because I'm seriously so amazed. And it's also very rare for me to say this especially as this is a debut novel, but I am thoroughly amazed! I loved how the pacing was so good and fit perfectly within the tone of this story. 😍😍

Can we talk about the sisterhood in this book? I loved the sisterhood in this book about how girls stick together and not let anyone hurt someone in the group! The girl positivity like this is so huge and it's a lot better than the girl-to-girl hate that are often displayed in books. This rare gem shows women empowerment while also remaining a huge sense of sisterhood!

Wow. I literally got chills while reading this book, which is an extremely rare occurrence for me.

The story takes place in a patriarchal kingdom, where Deka is just one of the many young girls who don't even realize how oppressed they are. There's a religious code everyone must live by, and there's strict separation between what genders are allowed to do. Women are expected to stay in the home, get married, and have children. They aren't allowed out of the house without male chaperones, must wear a mask covering their face, and are required to participate in a Purity Ritual to determine if they are pure.

Deka is a regular young girl, aside from her dark skin in a town where that is looked down upon. On the day of the ritual, terrifying creatures appear in her village, and her actions lead to her being deemed impure, and taken by the priests to die. However, someone intervenes and she is given the choice: join the ranks of an elite fighting unit or die. She obviously chooses to join this new unit made up of girls just like her.

As she goes through her training, she learns about pain, but also friendship, family, and love. Deka also discovers that absolutely is nothing like it appears, and she doesn't know who she can trust. All she has to rely on is her instinct and the group of people who have committed to getting through this experience together, and they all surprise her at times.

The book is a fascinating fantasy world that I was absorbed in immediately and just couldn't put down until I had finished ... in a single day. But more importantly, it talks about discrimination, and how women survive in such an oppressive patriarchy, especially those women who don't fit the expected mold. Definitely pick this up - it's well worth the read.

I want to start of by saying I will be posting this review twice. The Gilded Ones release date got pushed back to February 9th 2021, so I will be posting this review now, and then again early next year to help hype up this book.

I loved this book so much. It’s such a unique and interesting story.

Our story starts out on the day of the Ritual of Purity – a day where very 15 year old girl gets cut – if they bleed red they are deemed “pure” and if they bleed gold, they’re “impure”.
The society that Deka lives in is an extremely patriarchal society. Women are not allowed to do anything. In fact, until they’re fifteenth birthday, they’re not even allowed to hold any sort of sharp tool, go running, or any sort of activity that could accidentally make them bleed. After the ritual, they are still only objects, useful for staying at home and having babies. Ugh.

So what happens to the “impure” girls? They’re written off as demons, and are killed. But here’s the kicker – these demons girls don’t die the same way as “normal” people, they heal quickly and are extremely hard to kill, they each have a ‘final death’ and from what I can understand that is the only way they can actually die. Which means some girls are killed over, and over, and over again, while their golden blood is collected and sold. Because apparently you can despise someone and use their body for personal gain at the same time.

When it’s time for the ritual, Deka’s blood runs gold. Her father turns on her, her best friend can’t even look at her, and she somehow commanded the Deathshriek’s. The elders immediately put her in a cellar and kill her, and then they kill her eight more times.

Until the day a woman comes to free her and bring her to the capital, to train, to be a true Alaki – the name for the girls with the cursed blood. The emperor has decided to use the Alaki’s to kill the Deathshriek’s – the monstrous enemy of the empire.

The Deathshriek’s are some very interesting creatures, they’re pale monsters that attack villages throughout the empire, stealing girls and killing men, and for some reason, Deka can command them.

Interesting plot right?

One thing I really loved about this story was that the plot was really well done, I could truly picture the training grounds, the temples, everything, so well in my mind, but IN ADDITION I felt like I was truly getting to know the characters. Every character, Deka, White Hands, Britta, Keita, they all had their own distinct personalities and attributes, it was so easy to distinguish the different voices.

And speaking of Keita…

I loved the romance in this story. It felt real and natural, and I grew to absolutely adore Keita as the story went on.

I did guess some of the major plot twists somewhat early on, but the hints at these twists were so well done and woven perfectly in the story. It’s one of those twits that although it may shock you, it makes perfect sense to the story and now that it happened, you can’t imagine things playing out any other way.
BUT there was one part that I didn’t see coming at all, and I actually had to set the book down for a moment as I had a “WTF JUST HAPPENED” moment.

The ending of this book works really well too – after I finished I looked at it on Goodreads and was surprised to find that it was the beginning of a series. Don’t get me wrong, I want more Deka and White Hands, but the ending was so well done, and although there’s still a lot more that could happen, it didn’t end on any sort of dramatic cliffhanger.

Overall though, I really loved this book (in case you couldn’t tell). I cannot wait for it to be released and I encourage everyone to go out and pre-order it now!

Book Review!
.
.
If there's a new YA Fantasy book, you better bet I'll be reading it. I was extremely excited for this book after reading the synopsis, it reminded me some of Children of Blood and Bone. This book centers around a young girl, who is trained, along with every other girl in Otera, to be docile and subordinate to the man. However, after a turn of events, Deka discovers that she is not a normal girl. She is considered "impure" and swept away to a government base where she and other girls are trained to be deadly soldiers who are meant to fight against deathshriekers, creatures that have been terrorizing Otera. As Deka begins to question her heritage and origin, she begins to discover that there is more than meets the eye to just about everything she knows.
.
.
Like I said, I enjoyed that the plot is new. That's hard to do in the YA Fantasy world. However, the only downside I have of the book is that the first half of the book is incredibly slow that it makes it hard to get to the good stuff. The second half flies by, full of enough action and adventure to keep everything exciting. I definitely think it's a book to give a shot, as most first books in YA Fantasy series are setups for the rest of the series.
.
.
There are a few plot lines that seemed to be hastily wrapped up and the world did not seem like it was completely thought through. I'm hoping that the sequel addresses these plot holes.

Review posted on @book__ventures on Instagram on April 30.

Wow what an intense ride!
I have had a hard time reading fantasy lately. I get started and then don't finish. But this one I found I couldn't put down. I wanted to know what was going to happen to Deka and what path she was headed on.
I really loved all the imagery and the beautiful characters in this book. I know the pub date has been delayed. But I think this will be a bit hit with the teens next year!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for this ARC!

I really, really loved this book! I thought it was a really good book for all people. Loved the plot, storybuilding, and characters so much more than most books I've read. I really recommend this book.

"The Gilded Ones" is a young adult fantasy novel. Though somewhat dark in tone, this reminds me of the epic fantasies I used to read when I was young. The women of this empire are oppressed through a religion that says they will be accepted by their god only if they submit to men and follow many rules. Rules that Deka quickly learns are meant to prevent "demon" women from realizing their power. The men have been identifying these women as soon as they come into their power and then kill them. But they're difficult to kill and so may need to be killed multiple ways until they really die. This is the dark part of the story. Deka and the other women are exploited and are tortured to keep them in line even after they agree to fight for the Emperor. We're not really graphically shown the torture, but we're told that it happens and see how this mentally affects the girls.

Throughout the story, Deka and the other warrior girls start to uncover the many lies that they have been told about their role and their power. Some of the twists won't surprise longtime fantasy readers, but it's still enjoyable to watch the girls grow in strength, knowledge, and self-confidence as they uncover the truth. They envision a future where women and men are equals in opportunities and respect. This novel tells a complete story, but we're told about possible future battles that suggest a sequel in the future.

The characters were well developed, complex, and reacted realistically to events. They were likable, and I cared about what happened to them. The world-building created a land that was unique without getting bogged down in details unnecessary to the story. The mystery about why Deka is different and about who will die in battle added suspense. There were no sex scenes. There were a few uses of bad language (an evil man repeatedly called the women b**ches in one scene). Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable, interesting fantasy. I look forward to future novels in the series.

**I was provided an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Namina Forna's debut novel, The Gilded Ones, is a feminist, West African-inspired fantasy where the demon-tainted girls bleed gold. When Deka has her coming-of-age ritual, she hopes to bleed red, a mark of purity. When she finds that she is one of the impure, it starts a whirlwind of suffering in which she loses all that she has. When presented an opportunity by a stranger, Deka finds herself anew as a warrior of the empire along with other tainted girls who possess rare gifts.

I was quickly immersed in the world that Forna created. I'm a sucker for the training camp/school/etc. and Forna executed this trope in Deka's military training beautifully. I also found it notable that all of the "cursed" girls were partnered with boys, but that romances took a firm backseat in the entirety of the story. Deka has a love interest, but this story was absolutely and undeniably about the strength and power of the girls. The boys, while present, were barely side characters for a majority of the book. This isn't commonly found in YA books, and it was a refreshing change.

I loved that Forna showed glimpses of what was to come throughout the book, while managing to still have a "big reveal" moment. Forna has also set up nicely for a sequel, which I hope will come as I am invested in Deka's world.

I really wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did, and am thrilled to have been able to read this early. I am sure that readers will support this release as it seems to hit on many points that are popular right now, while having beautiful execution of the writing throughout.

I very much look forward to seeing what Forna releases in the future after such a strong debut.

Namina Forna's promise of this being a feminist book does not disappoint. As someone who's faced her fair share of the various inequalities of society by grace of living as a woman, there are many instances in the book that resonated with me. At one point, I teared up and wanted to cry.

The fantasy world of Otera is beautifully diverse, with well thought-out characters, culture, history, and politics. The Gilded Ones tells the familiar story of discovering and accepting oneself, but with twists and turns that make the reading experience infinitely more enjoyable.

I cannot wait to see this book published in all its glory, along with its sequels when they come out.

The Gilded Ones is an incredibly unique fantasy set in a world where blood means everything. Deka, the main character, must undergo a ritual to test the purity of her blood. Pass, and she will be welcomed as a full member of her village and be able to marry and have children. Fail, and she will be killed for being an impure demon.

This book was full of action-packed battle scenes, as well as gory details (like how Deka was repeatedly killed) that I didn't expect but also really enjoyed. I also liked the important social commentary lacing the entire book: Deka's world is extremely sexist, with women not even being allowed to run or raise their voices. At the beginning, Deka believes in this world, and wants nothing more than to be a normal woman in her village, marrying and raising her children. However, the more time Deka spends training to fight the deathshrieks and learning more about what it means to be a 'demon', she becomes stronger mentally and physically.

I also liked Deka's friendships with the other girls, especially Britta. Britta was such a great character, although she did pale in comparison to Deka, who had a mysterious power that none of the other girls had. The romance in the book was very downplayed, which I appreciated because the book did focus more on Deka's discovery of herself. However, the romance was downplayed so much that I didn't feel much of a spark between Deka and her love interest.

As I read this book, I was drawn in to the world that the author created within the story. The main character’s journey and what she discovers about herself throughout the story was intriguing and fun to read. Also, I found it to be a much easier read that some of the other books that I’ve read lately, and I’ve felt was a good thing for me right about now. Plus the cover of the book is pretty cool! The only thing that bummed me out about this book was that I have to wait until next year to get a physical copy of this book. Since the copy that I read was an advanced reader copy, and I know the author will likely make revisions to it before it’s published next year (which I hope aren’t too many, I really enjoyed it as it was), I’m only going to give it four out of five stars for now. And I can’t wait to get a copy of it when it finally comes out next year.

This is a wonderful book about the power of women and allyship and playing the long game to achieve something truly spectacular. Young women, ostracized from their communities, are trained as warriors....but when the biggest battle comes, there is a startling and liberating secret that has to come out. I loved this book, which draws from West African myth and lore, has well-developed and diverse characters, and is masterpiece of layered stories and motivations.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
I loved the world building and character development we get for our main girl, Deka. Her growth at the end of the book was so satisfying - especially considering how nervous and pious she was at the beginning. Her relationship with her sisters was so real and I'm always a sucker for found family books.
Thank you to Namina Forna for including her authors note explaining her examination of the patriarchy and who thrives under those restrictions. She definitely delivers on that promise, making the book fun to read while not being afraid to delve into the dark truths of male-dominated societies.
The book was enjoyable and easy to read, however there are a few times where it felt like decisions/alliances/struggles happened very quickly without any sort of back and forth between the parties involved. It wasn't a detriment to my reading experience, but it did take away some of the stakes for me because I knew that things were going to work out, especially in the end, which felt rushed.
However, the plot twists/reveals were compelling and entertaining and I can't wait to see what happens in future books. This feels like the beginning of a complex adventure series and I only anticipate things moving up from here!
I'm so sad that this book was pushed back but I hope that means it can get the launch it deserves in 2021! It definitely deserves the hype.

This was a truly beautifully written and powerful story of a girl searching to find a place to belong. I absolutely loved the plot and the imagery in the story. Deka, while uncertain a lot of the time is still a wonderful character that I really enjoyed reading about. I would definitely recommend this story!

Beautiful, vibrant, a refreshingly unique world with serious themes that hit at home, all expertly written. This is sure to be a contender for best of the year in 2021. There was a fantastic balance of characterization and world building with fast-paced action that many authors try, and fail to execute. There was an undeniable message being conveyed in regards to patriarchy and what it means to be accepting of oneself in an oppressive world. It's bold and full of life and feminism and I was utterly entertained the whole way through. My only critique was that I felt the characterization took a bit of a left turn for Deka towards the halfway mark, and some of the narrative for the last third of the book felt a little rushed and tended to info-dump. It didn't take away from my enjoyment - I am very much looking forward to the next installment!

Thank you to netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Gilded Ones was a rich and colorful book filled with strong friendship and awesome female characters! The demon warrior thing was incredibly cool, but it also taught a lesson about how people are treated differently because of the way they were born. I really liked the story line but sometimes it felt a bit slow and lacked action! The ending was fantastic and I loved the idea of the goddesses! I'm so excited to see where this series goes next, but boy is it going to be a long wait!

After reading the first few chapters of this book, I told my husband that this was the first ARC in a long time that hooked me in. This will be a contender for all awards. It is such a beautifully written story with a main character who makes such a extraordinary transformation into a beautifully independent leader. I adore books with strong female characters, and this book was written with the intent of showing strong women. I rooted for Deka from the onset, and I cannot wait to see how she evolves in (hopefully) books to follow. I adore this book so much, and I know it will be a BIG success.

And, can we talk about the cover?! Perfection!

I'm book talking this book to students ASAP!

an interesting fantasy novel with a unique cast of characters. I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I loved the world building and how it correlated with the story. It was very interesting learning about religion and history. I wish we would have gotten to see more of Ortera(I think?), because I absolutely loved the part where they got to explore Heimara. The concept was also super good. I also adored the diversity, it’s not something you see very often in young adult.
Only reason this isn’t a five star is because of some cliche aspects of the plot and characters I found very predictable. But that’s pretty nit picky. My main thing was the end, it felt incredibly rushed for me.
Uh so **SPOILERS**
But Deka basically fulfills her main purpose of existing at the end of the book and entirely resolves everything in the plot. This could have easily been stretched over like another book or something(I understand this is a series?). There was some build up with like leftover jatu who are like alaki, which wasn’t even touched on until the end. It was basically a happy ending otherwise. I don’t know, maybe that is a personal opinion. But yeah I enjoyed this overall.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3266551605?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Five stars

I'm big enough to admit that I requested this arc for one reason: its cool cover. Normally, I'm a lot more thoughtful about what I want to pick up, but I'm so tired of the lack of diversity in YA - especially on YA book covers - and so I wanted to give this a go for its stellar imaging alone. Fortunately for me, the contents - like the cover - do NOT disappoint.

Deka is a young girl living in a society that believes young women who bleed gold are demons and that they have to be killed - often repeatedly - to rid the society of their sinfulness and impurity. Who here is surprised to know that this is a patriarchal and religiously organized society? Oh. Deka bleeds gold early on in the novel, and male-identifying figures immediately start failing her and actively turning against her; simultaneously, the women-identifying and nonbinary/fluid/shapeshifting characters appear to really be on her side.

There is *so* much to love about this novel. The symbolism - particularly around the blood, the gold, the shapeshifting, and the use of un/voiced power - is stunning. This theme of sisterhood runs throughout the novel in really beautiful and at times unexpected ways, and I found myself really moved by this. The tropes that tend to obscure this theme are simply not present here, which is incredibly refreshing. Also, I loved the novelty of the deathshrieks (and the play with their names). Among the many points I thought were so winning, my favorite is the way the women-identifying characters talk about knowing each other's pain: that girl- or womanhood is rife with a particular kind of suffering, and that torment bonds those who have the shared experiences, even when those experiences cause them to feel so isolated. There are many dark moments in this novel, but I found it endlessly inspiring and meaningful nonetheless.

I can imagine that some folks will not love the various scenes of torture and death and the general malice that some of the characters express. However, for me, those blips barely existed in the space of the magic of this novel. I CANNOT WAIT for the next one. (And, btw, there's a clear setup for a sequel at the end, but know that you are not getting yourself into an infuriating cliffhanger here).