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

In the kingdom of Otera, girls who are starting to go through puberty are not allowed to do things that may cause them to become injured, such as hold sharp objects or run--just in case they trip and fall. They can't walk in public without a male to attend them and all sorts of other oppressive ideas. They have to go through a Purity ritual at the age of sixteen to determine if their blood is "pure" and then they have to wear a mask to hide their faces. If their blood runs gold, they are monsters, demons, and must be slaughtered immediately.

Deka had been waiting for the Purity ritual for some time, just waiting for the chance to prove herself to her village. When her time comes, she hears the creatures known as death-shrieks approaching. The whole village reacts; most falling to the ground, bleeding from their ears at the piercing sound from the creatures, except Deka. She speaks and the death-shrieks listen....

Deka passes out and regains consciousness days later to find out that she's one of the impure ones. A mysterious woman appears and tells her that she can stay in her village while they figure out how to kill her or she can go with the woman and become a soldier. Deka obviously chooses the path of a soldier.

The worldbuilding was really interesting. There were mythical creatures, religions, and cultures that seemed to be well established and really thought over. At times, it did seem like a bit of an info dump, but the pacing of the rest of the book evened it out. I was a bit confused on what the equus looked like and I'm still not sure, even at the end of the book.

There was some gruesome violence and gore so if you have an issue with that, you may not want to read this book. But, I'm glad that it didn't shy away from that. Too many times YA books or books that are female-led skip over the violence that would be prevalent in books marketed towards males (like women can't handle it?)

I really enjoyed Deka's interactions with all of her friends. They all had unique personalities and, while they didn't hesitate to express how they may disagree with each other, it wasn't a bitter girl hates other girl because they're both girls sort of hatred. Many of them went through traumatic experiences and it shook their core, but they supported each other and helped each other gain courage.

Overall, this debut novel was a really good read. There were a few things that didn't seem to tie up or were confusing, but I hope those get addressed in the next books. There were twists that I weren't expecting and I'm interested to see what happens next.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is the first book in the Deathless series. It follows Deka, a sixteen-year-old girl who anticipates the ceremony that determines if she is a woman of purity. Feeling like an outcast due to her unusual ability, she prays her blood runs red during the bleeding of the ceremony. When her blood runs gold, Deka is sentenced to a punishment worse than death. When a mystery woman comes to Deka with an offer of choice: the punishment, or join an army of alaki. Alaki are girls just like her, in the way that they are near-immortals and have special gifts. They are the key to stop the empire’s greatest threat. When Deka agrees to join, her main goal is to serve her twenty years in the war and gain absolution. When training begins, Deka learns very much about herself, and the empire. There are many surprises in store for her.

I love this book! The characters are strong and interesting. The world that has been built in this novel is incredibly engrossing and feminist. I can’t wait to see how the story expands in the sequel!

I have had the ARC of this book since last year. I started and stopped the book many times. It was not the fault of the book. I just couldn’t read anything last year, pandemic brain. I finally completed the book in the first week of February and I have never felt so accomplished in reading a book before.

I enjoyed the book immensely. It dealt with very strong themes of misogyny, religious fervor, feminism, and patriarchy. I enjoy reading a black-dominated YA fantasy novel.

Deka is from a small village in the province of Otera that is uber-religious and has strong abusive patriarchy. When girls reach the age of 15 or 16, they must participate in the purity ritual checking to see if the girls’ blood is pure. If the girl’s blood runs red, they are pure. If their blood runs gold, they are “impure” and therefore sentenced to death.

After being tortured and killed over and over again (those with gold blood can heal themselves), she is given the “choice“ to continue this torment or fight for the empire.

With all the heavy subject matter intertwined in the book, Forna does an excellent job telling a magical and uplifting story.

What I enjoyed about the book
The world-building in this book was very detailed. I was able to immerse myself in Otera alongside Deka.
Deka’s pet was amazing with everything it could do. (Trying not to give anything away)
The positive female friendships were incredible! There was no female hate or jealousy. Whatever differences they did have the girls worked through them together.
The story is action-packed with intense training scenes and fighting.
There were some huge revelations in this book, especially towards the end.
What could be better
The pacing of the book. The beginning was a little slow with the whole world-building and towards the end the story sped down hill.
Since it is the first novel in a series it had to set the stage for the rest of the novels
Overall, this was a fantastic debut and story about Black Girl Power!

The Gilded Ones is the feminist high fantasy we’ve been dreaming of since Tomi Adeyemi punched through the snow-capped peaks of fantasy publishing. In 2018. Because of her work and many others, works like The Gilded Ones have a foundation to build and stretch and grow.

What’s it about?
-a horrific patriarchal world where the usual suspects reign: racism, classism, anti-blackness, misogyny, xenophobia, and girls are mutilated in a public “bleeding” ceremony in their 15th year
-this ritual is a public mutilation that the village “priests” perform by cutting the chests of the girls in front of everyone
-if the girls are “pure,” meaning their blood runs red, it’s open season for the males in town to begin practically bidding on the girls like a prize sow
-but, if a girl is deemed “impure,” she is... well, terrible terrible things happen to her (spoilers and triggers for trauma and graphic violence at this part)
-enter White Hands, Warthu Beru, the Jatu warriors, and the Alaki

Why you need to read this book:
Because of this quote right here, “are we girls or are we demons?”

There is so much that we need on our shelves, from just this one book; black girl magic, fantasy, the consequences of violence against women... it will be valuable addition to any library. I foresee this as being the start to a very popular series for teens, young adults, and even older adults.

I received an e-arc of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 stars

OK first off let me just say how stunning the cover is. It's is honestly one of my favorites. I love the color scheme of it and it's a huge reason I was intrigued to read this book in the first place.

The plot of the story is rather interesting and was enjoyable to read. There were a lot of times I didn't know quite what to expect while reading and most of the plot twist was not something I had been expecting.

There was a slight romance element to the story but it was very short and not the focus of the book (not that I thought it was by any means but I wouldn't have minded a bit more). I thought the romance was tastefully done and something that those who don't like romance wouldn't mind since it was more of a passing mention. The romance was also not really surprising but I didn't mind that at all.

Honestly the main reason this story is being rated as a three star instead of being any higher is because I felt it was so slow moving. It took me way longer than I would've liked to complete this story and probably would've dnfed it had it not been for the fact that I at least found the plot intriguing and curious to see where it would go. However my curiosity didn't propel me to want to read it faster or necessarily even feel the need to pick it up in general.

Overall it was a good read.

All sixteen-year-old Deka wants is to pass her village's purity test and become a wife and mother, all according to the strict religious rules of the Infinite Wisdoms. But on the day of the testing, Deka's village is attacked by deathshrieks, and a mysterious power awakens in Deka. Cursed as a monster by her father and the other villagers, Deka is struck down, her blood running in cursed gold rather than pure red. After enduring endless suffering at the hands of the priests, Deka is taken to the empire's capital and conscripted into an army of elite warriors, girls just like her who possess golden blood. As Deka trains and learns more about the empire and herself, she begins to question what she's been taught and search for a new purpose in life.

The Gilded Ones is a fantasy with magical creatures, powered individuals, and a theocratic empire that unites peoples from all corners of the world. It's also a world where women have no rights and are oppressed and abused, although some provinces are better than others. Deka, like the other girls in her village, has accepted her role in life, and even after finding out that she is "impure," Deka still seeks after atonement by joining the emperor's army.

Personally, I found the first half of the novel to be difficult to get through, mostly because of the abuse inflicted on Deka and the other girls, and because of the heavy religious oppression. However, once Deka starts meeting other girls like her and training and gaining confidence in herself, I became more invested in the story. There's a great cast of supporting characters, a magical shape shifter, and twists and turns that I did not see coming! Intense and empowering.

CW: torture, death, racism, misogyny, child abuse, referenced sexual assault

Questioning your stake in dominant culture and the inevitable answers to which they lead is a mainstay of literature. Namina Forna’s The Gilded Ones adds to this paradigm by exploring what it means to abandon patriarchy when it no longer serves you.

Through the main character, Deka, a sixteen year old who has waited her whole life to feel a sense of belonging within a community who has always shunned her for her heritage, we see all the ways that rejection can lead to complacency. It is only after Deka has been heinously tortured by the men her community respects most, then rescued by a powerful woman from outside, that she comes to question her beliefs about the true motives of her patriarchal society.

Yet, having questions does not a rebel make. As Deka travels through the kingdom to the capital, she is shown the different levels of the human condition; compliance and non-compliance with the strict religious rules that forbid women and girls from taking jobs, gaining an education, or choosing their own life trajectories. She also learns why the golden blood and supernatural abilities that she and other alaki like her carry has been condemned for centuries. Though her growing awareness comes through the supportive relationships she builds with other alaki at the school where they are trained into becoming elite fighters, Deka continues to revere the patriarchal practices that have thrust them all into danger. It was, indeed, Deka’s unwavering belief in a system that abused and assaulted her and her new bloodsisters and her strong discomfort with challenging it after their harrowing experiences that gave me some insight into why so many marginalized people fight bodily for systems that have caused them and many of their loved ones undue harm.

Thematically, The Gilded Ones delivers thoughtful characterization of the ways in which systemic cruelties become embedded into daily life. We gain understanding of the use of erasure, gaslighting, and brutality in reinforcing rules that are inhumane yet perpetuated through ostracization and genocide of rebels. I appreciate Forna’s careful examination of these societal dynamics and was most struck by how she shows perseverance being key to subverting these systems, best summed up in a line I paraphrase here to avoid spoilers: “[The powers of old] made a crucial mistake… In dealing suffering, they taught survival.” A word that we receive in the final pages of the story, making it all the more memorable.

The Gilded Ones is a high fantasy book that addresses issues such as racism, abuse, and inequality. Deka's world changes when on the day of the blood ceremony that determines a girls purity, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity. Deka then faces a choice - leave everything she knows behind, or leave to become one of the Alaki- girls with rare gifts who fight Deathshrieks that threaten the land with devastation.

I was excited to receive a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

I have a tendency to pick out books to read solely by looking at their covers, rarely reading the blurb. Let’s just say that the end of chapter two came as quite a surprise!

There was a lot to like about this book. It was fast-paced and jumped right into the story. The world building was seamlessly woven into the story, none of that non-so-thinly-veiled wise elder telling you about the past nonsense. In fact, every time Deka asks for an explanation, White Hands tells her that she’ll know when she needs to know. As readers, we end up in the same boat and in fact do learn things only when we need to know them.

This book tackles some big topics - the patriarchy, race, feminism - in a compelling and well-developed way. It did feel slightly heavy handed at times, but not in a way that was off putting. I really appreciated that the female characters in the books actually supported each other and the central concept of the alaki is based on empowering women.

One negative about this book for me was the romance. It was fairly easy to assume who the love interest would be, since Deka only regularly interacted with one male character. I suppose that I assumed something was going on off-screen, but there was very little tension and build up. When something finally happened, I didn’t find myself caring.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced fantasy novel that deals with real world issues (with a healthy dose of violence thrown in). I’ll be interested to see where the sequel takes it…

I don't really do fantasy and I don't really do YA, but I LOVED The Gilded Ones. I'll be pressing this into the heads of as many students as possible. There is great representation in this book and will make young girls see themselves in a whole new light. Highly recommend!

The Gilded Ones is a powerful YA fantasy book set in a fantasy version of West Africa. The book is strong in many ways: Strong female characters, great plot. But personally, I struggled with the pacing as well as the repetitive writing a little.

I’m not generally a big fantasy fan so fantasy novels have to really stand out to catch my attention, and that’s exactly what The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna did, both by its stunning cover and attention-grabbing concept.

Deka has grown up in the nation of Otera where all girls undergo the Ritual of Purity at the age of 16. Those who bleed red are pure and become women, donning the masks they will wear in public for the rest of their lives, and becoming eligible for marriage. Those rare girls who bleed gold, the spawn of hidden demons, are sentenced to the Death Mandate.

However, minutes before her ritual, Deka’s village is attacked by Deathshrieks – monsters that have been attacking all across the country. She is stunned to learn that not only does she bleed gold, she is also able to command the monsters. Imprisoned by the village elders and abandoned by her father and friends, Deka is visited by a mysterious woman who offers her a choice: stay in the village and continue being tortured by the elders, or come with her and join an army of “impure” girls being trained to take on the Deathshrieks. Deka journeys to the capital where she begins training with dozens of other cursed girls like her, but the more she learns, the less those things add up and Deka begins to suspect that everything she has ever been taught about her role in society, her cursed blood, and her future, is wrong.

This was a powerful story that wove a wonderfully feminist message into a well-constructed fantasy tale set in a world that, while very different from our own, was also instantly familiar. The women of Otera have been taught for generations that they exist only to be married off and raise a family while the men control everything around them, it’s a deeply patriarchal society with countless rules – often disguised as religious guidance – there to enforce it. Watching Deka unlearn this conditioning and lean into her own power was intoxicating and made me tear through this book in a matter of hours. I also deeply appreciated the pagan message it contained that echoed how the church frequently worked to erase traditional narratives in favor of those that placed and kept only men in power.

There were also a few negatives here. The romance subplot felt entirely unnecessary and contrived while I also struggled with how easily the main characters accepted the new truths they discovered throughout the story. These new truths completely upended everything they had grown up believing but the girls quickly replaced everything that, often only pages before, they were desperate to return to. However, these things did little to damage an otherwise brilliant story and I’m already looking forward to seeing how the series continues in future books.

I loved the Gilded Ones and cannot wait to read more. The story and world were utterly unique and kept me guessing throughout.
My one and only complaint was the pacing. This is a personal preference, obviously, but I prefer books that are more character-focused than having non-stop action. The Gilded Ones is definitely in the non-stop action category. I would have liked the book to be split in two and spent more time with the characters. The reader is told the girls have bonded and are a ‘found family,” but I honestly didn’t feel that connection except between Deka and Briseis. Even Keita, who is the romantic interest – we barely know him. I still liked him, though.
That said, hopefully, there can be more character development in the next book! And hopefully, that book comes soon!

OH! The black girl magic is strong in this book and I was just loving every minute of it. I felt that Deka was such a strong and fierce main character. I love Deka's character development and how she started as this shy, a bit naive teen to this badass heroine within a span of a book. It is amazing how much Deka's character progressed throughout this book.

I was definitely intrigued in the world building throughout this book. I feel that Forna definitely went in depth with this book and I cannot wait for the second book to dig even deeper into this world. I want to know more about Deka’s powers, the alaki, the Deathstrieks, the emperor, and so much more!

While reading, I was hoping to see more of her relationship with Keita developing. I wanted to see why she is falling for this guy and what exactly she sees in him. I was just hoping for more of a story from that but like the little cute moments were sweet but sometimes random. I felt like I asked, "When did Keita and Deka get to this point?," way to often for their moments together.

However, I did figure out what would happen in this book pretty early on and it took some of the thrill of the book for me.

First line: Today is the Ritual of Purity.

Summary: The Ritual of Purity is the day that young girls enter womanhood. Deka has always been different from the others in her tribe but she hopes that the ritual will redeem her in their eyes. But on the day, her blood runs gold rather than red, marking her as impure. She is imprisoned by the village elders.

After weeks of torture, a strange woman arrives and takes her to join a group of girls just like Deka. She learns that she is alaki, near immortal with special gifts. The girls are trained to fight and kill Deathshrieks, a creature that attacks and kills the people of Otera. As she trains she finds friendships but also starts to question everything that she grew up learning.

My Thoughts: The cover immediately caught my attention. It is stunning. Gorgeous colors that bring to life the West African feel of the story. The magic system, the different characters and the creatures were all wonderfully done. Even though many of the themes were typical of the young adult fantasy novel the details made it different. I was intrigued by the way Deka could heal, her powers and her backstory (once we learn more about it at the end).

I did find that parts seemed rushed. Especially the training at the beginning and the battle at the end. Everything happened so fast with very little build up. Part of me liked not having it drawn out but also it seemed to suddenly be over too. I had to sit and think about the big reveals at the end because there was a lot of information dumped in but once I figured out everything it was a great twist. Even though the book seemed to end without a cliffhanger there are at least 2 more books planned.

FYI: A new young adult book with a strong female lead and feminist ideas.

In this novel, Forna has fully realized another world of complexity, with a fascinating culture and religion. The beginning is rather slow-starting as the stage is set for the plot to take off running. We learn about the purity ritual that girls endure when they turn 16, the mores that force all women to be passive participants in their lives, at the risk of disgrace or death. And we are introduced to Deka, the heroine, about to turn 16, who has always been an outlier and feared her differences. From this point the action picks up with the arrival of the Deathshrieks, the brutal creatures who can quickly destroy an entire community and whom Deka can control with her voice. There are issues to ponder while following the lively plot: the subjugation of females, the importance of loyalty and trust, and the value of friendship and family, the power of preparation. As secrets are revealed and the action comes to a satisfactory resolution, it is easy to imagine reading more about Deka and her world in the probable sequels.

Jumping in, I like Deka's character. She grew up in a rigid, patriarchal society that literally states women are not only lesser than men, but created for them. Their role is to remain these pure, virginal items that are tested on their purity before they can marry. This purity, tested by the color of their blood, is a really interesting, but also depressing, way to test if they're human or demon. I mean, they can't even use sharp objects or do anything strenuous for risk of outing themselves before the ceremony and ostracizing their entire family. 

Unfortunately for Deka, a pack of deathshrieks, demon like creatures who feast on human flesh, appear right at the start of her ceremony and she is outed as an alaki. With her blood running gold, and her voice the ability to command the deathshrieks, Deka is taken in for her death, only to find, she's still alive. Even after they killed her NINE TIMES. 

One of my favorite things about this book is the magic system. Alaki's are stronger, faster, and nearly impossible to kill. I would kill for the ability to withstand a fatal wound and have my body heal right back up. But Deka is built differently - she has undergone horrendous torture and should have died her final death, but hasn't. And with her voice able to command the deathshrieks, it brings into question "What is Deka? And why is she different?"

Honestly, this book was very plot focus and while I liked the characters, it felt like we were missing some crucial development. Deka, Britta, and White Hands are the most fleshed out characters, but everyone else seems to fall behind. While I enjoyed Britta's banter and friendliness, even she is a bit one dimensional at times. Simply serving as the loyal best friend with no further wants or needs. And Keita, her bonded partner in battle, who we rarely seen, somehow falls in love with her over the course of maybe five pages? It was one of the weaker points in this book and I wished we got more time between Deka and Keita. 

I mean, how are people supposed to fall in love if they never spend time together? Don't get me wrong, I adored the history and journey of these women and becoming strong alakis, but if I'm to believe that Deka and Keita fall in love, especially after he admits hating alaki's, they needed more one on one time together. If we had more build up to their relationship, I would believe it, but at this point I was definitely in shock when he kissed her out of the blue. It just did not line up. 

My last big pet peeve of this book was Deka's inability to remain conscious during any battle scene. Every time Deka uses her commanding voice, she passes out, which we later find because she's using all her energy to do so. But once that has been established why, and she trains to correct it, it still happens. Every single fight scene except maybe one or two has her passing out in the middle of it, only to wake up to it basically over. I'm not sure if it's the author trying to avoid writing fighting scenes, because hey, I get it, I suck at writing them too, or if it's because she just wants to move the book along, but it was so much passing out. So much. 

Overall, I really did enjoy the book and while character development is very important, if you're someone who enjoys the plot of a book more than the characters, you are going to love this book. And if you're more of a character driven person, this has been a warning that you may not like this book as much as others. But, this is still a great book. I loved the lens we get on how women are treated across the world, which is not great, and the patriarchal provisions put in place to keep us in ours. And, I always love badass female warriors who fight for a greater cause!

4.5/5
This book was fabulous! The writing and the symbolism were done wonderfully! The author is clearly talented and understands how to write a compelling story. If you like fantasy and strong women leads, then you will enjoy this book. My only complaint and why this book received 4.5 out of 5 stars from me is that it seemed like the author rushed some of the dramatic scenes at the end. The ending of this book could have been the final ending of the story and while I did not want a cliffhanger ending, the book had more happily ever after ending than we have problems we need to deal with in the rest of the series. I think I would have rather the action that happened at the end of the book be extended and have the ending be more mysterious where the readers are dying to pick up the next book. I definitely want to continue on with this series, but I am not obsessing over the next book as much as I would have been if the ending would have been a little more open-ended.
So, you should read this book if you like fantasy and feminism! The author is a master at writing and weaving together the plot. There are many content warnings and I suggest you research all your triggers to ensure that you are able to read this. Content warnings include child abuse, sexual abuse, misogyny, and more.

Namina Forna’s 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙊𝙣𝙚𝙨 teaches young girls how to dream of a world that strips away the masks, disrobes the armor, and dismantles the patriarchy so they can grow into women that walk into their potential with grace, confidence, and power. In this YA fantasy series, sixteen-year-old Deka is cast out of her society for her impure blood and faced with consequences of belonging and acceptance that will affect her entire life. Deka joins a group of alaki-immortals with exceptional abilities that must be trained to fight a war to gain a semblance of worth from the emperor. Will she survive in this new place?

Forna grants us much more than this in the fantasy though. We get a full course on blowing up the patriarchy here, YA style, of course. The female characters learn early on: “Our whole lives, we’ve been taught to make ourselves smaller, weaker than men…that being a girl means perpetual submission.” They are fighting to not only be seen as human but as a being with integrity, worth, and purpose. Forna creates a world for teens so they can find themselves in golden armor ready to fight a world that says they are not good enough, strong enough, or smart enough, but, in reality, they have always been enough.

You are the hero you never knew you could be. That power that we are afraid to tap into resides within our bodies, our minds, and spirits. While Forna’s text is written as a fantasy, the catch-22 is that in reality young girls are heroes in their communities right now. These characters—Deka, Britta, Belcalis, and Katya—show young girls how to be useful and instrumental in fighting against the patriarchy by using their voices to stand tall and not allowing men to make them small and weak.

Remember, warriors “remain undaunted by the fight!”