THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER! “Namina Forna Could Be The Toni Morrison Of YA Fantasy.” –Refinery 29 “Fans of Children of Blood and Bone, Mulan, and the Dora Milaje from Black Panther are going to adore this one.” –BuzzFeed“A dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold. Must read!” –Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles The most anticipated fantasy of 2021. In … York Times bestselling author of The Belles
The most anticipated fantasy of 2021. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice. Get ready for battle.
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.
Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat.
Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.
The start of a bold and immersive fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.
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Book 67 towards my goal of 280! 5/5 stars for this YA Fantasy read! Beautiful cover. Beautifully written story. I felt like I’d been immersed in this world while reading. Loved our main character! Can’t wait for book 2! Highly recommend!
Ehhh, I’ll give this one a 2.5.
It wasn’t the book, it was me. This is my 3rd attempt at reading a fantasy novel and I think it’s time to face facts. Fantasy just isn’t my thing.
This was fabulous!!!! I can’t wait for more of this series!!!
Girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice.
The characters are awesome especially main character Deka. The world building is well thought out and very well written.
There are many twists and surprises in this and it kept me drawn in from the first to the last page.
I did the audiobook and the narration was AMAZING.
I don’t want to give anything away. Dive into this with no prior knowledge and savor every word.
It is a must read for every fantasy lover.
A magical world with a strong protagonist, that you’ll want to root for!
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is an excellent book that is more of a journey, with epic adventures and paths along the way, towards a glorious destination all wrapped up in one exciting package.
This epic adventure has it all: fantasy, myths/legends, coming of age, adventures, suspense, action, and a dash of romance.
We first see Deka, a young teen, living in a village called Otera where women are considered second-class citizens. They are subservient and have little hopes and dreams of their own. At the pivotal point of a ritual of purity (where girls have the clearance to become women), instead of finding her blood running red, she is discovered to have gold. She is considered a Demon. After being chained, imprisoned, and disowned by all she knows, she is offered a life-changing choice by a woman known as “White Hands”: stay and suffer or embrace her Alaki and fight with others that are similar and special for the emperor. She chooses life.
Being able to meet all of the other excellent female companions and friends and see all of these girls grow into strong, confident, wonderful women is so awesome. To see this supportive environment, which they would never have had before, is so refreshing and welcoming. I love the growth that she shows and feels during this book. She is so smart, feisty, and tough. I love all of the character development, and I love the chemistry between her Keita (her male romantic interest). I loved everything about this book and I am excited to see that there will be more in this series in the future. I can’t wait.
5/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press/Random House Childrens for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.