Content Warning(s) for the book: graphic descriptions of violence and murder, mutilation, torture, death of a family member, death of a family member due to illness, disownment, reference/discussion of rape, reference/discussion of child rape, fantasy bigotry/othering, racism, sexism

Representation in the book: west African inspired setting and cast, sapphic side character

Are we girls or are we demons? Are we going to die or are we going to survive?

The Gilded Ones is a brutal look at how religion is used to tool of misogyny, queerphobia and other bigotry in a deeply patriarchal society. It deftly explores how humans twist and corrupt religious ideas to suit their own agenda; how greed and malfeasance run in the veins of those very institutions. It is daring with it approach, giving us graphic details of violence inflected upon Deka — violence that continues to haunt her and yet one that she accustomed even as she vows to never let it happen again.

The world of The Gilded Ones is smartly built, shimmering and splendid. It has a deep lore, the veins of it run through and pulse with bright imagination. It immediately draws you in with its morsels of information with the knowledge of much more lying dormant tickling your brain. The reader is eager to explore more.

I liked how this novel focuses so much on camaraderie, especially between the girls who have been ostracized and have faced the worst in society. As these girls learn not to fear but to embrace and, to an extent, celebrate the demons inside them in a society deeply entrenched in misogyny and controlling women, they also learn to trust and care for each other in a way that goes opposite to what that society expects of them. In the same vein, the romantic aspect of this book is developed carefully — giving it time and nourishment before it becomes a flame.

Even though I enjoyed much of the story, there were certain aspects that left me unsatisfied. Every time a new concept is introduced, its implementation happens instantly. I personally enjoy a training montage. It shows me that the protagonist and their associates worked hard for their skills and honed them with training. Even as we traverse worlds full of magic, the stories we read are deeply human. So, it is important that we see these protagonists go through the human process of learning and then becoming better, which was sorely missing from this book. Also, I found the ending to be a little rushed and confusing. Although it allows for this book to work as a standalone, it was unnecessary to wrap it up in a bow since this is indeed a series, in my opinion. There was also some mention of the author trying to subvert and oppose the gender binary that our world perpetuates so much, but I did not find much of that in this book. On the contrary, it seemed very much into the binary, as it expected of a patriarchal society, which was slightly disappointing.

Although, it does leave something to be desired, The Gilded Ones is a beautifully crafted piece of art that intrigued and delighted me. I found its themes of oppression, misogyny and racism to be presented in a way that resembled much of our present, past and future. I await the arrival of its sequel with bated breath, expecting it to also surprise and thrill me as this one did.

Actual rating 3.5 stars

When I first heard about The Gilded Ones, I was intrigued by the idea of a group of near-immortal women being trained together to be an elite warrior. And though I have a few minor problems with this book, I still can say with certainty that The Gilded Ones is an enchanting debut.

The Gilded Ones follows 16-yeard-old Deka, who's deemed to be "impure" after she bled gold and saved her small village from monster (called 'Deathshrieks') attack. She was saved by a mysterious woman who then took her to be trained as a warrior to help the Emperor's war against Deathshrieks, along with other women who's similar with Deka. As Deka and the others learn to accept themselves in a world where women's only duty is to marry and raise children, they also learn the truth about their ancestry, and the kingdom they've sworn to protect.

The best thing about this book is definitely the sisterhood. I love how their relationship progressed, from distrusting strangers--each with their own horrible past due to their 'impurity'--to a family who would save and die for each other. Because not only they have to fight the Deathshrieks, they also have to fight misogyny from their own kingdom, and they need every support they could get.

I've mentioned above that I have a few minor problems, and one of those is the pacing. The Gilded Ones is quite fast-paced--which I like-- but toward the ending I feel like there's a lot of info-dump. It kinda threw me off a bit. There were also a few questions that went unanswered, but since this is the first book in a series hopefully it'll be explained later on.

Overall, The Gilded Ones is still a great read, and I'd recommend it to everyone!

A sweeping, epic fantasy, equal parts dark and hopeful.

Deka is trapped in the patriarchal society of Otera, where young women forced to wear masks and spend their lives at home are the 'lucky' ones. Other young women, girls like Deka, are deemed impure when their blood runs gold and subjected to the Death Mandate.

But when Deka's Alaki blood is discovered, she is given a third option: train as a solider, fight against the fearsome deathshrieks, and earn absolution. But life as a solider isn't all it seems, and when everyone around her seems to be keeping secrets - about the purpose of the Alaki soldiers and Deka's own unique abilities - Deka is unsure who she can trust.

The Gilded Ones hurtles towards what seems like a heartbreakingly inevitable conclusion, but twists and surprises ensure the overarching message is one of hope: change is possible, so long as there are people willing to fight for it.

Deka is equal parts strong and soft, capable of fighting for herself and those she loves, but also filled with terrible self-doubt and insecurities. She is a warrior born from circumstance and is incredibly relatable.

All of the characters in this novel were brilliant. Everyone had a purpose, a convincing backstory and an agency beyond their usefulness to Deka. The friendships Deka forms are one of the highlights of The Gilded Ones, and there are some really beautiful quotes about the importance of friendship throughout.

Otera has a complex and vivid backstory which helps to bring the world Deka inhabits to life. Forna says in her author's note at the end that she set out to write about how patriarchal societies are formed, and she certain does that in The Golden Ones. It is equal parts terrifying and enthralling, but the ending, at least, is filled with hope.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I absolutely loved The Gilded Ones and will be recommending it to everyone for a long time! Forna's novel is a feminist manifesto - while the patriarchy is only even concerned with raising up men at the cost of everyone else, feminism aims to bring equality to all, a concept that maps directly onto Forna's idea of the jatu and the alaki. Deka is a brilliant, strong character given room to grow, and while I saw parts of the plot coming it didn't make them any less satisfying. It's also great to see another fantasy series set within a world where African culture is dominant. I can't wait for the rest of the series!

I had very high hopes for this book, after having looked forward to it for a year or so. And maybe I'd overhyped it, but this book fell really flat for me. It just felt like a pretty generic YA fantasy. I didn't mesh with the writing style, and I personally prefer books with lots of character development, as opposed to mainly plotdriven ones. I didn't feel like the main character had a very distinct personality, unfortunately.

CWs: torture, violence, gore

dnf at roughly 50%

trigger warning
<spoiler> grief, trauma, misogyny, torture, mutilation, corporeal punishment, slavery </spoiler>

Deka doesn't pass the test. At the big coming of age ritual, she is discovered to possess golden blood, which marks her as a demon. After two months of torture, she recieves the offer to become a soldier for 20 years in exchange for freedom.

I wanted to dnf this one pretty quickly. The misogyny was too much for me, but once the ritual that's mentioned in the blurp is over, and the torture done with, and the plot is under way, it got better. For a while.

There are problems: Young women are not allowed to bleed before the ritual. Any scar makes them disfigured and worth less. If you bleed in your 15th year, you have to go to the temple to do cleansing rituals, which is why rich families send their uterus-having offspring to purity houses in which everything is cushioned and full of pillows and they don't have to do hard work. People like Deka can't, because she has to help on her father's farm as there are only the two of them as their mother passed away recently.
I don't believe for a second that she never injured herself.

Another problem: Periods. Yes, hi, I am one of those people who use to have them when not medicated. From that standpoint, it would make more sense to me to include a puryfying ritual to the coming of age ritual.
Later on, we meet another character who discovered through her period that she's one of the people with golden blood, and she tells us that it's a process that starts after your first period, the gilding of the blood. And once they reach the training grounds, there are people of different ages, depending on how far from the capital you live - Deka comes from a small village at the edge of the country, so it took the people responsible longer to get there - and if you noticed earlier.
Still, I would have liked it better if this issue was adressed more head on. Of course, you could say it's down to being told by a first person narrator and Deka doesn't talk about periods, but if the concept you have doesn't work with your narrator, you chose the wrong narrator.
And since this is fantasy, you could very easilly have said "yeah, people in our village have this tea/charm/amulet that prevents you from having your period before the ceremony".

Further things that need to be adressed in relation to blood and bleeding in my opinion:
- self harm
- clumsiness
- domestic violence
- trans and non binary people

These were the issues I had and I tried to read on nonetheless, but then I realised that Deka <i>is not like other girls</i>, a trope which annoys me to no end. She has this weird ability to sense a certain kind of monster, and when she's angry/fighting the monsters her eyes get all weird and she freaks people out, even her follow demon-soldiers.
I am over it.

Third strike: Deka gets paired with the soldier she instantly recognises as nobility, probably the highest ranking of the normal-mortal recruits. I see hetero romance in the future.

I liked the west african elements of the plot because it's boring to always have the same world, but this just doesn't work for me. I am happy for west african people to have their culture represented, to which I can say nothing because I know nothing, and I hope you guys will like this or get more stuff.
I wanted to like this own voices fantasy series, but I don't.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

The Gilded Ones is one of the most incredible fantasy novels I've ever read. It deals with issues such as racism, misogyny, abuse, trauma and more. The world building in this story is incredible and definitely one of the more unique and super intriguing ones.

The book has a very diverse set of characters, each with a complex personality. One of my favorite parts of the book was seeing Deka's (the protagonist) character development from the start to the ending of the book.

Namina Forna's writing is truly incredible and The Gilded Ones is one book I will definitely recommend to everyone.

Rep: west african inspired setting and cast, sapphic side character

CW: graphic violence, murder, mutilation, torture, death of a family member, death of a family member due to illness, disownment, reference/discussion of rape, reference/discussion of child rape, fantasy bigotry/othering, racism, sexism

I really enjoyed reading this! Forna’s built a rich and detailed fantasy world, and it practically came to life as I was reading. I adore fantasy worlds that feel glittery and/or golden, which I freely admit might not make any sense to anybody who isn’t me, and this one definitely qualifies for that.

I liked the strong focus on friendship and sisterhood! The most important relationships in Deka’s life are the friendships she has with the other alaki, and especially with her best friend Britta. Friendships are so important, and too often the friendships between girls in fiction are the source of drama and backstabbing. There was none of that here. The girls fought for and alongside one another, and would die for each other in a heartbeat. This is exactly the sort of thing I want to see more of!

Deka also develops a romantic relationship, and overall I liked it. I appreciated that it was relatively low-key, and that it was never a source of conflict or drama. I also appreciated that the characters had a sort of slow slide into a romantic relationship. They liked each other as people long before they liked each other as romantic partners. It might be the demiromantic in me jumping out, but I much prefer this approach to romance than anything resembling insta-love.

My one wish for their relationship is that I would’ve liked to have seen more of them interacting, just in general. Honestly, this goes for Deka’s friendships as well. I really liked what’s shown of all of these things, but considering how much time passes over the course of the novel I don’t think we were quite shown enough. There were times were I felt a little bit like we were being told that relationships had developed rather than being shown it. If there were just a handful more scenes of the characters interacting with one another then the whole book would become ten times stronger than it already is, and in all fairness it’s already pretty damn strong.

I would 100% recommend this book! The story wraps up in this one in such a way that it would work perfectly well as a standalone, but this is marked as being the first in a trilogy, and I’m very curious to see where things will be going from here!

Deka is an anomaly and unnatural with a gifted ability, who is seeking absolution and purity to return to her home and father, the father who believed her to be a monster and abandoned her to death.

"My kind, we don't have a choice. Fight or die - either way, our lives are not our own. They call us demons, but are we really?"

On her escape, she is led on a journey to join the army of the emperor where she meets other girls like her who have survived death and soon they become blood sisters. Over time she learns the mystery about her mother.

"Don't touch my friends," I growl. " I'll break you to pieces before you can land a single bow."

Through the course of the story, Deka's character develops from being a shy girl to a strong warrior who leads an army and commands.

Namina Forna's debut novel, The Gilded ones, the first part of the Deathless series which is a high fantasy with power-packed action scenes that picturizes women as strong warriors. The writing style and the world-building are compelling that you can fly through the pages with ease. The author has made sure that each character has its voice, which makes strong storytelling that keeps the reader intrigued.

Overall, I enjoyed reading it and can't wait to get my hands on the second part of the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for sharing the eArc in return to a honest review.

I started reading The Gilded Ones late at night, merely hoping to read the first couple of chapters to try and get into the story, but the story was immediately gripping and exciting and I had to force myself to stop reading well after midnight. The next day I picked it up again and immediately started reading after I woke up, and kept reading while I had breakfast. I just could not stop reading until I finished it. I loved this book!

In Otera, religion dictates women should be subservient to men, hide their faces lest they offend their god, and are forbidden from doing essentially everything unrelated to wifely duties and child-rearing, even something as innocuous as running. When girls turn 16, their blood is tested. If it bleeds red, they are pure, but if it bleeds gold, they are impure, demons to be killed immediately. But the reality is much more complicated than that.

The plot is so immersive, unique, and unpredictable. I was very interested in this world, the powers, the near-immortal alaki, the deathshrieks, foul creatures that can kill men with a shriek and steal girls only for them to never be seen again… I took many reading notes and had many questions, and the story just kept me guessing until the end. It ended on a very satisfying note and I’m eager to read more from this author.

This was such an oppressive, patriarchal society and it feels wrong and infuriating to read certain things at the beginning but I love how the mentality of the characters evolves; there are certain feminist qualities to this book that I really liked.

The main character is Deka, just a normal girl praying to bleed red and a chance at a normal, happy life. But then she bleeds gold and her life turns upside down. She was so resilient and fierce from the very start and I loved that about her, and I love that she didn’t let any of the atrocities that occurred in this book break her.

Although I wish there had been a bigger focus on the girls overcoming their emotional trauma, Deka included. It’s not that I think it was poorly done but I wish there was just a bit more to it, or that it was done differently…

One thing I loved about this book was the lack of a romance subplot. There was some romance, I suppose, but it was so minor, it was more like an afterthought. This book focuses much more on familial love, found family, and the love and loyalty between sisters.

Overall, The Gilded Ones is an incredibly unique, exciting story, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. With all that being said, I rate this book: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Take chosen one main character girl, give her immortality, add some golden blood, super strong monsters girls army, and deathshrieks. Yes, that's how the villains in the book are called because they shriek and they look very deadly or like death, you choose.

Deka is different from other girls, and not the way of the usual YA trope. She has black skin in a country where there are all white, blonde and with blue eyes. She's already looked at like an outsider so when her blood was deemed impure, running gold instead of red, she is tortured until a mysterious woman she called White Hands, offers her the choice of joining an army of girls just like her, the alaki. Just like that Deka's adventure starts, full of mystery, twists, but more importantly a found family unlike any other.

Deka's deep friendship with Britta was so sweet. Yes, there was a bit of romance in the story, but the friendship Deka makes while with the other alaki is truly was made this book even more remarkable in my eyes. We rarely see stories about friendships, people you trust and are willing to die protecting you and you protecting them. All the girls, with their suffering, came together to defeat the greater evil and accepted their monstrous selves. Because people call them monsters. Are they, though? Or are they more? That's for you to find out.

Excellently written, got me invested and afraid at the same time. Amazing first book of a series that I can consider unmissable. It has all the elements of a remarkable YA fantasy and it will get a lot of attention, I just know it.

The Gilded Ones is a fresh and very unique ya fantasy, full of action scenes that sucks you in from page one. I really loved the magic system and the worldbuilding of this book, and I found it so intriguing and interersting. Basically the world of The Gilded Ones is a world where women are considered inferior to men in all aspects and are expected to show full obedience. When girls turn 16 they go through the “Purity Ritual” which verifies whether they’re pure or not; pure are the ones who bleed red and unpure the ones who bleed gold. That’s more or less all you need to know going in the book; the rest you find out as you go, like what happens to those girls, or why they bleed gold and why women are suppressed in the first place hmmmmmmmmm.

In that aspect I would describe it as a mix of The Handmaid’s Tale (if there was a diverse set of characters in the book ahem) with An Ember in the Ashes; yes you heard that right. I can’t quite explain why, but I got the same vibe from The Gilded Ones. It must be all the blood, gore and super intense fight scenes (you’ve been warned). There are some truly disturbing scenes in here.

One of the things that stands out about this book other than the world building and the fascinating magic system, is the pacing. It is very fast paced, events take turn one after the other and you never feel like the story is dragging; there are no uneccessary scenes or “fillers” if you want. Everything serves a purpose and honestly, I couldn’t put the book down. If it weren’t for sleep I would have finished it in a day.

I read The Gilded Ones as I was coming out of a reading slump and I felt my will for reading being restored page by page. I got this warm fuzzy feeling you get from a good book, you know what I mean; when you get all warm and can’t read fast enough the lines so you can turn the page and see what’s going on aaah. Pure bliss.

I also adored the characters and especially Deka our main girl. She went through a lot and her development was outstanding and very realistic; she went from being a frightened girl to a powerful queen and I’m so very proud of her. She learned to love and accept herself for who she is and her growth brought me to tears.

AND her relationship with a certain someone was SPECIAL, but also sort of a let down? From their very first interraction I was clutching my heart screaming OTP but then it sort of died out? A lot of scenes that developed their relationship took place off page and was only told in passing, which kinda made me lose touch with them sadly.

That leads me to some of my not so much dislikes, but the reasons that made me deck out a star and not give it the full five. This is a debut novel and it shows; the writing needs some polishing and there are some minor plot holes or some confusion, but not anything too much or anything that can’t be justified by it being a debut. I truly believe that the more Namina Forna writes the better she will become; I’m going in the second book with a five star mindset for sure, because there is that space for impovement. I honestly can’t wait to see where the story goes !!!

Lastly, my only criticism is the clear cut binary between male and female. I understand that the central theme is that of woman empowerment and f**k the patriarchy, but it doesn’t sit right with me seeing such a clear distinction. It’s more on the language she uses to describe things and less on the story itself; like assigning gender to characteristics such as full lips (feminine) or shaved head (masculine) and the like. I just find it unecessary and a little counteractive to the whole purpose of the book.

Overall, The Gilded Ones is a truly unique fantasy, that toys with ideas of power and gender dynamics that will surely leave you wanting more. Not to mention there is a certain pet I want as a plushie N O W (you’ll know when you read it no spoilers 😉 ). People who make book merch hear my call.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own!

TW: blood, graphic scenes of death, trauma, racism, misogyny, racial and sexist slurs

The Gilded Ones is not an easy read, with trauma and abuse being a common thread that brings together the young women in the story. Early on, I struggled with these brutal themes appearing so blatantly in a YA novel. But discussing this with a blogger friend made me realise that this book wasn’t written for me and that my discomfort is irrelevant. This is a story that validates young women struggling with abuse and sexism, extreme or insidious, and provides them with hope.

While this is the aspect of the book that I’m still processing, there’s still fun to be had in The Gilded Ones. Tentative friendships becoming life-long bonds, romances ignite, and there’s an awesome animal companion who definitely needs to appear in fan art with Mephi from The Bone Shard Daughter.

The magic and mythology in The Gilded Ones are very cool, and the idea of literal golden blood being seen as impure effectively allegorises the brainwashing of Oteran society. While the story does boil down to a Chosen One situation, it’s nuanced and doesn’t feel like a familiar trope.

I’ll admit that at first I didn’t enjoy Forna’s writing style, and considered DNFing the book at around 20%. She uses a sort of classical, neutral dialogue which made conversations feel a little stilted rather than organic. But I did find a rhythm with it, and I’m glad I continued, as the final 30% is where the story really shines. Or glimmers? (insert gold pun here). I also felt that Deka’s internal dialogue could be a little repetitive, but I do see the value of this in exploring the terrible things that befall her, particularly for a younger reading audience.

The conclusion of The Gilded Ones is powerful and goes a long way in healing the pain of the preceding story. There’s a fair amount of foreshadowing, but the author still manages to surprise.

“Are we girls or are we demons? Are we going to die or are we going to survive?”

Forna says that, inspired by her experiences living in West Africa and America, she wrote this book to be an examination of patriarchy, how it is established, and how women survive under it. She does this so effectively that when I finally got to the end of the book, I wanted to reread it with this new insight. If this sounds like something you’ve been looking for in a YA book, I highly recommend The Gilded Ones.

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: Physical and emotional abuse, rape, self-harm, death of family, torture

This is such an amazing story! I was drawn into Forna's lush fantasy world on the very first page. "The Gilded Ones" was on the list of my most anticipated young adult fantasy books of 2021, so my expectations were admittedly pretty high. The concept just spoke to me and nowadays I tend to be more interested in fantasy novels that take inspiration from the non-Western part of the world, that aren't as eurocentric as most fantasy worlds still are. The writing is amazing, detailed and rich, and the pacing is, in general, really good too.

The world of "The Gilded Ones" is a dark one, much darker than I expected from a young adult book. Our heroine Deka lives in a strictly patriarchal society where women aren't worth much if anything at all. There are strict laws on how they have to behave, dress, work, live their lifes - and terrible consequences await them if they don't adhere by these rules set by men of faith. Women and girls are abused and oppressed all their lives. It's a world that makes one angry, not only because it causes suffering to the characters on the page but also because it is not an entirely unrealistic image at all.
Deka is a faithful, obedient part of this society until the day of her ritual of purity - the day she becomes a woman by proving her purity through the color of her blood. Red blood maketh a pure woman, one that can stay a part of society, that can do her duty, marry, have children. But Deka is not a red-blooded girl: she bleeds golden blood, proof of impurity, of her being a demon. And thus, her village and her own father turn against her. What they do to her afterwards is unspeakable, cruel, pure evil. She is put in a cellar and killed over and over again by the elders of her village, yet always she comes back, seemingly unkillable. Until one day she is saved from her terrible fate by a mysterious woman who takes her away to be trained as a soldier, monster slayer, deadly warrior: The emperor himself has decided to use golden-blooded girls like her, so-called alaki, to hunt the Deathshrieks that torment the empire of Otera. And so begins a story that is so feminist and empowering that it made me yell out happily at some scenes.

"The Gilded Ones" is, most of all, the story of a girl that the world deems a demon, a girl that has been taught all her life that she is rarely worth anything because of her gender and even less because she is impure, a girl that realizes that all these lessons and convictions are wrong, that the world is wrong about her, that being a demon might not actually be a bad thing. She grows stronger, and not just because she develops her superhuman abilities but because she starts to question the laws of the empire and her place in the world. And it is a story about the deep friendship between girls and survivors. I absolutely adored all the alaki characters, Britta and Belcalis especially, and Forna takes her time to really delve deep into their relationships. They are all unique, they are all complex, and in the end they form a bond that is unbreakable.

There are some issues that made this a Four-Star-Book instead of a Five-Star one. For one, there is a romance in the book that just never really worked for me. I wasn't interested in it and the love interest, Keita, isn't really fleshed out enough to make me care a whole lot for him or his relationship with Deka. Personally, I'd rather they developed a platonic friendship only especially considering what Deka went through and how she has been treated by men all her life, with a romance happening in one of the later books of this series. For me, they would have needed a lot more development and their romance felt a little forced.
The storytelling and pacing is mostly great, but the last part of the book felt rushed to me. There is a lot of building up to the Big Moment, the Big Battle followed by the Big Reveal (one that many readers might see coming, but this doesn't take away at all from its badassness). Once this Big Reveal happens - well, everything moves pretty quickly and then we're suddenly on the last page. There is not much focus on the impact of this reveal, it's more or less immediate acceptance on Deka's part and she fills her new role without questioning anything. I wanted more.

Still, this is an amazing, empowering, creative, rich story and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I couldn't put "The Gilded Ones" down and cannot recommend it enough.

Many many thanks to Usborne Publishing and Netgalley for the amazing arc!

I was so excited to read this book, the synopsis and the beautiful cover really appealed to me. This is a West African inspired fantasy with a strong message of female empowerment. Whilst I loved the whole premise of the story, the world and the characters, it was sadly lacking that special something which draws me into a fantasy novel. My problem lay in the execution of the story and the dialogue which was a little too simplified for my liking and, for the most part, I had a hard time keeping myself engaged in the storyline.

There is no question that the world is unique and colourful and full of all manner of characters and creatures. I loved the Deathshrieks, they were my favourite part of the story, and the magic system is quite new and thrilling. The world has the foundation for being really amazing but just needed a little tweaking here and there and further development. Dare I say it but at one point, what should have come across as quite a gruesome scene, actually made me giggle. In the aforementioned scene Deka said she wanted to nod in agreement but it was impossible because her neck wasn’t fully attached, I have no idea why that tickled me so much at the time!

There is a diverse and vast cast of characters, all of whom are quite lively and intriguing, but sadly lacking in the strength and depth of character I crave. Deka could have been an amazing female protagonist but her personality didn’t shine through and felt a tad one-dimensional and flat. She was missing the intensity I am so fond of in a lead heroine. The romance is a little too innocent, there was no chemistry and basically a peck on the cheek here and there, and I really wasn’t rooting for them as a couple. For someone who absolutely needs romance in a fantasy story, I would not have missed this one in the storyline.

The time skips required some concentration sometimes it skipped ahead by weeks, even months on occasions. Suddenly Deka becomes a warrior without us really knowing how, her training is skipped over and I really wanted to become involved in the rigours of her training schedule.

All that being said, I did enjoy reading The Gilded Ones, the world, the magic system are great and I loved the twist at the end. It is a simple and easy to read and perfect for YA readers dipping their toes into the fantasy genre, and who are not offended by what could be construed as a gruesome magic system.

**I was provided with an ARC through netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

The Gilded Ones is one badass book and unlike anything I have ever read!

Taking place in an empire with an extremely patriarchal and religious civilisation, akin to that of The Handmaid’s Tale, women are oppressed and appraised by their purity. Girls are subjected to a blood ceremony when they come of age – bleed red and you’re classed as pure and accepted into society as a woman, bleed gold and you’re cursed, seen as a demon and up to face a fate worse than death.

Deka’s parentage already deems her as an outsider in her northern village, but when her blood runs gold and she uncovers unusual powers during an attack at the ceremony from a group of Deathshrieks – the creatures who threaten the empire – her fate is sealed.

That is until a mysterious woman shows up offering her a new life. Deka’s salvation lies in her enlisting as a warrior in a special unit – one for those with cursed blood - of the emperor’s army and putting her powers to use for the good of the Empire.

At first this may seem like another one of those “girl burns down the patriarchy” stories but trust me it is so much more!

With an immersive West-African inspired world, Namina Forna has written an emotional yet empowering coming of age story that takes a deeper look into matters of misogyny, discrimination, abuse and trauma whilst also spreading a strong message about self-worth, feminism and the power of sisterhood.

Found family is my all-time favourite trope and this book features a wonderful one full of kickass and well-nuanced female characters. Deka in particular is a beautifully written and strong main character that I couldn’t help but get attached to. Following her on a journey of learning not to let society’s prejudices towards those like her to define her, we witness her character gain more confidence and respect for herself over the course of the novel as well as encourage others to do the same.

I also really loved how unique the lore and magic at the centre of this book was! I don’t want to say too much about it all but the way that it was subtly woven into the overarching plot had me hooked and all the twists blew my mind, I didn’t see them coming at all!

I’d say the only issues that I had, alongside there being a little bit of telling and not showing here and there, were the time jumps. They effected my enjoyment of the narrative as a whole, less on the flow of the story because the overall pacing was great and consistent, but more when it came to the character relationships. Sure the dialogue and banter between the characters definitely showcased their camaraderie but as a reader I felt like we miss out on a lot of the moments when their bonding occurred. The romance in the story particularly fell a little flat for me so I wasn’t fully invested in it. This also goes for a couple of the action scenes – I wish we could have gotten more from them.

Nevertheless this is a brilliant YA debut that you don’t want to miss. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story continues in the sequels!
Final Rating - 4.25/5 Stars

Forna did an amazing job with addressing relevant issues such as rape, religion, patriarchy, racism, colorism and feminism amongst others. She built a world where women especially black girls are fearless, strong, leaders and forces to be reckoned with. And that end, it was so nice and oddly satisfying. The cliffhanger wasn’t so much but it makes you anticipate the book two which I’m excited for to see what happens next.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Usborne Publishing for this review copy, all thoughts and opinions are mine and are not in any way influenced by this.

Fascinating YA fantasy debut. Deka starts off as a 16 Year old girl waiting to pass her purity test so she can finally feel accepted in her little village where her dark skin and looks differentiate her as other. To pass the purity test she just needs to bleed red blood, but unfortunately gold runs out marking her as an impure/demon/Alaki and springing a chain of events that will rock the kingdom.

First of all I really enjoyed that this is an own voices fantasy set in a West African kingdom and written by a kWest African. However, a lot of the characters have white features (but sound black), and some of the black characters sound white (Britta has a British almost cockney voice) - thus was quite jarring in parts. Secondly, a major theme in this book is about the patriarchy that is prevalent in this kingdom and how it is used to oppress the women - both normal and Alaki. The normal women are forced to be subservient, cover their faces in front of men, and are either stay at home wives, temple servants or whores. The Alaki are tortured, raped, and killed for the gold in their blood. In some cases like Deka, killed several times (because they have the power to regenerate) so the elders (as well as her father) could keep harvesting the gold.

The book highlights a lot of issues but also shows the grit and determination of these women as they overcome their pain and rage and are forged into weapons. There are a lot of twists and turns and we uncover things along with Deka as she grows in her powers and starts to understand the truth and reality of her situation. I really enjoyed this - equal parts dark and light, mysterious and full of grit much like Deka.. The end was surprising and a fitting culmination of everything we experience through out the book.

An epic fantasy adventure that is site to leave it's mark! I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy. The story lives up to the gorgeous cover as Naming Forbade weaves a tale filled with complex heroines & a high stakes plot that kept me on the edge of my seat.

This was such a great fantasy book. From the world-building to the plot and the characters. I loved it. I also really joined seeing the girls form friendships during rough times and finding comfort in each other. We love female friendships done well!!

The Gilded Ones deals with themes such as racism, religion, sexism, and much more. And it does so very thoughtfully. But there are quite a few violent scenes(like, actual murder), so be careful if you're sensitive to such.

"Legend is what humans call the things that they do not understand"

Deka is a young girl living in a society where girl's fate is determined at the blood ceremony. Gold is the color of demons, and Deka desperately wishes for her blood to run red. She is already unliked in her village, so the ceremony could be her chance to prove herself.
But when the day comes, her blood runs gold.

4.5/5 stars!

Overall, a very powerful read. I'm looking forward to the sequel!!