Wonderful book. An exciting read for both Ya and adult. Really able to submerge into the story. Exciting and imaginative story. Will certainly be recommending this book for the library book club i run. Thank you for the advance copy

Did I read this book or did I dream it? The Gilded Ones is bold and powerful and utterly gripping. The world that Namina Forna has created is so deeply compelling and this story is an epic in every sense of the world. It's a book that just doesn't let you go. I'm still thinking about it. Still turning things over in my mind, piecing everything together, contemplating this world and its fascinating cast of characters. I'm going to be pushing this book into the hands of everyone I know. It has completely blown my mind.

I have been eagerly anticipating this book for over a year and I was so excited to pick it up as soon as I could. I have been struggling with fantasy books for a while but this really took me out of that fantasy slump.
The world that Namina Forma created is so magical and you truly get invested in it. I read this book in less than 24 hours because I couldn't put it down. The final 80% of the novel I read all in one chunk which I haven't done in a while. The way the story was written made it easy to understand, even for those who aren't used to reading YA fantasy.
I loved Deka as a character and I think she was really interesting to follow. The side characters were also very well developed though I would have love more focus on some of the guys who were soliders, other than Keita.
I loved the powerful, feminist vibes this book gave me. It truly made me feel incredibly empowered and I can only imagine the impact this would have on a younger teenager. I wish this was one of the YA fantasies I was reading when I was younger, as it is diverse and empowering.
Overall, I loved this book. I was completely satisfied with how it went and I think this is a solid fantasy debut. It almost felt like a standalone fantasy with how everything wrapped up so I am intrigued to see where the rest of the series goes.

The Gilded Ones is the incredibly powerful debut novel from Namina Forna. In a male-dominated world, where women are forced to wear masks to cover their dignity, and must go through a bleeding ceremony in order to prove their purity, Deka is anxiously awaiting her turn to prove that her blood runs red and pure. But when the time of her ceremony comes and her blood runs gold, she becomes an outcast, disowned by her family, friends and community, destined for the Death Mandate. That is until a mysterious stranger whom Deka labels “White Hands” materialises, promising redemption, absolution and even purity, in return for taking up arms to fight for the emperor in a fierce battle against the hideous deathshrieks.

From a scared and vulnerable girl, cowering in a cellar, being used and bled for her cursed gold blood, Deka is taken to the city, to a training ground for her kind and transformed into a fierce warrier, uncovering “unnatural” skills and talents far beyond what is expected of her. As she fights physical, emotional, and mental battles to control her skills and use them wisely, she begins to uncover her true heritage and picks up an unusually protective shape-shifting pet along the way. With her Uruni, Keita, and her blood sisters behind her, brought together by their traumatic experiences, will she uncover the truth about whom she is, and why she has these unnatural powers in time to defeat the powerful enemy enslaving and abusing her kind?

Themes of feminism, sisterhood, belonging, and survival are built into Deka’s gruesome journey from girl to warrior. Namina has created a powerful heroine in Deka, who embodies the strength, power, and leadership she needs to overcome her disastrous circumstances and the harrowing abuse she suffers from the moment she is found to be “impure”. I was absolutely enthralled by Namina’s writing and Deka’s journey from the moment her blood ran gold until the moment where the pieces of her heritage fell into place and she took control of her own choices and destiny. I was totally invested in Deka’s character development and growth, and that of the alaki sisterhood. I am waiting with baited breath to read where Namina takes the Deathless series next.

WOW. WOW.

(Thank you so much to Namina Forna and Netgallery for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.)

Firstly, this book is not for readers sensitive to blood, gore, violence, torture etc. There is quite a bit throughout the book, including a central theme of war.

The gist: After a tragedy at her patriarchal village, Deka is recruited into an army of powerful warriors to fight for an emperor wanting to rid the land of monsters. There she bonds with the other women taken from their different backgrounds as they head into a bloody world of fighting and accepting their awakened gifts and identity.

A strong highlight of this book is the friendships and strong bonds between the girls; there's a beautiful attentiveness to the girls becoming warriors and also growing closer and allowing themselves to be truly accepted and loved by each other. There's a real sense of family and community between the main characters; the girls are filled with a ferocious hunger to change the world for the better and they really win you over from early on, making the rest of the book gripping and nerve-wracking for the reader as they're thrust into more danger.

Namina Forna writes with a wonderful balance of dialogue and description too, creating a pace that's both enjoyable and filled with easy to follow world-building and enough mystery to keep you hooked for the answers.

My only personal gripe with The Gilded Ones is the romance; I imagine some readers will enjoy Deka's interactions with the love interest and others will be 'meh'. The book was filled with such power and strength that the romance felt a bit flat and unnecessary. I think it'll depend on each reader however because I didn't dislike their bond at all, I just didn't feel much towards it after the emotional intensity in the girls' journeys.

This is one of the few covers a year that entirely sells the book, before a single word is read.

However, how many of those stories live up to their covers? Few. This story didn’t only live up to its cover, it succeeded it, and I enjoyed every waking moment.

Because girls with gold blood, often don’t die.

In a world where the colour your blood runs pertains to your purity, patriarchal leaders dim the light of those whose blood runs gold. Demons they say, impure. And so they kill them, sell them or leave them to rot.

Except girls whose blood run gold aren’t easily killed. They are powerful and it’s that power that threatens the very men who treat them so horrifically .

One day one of these girls is freed, allowing her to join the fight against monsters that threaten all’s existence.

Get ready for some bad ass warrior ladies, be ready for your stomach to momentarily reside in your throat, to cry, scream, throw your cup of tea because this book is bloody brilliant.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this awesome tale.

This was everything it promised to be. An epic fantasy with wonderous world-building and character development and a plot that had me on the edge of my seat. Deka is everything I want from a main character, she's strong, brave and the journey of self discovery that she goes on is inspiring. I loved reading about her arc from a farm girl, to a warrior who could take down armies. The side characters are likeable with enough depth so they don't feel two dimensional. The descriptors throughout brought this world to life, I could see the images of this story in my mind as clear as day. Although the plot lagged a little around to 60% mark, it quickly picked back up again and was action packed from there until the end. Also, quickly, the plot twist was mind blowing! Normally, I'm able to predict things like this but this one came at me out of no where, it completely threw me through a whirlwind and I cannot wait to see where Forna takes it in the next instalment.

This book surprised me a lot. It is not simply about women and girls fighting the patriarchy but about these powerful beings who demolish it whilst dripping in golden blood. There are quite a lot of traumatizing parts to it and the trauma is never forgotten. I found the Gilded ones very interesting and look forward to reading more about this mythology in future books. The thing that struck out to me was how feminism can be taught to young men and boys and change their way of thinking whilst older generations typically are not able to be educated as such which felt like a very realistic and well made point. I genuinely found myself drawn to Deka's transformation from a shy unsure girl to a powerful and fierce Nuru. Looking forward to any sequels that follow and Deka's continued journey.

Amazing, humbling and an awakening.

Namina Forna weaves a world that parallels our own in so many ways but also one that is layered in magic.

From the start Deka is a girl after my own heart and one whom I would be proud to call my daughter, sister or friend. She and her friends, Britta, Belcalis, Adwapa, Asha, Katya and of course Keita (amongst others) show the meaning of true friendship and unconditional love. I grew to love them as though they were my own friends.

I asked the Author Namina for any questions she would like to ask of her readers and she returned with these:

“Oh my goodness, that’s amazing! I would ask that you look at the culture of the world and how women are treated and see if there’s any parallels to ours. Also, the obedience to the Infinite wisdoms, what are the parallels for our world? And what do the masks represent?”

I won’t spoil your reading by giving you my thoughts on these, but as you read, maybe keep these questions in mind and see what answers you draw from your reading experience. I’d be interested to hear them.

I cannot wait for the next instalment 💛