This was fantastic! A dark YA fantasy that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Honestly, I am a bit surprised it was marketed as YA because it reads more adult with some darker themes. Be warned of potential trigger warnings such as *death, sexual assault, family trauma, parental rejection, torture*

Deka is a fantastically flawed main character. She is strong and weak at the same time, which is so relatable and realistic.

The found family/friendships in this book are beautiful, and one of my favorite parts of the story! Seeing women supporting and helping one another is a beautiful thing.

The romance in this book is well done in my opinion. It is sweet, not angsty, and very much on the back burner which is exactly what I love!

The magic is so unique and I just love that everything we think we know, gets flipped and changed and we keep learning more through the whole book.

All in all, this is a fantastic YA fantasy and I HIGHLY recommend picking it up when it comes out.

Yeah, this wasn't for me. I'm so sad about that though as I was really highly anticepating this book. I just think this book was very mediocre and meh. I just never really got pulled into the story or felt any real connection to the characters. They all just felt really flat to me. I also feel like there were a lot of cuts in the plot where a lot of developement and world building happened and it just made me feel even more disconnected to anything that was going on. The romance was also very poorly developed. A lot of the twists came absolutely out of nowhere and ever single character went along with everything so easily and that just didn't feel very realistic. I do really like the world and magic system though. It very interesting and different from anything I've ever read before. I just wish we could have gotten more of it. I also think that these books in an extremely sexist society just aren't for me anymore as it just got too much for me in this book. Anyway, I won't be continueing on in this series as I was pretty satisfied with how this ended.

I absolutely loved Deka's journey. Her journey of self discovery as well as her journey across her realm was expansive and fraught with danger, adventure, and discovery. The relationships she loses and gains, as well as her personal development from a girl into a warrior and into a woman was moving and touching - she is fierce. This is a fantastic YA fantasy that verges on an epic scale I wouldn't normally equivocate with YA. I think readers of all ages will enjoy this story. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment into this diverse and mystical world of goddesses, men, and demons.

Would absolutely recommend to fans of Mercedes Lackey and Sabaa Tahir, idk, Xena, fierce fighting femmes, mythology and multi-cultural, YA fantasy.

Thank you to publisher for providing me an e-copy via Netgalley.

[3 Stars]

-- Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review --

I think that this was an enjoyable YA fantasy. It had nice worldbuilding + lore, a pleasant story arc, and the couple of twists thrown in at the end were believable and exciting. I suspected a couple of them, but I still found them satisfying nonetheless. Suspecting a twist is a good indicator to me that the book was written well because it shows that the author took the time to write in enough evidence that the twist is logical. Also, I found the book to be extremely fast-paced. Despite this book being over 400 pages, I still finished it in roughly a day and a half. Normally I get tired or bored after a while of reading, but with this one, I just flew through it.
Despite all the things I loved about this, there still were a couple of things that took away from the overall impact of the story for me. First thing, I thought the romance was extremely instalovey. I personally would have found it much more satisfying and impactful if Deka and (name withheld for the sake of potentially spoiling something) were just really good friends. And then a romance built up over the trilogy's progression.
Second thing, the middle part of the book got repetitive. I found that the characters were asking the same couple of questions over and over, which just made it kind of feel like I was reading the same chapter on a loop. I think all the questions and mystery surrounding Deka, her powers, her mother, etc were super valid and definitely pertained to the main storyline, I just didn't care to re-read them as many times as I did.
Lastly, when the final twist was revealed and White Hands finally started explaining and answering questions.........I couldn't help but feel like there had to have been a better way for her to go about this plan. I just think that the way everything was laid out lead to too many unnecessary deaths that could have been avoided in many ways. Deka was made out to be this 'betrayer' but with her level of knowledge, she had no idea that anything she was doing was wrong. White Hands was the main betrayer imo. And then when all is revealed, everyone is just like, "aww I feel guilty" and then they move on. Idk, it just felt weird.

Overall, I would still recommend this to people. I don't think that the things I took issue with are universal by any means, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. There's a lot to love here and I think Namina Forna did a nice job with her debut novel.

Everything Deka dreamed about her future is suddenly and painfully ripped from her during her coming of age ceremony. Life looks different on this side-- in an instant, Deka becomes despised by her family and friends. As her world shifts, so does her perspective and preconceived notions.
Forna does a fantastic job of building a setting and culture that is close enough to ours that we can relate but so utterly different from anything else I've read about. The Gilded Ones will leave readers pondering all that is wrong in our own world. Yes, this is book one of a series, yet the ending is completely satisfying.

A gorgeous and wholly original debut fantasy that I can see becoming a cult favorite in the YA world.

Brutal, magical, and a powerful tale of sisterhood.

Namina Forna is a force to be reckoned with with this story. Can’t wait to see where the sequel takes us.

Thank you for the opportunity.

I was going to give this book four stars until I read the last 30%. That part was so good I have no other choice but to give it five stars.

The Gilded Ones follows Deka, a young girl about to go through a ritual that every girl her age does to see if she has "pure blood" or "impure blood". When beasts called Deathshrieks shows up, Deka ends up showing everyone in her village that she isn't "normal". Her eyes changed color and she managed to control the Deathshrieks. Immediately, the men capture her and torture her in horrible ways... In the end, a woman finds her and offers her the possibility to fight in the Emperor's army as an Alaki. There she will learn to fight and kill Deathshrieks but everything is not what is seems like and slowly but surely Deka will find out the truth about her world and its history and what she can do to change it for the better.

Overall, this was a really great read that stood out among the sea of YA Fantasy that can be a little too generic some of the times. I loved the characters, the women and the plot of this book and I'm excited for the next one. I hope I'll have the chance to read it as an ARC like this one. Fingers crossed :)

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

🖤🖤 Book Review 🖤🖤

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

What I liked:
-The Alaki! These girls are so resilient despite the horrible things they have endured! It was really special to see them band together and protect/support one another. This book has some strong feminist vibes and I was loving it!
-The pacing was superb. I love when a story hits the ground running! It was a very fast paced book and I found myself wanting to read just one more chapter to see what happened next.

What I didn’t like:
-There is some pretty heavy content at times. The girls in these books have not had easy lives and I would say there may be some trigger warnings here.
-Time jumps! I wish we could have seen more of the girls training and their growth as a unit!
-I thought some characters belief systems changed really easily and it kind of took away from the story line a bit for me...
-the ending felt a little rushed to me. Everything wrapped up really quickly and cleanly. Which is great for the characters I’m just not sure what’s next now that it ended the way it did.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I definitely think it’s worth the read!

This story was so beautifully and richly told. I'm sad to say that I don't believe I've read a book inspired by Ancient West Africa, but I'm so glad I found this book to introduce me to this rich cultural history.

I will say I was apprehensive about this book going in, for the sole reason that I don't read YA anymore. But I was drawn in by the cover and the description and I'm so glad I decided to give it a shot. Deka is such an enchanting character that is sure to stick with me for a long time. I think she is probably my favorite thing about this book. Even though she's a teenage going through something I could never experience, I still felt a connection with her.

I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone: young or old, YA reader or not, fantasy fan or not. It's too good to pass up.

I loved this. The premise was so unique. And so was the world and the powers that people had. I liked the message too. I love Deka as a character and her friendships with all the girls (and the boys too). My fave was Ixa. I am definitely planning to read the next one.

Rating is 3.5 rounded down to 3 stars.

I did like reading The Gilded Ones, but the book wasn't really for me in the end. I'm in the phase where I'm transitioning out of reading YA books and switching to adult books. My thoughts on the book have nothing to do with how Namina Forna wrote the book. Namina Forna created a really interesting, fantastical world in The Gilded Ones. The background information on how the alaki were created and who they really were was interesting. Again, this is no fault of Namina Forna. It is me. I'm at the point where YA books aren't really my type of book anymore.

However, I do recommend this book to someone who is interested in Goddesses (whether they really like Greek, Roman, Egyptian, etc.). Forna creates her own Goddess system and makes it interesting. I think this book would be really interesting to someone who is still very interested in YA books. There is some heavy material (all of which has been mentioned in content warnings on the book's StoryGraph page), which is why I'm not recommending it to younger YA readers.

DNF @ 10% due to graphic violence and triggering content. I think this book would highly benefit from including trigger warnings, as I hadn't expected any of that from the synopsis.

This was alright, but I don't necessarily feel like it did anything new or fun or exciting. Same YA fantasy plot, different characters. I like the strong female lead character and the overall message, but in general, it feels a bit recycled. The cover is STUNNING and probably one of my faves of 2021 so far!

Released February 9th, 2021.
Preorder from a black-owned book store:
https://lithub.com/you-can-order-today-from-these-black-owned-independent-bookstores/

Wow! What can I say about this book. The cover is absolutely stunning and drew me in immediately. The world-building was well described although very brutal against women. The main character, Deka, is brave beyond her years as are all of the female characters in this book. You can feel the bond among the characters throughout the book. though. The story does take a definite turn that I wasn't expecting that was intriguing and held my attention. An awesome book and I think it will appeal to YA readers. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Gilded Ones is a hard book to read, and a beautiful one. Readers looking for a fantasy historical West African story to sink their teeth into will be absolutely thrilled.

The Gilded Ones CoverSixteen-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. (Goodreads)
Goodreads



I received an eARC of The Gilded Ones from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Gilded Ones needs trigger warnings for toxic masculinity, an extremely patriarchal society, mentions of and discussion of rape, enslavement of characters based on color of their blood, death of main character, mind control, xenophobia, misogyny, brutal abuse of main characters and side characters, and discussion of genocide. Take these notes seriously when you read, please.



This is a book that was clearly written with love and a desire to make the world better in so many ways. It deals with a deeply patriarchal society and critiques it from within in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever seen.

The author’s note talks about her experiences living in Sierra Leone and the United States and the way that patriarchy is similar and different in both societies. Forna does not pull her punches at any point in this book, and it is all the better for it.

“To every person reading this book: Know that you are the hero of your own story. You can make things happen, and you can change the world. Choose to change the world for good.” – Author Note

The magic system is fascinating, and it has a diverse cast of characters that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I loved the female friendships that grew throughout the story, and the sapphic romance that developed between some side characters. Y’all know I’m here for that always.

The only thing I didn’t love about The Gilded Ones was, ironically, the main romantic subplot. It really didn’t work for me. There wasn’t really enough time spent on it for the ending to be believable for me. That being said, I look forward to seeing how Forna fleshes it out with the events of the second book and deciding if I’m convinced.



I recommend this book, as long as you are prepared to deal with the content warnings. You can pick it up from Bookshop, Amazon, or The Book Depository through my affiliate links.

Deka lives in a backwater village in a patriarchal society obsessed with female purity. Unfortunately, she bleeds gold, which means she is impure and must die. Except she literally cannot. She only escapes the cycle of failed executions because the emperor declares that demonic alaki like herself can be purified by serving as his elite fighting force against the deathshrieks that plague their land. At first Deka embraces her comrades, training, and rapidly-expanding suite of powers, but something isn't adding up. She and her sisters-in-arms form a delightfully tight bond as they shake off entrenched misogyny. Crams enough action (and violence) for an entire series into book one.

I wanted to love it, but I just liked it. There were some slow bits that I had a hard time slugging through. will definitely read any further installments, though.

This book gave me life. I savored it, read it one chapter at a time, so I could keep myself in this world just a little bit longer. This book is one I would have on my daughter's bookshelf, and yet another I found telling my friends "hey, when this comes out you HAVE to read it."

"They might need us now because we’re valuable, might pretend to accept us, to reward us—but never forget what they did to us first. If they did it once, Deka, they’ll surely do it again, no matter the flowery promises they give."

This was such a beautiful book, inside and out. Namina Forna has created an intriguing world with a detailed magic system, an intricate history, and amazing characters that are simply mind blowing and unforgettable.

Deka of Irfut has my heart forever and it's hers to do with as she so pleases. Deka is an admirable heroine, and is everything I want in a YA Fantasy heroine, and then some. Reading about her exploits and watching her come into her power is so heartwarming and inspiring.

The characters in this book were great - the good, the bad, and the morally grey. It's hard not to root for the alaki and they make it so worth it. It's a band of outcasts - girls who are told they would never amount to anything, becoming the kingdom's last hope against deathshrieks. These girls have been through a lot and there was a lot of graphic description of torture and the different horrors they've faced.

"And that’s the worst part of it. The physical body—it heals. The scars fade. But the memories are forever. Even when you forget, they remain inside, taunting you, resurfacing when you least expect."

For a YA Fantasy, this book had so many twists and turns and reveals. The ending was so satisfying and I love how things wrapped up - I can't wait for book two, because I can't wait to see what happens next after THAT ending.

"They taught us alaki to suffer, but they also taught us to survive—to conquer. And we will use those lessons. It’s time to take up our swords once more"

The feminist nature of this book was really something. I love how the author structured it and then dismantled it. It was integral to the world building and the plot, and everything was so well done. This is a masterpiece of a book.

"The way I see it, we all have a choice right now. Are we girls, or are we demons? Are we going to die, or are we going to survive?"

I have so many highlights of favorite quotes from this book I could share for days. It gripped me from start to finish, and I can't wait for everyone to experience the beauty that is "The Gilded Ones"

I received a DRC from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for my impartial review. This review was written voluntarily.

This book was high on my anticipated reads list and I am happy to report that it lived up to my hopes and more!!

A feminist fantasy novel? Sign me up! I absolutely adored this story and everything that it stood for. Sixteen-year-old Deka is probably one of my favorite female characters, ever. She embodies strength, empowerment and empathy. I would highly recommend this to any reader looking for a captivating fantasy novel.

I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel to be released!!