Excellent story with well developed characters and intriguing and unique storyline. The cover is simply stunning and it captures the essence of the book perfectly. A beautiful blend of female empowerment and fantasy. A must read for YA lovers. Highly recommend

What a amazing book! I feel in love with this one. The story is spectacular, all the characters are super vivid. I recommend with my heart.

I actually dnf’d this so I don’t feel right giving a review or rating but it requires one so I’m giving 3 stars

DNF @ 37%

I do not know if this was a me-problem, and I would not discourage other readers from picking this up based solely on my review. However, I fully went into THE GILDED ONES expecting a new favorite (or an enjoyable read, at the very least!) but found that I could barely push through a third of the book. I assume that other readers might be something like me, so I thought to share what didn't work:

Elementary. I could stop right here, because this could sum up my entire review. I felt, constantly, that I had seen such fantasy been done before. It felt redundant, re-used, and unimaginative. Don't get me wrong! As a POC myself, I am a huge advocate and believer of the sentiment "no trope is overdone until every author who wants to put their own cultural spin to it has gotten to do so." This is what I was expecting! Unfortunately, the worldbuilding felt too confused and indecisive in itself. I felt less intrigue and more boredom. I was simply expecting more.

Anyways. Not really recommended. Or, recommended with caution, if you will. [2.5 stars]

The Gilded Ones is one of the best YA fantasy novels I have read in a while. It pulled me out of my reading slump with its wonderfully diverse cast of characters. Along with its strong female empowerment vibe set in a rich and vibrant world. I was hooked from beginning to end. This book has a little bit of everything: romance, great friends, and an adorable baby dragon kitten. It is a thought-provoking, fast-paced and exciting read due to the high-stakes situations that Deka finds herself in.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were so well fleshed out. The friendships found within the group of Alaki that Deka was assigned to were so endearing. The Alaki supported and empowered each other to rise above their circumstances. The strength of these relationships just made me connect with this band of outcasts even more.

Let’s take a moment to appreciate how exceptional the world-building is in The Gilded Ones. The explanation of the magic system and the world-building were done so in a way that integrated seamlessly with the story. I never felt like I was overwhelmed with information dumping as I sometimes do with other fantasy books. The world just came alive for me and sucked me in.

This was an incredible reading experience and I could not put this book down. I can’t wait to see where this series will go from here. I would recommend this to lovers of YA fantasy. I would also recommend this to readers that are just beginning their reading journey in fantasy because it is written in such an accessible way that this would be great for someone that wants to try out the genre.

One Sentence Summary: Feminist fantasy filled with brutality, battles, and bad-ass female warriors!

Reminds Me of: African Mythology, meets feminist themes, meets EPIC battles

Three Reasons You Should Read This:
1) The cover - I mean come on. This is GORGEOUS!
2) The powerful messages of feminism and anti-misogyny are on pointe!
3) There were so many twists that I did not see coming and I audibly gasped a few times! :)

One Thing You Should Know Before You Pick it Up:
This is extremely violent!! This should be expected in a book that features so many battle scenes, but please know going in - a LOT of violence!

Content Warnings: death, death of a loved one/parent, extreme violence, misogyny, mutilation, rape, sexual abuse/sexual abuse of a child, torture, trauma

Favorite Quote: “Never forget: the same gift they praise you for now, they will kill you for later.”

Sound Track:
Monster - Meg and Dia
Unstoppable - Sia
Bring Me to Life - Evanescence
All These Things That I've Done - The Killers
Zombie - Bad Wolves
Headstrong - Trapt

Whew! This book was such a great read! Before reading this book, I wasn't a heavy fantasy reader, AT ALL. My reading habits completely changed after this and fantasy is now one of my go to picks. My favorite part of the book was the representation and the realistic social issues addressed in this book (patriarchy, colorism). I am beyond excited to read The Merciless Ones.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***


It took me a bit to get into it, but once it got going....HOLY HECK!!!

Deka, at sixteen years old, is set to go through the blood ceremony that, she hopes, will reveal her blood to be red- an indicator that she fits into her village. Her destiny is to be something more though as is revealed when her blood runs golden and the village elders kill her. And then kill her again. Over and over again as she revives from terrible deaths.

When a mysterious woman intervenes on her behalf, Deka is given the choice to join an army of girls like her and to protect the empire from deathshrieks- dangerous creatures that must be kept at bay.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked Deka and her journey from uncertainty into a warrior with the support of her fellow alaki. There was a plot twist that I didn't anticipate which I always appreciate. However... When I look at reviews from other readers though I feel as though I should go back and reassess my stance. Others mention issues with the portrayal of females and with unnecessary violence. I think this is one where you will have to simply read for yourself to decide if it is worthy of all the praise that has been heaped on it to this point. As for me, I look forward to reading the second one when it is published.

This was such a good read! Deka was such a strong girl who turned into an exceptional leader. I loved learning about all the girls she fought with. There was a romance, which was okay, but I liked the focus being on Deka and the girls more. I will definitely continue this series!

This story was very interesting . This story takes place in a fictional world of Orata. This was very interesting read. The West African touch to it. I love that. I love how story tells different social issues like suppression of women, Racism, gender based violence etc.. I was very intrigued to see the world building. It was so perfect.

I love our main girl , Deka. Her character development , a shy naive girl turns into strong ass bad bitch , that was very thing. She is great example of how circumstances make big change in one person life. Love , love  Deka and Britta relationship. We love to see female friendship in this house hold.

There were some moments that left me confused. Other than that it was very enjoyable read.

I am still processing this story, and have a feeling I will be for a while. The way it looks straight at a lot of really hard topics is unapologetic and incredibly effective. But wrapped up in that is a thrilling plot that I had no inclinations of what direction it would take and I couldn't have enjoyed more. I'm really excited that we're going to get more in this world because I want to learn so much more about it. This book did kind of end like it was a standalone, almost, which could be beneficial if you don't want to continue the series, as there is a nice open-ended conclusion that leaves you without a lot of questions about what happened but plenty of hope about what will happen. It's almost a little too cheesy for my tastes, if it were a standalone, but knowing that we're actually going to see the consequences of the final actions of this book makes it perfect. Besides the action-packed plot, the relationships in this book are the other shining quality. The sisterhood between Deka and her fellow alaki is such good content. Like, we're not here for girls being mean to each other anymore, we're over that. We are here for a bunch of girls the world has called demons embracing themselves and embracing each other and being stronger for it. I love that the way they interact with each other, from the very beginning, is never with disdain or competition. They are afraid of not being accepted, as they've been trained to expect, but never angry with each other. And as they slowly open up to each other, they are fiercely and to the end loyal to each other and it is wonderful. I can't wait to get more of these girls together.

Ended up DNFing this one but might give it a chance later. I do think some others would connect with this one so would still recomend. .

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Where do I even begin with this book? I loved the characters, the world, the history, the reveals, the writing, the magic and every thing in-between. This book touches on found family, betrayal, grief, PTSD, heartbreak and so much more. Namina did a fantastic job with writing this YA fantasy and the potential for the series is endless.

I felt every type of emotion possible with this book.

I loved Deka! She's bold, sassy, outspoken and dislikes injustice. She was a strong character with such a good storyline and character development. Ixa was amazing as a companion!

The way the alaki were treated pissed me off. The truth about the Deathshrieks was absolutely shocking to me. I never would have guessed. The emperor was trash all the way through. I loved all the teachers ESPECIALLY White Hands! The different creatures in the world were phenomenal! Brittia and the other girls were the best ever to me.

The whole idea of demons and humans and who really is good and bad was amazing. This book leans a bit gory with the details of murders and battle scenes so if you're squeamish be mindful, but I didn't mind it.

Overall, this was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the sequel when it comes out. I'm ready to explore more of the world of Otera. Until then I may re-read and re-annotate this beauty soon!

My Review: A New Favourite
TW: graphic depictions of violence, child abuse, self-harm

I read this book ages ago and waited a long time to post this review – but my thoughts are still the same: this was an amazing read!

The Pros: What Worked For Me

This novel is very feminist – and I LOVED IT! I’m always complaining about how feminist themes tend to take over the story but here, it was perfectly balanced and stayed empowering.
This book does not hold back on depicting violence (see TW above) but I actually liked it because it forces the reader to acknowledge that mistreatment and violence against women can be brutal.
I actually loved the plot of the story and the way the author created this new world for readers to delve into. This was a gritty novel packed with punches, and it kept me interested from the beginning!
I adored the characters in this story; they show so much growth and I connected to them all easily.

The Cons: What I Didn’t Like

I wasn’t a fan of the romance subplot. It wasn’t very well developed and frankly, I think it was unnecessary.
Whilst the pacing was mostly fine, there were moments when periods of time were skipped to accelerate the plot. I found that to be jarring and wanted smoother transitions.

I was really surprised to find out this wasn’t a standalone because the ending was wrapped up nicely – but I cannot wait for another foray into this amazing world that Namina Forna has created!

“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 really enjoyed The Gilded Ones! A super feminist and empowering YA novel that offers a diverse cast of complex female characters. A Black main character, with many Black, Asian, and brown major and minor characters. It can at times be violent, and deals with many issues we all face, but it's handled and written beautifully.

This was a solid YA fantasy, and one I can see teens enjoying immensely! It was fun, fast-paced, with memorable characters. It didn't work for me, personally, all the time— but my issues with it were more personal issues and not stuff I think would bother other readers.

“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?”

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I say I am MAD at myself for waiting so long to pick up this gem of a book. What was I thinking?! Clearly my senses left me for a little while because this is everything I could want in a YA fantasy and more!

We’re following the tale of Deka, a young girl who has grown up always knowing her place. And that place is to be subservient to men, as the priests have taught her. Her greatest wish is for her blood to be the color of purity when it’s her time to be tested; to be red like all other normal girls. But, when the Ritual of Purity arrives, Deka’s blood runs gold… the blood of impurity. Of demons. She soon finds herself caught up in a life of pain and despair. When she is offered the chance to serve her country and, possibly, be made pure once again, she snatches it. But things aren’t exactly as they seem and Deka will soon learn that there is so much more to her blood than she could have imagined.

You ever get that feeling while reading a book that it would make a fantastic movie? That’s the overwhelming feeling I had the entire time I was devouring The Gilded Ones! Turns out the author, Namina Forna, is a screenwriter, so it makes sense! This book is a masterpiece of storytelling, of pacing, of character development, and my only wish is that I could have more. Which is kind of a good thing as it is the first book in a series! I loved everything about this book and can’t wait to continue Deka’s story. I will say to check trigger and content warnings before diving into this one. It delves into some dark topics and does not shy away.

My favorite aspect of this book would have to watching Deka develop as a character. It’s incredible to see her growth from this naïve girl who has been told all her life that her only worth is in how well she can take care of a man to this fearless young woman who knows that she is more than that. I particularly loved reading about her time at the Warthu Bera, the military academy where Deka receives her training. It made me think of basic training so much that I got a little nostalgic, lol. I enjoyed the gradual way new information about her world began to broaden and change her world views. It felt so genuine that it was truly like watching Deka grow up. All the characters in this book are well-crafted, but Deka is definitely something special.

Final thoughts: What can I say other than “When does book two come out?” This book was absolutely incredible! The plot had me gripped instantly, the characters were engaging, the world-building was *chef’s kiss*, and it added up to a book that I will be thinking about for awhile to come. This had the same energy as watching a movie in the theaters: I was completely caught up in the story and, after it was done and I emerged back into the real world, it took a minute to adjust. It definitely has darker themes and it doesn’t shy away from the very real brutality that a lot of girls and women face. If you’re okay with that and you love fantasy novels that can transport you while you’re reading them, I think you would love The Gilded Ones!

A Western Africa inspired fantasy book about a girl who learns how to fight ferocious monsters in a world divided between human blood(which is pure blood) and demon blood in a world that isn't what she believes it to be and must deal with the fact of her demon blood within her.
Screams that there's going to be a whole bunch of actions and female badassness! It delivered.