This was such a great debut! Magical world building without seeming impossible, honestly. Rich in culture and goddesses, that sucked me in. It was both tragic and uplifting for girls and women! Thoroughly enjoyed the fight for power and not being undermined. Gorgeously descriptive and beautiful.

What an incredible book! I loved reading this one - the setting and world building really sucked me in and I was hooked from the start. The plot and stakes were also a high point for me - I felt really invested in the storu outcome. And, of course, the main character was soo compelling! All in all, a really enjoyable #ownvoices read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the eArc in exchange for an honest review!

The Gilded Ones was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020 (now pushed back to February of 2021). Namina Forna’s debut novel follows Deka, a 16-year-old whose blood runs gold, the color of impurity. She is given a choice: accept her death, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. Deka chooses the latter, and so the adventure begins.

The story was what I had hoped it would be: fiercely feminist, a celebration of sisterhood, and about embracing what sets you apart and makes you different. The novel deals with complex issues like racism, xenophobia, trauma, sexism, and gender violence.

However, the execution of the writing was simply not for me. It’s written in first person narrative, which I find difficult to get into. I felt the world-building and descriptions were not as strong as they could have been, and so I never felt truly immersed in the world Forna created, There is an exposition dump and power creep at the end of the novel, which works to slow down the action and makes the ending feel rushed.

I still am going to recommend this to those who have had it on their TBR - different writing styles for different people, and the story is definitely one worth reading.

TW: violence/gore, abuse, sexual assault, trauma

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC for review.

I am very pleased to say that this one lived up to the hype for me. Plus it has that gorgeous cover!

There's so much this book has going for it. Fierce, diverse warrior girls who are nearly un-killable with golden blood, unique lore, a shapeshifting cat-dragon pet/companion, a precious love interest that doesn't distract from or take over the main plot, and a satisfying first book ending. Plus, masks as part of the world! Always a personal bonus for me. Being marked by dipping their forearms in the cursed gold was also a beautiful and cruel image that spoke to me. There were a few scenes or images like that, that were so well put but too cruel to say I enjoyed them. For example, remembering past scars before their bodies healed, and how they got there.

My biggest complaint was that the first chapter or two were very info-dumpy and a little clunky, as there's a lot of world-building to get across. Also I think I counted the phrase "barely noticed" 3 or 4 times in a very short span, which was kind of distracting and annoying. But that's easily fixed and once the story got going, I really enjoyed it. The length and pacing felt good, and I liked Deka, the main character.

The warrior girls, called alaki, were both so cool and interesting and so tragic. I won't say more because spoilers and the actual release is a long time away, but there's just so much there. I can see a lot of people really loving them and connecting with them. And it never felt like pandering or patronizing to have this amazing group of all girls and women, which I often see happen in media with groups like this, so that was a relief.

I definitely recommend this one and very much look forward to more.

Wow, this was incredible. If the pub date hadn’t been pushed back a year, it would have easily been my top YA fantasy of 2020. But maybe it’ll end up being a good thing, having The Gilded Ones debut in 2021. There will be time to build excitement and get the word out on this brilliant start to a series. That’s going to be the biggest drawback to this book, waiting for it to *officially* come out next February. Maybe Namina Forna will have the next book in the Deathless series ready by then? Possibly? Please??

I’ve read a loooot of fantasy books starring young female heroines, ones who fight against an oppressive system. This story still feels new even in the face of all of those. It follows Deka, a young woman from a small, religious village in the northern province of the country Otera. Every year a new crop of 16-year-old girls has their blood let to prove “purity”; if they bleed gold they are sentenced to death. Deka ‘fails’ this test and is given a choice: subject herself to further torture at the hands of her former community or leave to fight for the empire. It’s not a particularly difficult decision.

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

The Gilded Ones grapples with a lot, colorism, tribalism, religion, racism, etc. But the greatest struggle the young women in this book face isn’t the monsters they have to fight, the Deathshrieks, but an overwhelming amount of misogyny. Women are forced to wear masks in public, they cannot go anywhere unaccompanied. Girls are the only ones who are tested for ‘purity’ and have little to no options for their lives besides marriage and children....and those are the ones with non-magical blood. The alaki are little more than fodder for the Empire, a government that instituted the blood ceremony and Death Mandate that condemned them to this fate.

The author, Namina Forna, writes in a letter before the start of the novel how both her experiences in Sierra Leone and the United States informed her depiction of Otera. I’ve grown tired of excusing “dEePlY pAtRiArChAl” societies as anything other than ingrained sexist bullshit seeking cover under the guise of tradition, both in the US and abroad. Forna does an excellent job writing within one of those societies, while expertly critiquing it. Sometimes it can be exhausting having to read about institutional trauma over and over again, but here it’s handled in a way that doesn’t feel gratuitous or glossed-over.

“Legend is what humans call the things that they do not understand.”

The world-building in the Otera is exceptional, and this is a great foundation for the Deathless series. It was easy to read and almost impossible to put down. I honestly don’t know how I got approved for an eARC before the quarantine forced the release date back, but I’m incredibly grateful that I did! The characters are vivid and both their triumphs and pain is palpable. It’s an amazing story and I’m calling it now—in eight months The Gilded Ones will be published and it will be a revelation.

Such a great start to a series. I don't want to give anything away, but the author does a fantastic job world building. We should all be gifted an "Ixa" of our own. It's an adventure that tells girls they are worthy, and the hard path often leads to your truth.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

The Gilded Ones follows 16 year old Deka who is grieving the loss of her mother, but also coming into "womanhood". At the start of the book Deka is preparing for the ritual which will determine if a teenage girl is "pure" and therefore can continue on as a member of their village. The ritual consists of determining purity through the color of blood, red being pure and gold being impure. Deka is desperate for red blood as her white counterparts ostracize Deka for her brown skin and curly hair. On the night of the ritual her blood runs gold, a sign of impurity, and Deka taken by the religious leader to be bled dry is saved by a mysterious woman visiting the village.

The Gilded Ones is a book encompassing a lot of what I love about solid YA fantasy. It was well paced, action-packed, but got to the root of many systemic issues we face in society but within a "different" world, one full of magic. This book presented Black women as strong, complex, and the hero of the story, rather than the side-kick. It was beautiful to be immersed in a world that fought against the norm of YA fantasy.

Deka was an incredibly believable and refreshing character and I enjoyed the plot more because she was so strong yet vulnerable. I often finds in books that the female lead tends to come into her own by hardening to the world and while this happens a bit, Deka never loses that softness that makes her human and young and hungry for change and hopeful that change is possible.

I really enjoyed this book, but I will say it understandably could use a few edits. Had I read this with the first publishing date in mind, I'm not sure I would have been able to recommend this book as highly as I am now. That being said, I feel like with the pushback this will easily become readers favorite read of 2020!

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

All Deka ever wanted was to be pure in the eyes of society. When girls turn sixteen, they are subjected to a Purity test, where they are bled to prove their place in their community. Instead of seeing the deep crimson, she’s stunned as she begins to bleed gold—a mark of a tainted monster. Everyone she knows and loves turns against her, and she faces the ultimate penalty—death.
Lately I’ve been focusing on reading more YA fantasy and fiction by POC, since I feel that they rarely get the attention they deserve. I was immediately drawn to the beautiful cover, and then the description. It is described as a feminist fantasy—and immediately I could see it. In this society, women wear masks to hide their sinful faces. They belong in the home, unseen and unheard. But for Deka, she and others like her—the alaki—are regarded as subhuman demons.
Without giving too many details away, I was so captivated by the entire story. There is a major build-up and mystery to it. In most cases, these mysteries are often predictable, and you can typically see what the outcomes will be. However, with The Gilded Ones, I was constantly guessing and finding myself surprised with every revelation.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves rich fantasy, with a strong female lead. This is definitely an empowering read for young girls, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved this story. I will be purchasing it for my library and promoting it to my state YA book awards, literature circles and book clubs.

This book is so beautiful, destined to become an instant YA classic, and I already can't wait for a sequel.

The book starts with our heroine, Deka, anxiously awaiting the ritual that will finally allow her to be accepted by her community. But things are not what they seem, and Deka soon has to face the violence and oppression in her world.

Forna brutally attacks the patriarchy, and deftly handles extremely traumatic experiences known by far too many girls. While the pacing is occasionally a bit off, and I wish I had a bit more description of the various creatures in Otera, the world she's created, these are minor complaints about a truly amazing book. We need more YA like this.

A book that will receive a lot hype and some of that is certainly justified. I thought this was a rather decent read and could have been better. The characters for me were likable enough but still seemed very flawed in some ways. They are in need of growth and development which should happen later in future books hopefully. The story itself I thought was rather readable and straightforward at the beginning and there were a few twists that did happen. These twists were not bad and can't say I dislike how it all ended. The story needed to padded out with a little more detail in some areas I think or maybe it was written this way to keep a good pace for the book. The social issues in this book are ones that you can find in the real world and there are other things that you could find parallels with this book and reality. I did not particularly care for this world but the way the world used to be and the one they will fight to make again would be a better place to live. I can only look forward and wait to see how the story will told in the future. One reason that I also wanted to read this book was the gorgeous cover. A great cover alone will probably make people curious enough to give this book a try and it will well worth their time time I think.

<b>3.5 out of 5 🌟Girl Power Fantasy</b>

<u>Full disclosure:</u> I used to love fantasy books and I know if I'd read that book ten years ago, I would've given it 6 out of 5 stars. But after reading a lot of fantasy I couldn't stop cringe seeing yet another <i>chosen one</i> that proven herself/ saved the world/ fulfilled her destiny. That book is redundant to all classic YA fantasy topics but at the same time, it makes it sounds so much better. If I could forget all other titles about girls with extraordinary abilities and know only this one, I'd do that without hesitation.

Let's imagine the world driven by patriarchy where young women need to prove themselves pure in a sacred ritual when entering adolescence. The ones that fail, are condemned to death and their families are disgraced. It wasn't hard to imagine, was it?
The word created by Namina Forna resembles real people's experiences, therefore it feels personal to readers. Deka, the book's protagonist was notoriously ill-treated, disgraced, and violated only because she was born different. I fiercely rooted for her and other mistreated characters the whole book, and despite I knew how it'd end, I enjoyed the reading.

'The Gilded Ones' shows that even when you feel abandoned and fighting & killing is your whole life, it doesn't make you a monster. You are still able to love, care and you deserve to be loved and cared for. There are plenty of battles and blood-shedding in the book and the same amount of deep friendship and loving community. I loved the positive undertone of the book, whereas I didn't enjoy some aspects of the story that much.

I recommend that title to everyone who loves fantasy books and to all young girls, as the story teaches some important life lessons, plus it's really entertaining.

<i>Thank you Netgalley and the publisher Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.</i>

Deka hopes to be pure. She hopes that the blood ceremony will prove her to be everything she wants to be-normal. When her blood runs gold instead of red, she finds herself to be an outcast-hated by all. A mysterious visitor gives her the option to stay with those who would exploit her, or go with her to fight with her kind. Little does Deka know when she accepts the visitor's offer that her life will never be the same...and what surprises are in store for her about her kind.

I don't usually read books that lean more towards fantasy, but this book grabbed my attention because of the idea of warrior women kicking butt, while overcoming the fear and stigma attached to being a woman. I was not disappointed!

The beginning of the book was a bit difficult to get into, at first, mostly because there is a lot of information about the society and world that Deka lives in that is being described. That's not a bad thing, for sure, as I love worldbuilding and The Gilded Ones does not disappoint. Once I became more familiar with the world, I became more invested in the book and couldn't put it down!

What I ended up loving most of all besides the primary story in the book was how The Gilded Ones portrayed female relationships. While there was general mistrust at first between the girls, they became like sisters, swearing to protect each other against the world. This is such an important thing to teach girls-to stick together instead of tearing each other down. So much of media would have you think that women are all cut throat and horrible to each other, when that's simply not the case for the majority of women.

I also appreciated that while there is bit of a love story happening during the novel, it's not the primary focus. The primary focus is Deka, her heritage, and her bond with her sisters-in-arms. I was relieved that the love story didn't end up consuming the plot. It was just a nice bonus for Deka!

As someone who doesn't usually read fantasy, let me say, don't let the fantasy aspect keep you from this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this debut from such a talented author. This fantasy felt both familiar and fresh in the best way, with the comfort of the “chosen one” narrative told in a new way. The main character, Deka, is strong and vulnerable and honest. I loved the female bonds of friendship, the ties to our modern world, the beautiful romance, and the unique worldbuilding. I can’t wait to share this book with teens.

For fans of Nnedi Okorafor's The Shadow Speakers, look no further for your next read.  Deka's blood runs gold at the blood ceremony, and she is no longer counted as a villager.  Her father turns away and the village leader attempts to kill her many times.  Fire, bloodletting, dismemberment--none of it works.  It only brings her to a gilded sleep which she wakes up from every time.  So when White Hands arrives at her village and offers her the choice to be an alaki, a demon near-immortal warrior or to wait until the villagers have found her final death, she chooses the former.  At least then she will have a place to go.  

Deka finally meets others like her at the expensive of difficult training, of the knowledge that she will die again and again, even with the powers that make her unnatural--even within the unnatural.  But throughout hardships, she forms familial bonds with other girls in the military, and rely upon one another to discuss their hardships during and prior their training.  When they start fighting the deathshrieks, however, those bonds are tugged and pulled as Deka continues to realize that she is somehow just not like the others.  Why can she talk to the deathshrieks?  Why do her eyes turn black?  Why can nobody else do these things?

Forna has written an absolutely fantastic debut novel that hits all of my checkboxes.  Afrofantasy?  Check.  Death?  Check.  An emphasis on how powerful and important women are?  CHECK.  

This was difficult to set down.  It was a world built like no other--Forna has clearly thought through the histories, the culture, the magic that encapsulates our hero.  I have a feeling that we've only just hit the tip of the iceberg, and I'm so excited to see where this goes when her second book comes out.  I can't wait to read it, I can't wait to purchase this book, I can't wait to tell everyone about it.  Don't miss this book.  It's horrific, endearing, funny, and something that's been missing from my bookshelf for a long, long time.

The Gilded Ones is a West-African inspired, feminist, coming-of-age YA fantasy. It features a beautifully diverse cast of characters and extraordinary world-building. The story is set in a world where women's blood determines their place in society. If you bleed red, you become a member of your village. This is what sixteen year old Deka hopes for. The alternative is to bleed gold, the color of impurity. Those who bleed gold are the Alaki and therefore are stronger and faster than regular humans, so of course, they are viewed as demons and face a terrible fate. There is a lot of mystery to why these Alaki are sought out. The story is fast-paced and filled with tons of action and twists. The characters are well-developed and ones you can't help but root for. Readers will be dying for more to the story as well as just more novels from the mind of Namina Forna. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy YA fantasy and are looking for something fresh and original.

Her blood proves her worth. Deka lives in Otera, a land that has ritualized the patriarchy to keep women in their place. 'The Gilded Ones,' Namina Forna's debut novel takes you deep into these themes and more.

As girls reach their sixteenth year they are sent to the village temples for a ceremony to determine their purity. If their blood runs true they become a member of society. If their blood runs gold a girl is impure and sentenced to death.

What is not shared about these gilded girls is that gold blood does not just mark them as unworthy of society but as something more. They are stronger, faster, and much much harder to kill.

As Deka's blood ran gold I immediately thought of the Red Queen Series. If you are at all concerned they are too similar - young women, outcasts of society, supernatural powers, oppressive governments - then let me assuage your worries. By chapter three 'The GIlded Ones' has set its own pace and story.

Then we meet the deathshrieks. They are supernatural beasts with razor-sharp claws and a scream that can kill. They are the plague of Otera, raiding towns, and the capital city. Unexpectedly, they interrupt Deka's ceremony. Chaos and death are everywhere. Deka reveals an unknown connection to them stopping the incursion but leading to the town turning on her and naming her Demon. She is killed and then killed again.

The attack reveals her as gilded but unique even among the gold-blooded. As, no matter the method of death, her sinews reattach and she rises again and again from her tortured endings. This strength is her salvation. A woman comes to her in her cell and gives her a choice. Join the emperor's new ranks with other young women with similar gifts as hers and gilded blood - the alaki. They will be the army to fight against the death shrieks and save Otera. Then after 20 years of service, she will be allowed to become a pure member of society. Or, she can stay in her village dungeon being drained and killed over and over until her true death is found.

Forna makes clear that the gold blood is a symbol that women have long been thought of a property. An object to be owned, passed around, told how to live. She builds a world as rich and clear as any you have seen on screen. In fact, the novel reads as though watching a movie. The imagery is rich and characters are clear.

In fact, one complaint is that certain areas seem a bit rushed. Like the alaki training. However, if this were a movie that would have been a montage anyway. What I valued was the time spent on the characters. They are very real and Namina Forna has given Deka the best squad. Their strengths support her weaknesses and vice versa. Deka's girlfriends are the circle of support you want your daughter to have. And, Deka is the heroine we can all love. Her growth from pious and obedient to independent and strong is beautiful.

'The GIlded Ones' could be a stand-alone novel. The ending wraps up all the major storylines. However, there is absolutely more to explore in Otera and I am patiently awaiting Deka's next adventure.

P.S. Can we talk about that cover for a minute. How gorgeous is it?! It is not how I pictured Deka but nonetheless beautiful.

The Gilded Ones was a wonderful fantasy debut that went against everything that you normally find in most fantasy books.

While it does have the special MC trope, it was done in such a wonderful way so that the reader would not get annoyed. Deka does not know that she has special powers until she goes to her village "purity" ceremony. After her powers are discovered she is then tortured by the village elders so that they can harvest her golden blood. Soon she is saved by a mysterious benefactor and taken to the capital where she learns that she will be training to become a warrior to fight the demons that are threatening their world.

Her transformation from a shy and subservient young girl to a powerful warrior woman was slow and enjoyable to read. Most fantasy books have the transformation happen overnight but this one was done very well! Deka's character growth was also phenomenal.

one of my favorite aspects of the book was the emphasis on powerful female friendships. Too often in YA we see girls going up against girls because they are jealous of each other. None of that was present here.

The plot twists were amazing and kept me reading until the very last page. I did not see any of the twists coming so that was another great thing about this story.

The Gilded Ones is a must read if you are looking for a story about strong women who are looking to free themselves from the oppression and hate of a male patriarchy.

I can't wait for the sequel!

The book the Gilded Ones tells the story of Deka, a young woman who is an outcast of her home because of her impure blood. She is quickly given the option to join an army of women like her fighting mysterious creatures known as deathstrikes. She learns to develop her magical skills as a result. Overall I liked this book and found it engaging to read. I appreciated the development of female characters in interesting ways. However, in some ways it was a bit derivative of Children of Blood and Bone. Still the world-building in this book is engaging.

Isn’t that a beautiful cover? It’s the cover that drew me in. The story starts out strong and you're immediately thrown into a world where women are lower than men. It is a very patriarchal world but so much so, that I cringed many times. Deka is claimed a demon during a ceremony and so begins her journey. While her journey is full of growth and perseverance it is also full of trauma and pain.
I loved watching her grow and become strong and confident. There was a great message about strength and where to find it and I love that in teen novels, I think it’s so essential. Deka grew and learned about love and trust and the strength within.
There are many twists and turns in this novel and while I enjoyed most of them, some fell a little flat for me. I have a lot of unanswered questions and don’t feel I have a full grip on the huge twist. There is a very small romance that felt a little forced but was cute and innocent at the same time. I feel I will be in the minority with a mediocre review, I believe most people will love the high fantasy and revelations at the end.
The content is very low for language and high on violence. There were a few details that might make some uncomfortable and there are many triggers with racism, inequality, abuse, trauma and more.
3.5/5 stars