I could not wait to start this after seeing a few reviews about the book before Christmas. Just the cover alone makes you want to read it but after reading the description, I knew that this would be right up my street.

The Gilded Ones is a story of tragedy, loss, loyalty, belonging, discovering who you are and empowering women. As you progress through the story, you very quickly uncover the multiple layers that lie beneath and how deep it truly goes. This isn't just another fantasy story about girls with powers, there is so much more to it and I love how Forna addressed some big issues like inequality amongst the sexes and more in a way that is really accessible and illustrative. She clearly shows that in any world, be it fantasy or real, women have been suppressed for far too long and should be allowed their rightful place in society and beyond. The atrocities that some of the girls in this book must endure goes beyond imagining and clearly showcases the fear that men had. The lack of understanding they had of the role and power of women resulted in a world bent on suppressing and punishing women for being what they are. And the scary thing is that there are many similarities with our world today.

MY favourite part of the story is the characters. They are so strong and you could nearly picture your own friends playing their roles. From Deka with her strength of character and infinite layers of mystery, to Britta with her endless love and loyalty to Deka, to the enigmatic White Hands, to the dark and troubled Belcalis. They were all really distinctive and each played their own unique part in this epic story. Their friendships felt really authentic and true and you could so clearly picture them becoming sisters. The level of emotion that flows throughout the book is so raw and real and it makes you connect with the characters even more. I did find Deka's relationship with Keita a little bit forced however.

I also loved that nearly all of the characters from a wide range of backgrounds and ethnicities. It gave a much needed spotlight that didn't focus on the many white heroines and heroes already out there. Deka was the perfect person to play a strong Black female character and really own the spotlight.

I found the ending was really quick and would have liked it to go on a little longer. I guess it's clever because I definitely want to the read the next book (assuming there is a next one!), but I still felt that it was over before it really began.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and flew through it! It is such a fresh and unique fantasy story and I can only assume we will be seeing it on the big screens soon. It is beautifully visual and totally immerses you in the world of Deka and the other alaki. A big thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this pre-publication and I can't wait to see what comes next!

A stunning fantasy with great character development!

The bonds between Deka, Britta, and the other alaki explore how difficult it can be to trust others when you have been ostracised but how those bonds can be so important. The girls have suffered greatly, but pull together to help each other through their new lives. The dynamics between males and females are interestingly discussed.

The world building felt familiar enough to relate to, but with new elements to keep me intrigued. Forna's fauna (sorry) are interesting and she blends traditional fantasy creatures with her own twists nicely.

An enjoyable read, and I hope to experience more of Forna's writing in the future.

This is set in the world of Otera where religious rules have been deeply ingrained from birth. Girls are not allowed to use sharp tools nor physically exert themselves by running or playing sports. They are subjected to a ritual to test their purity at 16 years; they are cut to see if their blood runs red. If they pass they must then wear a mask in public. If found impure they further subjected to horrific tortures. We meet Deka as she approaches the time for her ritual. She suspects she may be impure but fervently hopes that she isn't. Her fears turn out to be well-founded and she is rejected by those who matter most and put through violent tortures for the benefit of the village elders for weeks. They harvest her blood which runs gold and there is only one way she can be killed. Unfortunately that way must be found by 'experiment'.
Deka is only rescued by the time she has died 9 times. Her rescuer takes her away to join the Emperor's army where she is trained to protect the empire from Deathshrieks, creatures who are invading and killing the population more and more frequently.

It took me a while to get into this story. Otera is such a different world and the author needed to take some time to describe its culture as it is important to the story. However, there did seem to be quite a lot of repetition which I found tedious - for instance, a character would think something and then repeat it a few paragraphs further on. By the time I got to the middle of the book though, the storyline was beginning to gather pace and intrigue. My lack of initial enthusiasm meant I didn't finish so I will definitely buy the book for our library to find out how Deka fares in the forthcoming battles!

Epic, gripping, fantasy show chasing the best of being a woman, I really enjoyed this. In a world, where girls are tested at 16 whether they bleed red or gold - the latter depicting demon ancestry and thus must be killed. Deka is sentenced to death, except after 9 attempts she still cant be killed, although she feels the pain of each death. A mysterious woman saves her, only to conscript her to an elite warrior force, trained to use their supernatural gifts to protect the emperor.
A cross between hunger games and Divergent, Deka's journey highlights the challenges of persecution, while finding your your power and harnessing your friendships to overcame all hardships and literally save the world. Loved the magical world and society that has been created and found the book completely addictive.

The Gilded Ones has one of the most stunning covers of the year, and after reading it, I think it's going to be one of the biggest YA fantasy's of the year! It's a very fast paced, action heavy fantasy with some really excellent worldbuilding and a fascinating patriarchal society built on a religion. I do think the pace was at times detrimental, but this was still a very fun read and it was great to see some grimdark fantasy move to YA!

The Gilded Ones opens brutally: Deka is going through a rite of passage that will prove whether she is a pure woman, or if she is a demon. When her blood runs gold, she is proven to be demon and tortured by those she once called friends, until, rescue comes from the most unlikely of places: the emperor, who wishes her to fight for his army. What follows is a bloody and brutal journey as Deka is trained to fight deathshrieks, unnatural creatures who are viciously murdering hoards of people across the emperor. But not everything is quite as it seems, and the more Deka trains and her demon powers grow, the less convinced she is that she's even a demon.

The worldbuilding is one of the best things about this book. Forna has built this West African inspired society, a place where religion had built a society based on the suffering of women for the will of men. The religion and history of the nation, the history of The Gilded Ones, demons who terrorised the nation before they were imprisoned and women forced to go through the violent rite of passage to prove they are not demon, are all detailed excellently. There is such a sense of history that really put fear behind the power of men. The way Forna writes about the way women have been trained to fear themselves, to fear their power, and to make themselves small for the sake of men, was absolutely brilliant and the parallels to our world were so clearly rendered.

I also thought the plot was absolutely fantastic. The way the mystery of the deathshrieks, the alaki and the Gilded Ones play out was so interesting. I absolutely sped through the book whenever I picked it up because the mystery really drives you forward, it's so fast paced. There are lots of unexpected twists to the story that I really enjoyed because I was always kept on my toes!

In saying that, the speed of the book is also often it's downfall. There are so many times, particularly the more emotional behaviours, decisions, feelings etc, that just happen far too fast and it really dragged me out of the story. From how quickly Deka seemed to get over the horrific torture she goes through, to the romance that kinda hits you out of nowhere with almost no time on page of the two characters together, it's just very jarring in what is an otherwise pretty excellent YA. There's also a couple of rather annoying plotholes that I couldn't stop thinking about - where did the awful sense of fear and control at the barracks disappear to after the first scene? I mean, for example, Deka is even allowed to keep a pet?! In the place where they flay you if you don't kill enough deathshrieks?! It doesn't really make a lot of sense.

<SPOILER in next line>

The plot between White Hands and the emperor also really annoyed me. How the fuck does White Hands have so much power if the emperor knows exactly who she is? Why would he trust her? It makes no sense.

<end SPOILER>

But despite these issues, I think teens are going to absolutely love this book. It has such an impactful and interesting plot that you can get over the few issues with it. It was a very enjoyable read and I'll definitely pick up the sequel when released!

A woman's right to live in her village is based on her purity. At sixteen all the girls from the village must undergo the blood ceremony, their blood must run red or they will be classed as unpure and sentenced to death. Deka's worst nightmares come true when she is revealed to be unpure. She is being held captive when a mysterious woman appears to rescue her, with one catch, she must fight in the Emperor's army against the terrifying death shrieks..

This is definitely the beginning of a promising YA fantasy series. I really enjoyed the world building and how this book highlighted and celebrated women power. The action scenes were great and I thought the overall plot was fantastic.

That being said I wish this was longer so more details could have been included and so more tension could have been built leading up to the important scenes. I would have also have liked more of a storyline for Deka and Keita, I felt like they were just thrown together rather than it being natural so it was hard to believe the love story.

Overall, this has the potential to build into a really strong series and I can't wait to see where the author takes this next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Usborne Publishing for providing me with a copy to read.

It's becoming increasingly obvious to me that YA Fantasy in general does not work for me. There are very few YA Fantasy novels that I truly enjoy, and despite me always falling prey to their premises which I always love. However, I find that the genre rarely delivers when it comes to the things I look for in a Fantasy. Which is fine! I am not its intended audience, and it's important to acknowledge that first.

This book was off to a great start, with an interesting premise and a relatively fast moving plot, that was intriguing and page-turning. The overall themes this story explores were something I also really enjoyed and were truly the highlight of the novel. The story really celebrates sisterhood and found families and being different and finding your people even when your family rejected you. I really liked that aspect, and I think this book did a fantastic job of portraying female friendships in all their glory. I think that this will work really well as an introduction to the genre and it's usual beats, with a diverse cast and a West-African mythology inspired world.  

However, on all other accounts, this book failed to grip me. I found the characters and their arcs really uncompelling and I think they were all too one-dimensional. I also felt like the character development was lackluster, with a lot being told instead of shown.

My biggest grievance was with the world building, because I really do not think that there was a lot there. I think the premise was interesting and there was a lot of potential, but I just do not think that the book ever really explored the world or gave it all that much context. I never felt grounded in the story and I was just frustrated with how certain aspects of the story were handled. For example, Deka's ability was constantly something else and it kept being fickle and changing to better fit the plot point that were unraveling, but without any semblance of a structure or reason to the powers' fickleness. And just in general, the book was non nonsensical at a lot of points, with characters showing up places without that actually being possible or making sense, with characters suddenly forgetting everything that was previously well established both in terms of their capabilities but also their personalities. The book just contradicts itself on every corner and if you are a big Fantasy fan, and someone who reads into fantasy worlds and set ups, you will definitely be frustrated with this one. 

This book is also quite long, and yet it glosses over both plot and characters, with a lot of show instead of tell, which means that I was basically really disconnected at almost all points of this story, except in the very beginning. I just feel like there was potential and moreover room to explore and give depth to every aspect of the story, but that opportunity was never used.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is described as a " bold and immersive West African inspired fantasy" and in my experience it lived up to that label, and then some.
The book is the story of sixteen year old Deka, a young woman coming of age in a patriarchal society where a woman's worth is tied to her purity, as defined in a mysterious religious ceremony where the girls are bled. Those who bleed gold instead of the expected red are deemed impure and sentenced to immediate death. Deka is eager for her ceremony as once she is declared pure , she will be eligible to marry and she already has a prospective husband in mind. On the day of the ceremony, Deka is shocked to find that her blood is golden, but even more disturbed to find that apparently she cannot be killed, since the village elders try numerous times in increasingly disturbing ways. When a mysterious woman arrives in the village and not only seems to know the truth about what Deka is, but is willing to give her a second chance, she jumps at the opportunity. As an Alalki, a near immortal with special abilities, she is perfect for the Emperor's latest pet project, a personal army of part demon warriors to fight on his behalf against the monstrous Deathshrieks who have been raiding the border villages.
This is a powerful feminist fantasy, which will give readers a lot to think about, especially in terms of how entrenched the patriarchy and misogyny are , not just in this fantasy kingdom but also in the real world. I appreciated that the characters learned and grew over the course of the book, showing that change is possible. The story is sufficiently complex to keep the reader engaged, even if the pace of the story slows at times. The world building is excellent, the author really has put a lot of effort in crafting something that feels like it could be true, especially impressive given that this is clearly a fantasy tale. I believe this is the first in an intended series and I am keen to see how the characters continue to grow and progress , and how the world is expanded in the future books.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

A super enjoyable read! I loved the way the story built and built and built. However there were moments were I felt the writing was perhaps a little slow or predictable? It is a YA so I tend to expect that with at least some of the books. But the predicablility did not take anything away from the story for me.

I enjoyed the not so subtle dig at patriarchy and how feminist this book was. I am excited for the later books as i think they can only get better from here!

DRC provided by Usborne Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Representation: Black protagonist, Black queer deuteragonist, Black and Brown tertiary characters.

Content Warning; racism, misogyny, death, torture, abuse, rape mention, child rape mention, child abuse mention, homophobia, body horror.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is a feminist fantasy novel, a magical tale of empowerment, set to dismantle the oppressing patriarchy reigning in the fictional realm of Otera.

Deka waited for a long time for the Ritual of Purity that would have finally and indisputably made her a part of her village, but when the monstrous deathshrieks attack her village and she is revealed as an alaki, an almost immortal entity, descendant of the Gilded Ones, that society considers to be demons, everyone in the village turns on her, even her father. She is imprisoned and subjected to the Death Mandate imposed by the Infinite Widsoms. A mysterious woman saves her and gives her two options: conquer or die.

The writing style turned this book into a quite fast read despite the not-so-speedy plot line, which is the only part of the story I did not like. All unresolved plot points were sorted out in the last fifty pages or so and that made me almost lose interest. I expected at least some crumbs for the mysterious parts of the book, but I found only new questions forming in mind. I considered, though, the story as more character-driven than anything else and that is what made me keep on reading. I was so charmed by them.

I found Britta to be my favourite. She was the sweetest. I loved her character so much, and the sisterly love between Deka and her: SO beautiful. My cynical soul kept thinking Namina will take an akita and thrust it in my heart by making Britta betray Deka, but I was relieved when that did not happen. I really liked all the most prominent alaki, but Britta with her joyfulness and unwavering loyalty ruled over all. I also had an imaginably soft spot for Ixa and I am looking forward to what fan artists will create for him and everyone else.

Is it too early to say that I want a film adaptation of this book? It's probably never going to live up to my imagination but what a novel.

I've been waiting to read this novel since last year and from the first page, I was hooked. I finished it in two days. Us, Africans living in Africa, are always hungry for more representation in Fantasy epics and I love what this book stands for. I'm not one to drop spoilers because this books NEEDS to be devoured organically.

What I will say is that, readers need to get ready to open their minds like they never done before. Your mind will be stretched and you will thank it. The Gilded Ones is a book I can't wait to get the physical copy of. Whoosh!

Thank you for the free e-copy in exchange for a review. I have since acquired my own physical copy and will be reading and reviewing that in the near future. Thank you for the copy it was much appreciated and I still can't wait to read this book.

God, I love this book. I love it. LOVE.

Deka is a sixteen year old girl from a small village who stands out because of the colour of her skin. The skin her mother also had, skin from the South. The Northerners never accepted either of them as their own.

A year after her mother's death, it's Deka's turn to undergo an old ceremony to prove once and for all that she belongs.

When the ceremony goes wrong, and she's found impure, Deka is forced to die over and over again until a strange woman, an emissary from the Emperor, gives her a choice. And that choice could shape their world as they know it.

They say never judge a book by its cover, but a lot of people still do anyway. And that's okay. This one is gorgeous and definitely lives up to it, so you won't regret buying it.

I already said that I love this book. It's hard for me to point out things that I don't like because...there aren't any!

Actually there is one thing, relating to Deka's origins that I can't properly phrase while avoiding spoilers so I won't mention it. It's not that big of a deal, I just would've preferred it to be less "miraculous".

The Gilded Ones is a pretty fast read. It's exciting and hard to put down. It doesn't feel like a 400+ page book at all. I like this.

What I also like is that it's not hard to get into. There's this amazing world with new creatures and characters and not once have I felt confused or overwhelmed.

All the characters are really, really nice. And the girls are SO SUPPORTIVE of each other, there's no stereotypical mean girl (well, there is a minor one in the beginning but she's really not important in the grand scheme of things) and they stick together like true sisters no matter what.

Deka is definitely one of my favourite main characters ever, she's amazing and doesn't make stupid decisions. She's strong and a true leader, but she's also soft and caring.

That brings us to Keita. THEY'RE SO CUTE TOGETHER. The lines may be cheesy, but IT WORKS. These two make cheesy work. Their relationship develops from them being forced to work together to being willing to give their lives for each other and it's the sweetest thing.

The book deals with some heavier topics and I did cry several times while reading. It's sad but, FOR ME, it's not too detailed. It's just the right amount of detail so you know what clearly happened but not so much that it makes you want to put the book down and never pick it up again. But just in case, be prepared that some stuff mentioned may be triggering to you.

Something else we have in this book is good rep. There's characters of all shapes and sizes and skintones. There's one f/f couple too.

Now let's wrap this up.

While reading I had so many unanswered questions and the answers came gradually and some in the form of plot twists. Eventually though, we got them all so the book can even be read as a standalone as most things get resolved. I'm pleased with the ending and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

P.S. The author's note and the acknowledgements at the end are rad.

*Huge thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Namina Forna has created a masterpiece. A truly visionary storyteller. The Gilded Ones is outmatched, incomparable, unlike another story in the fantasy genre. The plot grips, the writing swells, it's everything a book should be and more.

I can't wait to re-read this epic adventure over and over again.

What a brilliant debut!
This fantasy novel was so great. The world building was brilliant and the author slowly revealed more of the world, which was great as it allowed me to piece it together.
In the fantasy world here, girls are bled when they reach a certain age to determine if they are pure or not. If they bleed gold, they are seen to be demons and are sentenced to the death mandate.

The story begins when Deka is 16 and she is about to undergo her purity ceremony, but she is impure and her blood is gold. This event changes the course of her life and she is swept off to the capital to train as a soldier and warrior, who will fight the death shrieks who are ravaging the nation. Through her training she makes strong bonds of sisterhood with her fellow trainees.

This story was great. It had so much depth and the concept was brilliant. Deka was a wonderful character and I felt we learned so much about her in the book. I loved all her friends too, and the bonds they made. At its heart, this novel is a story of oppression and how hard it is for women to rise against misogyny and sexism in life. To be independent and free, these women have to fight and are viewed as demons. I loved this element of the story and definitely recommend this book.

Oooh. This had really strong worldbuilding and very vivid imagery, and I really enjoyed the naming of cultures/places etc, I thought it was all really well developed, and I definitely would have been all over this as a teen!

THIS. BOOK.

Was freaking incredible.

I was already excited about this because the cover is flipping stunning. It was supposed to be released last year so I was ready for it to rock my life but the release date was delayed.

That was fine by me, I was lucky enough to get an eARC via Netgalley and omfg. I cannot stress how much I loved this book.

I started this at 5pm, right after work, and finished it at 10pm in amazement.

Namina is that B*TCH. She did not come to play.

Alright, so we’re in this mythical world where at 16, all girls have to go through this ‘ceremony’ in order to deem them pure. You’re only pure if your blood runs red, if it runs gold, you are an unnatural demon.

Deka, our main character’s, blood runs gold on the day of the ceremony, and here starts the most intriguing and captivating story of survival, magic and female badassery.

I’m in love with Deka, I’m in love with this book! I adore the fact that the romance was not the main part of this story, and how sisterhood reigns.

I just can’t even begin to describe how this book doesn’t shy away from the dark parts, it’s grim in some ways and the magic is phenomenal.

I have a crush on “the mysterious woman” and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

I’ve been struggling with this type of world building, epic fantasy throughout the lockdown (no concentration span) but The Gilded Ones is so immersive and fully realised, it does exactly what you want a YA fantasy to do: effortlessly sweeps you away.
It is violent, brutal and I would be wary of younger teenagers reading it due to the sexual and physical abuse suffered by Belcaris. But I believe in the message of the book and trust the author,
The uses and subversion of archetypal themes and imagery is incredibly clever, particularly the Death and Rebirth motif, as far as I’m aware not commonly used in relation to women and young girls.
I’m really looking forward to the sequel and looking forward to recommending the book in store.

In a religiously fanatic society where women are hidden (they wear masks) and their purpose is to serve men, 16 year old girls go through the Ritual of Purity. When already ostracized because of her brown skin Deka's blood runs gold instead of red, she is dubbed impure therefore a threat. She is given the choice to either die or become an Alaki, one of the practically unkillable female warriors with unusual gifts who fight the empire's greatest enemy.

An extraordinary mythology and wonderful world-building, with descendants of demons, deathshrieks and various fantastical creatures. Thanks to the author's obvious creativeness, her descriptions that fill you full of awe with their plentiful details, you feel as if you have actually entered the world. This engaging narrative sucks you in from the very beginning, full of thought-provoking and powerful words. The author conveys the feeling of foreboding needed with such mastery.

An all encompassing POV that conveys Deka's pain, concerns, fear, all her conflicting emotions and makes you feel for her, cheer for her, ultimately love her. The antithesis of what Deka has been taught all her life with what becoming a warrior is making her realize is depicted so well.
Full of well developed instantly memorable characters. Their intricacies and depth so beautiful, especially White Hands, who is probably the most interesting person in Deka's life.

This is a patriarchal society where women's oppression is deeply embedded in their way of life. We see the ugly faces of misogyny and prejudice. This book praises and elevates the power of women. This is an unapologetic feminist fantasy that clearly promotes equality.

Isn't it amazing when a book you are enjoying is going one way, then a seemingly innocent little 'wrench' is thrown into the mix and boom! everything you thought you knew is upended leading you to unbelievable shocks and reveals?

And isn't it fantastic when you have high hopes for a book and it exceeds expectations? I adored this book and it sets the bar for 2021 quite high.

While there were a few things that I didn't LOVE about The Gilded Ones, there were a few pacing issues, and some character development that I felt was a little rushed, it is still a powerful allegory about patriarchal power, and the way it turns women into monsters. In this case, literally. Young girls are forced to undergo rites of passage to deem whether or not they are pure enough, worthy enough to be acceptable as wives. In this society, women are to silent, and even to be masked, belonging to the men in their lives, even if it is their own grandsons.
Forna has created a world in which female power has literally been rewritten as monstrous, and condemned either to death, or to fight to support the very system that deems them unworthy.
From the exquisite cover art, I had expected some Black Girl Magic, but I was happy to see an empowerment of the entire female gender. Slight spoiler, however, I was intrigued to see that the darkest skinned young women from a place farthest away from the centre of power, were the wildest, strangest, fastest, and least shackled by expectations. And the first to embrace queerness amongst the characters.
In years to come, I hope to see this book in essays on feminism alongside Bitch Planet, and The Monstrous Feminine, and I hope for it to be embraced by those reading Natasha Ngan, Tracy Bangheart, or Victoria Aveyard.
Some trigger warnings for mentions of sexual assault which happens off the page.
An ambitious and thought provoking debut. I can't wait to see where Forna will take her characters, and her readers