The Gilded Ones Series: Deathless #1 Published by Random House Children's Books on February 9, 2021
Source: Netgalley Arc
Genres: Animals, Dark Fantasy, Epic, Fantasy, Mythical Creatures, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 432
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram
Format: Ebook Arc
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THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER!
"Namina Forna Could Be The Toni Morrison Of YA Fantasy." -Refinery 29
"Fans of Children of Blood and Bone, Mulan, and the Dora Milaje from Black Panther are going to adore this one." -BuzzFeedA dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold. Must read! -Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles
The most anticipated fantasy of 2021. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice. Get ready for battle.
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.
The start of a bold and immersive fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.
Review
Outcasts by blood, warriors by choice. Deka is ready to be tested in a purity ritual so she can begin her life. Everything changes when she is found to be impure due to her blood running gold. She was deemed a monster in the eyes of everyone she grew up with, including her family. She is sent off to be trained to kill death shrieks that are terrorizing the world. Girls are the only ones 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 alkali (or those with gold blood) are forced by the empire who mandated the ceremony and the death mandate to be an army against the death shrieks. A debut novel that tackles serious issues but is so original in the plot twist that I was blown away. I was not sure quite what to expect from this novel, but I was thoroughly impressed. I gave it a four-star rating primarily due to the level of gore that I was not expecting to encounter.
Book Trailer
About Namina Forna
Namina Forna is a young adult novelist based in Los Angeles, and the author of the epic fantasy YA novel The Gilded Ones. Originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa, she moved to the US when she was nine and has been traveling back and forth ever since. Namina loves building fantastical worlds and telling stories with fierce female leads.
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| Overall: | 4 |
