The Gilded Ones Series: The Gilded Ones #1 Published by Usborne on February 7, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / General, Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult Fiction / Animals / Mythical Creatures, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Epic
Pages: 411
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Goodreads
Reading Challenges: 2024 Audiobook challengeOutcasts by blood. Warriors by choice.
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER!The must-read new bold and immersive West African-inspired fantasy series, as featured on Cosmo, Bustle, Book Riot and Refinery 29. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice, perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther. Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in Otera, a deeply patriarchal ancient kingdom, where a woman's worth is tied to her purity, and she must bleed to prove it. But when Deka bleeds gold - the colour of impurity, of a demon - she faces a consequence worse than death. She is saved by a mysterious woman who tells Deka of her true nature: she is an Alaki, a near-immortal with exceptional gifts. The stranger offers her a choice: fight for the Emperor, with others just like her, or be destroyed..."Fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther are going to adore this one." Buzzfeed"[A] stormingly good debut." The Observer"Namina Forna could be the Toni Morrison of YA Fantasy." Refinery 29"The Gilded Ones redefines sisterhood and is sure to leave readers both inspired and ultimately hopeful." Stephanie Garber, #1 NYT bestselling author of Caraval"A dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold, The Gilded Ones lifts the veil of violent patriarchy and burns the idea of purity to the ground. Must read!" Dhonielle Clayton, NYT bestselling author of The Belles"Debut author Namina Forna's created a fierce female protagonist you'll root for and a captivating world that feels so real you can step inside it." Bookriot
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.
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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