Reviews with content warning for Sexism - The Gilded Ones

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

203 reviews

serenhybrid's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I really wanted to like this book but it just fell utterly flat! It's written by a black female author, and centers on a culture very different to my own, which I would normally love and relish! It's meant to be about feminism and defeating the patriarchy, but parts of it read more like torture porn. There was an almost gratuitous focus on some of the horrific things that happened to the characters, and only the merest lip service paid to the effect it has on them.

For me, this book perpetuates the troubling narrative that trauma makes women stronger, that their suffering is somehow noble and that every terrible thing was worth it because it made them better people. This is false, and troubling to read in a book that purports to be feminist. Frequently, I wondered if this was written by a man! The characters made no sense, had very little internal logic and just seemed to be devices to push forward a plot with a clear agenda. The story somehow moves both too fast and extremely slow. The ending is just awful, huge amounts of exposition and back story pushed into about 5 pages. I don't like any of the characters and I have no investment in the world or outcomes.

This has so much promise, but the writing is just not good enough to support the ideas. requently , an idea was planted and then resolved just a page or two later. This lead to a serious dearth of tension and anticipation. I wish the whole book was the trilogy, so we could explore the world and characters a lot more, and so some of the later plot twists were slightly more built up to. I just can't recommend that anyone reads this book, especially if they have experienced any trauma.

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thatssotamara's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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lovelybubbles's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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jagodasbooks's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced

4.0

I am absolutely horrified
this book should come with at least 3 page long list of trigger warnings

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nicole12's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

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bubbabook's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Th Gilded Ones is a dark fantasy novel, with diverse world building, complex characters, and an enticing mystery to unfold. Forna has written a compelling world, with a deep lore and yet I would say that the greatest achievement of this book is the real life truths that Forna has explored. This book is dark and violent, and does not shy away from depicting the brutal and shameful treatment the women of Otera face. Deka is our heroine and also a stand in for women in the real world. Without giving any spoilers, this book was a delight to discover- “We who are dead salute you!”

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