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devikapha's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
chantelspeaks's review against another edition
5.0
For more reviews, head to my blog Chantel Speaks
“We all have a choice right now. Are we girls or are we demons? Are we going to die or are we going to survive?”
Deka anxiously awaits the Ritual of Purity that will see her welcomed finally as a member of her village, or cast out forever. But, on the day of the ritual, her worst fears are realised when her blood runs gold. The discovery means she's treated brutally and made an outcast. However in this dark and violent moment, Deka receives an unexpected offer to fight for the Emperor. From there, she journeys to the capital where more secrets lay in wait about who and what she is on the army training grounds.
The Gilded Ones is a YA Fantasy that hits in the right spots. Namina Forna brilliantly weaves a Fantasy world with strong themes of feminism, misogyny and fighting against the patriarchy. The world-building around these themes makes it a solid fantasy. Explained in an interview with Forna, The Gilded Ones draws inspiration from West African culture, even going so far as some of the terms in the novel being derived from the Temne language of Sierra Leone. This realistic world-building gives The Gilded Ones an enticing edge to those who love reading Fantasy with detailed worlds.
“No matter my origins, there is worth in what I am”
The women in this book are powerful, not just for their heightened abilities and battle prowess. There is sisterhood in the community of women Deka finds on the training grounds. Britta, Katya, Belcalis - I loved their individual stories, which were as diverse and powerful as the soldiers they became while learning to fight the Deathshrieks that plague Otera. The young women in this story are searching for their place in the world and their personal worth within it. You could take these women and place them in our present world and you’ll find some of their same struggles; the battle for identity, belonging and living without fear of violence.
My only irk with The Gilded Ones was that the plot was very fast-paced, almost like a screenplay. This would be fine for some readers, but I found it harder to be genuinely immersed in the world building with such brusque changes in the timeline and scenes. When I read Fantasy, I love getting completely involved in what I’m reading and at times, the pacing made that harder for me. This is not a critique, merely my observation as a reader.
“We who are dead salute you”
This book is probably up there as one of my favourite reads of 2021. I highly recommend this to young adult readers (bearing in mind the themes) and general fans of YA/Fantasy.
Content warning: this book does contain backstories featuring characters who have experienced significant violence, have been sexually abused and are processing trauma. It may be triggering for some readers.
“We all have a choice right now. Are we girls or are we demons? Are we going to die or are we going to survive?”
Deka anxiously awaits the Ritual of Purity that will see her welcomed finally as a member of her village, or cast out forever. But, on the day of the ritual, her worst fears are realised when her blood runs gold. The discovery means she's treated brutally and made an outcast. However in this dark and violent moment, Deka receives an unexpected offer to fight for the Emperor. From there, she journeys to the capital where more secrets lay in wait about who and what she is on the army training grounds.
The Gilded Ones is a YA Fantasy that hits in the right spots. Namina Forna brilliantly weaves a Fantasy world with strong themes of feminism, misogyny and fighting against the patriarchy. The world-building around these themes makes it a solid fantasy. Explained in an interview with Forna, The Gilded Ones draws inspiration from West African culture, even going so far as some of the terms in the novel being derived from the Temne language of Sierra Leone. This realistic world-building gives The Gilded Ones an enticing edge to those who love reading Fantasy with detailed worlds.
“No matter my origins, there is worth in what I am”
The women in this book are powerful, not just for their heightened abilities and battle prowess. There is sisterhood in the community of women Deka finds on the training grounds. Britta, Katya, Belcalis - I loved their individual stories, which were as diverse and powerful as the soldiers they became while learning to fight the Deathshrieks that plague Otera. The young women in this story are searching for their place in the world and their personal worth within it. You could take these women and place them in our present world and you’ll find some of their same struggles; the battle for identity, belonging and living without fear of violence.
My only irk with The Gilded Ones was that the plot was very fast-paced, almost like a screenplay. This would be fine for some readers, but I found it harder to be genuinely immersed in the world building with such brusque changes in the timeline and scenes. When I read Fantasy, I love getting completely involved in what I’m reading and at times, the pacing made that harder for me. This is not a critique, merely my observation as a reader.
“We who are dead salute you”
This book is probably up there as one of my favourite reads of 2021. I highly recommend this to young adult readers (bearing in mind the themes) and general fans of YA/Fantasy.
Content warning: this book does contain backstories featuring characters who have experienced significant violence, have been sexually abused and are processing trauma. It may be triggering for some readers.
connie_joy's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
This was brilliant. I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did, but wow. This was feminist high fantasy, intertwined with African mythology. And it was so GOOD. I adored these characters, Deka was wonderful (unlike so many main characters she wasn't 'pick me' at all, in fact she was absolutely girl boss). But, for me, so much of the love I have for this book is found in the side characters. Belcalis, Britta, the fiery twins: Adwapa and Asha, Katya and even White Hands - I genuinely feel this indescribable love for all of them. This book was filled with powerful women, and powerful words. A part of the story which affected me profoundly was when Deka accepted herself, her power and beauty as a woman - and through this she shows her fellow alaki (her blood sisters) how to do the same. It was at this moment, that speech when I think I really started to love this book and the characters (it also made me cry... so there's that).
Another thing I loved was the romance subplot, and I emphasise the fact it was a subplot. Now, this is coming from a person who adores romance, but I actually really appreciated the fact that the book wasn't dominated by romance. It was very refreshing. Also it meant the main focus of the story could come through, and it allowed the feminist aspects of the book remain undiluted.
Highly, highly recommend. I can't wait for the sequel!!
This was brilliant. I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did, but wow. This was feminist high fantasy, intertwined with African mythology. And it was so GOOD. I adored these characters, Deka was wonderful (unlike so many main characters she wasn't 'pick me' at all, in fact she was absolutely girl boss). But, for me, so much of the love I have for this book is found in the side characters. Belcalis, Britta, the fiery twins: Adwapa and Asha, Katya and even White Hands - I genuinely feel this indescribable love for all of them. This book was filled with powerful women, and powerful words. A part of the story which affected me profoundly was when Deka accepted herself, her power and beauty as a woman - and through this she shows her fellow alaki (her blood sisters) how to do the same. It was at this moment, that speech when I think I really started to love this book and the characters (it also made me cry... so there's that).
Another thing I loved was the romance subplot, and I emphasise the fact it was a subplot. Now, this is coming from a person who adores romance, but I actually really appreciated the fact that the book wasn't dominated by romance. It was very refreshing. Also it meant the main focus of the story could come through, and it allowed the feminist aspects of the book remain undiluted.
Highly, highly recommend. I can't wait for the sequel!!
katiesbookmarks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
Solid 4 stars for me! I loved the world building and this was a great reprieve from the semi-typical Fae/mostly white-based mythology. I loved the characters and while the romance fell flat for me, I thought this was a really solid read. It’s marketed as YA and I definitely felt as a reader in my 30s, some traits of the MC bothered me, likely only due to her age - same for some aspects where I felt it was too much telling rather than showing. But I think this series would be great for anyone wanting to read more fantasy and adventure.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
jesg78's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
5.0
Listening to this book is what pushed this from a 4 to a 5 star book for me. The cadence and name pronunciation allowed me to immerse into the story. The basic outline of the plot itself is pretty standard, but the writing was propulsive, the specifics were fun and unique and there was action throughout.
mollyv's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Child abuse, Trafficking, Violence, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
xstar_girl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
onlyoko's review against another edition
3.0
I honestly had a really hard time reading this book, for two big reasons:
- First, the abundance of violence. I understand this book wants to show us how bad this world is for girls, but some stuff was *really* crude and hard to digest as there was no warning for it. It needs a huge trigger warning.
- Secondly, I found it really hard to appreciate Deka as a character, particularly in the first part of the book. It does get a lot better throught the story, but the fact that the character development happens off screen, in the "time skips", really makes it hard to relate to her and bear a story written through her eyes.
Finally, as a minor pet peeve, I was somewhat
- First, the abundance of violence. I understand this book wants to show us how bad this world is for girls, but some stuff was *really* crude and hard to digest as there was no warning for it. It needs a huge trigger warning.
- Secondly, I found it really hard to appreciate Deka as a character, particularly in the first part of the book. It does get a lot better throught the story, but the fact that the character development happens off screen, in the "time skips", really makes it hard to relate to her and bear a story written through her eyes.
Finally, as a minor pet peeve, I was somewhat
diamondbg's review against another edition
4.0
This was actually a very interesting read. I slowly had to get into the book but after that I was invested and I didn’t see the plot twist at the end (which In hindsight could’ve been predicted if you were paying more attention