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ethical's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.75
laelyn's review against another edition
4.0
This is such an amazing story! I was drawn into Forna's lush fantasy world on the very first page. "The Gilded Ones" was on the list of my most anticipated young adult fantasy books of 2021, so my expectations were admittedly pretty high. The concept just spoke to me and nowadays I tend to be more interested in fantasy novels that take inspiration from the non-Western part of the world, that aren't as eurocentric as most fantasy worlds still are. The writing is amazing, detailed and rich, and the pacing is, in general, really good too.
The world of "The Gilded Ones" is a dark one, much darker than I expected from a young adult book. Our heroine Deka lives in a strictly patriarchal society where women aren't worth much if anything at all. There are strict laws on how they have to behave, dress, work, live their lifes - and terrible consequences await them if they don't adhere by these rules set by men of faith. Women and girls are abused and oppressed all their lives. It's a world that makes one angry, not only because it causes suffering to the characters on the page but also because it is not an entirely unrealistic image at all.
Deka is a faithful, obedient part of this society until the day of her ritual of purity - the day she becomes a woman by proving her purity through the color of her blood. Red blood maketh a pure woman, one that can stay a part of society, that can do her duty, marry, have children. But Deka is not a red-blooded girl: she bleeds golden blood, proof of impurity, of her being a demon. And thus, her village and her own father turn against her. What they do to her afterwards is unspeakable, cruel, pure evil. She is put in a cellar and killed over and over again by the elders of her village, yet always she comes back, seemingly unkillable. Until one day she is saved from her terrible fate by a mysterious woman who takes her away to be trained as a soldier, monster slayer, deadly warrior: The emperor himself has decided to use golden-blooded girls like her, so-called alaki, to hunt the Deathshrieks that torment the empire of Otera. And so begins a story that is so feminist and empowering that it made me yell out happily at some scenes.
"The Gilded Ones" is, most of all, the story of a girl that the world deems a demon, a girl that has been taught all her life that she is rarely worth anything because of her gender and even less because she is impure, a girl that realizes that all these lessons and convictions are wrong, that the world is wrong about her, that being a demon might not actually be a bad thing. She grows stronger, and not just because she develops her superhuman abilities but because she starts to question the laws of the empire and her place in the world. And it is a story about the deep friendship between girls and survivors. I absolutely adored all the alaki characters, Britta and Belcalis especially, and Forna takes her time to really delve deep into their relationships. They are all unique, they are all complex, and in the end they form a bond that is unbreakable.
There are some issues that made this a Four-Star-Book instead of a Five-Star one. For one, there is a romance in the book that just never really worked for me. I wasn't interested in it and the love interest, Keita, isn't really fleshed out enough to make me care a whole lot for him or his relationship with Deka. Personally, I'd rather they developed a platonic friendship only especially considering what Deka went through and how she has been treated by men all her life, with a romance happening in one of the later books of this series. For me, they would have needed a lot more development and their romance felt a little forced.
The storytelling and pacing is mostly great, but the last part of the book felt rushed to me. There is a lot of building up to the Big Moment, the Big Battle followed by the Big Reveal (one that many readers might see coming, but this doesn't take away at all from its badassness). Once this Big Reveal happens - well, everything moves pretty quickly and then we're suddenly on the last page. There is not much focus on the impact of this reveal, it's more or less immediate acceptance on Deka's part and she fills her new role without questioning anything. I wanted more.
Still, this is an amazing, empowering, creative, rich story and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I couldn't put "The Gilded Ones" down and cannot recommend it enough.
Many many thanks to Usborne Publishing and Netgalley for the amazing arc!
The world of "The Gilded Ones" is a dark one, much darker than I expected from a young adult book. Our heroine Deka lives in a strictly patriarchal society where women aren't worth much if anything at all. There are strict laws on how they have to behave, dress, work, live their lifes - and terrible consequences await them if they don't adhere by these rules set by men of faith. Women and girls are abused and oppressed all their lives. It's a world that makes one angry, not only because it causes suffering to the characters on the page but also because it is not an entirely unrealistic image at all.
Deka is a faithful, obedient part of this society until the day of her ritual of purity - the day she becomes a woman by proving her purity through the color of her blood. Red blood maketh a pure woman, one that can stay a part of society, that can do her duty, marry, have children. But Deka is not a red-blooded girl: she bleeds golden blood, proof of impurity, of her being a demon. And thus, her village and her own father turn against her. What they do to her afterwards is unspeakable, cruel, pure evil. She is put in a cellar and killed over and over again by the elders of her village, yet always she comes back, seemingly unkillable. Until one day she is saved from her terrible fate by a mysterious woman who takes her away to be trained as a soldier, monster slayer, deadly warrior: The emperor himself has decided to use golden-blooded girls like her, so-called alaki, to hunt the Deathshrieks that torment the empire of Otera. And so begins a story that is so feminist and empowering that it made me yell out happily at some scenes.
"The Gilded Ones" is, most of all, the story of a girl that the world deems a demon, a girl that has been taught all her life that she is rarely worth anything because of her gender and even less because she is impure, a girl that realizes that all these lessons and convictions are wrong, that the world is wrong about her, that being a demon might not actually be a bad thing. She grows stronger, and not just because she develops her superhuman abilities but because she starts to question the laws of the empire and her place in the world. And it is a story about the deep friendship between girls and survivors. I absolutely adored all the alaki characters, Britta and Belcalis especially, and Forna takes her time to really delve deep into their relationships. They are all unique, they are all complex, and in the end they form a bond that is unbreakable.
There are some issues that made this a Four-Star-Book instead of a Five-Star one. For one, there is a romance in the book that just never really worked for me. I wasn't interested in it and the love interest, Keita, isn't really fleshed out enough to make me care a whole lot for him or his relationship with Deka. Personally, I'd rather they developed a platonic friendship only especially considering what Deka went through and how she has been treated by men all her life, with a romance happening in one of the later books of this series. For me, they would have needed a lot more development and their romance felt a little forced.
The storytelling and pacing is mostly great, but the last part of the book felt rushed to me. There is a lot of building up to the Big Moment, the Big Battle followed by the Big Reveal (one that many readers might see coming, but this doesn't take away at all from its badassness). Once this Big Reveal happens - well, everything moves pretty quickly and then we're suddenly on the last page. There is not much focus on the impact of this reveal, it's more or less immediate acceptance on Deka's part and she fills her new role without questioning anything. I wanted more.
Still, this is an amazing, empowering, creative, rich story and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I couldn't put "The Gilded Ones" down and cannot recommend it enough.
Many many thanks to Usborne Publishing and Netgalley for the amazing arc!
debbieradford's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
anjiesnook's review against another edition
4.0
I first saw this book in a TikTok recommending it. I saw it again on my trip to Waterstones, and now I have finally finished reading it. I am definitely not disappointed with this one, I love this book.
The development of Deka was beautiful, the way she grew and learnt about the world around her, it was as if we were growing with her. I knew straight away that this book was a comment on the patriarchy of our world and I love it all the more for it.
I also think that it touches on the fear mongering of religion and how it can restrict the mind. I noticed that as Deka's mind was freed of the Infinite Wisdoms, she began to think more critically about everything and her eyes were opened to the 'Wisdoms' flaws and oppressive nature. Feel free to disagree with me, but as someone who is going through what Deka went through, but in relation to Christianity, I recognised it immediately.
The development of the sisterhood was also beautiful, I believe that it is a comment on the value of female friendships and friendship in general. I admire their close knit community and their immense loyalty and love for each other, I wish everyone discovers that kind of friendship and holds it dear.
I would definitely recommend this book, and I can't wait for the next one!
The development of Deka was beautiful, the way she grew and learnt about the world around her, it was as if we were growing with her. I knew straight away that this book was a comment on the patriarchy of our world and I love it all the more for it.
I also think that it touches on the fear mongering of religion and how it can restrict the mind. I noticed that as Deka's mind was freed of the Infinite Wisdoms, she began to think more critically about everything and her eyes were opened to the 'Wisdoms' flaws and oppressive nature. Feel free to disagree with me, but as someone who is going through what Deka went through, but in relation to Christianity, I recognised it immediately.
The development of the sisterhood was also beautiful, I believe that it is a comment on the value of female friendships and friendship in general. I admire their close knit community and their immense loyalty and love for each other, I wish everyone discovers that kind of friendship and holds it dear.
I would definitely recommend this book, and I can't wait for the next one!
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
4/5
Ok I loved this book so much. The plot was great and I loved the characters. In the end I felt like the story ended beautifully, so I’m interested to see what the sequel holds.
Ok I loved this book so much. The plot was great and I loved the characters. In the end I felt like the story ended beautifully, so I’m interested to see what the sequel holds.
otaryseal's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
megsreads's review against another edition
5.0
An unjust patriarchal society. A girl unsure of herself. A destiny she could have never dreamed of.
Deka is a 16 year old girl who lives in Irfut, a village in the West-African inspired country of Otera. Under the watchful eyes of Oyomo, the god that all Oterans worship, every teenage girl must undergo the Ritual of Purity. This ceremony determines whether their blood is pure (red) or impure (gold). Those deemed impure are referred to as alaki, almost immortal demons with special gifts, and are sentenced to death. But their death may not be their final death, that is, they may have to die multiple times before they stay dead. When Deka is determined to be an alaki, a mysterious woman shows up and gives her a choice: stay in Irfut and be put to death, or join the emperor’s army of alaki. As only one of those options keeps her alive, she chooses to leave with the woman and accepts her fate as a soldier of the emperor.
This imaginative tale was a pretty light read and still managed to be everything I want in a YA. Female empowerment, twists and turns, an unexpected villain, and a light-hearted romance that wasn’t the center of the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Girls aren’t allowed to be near sharp things from the moment they turn fifteen until the day after they’re proven by the Ritual of Purity. The Infinite Wisdoms forbid it, ensuring that we do not bleed a drop before the Ritual.
Deka is a 16 year old girl who lives in Irfut, a village in the West-African inspired country of Otera. Under the watchful eyes of Oyomo, the god that all Oterans worship, every teenage girl must undergo the Ritual of Purity. This ceremony determines whether their blood is pure (red) or impure (gold). Those deemed impure are referred to as alaki, almost immortal demons with special gifts, and are sentenced to death. But their death may not be their final death, that is, they may have to die multiple times before they stay dead. When Deka is determined to be an alaki, a mysterious woman shows up and gives her a choice: stay in Irfut and be put to death, or join the emperor’s army of alaki. As only one of those options keeps her alive, she chooses to leave with the woman and accepts her fate as a soldier of the emperor.
This imaginative tale was a pretty light read and still managed to be everything I want in a YA. Female empowerment, twists and turns, an unexpected villain, and a light-hearted romance that wasn’t the center of the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
sdloomer's review against another edition
2.0
I really like the idea of different color blood determining different powers. Also girls fighting monsters.