7.14k reviews for:

The Gilded Ones

Namina Forna

3.99 AVERAGE

adventurous medium-paced
adventurous inspiring mysterious 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

I freakin LOVED this book. Was enthralled. Gasped audibly. YA at its most gruesome and violent. We love to see it.

Deka lives in constant fear of her blood, running gold with impurity and

marking her for death. Until she’s given a choice: become a warrior of the empire along with the other girls sharing their fate. I devoured this amazing feminist fantasy and I’m ready for the sequel.
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: No

2.49
you can definitely tell this is a debut novel. there was hardly any consistency with the characters and the plot was all over the place. i found that things werent explained, just told? it wasnt a problem for me, but it definitely could be for others.
i suppose i still plan on reading the next book, just to see how it goes. i think this series had potential!
adventurous dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This was okay, but as it went on, I was missing some deeper characterization and less heavy-handed execution in the "girl power" of it all. The romance felt incredibly underdeveloped and very tacked on—particularly as the main character had already stated that her more significant relationship was with her BFF. There were just a lot of little things that didn't totally work for me and kept me from getting drawn in.
adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious 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: No
adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

The journey that the female lead goes through is so absolutely amazing and heart-breaking. It speaks of resilience and hope. I can't ever forget this story and the warm feelings it left me with. Family is who you make. Women are BAMFs
adventurous emotional sad 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: Yes