Reviews

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

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emmasalas_7's review against another edition

2.0

goodreads needs to put in a dnf option

idk why but i hated this hook the second time around. the writing was very middle school and the mythology and plot just didn't hit

patriciam_08's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

emianner's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.5

gardenxroseee's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring 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

3.5

While the ideas floating around the book are intriguing, I found most of them to be lackluster throughout. Much of the world-building feels rushed or completely left out, leaving readers struggling to catch up or fill in the gaps on their own.

The purity culture theme was the strongest for me, and I resonated heavily with the pain of the ideologies being passed along in Irfut. Outside of this, I also loved the second half of the book and felt it was much stronger than the first. While I felt many questions were left unanswered, the twists and turns at the end kept me on my toes so much that I didn't mind.

The romance (NOT wlw, so sorry) was just okay for me, but I feel the book shined in the relationship between Deka and Britta. Britta was for SURE my favorite character, as well as cutie-pie Ixa. With these two sweethearts at the book's core, I did enjoy it overall. That being said, I'm not sure I'll finish the trilogy!