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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the action, Protagonist, pace and writing style. The plottwist was kinda lame but the rest of the book was absolutely amazing so I’d still recommend:)
An unjust patriarchal society. A girl unsure of herself. A destiny she could have never dreamed of.
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.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mysterious, dark, and adventurous tale. Deeply cathartic for those who dream of toppling the patriarchy.
I loved it. Although this book was way way darker than I expected for a YA novel. But the characters were compelling, well written, the action was fun, and the overall conceit was really nice. Fantastic debut!
The Gilded Ones is a spectacularly developed feminist fantasy that touches a lot of hard topics like misogyny, racism, xenophobia, abuse and oppression. The main character, Deka, goes through literal hell since the very beginning, since she lives in an empire that favors patriarchy and ultra religiousness. A woman’s worth is measured by her purity, and anything that’s a least a bit far from it gets blown down immediately. Girls who go through the blood ceremony and bleed gold are sentenced to a destiny worse than death. And for Deka’s luck, her blood runs gold.
Deka’s character fascinated me, with her strength and determination to survive even after going through so much in the first chapters. I really enjoyed her development throughout the book, personal and with her relationship, especially her friendships. We get the found family trope in this book, and it is one of my favorite things in it. The group of female warriors that compose it are amazing characters, each with their struggles, fears and flaws, but also strengths. I wish that more books include female friendship groups like this, where there is no girl-on-girl hate and everyone has each other’s backs. I was also fascinated by the world building and the magic system, as well as the folklore behind the Gilded Ones.
At the end of the book I was confused because things happened a bit too fast, and I was not a fan of the romance just because I feel we didn’t got to see much of how it develops during the actual story because of the time jumps. But I’m excited to read the sequel and see how it develops.
Overall, it was a fantastic debut that I highly recommend if you enjoy a feminist story, found family, a rich world building and magic system, and a main character that gets a well-developed growth in her arc.
Deka’s character fascinated me, with her strength and determination to survive even after going through so much in the first chapters. I really enjoyed her development throughout the book, personal and with her relationship, especially her friendships. We get the found family trope in this book, and it is one of my favorite things in it. The group of female warriors that compose it are amazing characters, each with their struggles, fears and flaws, but also strengths. I wish that more books include female friendship groups like this, where there is no girl-on-girl hate and everyone has each other’s backs. I was also fascinated by the world building and the magic system, as well as the folklore behind the Gilded Ones.
At the end of the book I was confused because things happened a bit too fast, and I was not a fan of the romance just because I feel we didn’t got to see much of how it develops during the actual story because of the time jumps. But I’m excited to read the sequel and see how it develops.
Overall, it was a fantastic debut that I highly recommend if you enjoy a feminist story, found family, a rich world building and magic system, and a main character that gets a well-developed growth in her arc.
adventurous
dark
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
This was a wonderful fantasy story with just the right amount of world building and fantasy rules brought in. The characters carried their struggles with their sisters and became a true family. But I am worried about what happens next? Will it ruin how good this book was?
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
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:
Yes