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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Overall a good book it was fairly enjoyable. I would have ranked it higher but I felt like the author waited far too long into the book for the plot twist/reveal and then there was not enough time to explore that and so much was just glossed over at the end of the book.
This was an intriguing debut! I wasn't full encapsulated in the world Forna built, but it was interesting enough that I finished it. I loved the focus on female power-- it's very rare that a YA fantasy has a love interest that doesn't end up taking up all of the protagonist's focus. It was very much a side plot in The Gilded Ones, and I loved that. I'm not sure that I will continue if this turns out to be a series, but it was a solid 3 stars for me.
[First of all, this cover! I’m a sucker for a gorgeous cover—there’s not one particular type that draws me in (other than vibrant colors, usually) but I know a beautiful cover when I see one and it sets me up to want to read the book. Well done, publishers!]
YA fantasy is not my go-to. But when a book in the genre comes well-recommended, I dip in every now and again. This one has an intense premise: a deeply misogynistic, patriarchal society that cuts girls when they turn 15 as a Ritual of Purity. If she’s impure (bleeds gold, not red, which means they believe she is a demon) the girl will experience any number of horrors: torture, enslavement, being sold, and murdered. Infuriated yet?
Of course our heroine’s blood runs gold and she is locked up by the village elders and killed. Repeatedly, actually, because impure girls heal and are impossible to kill for good. Therein lies the story of Deka, because it turns out there are others like her—Alaki, near immortal women—who are training to be deadly warriors for the emperor, who wants them to defeat the murderous enemy, the Deathshrieks, and Deka will become the emporer’s favorite and their leader in battle.
I’ll be honest, although I’m not typically squeamish, the trauma and brutality in this tale is intense. There was a generous helping of vivid, graphic violence, including rape and dismemberment. However, there are also so many relevant themes that make it worthwhile for an adolescent to read and relate to: racism, xenophobia, diversity, oppression, queer and diverse body type representation, struggles with feeling worthwhile, gender inequity, unconditional love. All these, along with a tale of powerful females, ultimately meant I didn’t regret listening to/reading this one. It now has a few sequels, and would make an incredible film or mini-series—the world building is off the charts vivid. But I’d think twice about reading this or putting it in a teen’s hands if any of this sounds off-putting.
Emotionally driven and filled with action. I could not put this book down.
Beautifully written, haunting and at times difficult to read - but so essential. I cannot wait for the sequel.
Beautifully written, haunting and at times difficult to read - but so essential. I cannot wait for the sequel.
Really solid YA fantasy. I loved the world and how vast it was, the mythology within the world was also incredibly interesting. This was a great feminist fantasy. I did struggle to picture the deathshrikes and what they were supposed to really resemble. I must have missed something in the early descriptions because the creature I imagined was not able to do some of the things they later do. So that caused me some confusion when reading.
IM SO SORRY. I just can’t keep going. This isn’t a diss on the author and it’s not necessarily a bad book- but I’m DNFing, I just am struggling to read about this poor girl with all the misogyny that she dealt with and all the religious trauma she went through. It’s just SO MUCH and abuse and I don’t want to keep being dumped on. I know this happens and happened in real life, but I read fantasy for the escape from reality and this is just being a huge drag. I’m sure she has growth throughout the book, but there’s so many more books I’d rather read right now so I’m putting this down
My actual rating is probably more like a 3.5 but I've rounded it up because I liked the ending a lot.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked it in a lot of ways but I was bored for a while in the middle. It was intriguing enough to keep me going but if I hadn't enjoyed the beginning so much, I would have quit. I thought about putting it down a few times. Ultimately, the end is worth pushing through for, but I did feel that the training and the raids dragged on for a bit too long.
Other than that, I really loved this book. The way this is written is so bizarre because there's absolutely brutal, awful things happening but the story is told by a 15/16 year old girl. So they're talking about really brutal deaths and being dismembered, and then about normal teenage stuff. It reads really young for the content because I just didn't expect it in a YA novel! It made me think about how violence becomes normal for kids in warzones a lot. I really appreciated that it wasn't shied away from.
I'm really unsure about how there's going to be a sequel to this because it wrapped up really well but I'll definitely read it. I do recommend this but would warn you, you may have to push through the middle. It's not quite a slog, but it was starting to lose me.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked it in a lot of ways but I was bored for a while in the middle. It was intriguing enough to keep me going but if I hadn't enjoyed the beginning so much, I would have quit. I thought about putting it down a few times. Ultimately, the end is worth pushing through for, but I did feel that the training and the raids dragged on for a bit too long.
Other than that, I really loved this book. The way this is written is so bizarre because there's absolutely brutal, awful things happening but the story is told by a 15/16 year old girl. So they're talking about really brutal deaths and being dismembered, and then about normal teenage stuff. It reads really young for the content because I just didn't expect it in a YA novel! It made me think about how violence becomes normal for kids in warzones a lot. I really appreciated that it wasn't shied away from.
I'm really unsure about how there's going to be a sequel to this because it wrapped up really well but I'll definitely read it. I do recommend this but would warn you, you may have to push through the middle. It's not quite a slog, but it was starting to lose me.