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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I find it sick and twisted that I have to wait a year for a sequel.
Holy moly. I really enjoyed this book and I really look forward to read more from the author. It was unlike anything I have read before. I love reading fantasy/sci fi-ish books and I admire the world the author developed since it wasn’t yet another dystopian world or witchy/vampire/werewolf story. Don’t get me wrong, I love this books but this was so different. Can’t wait to devour more from her!
One of the best books I've read all year! I didn't want to put it down. I want more from this author and I wouldn't be mad if there were more books involving these characters!
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
It’s been two days since I finished reading this book and I still don’t know exactly how to put into words what I felt during the entire ten days of the readalong. Just thinking about The Gilded Ones brings tears to my eyes. There’s sorrow for what the girls go through in this book’s brutal world. There’s heartache because it doesn’t take long to make the comparisons with what women face still to this day in our world, but also joy because Deka and the other alaki grow into strong warriors despite everything. They’re victim of the worst kind of misogyny and still they endure. And still they fight. Deka was such an inspirational character who I think will stay with me for a long time. Some moments I felt like she was talking to me.
Everything else about the book that I normally mention in a review—the characters, the world-building, the pace—were fantastic. I inhaled the page. Despite the fast pace with which we see Deka’s growth once she gets to the Warthu Bera, I still feel like we’re not missing anything. I see her gradual change and feel the growing camaraderie with her fellow alaki. The level of friendship and trust that develops between the girls doesn’t feel out of place and I think a lot of it has to do with the author’s powerful writing. Even the romance, which is usually my favorite aspect of the book, comes second to the friendship. On the romance department, actually, I feel like we could have used a few scenes more in the beginning, but again, this was by far the most important element of the book.
The Gilded Ones is easily one of my favorite reads of the year. It’s diverse, it’s empowering and it’s an interesting story with all the right elements of a good fantasy. I really want to thank the author for writing this gem. It came in exactly the right moment.
It’s been two days since I finished reading this book and I still don’t know exactly how to put into words what I felt during the entire ten days of the readalong. Just thinking about The Gilded Ones brings tears to my eyes. There’s sorrow for what the girls go through in this book’s brutal world. There’s heartache because it doesn’t take long to make the comparisons with what women face still to this day in our world, but also joy because Deka and the other alaki grow into strong warriors despite everything. They’re victim of the worst kind of misogyny and still they endure. And still they fight. Deka was such an inspirational character who I think will stay with me for a long time. Some moments I felt like she was talking to me.
Everything else about the book that I normally mention in a review—the characters, the world-building, the pace—were fantastic. I inhaled the page. Despite the fast pace with which we see Deka’s growth once she gets to the Warthu Bera, I still feel like we’re not missing anything. I see her gradual change and feel the growing camaraderie with her fellow alaki. The level of friendship and trust that develops between the girls doesn’t feel out of place and I think a lot of it has to do with the author’s powerful writing. Even the romance, which is usually my favorite aspect of the book, comes second to the friendship. On the romance department, actually, I feel like we could have used a few scenes more in the beginning, but again, this was by far the most important element of the book.
The Gilded Ones is easily one of my favorite reads of the year. It’s diverse, it’s empowering and it’s an interesting story with all the right elements of a good fantasy. I really want to thank the author for writing this gem. It came in exactly the right moment.
I enjoyed this novel but I found the story to be very disjointed and therefore I could not really connect to the characters.
NetGalley ARC | I'm pretty sure that I already uncovered one of my top YA books of 2021.
With a gorgeous cover and equally mesmerizing mythological and fantastical plot, become completely engrossed in a tale about power, feminity, friendship, love, and family.
I had no idea that I'd be reading such a powerful book filled with feminist messaging and a fast-paced story that will keep you reading late into the night.
You'll champion Deka and all of the evil forces she goes up against, including abuse, racism, and xenophobia.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
You can find the full review on The Uncorked Librarian here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/february-2021-book-releases/
With a gorgeous cover and equally mesmerizing mythological and fantastical plot, become completely engrossed in a tale about power, feminity, friendship, love, and family.
I had no idea that I'd be reading such a powerful book filled with feminist messaging and a fast-paced story that will keep you reading late into the night.
You'll champion Deka and all of the evil forces she goes up against, including abuse, racism, and xenophobia.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
You can find the full review on The Uncorked Librarian here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/february-2021-book-releases/
THE GILDED ONES is very much a case of “Bookstagram Made Me Do It”. I had every intention of reading it, but the stellar reviews online made me leap on the opportunity to make this the #BookTalkWithWifey readalong book, and I’m happy I did! Usually, my fingers gravitate toward promises of romance and feels, but this time I was looking forward to a story where the focus wasn’t romance, but the empowerment that comes when women band together to defeat misogyny.
Ever since the first pages I felt a kinship with Deka. There are aspects of the discrimination she faces that I could only feel anger toward, but the author’s still carried me into the heart and soul of this character, and I found pieces of myself in her insecurities, in her desire to belong. Deka is a universal character that quickly finds her way into the heart of all readers. The gratuitous harm inflicted on her by a society that would see women dehumanized and demonized can’t leave us unaffected, because it’s not a far cry from what women are forced to endure in our world as well.
Despite the hard-to-swallow brutality of the first chapters, however, Deka’s story and that of the alaki women is one of hope. When society casts these women aside, they band together. Friendship becomes the force that uplifts them, motivates them, helps them grow stronger. And once these women become a unit, they become unstoppable. I’ve lost count of the amount of times my heart swelled with love for these women and the amount of times I cried reading this book. Tears of anger, of sadness, of joy.
All the things I always love in a book were there: the prose was wonderful and easy to follow, the pacing was quick and filled with plot twists and discoveries, the characters were fleshed out and real. The world thrives on a vivid and diverse world-building and interesting magic and religious systems. However, I would have liked to see some relationships a bit more fleshed out.
The Gilded Ones could read as a spectacular stand-alone, but I’ve very excited to see where the author will take Deka’s story in the next installments of this trilogy. The potential for more is definitely there! I recommend this book to anyone who can read (which means everyone *is cheeky*). Just keep in mind that the book has some mature content that could be triggering for some readers, including graphic violence and mentions of abuse and rape.
Ever since the first pages I felt a kinship with Deka. There are aspects of the discrimination she faces that I could only feel anger toward, but the author’s still carried me into the heart and soul of this character, and I found pieces of myself in her insecurities, in her desire to belong. Deka is a universal character that quickly finds her way into the heart of all readers. The gratuitous harm inflicted on her by a society that would see women dehumanized and demonized can’t leave us unaffected, because it’s not a far cry from what women are forced to endure in our world as well.
Despite the hard-to-swallow brutality of the first chapters, however, Deka’s story and that of the alaki women is one of hope. When society casts these women aside, they band together. Friendship becomes the force that uplifts them, motivates them, helps them grow stronger. And once these women become a unit, they become unstoppable. I’ve lost count of the amount of times my heart swelled with love for these women and the amount of times I cried reading this book. Tears of anger, of sadness, of joy.
All the things I always love in a book were there: the prose was wonderful and easy to follow, the pacing was quick and filled with plot twists and discoveries, the characters were fleshed out and real. The world thrives on a vivid and diverse world-building and interesting magic and religious systems. However, I would have liked to see some relationships a bit more fleshed out.
The Gilded Ones could read as a spectacular stand-alone, but I’ve very excited to see where the author will take Deka’s story in the next installments of this trilogy. The potential for more is definitely there! I recommend this book to anyone who can read (which means everyone *is cheeky*). Just keep in mind that the book has some mature content that could be triggering for some readers, including graphic violence and mentions of abuse and rape.
Den her bog :O
Er så godddddddd
The Gilded Ones er, hvad jeg nok vil betegne som "feministisk fantasy" - på den allerbedste måde
Det er virkelig fedt med en historie, der foregår i et mandsdomineret samfund, hvor hovedpersonen ikke er rebelsk fra starten af. Jeg er helt vild med, at Deka også selv ser skævt til sig selv og de andre, der forbryder sig mod guddommen.
Den her bog er så fuld af smerte, men også styrke, at det halve kunne være nok (men det hele er fantastisk haha)
Selvom den er meget feministisk formår den at være det på den rigtige måde - altså, den fjendtliggør ikke mænd unødvendigt, men begår oprør mod et system, der er sat i verden for at undertrykke kvinder
Hele konceptet og worldbuildingen er enormt interessant, og jeg er så glad for, at jeg tog fat i den her lige efter jeg DNF'ede The Priory, for det var lige den her bog, jeg havde brug for <3
Er så godddddddd
The Gilded Ones er, hvad jeg nok vil betegne som "feministisk fantasy" - på den allerbedste måde
Det er virkelig fedt med en historie, der foregår i et mandsdomineret samfund, hvor hovedpersonen ikke er rebelsk fra starten af. Jeg er helt vild med, at Deka også selv ser skævt til sig selv og de andre, der forbryder sig mod guddommen.
Den her bog er så fuld af smerte, men også styrke, at det halve kunne være nok (men det hele er fantastisk haha)
Selvom den er meget feministisk formår den at være det på den rigtige måde - altså, den fjendtliggør ikke mænd unødvendigt, men begår oprør mod et system, der er sat i verden for at undertrykke kvinder
Hele konceptet og worldbuildingen er enormt interessant, og jeg er så glad for, at jeg tog fat i den her lige efter jeg DNF'ede The Priory, for det var lige den her bog, jeg havde brug for <3
That is IT. I’m calling it!
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna - My First DNF of the Year
I tried. I tried so hard. You can’t possibly even understand how much I wanted to like this book. It’s been on my TBR since August, and when I couldn’t finish it then, I rolled it over to September, determined to get through it cause “Mama didn't raise a quitter!” But here I am, stuck at 67%, and no matter how hard I try, or what I do I just can’t finish it.
Now this is coming from someone who read and FINISHED Black Girls Must Die Exhausted, even though I 1-starred it. So clearly, I can push through a book that’s not for me. But The Gilded Ones? Deka and I just didn’t work, and that was confusing for me because on paper, this book should’ve been a hit for me.
The world-building? Decent. African mythology? Sign me up. It’s a fantasy, that's my jam boo, so it sounds like it was quite literally written FOR me. But man— when I tell you Deka’s story just fell FLAT, I mean that. I wanted to root for her, but her journey started feeling a bit repetitive then when it got to be predictable, I checked out.
Turns out, it wasn’t just me
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna - My First DNF of the Year
I tried. I tried so hard. You can’t possibly even understand how much I wanted to like this book. It’s been on my TBR since August, and when I couldn’t finish it then, I rolled it over to September, determined to get through it cause “Mama didn't raise a quitter!” But here I am, stuck at 67%, and no matter how hard I try, or what I do I just can’t finish it.
Now this is coming from someone who read and FINISHED Black Girls Must Die Exhausted, even though I 1-starred it. So clearly, I can push through a book that’s not for me. But The Gilded Ones? Deka and I just didn’t work, and that was confusing for me because on paper, this book should’ve been a hit for me.
The world-building? Decent. African mythology? Sign me up. It’s a fantasy, that's my jam boo, so it sounds like it was quite literally written FOR me. But man— when I tell you Deka’s story just fell FLAT, I mean that. I wanted to root for her, but her journey started feeling a bit repetitive then when it got to be predictable, I checked out.
Turns out, it wasn’t just me