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A review by halfbloodprincess_hogwarts
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed how magical The Gilded Ones is. How bizarre that there are female characters, when coming of age, bleed gold blood and are seen as evil.
Our MC Deka is such an amazing character and herself is a suspenseful mystery. As in, she does bleed gold, is tragically killed by her own father, and can continue to ressurect herself.
Soon, she is united with more Gilded girls and together discover their individual strengths, train, and become more aquatinted with their "rebirthed" selves.
I was EXTREMELY happy when Ixia (a magical shape-shifting creature) was introduced and LOVE HIM SO MUCH😠Deka and his initial encounter is magically spiritual, as soon as she lays eyes on him something in her being tells her he belongs to her. He does end up biting down on her arm and locking down, I would have freaked out, I figure to be a blood bonding. After that he's fiercely protective of her and the sweetest protective pet.
Then the whole premise behind the wicked creatures the Gilded are trained to help eliminate, Death Shrieks. There were so many mixed emotions and confusion combined with Deka unexpectedly understanding their foreign language. I could just weep.
The Gilded Ones has so much deep meaning and realistically resonates with the spiritual warfare Black Women and dealing with. I cherish Namina Fora for writing such a powerful start to this duology. I cannot wait to read the next title of this series.
Our MC Deka is such an amazing character and herself is a suspenseful mystery. As in, she does bleed gold, is tragically killed by her own father, and can continue to ressurect herself.
Soon, she is united with more Gilded girls and together discover their individual strengths, train, and become more aquatinted with their "rebirthed" selves.
I was EXTREMELY happy when Ixia (a magical shape-shifting creature) was introduced and LOVE HIM SO MUCH😠Deka and his initial encounter is magically spiritual, as soon as she lays eyes on him something in her being tells her he belongs to her. He does end up biting down on her arm and locking down, I would have freaked out, I figure to be a blood bonding. After that he's fiercely protective of her and the sweetest protective pet.
Then the whole premise behind the wicked creatures the Gilded are trained to help eliminate, Death Shrieks. There were so many mixed emotions and confusion combined with Deka unexpectedly understanding their foreign language. I could just weep.
The Gilded Ones has so much deep meaning and realistically resonates with the spiritual warfare Black Women and dealing with. I cherish Namina Fora for writing such a powerful start to this duology. I cannot wait to read the next title of this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Sexual harassment, and War