A review by thenovelmaura
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

adventurous dark fast-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

4.0

I thought this had some potential to be a 5 star read for me, at least until the ending went completely off the rails. When I read in her bio that Forna is a screenwriter, that made total sense to me with how the ending was written. Action, action, action, and then a few seconds of denouement before we cut to black. However, this rapid chain of events meant that the twist I had seen coming for most of the book ended up being one turning point among many, which I did appreciate.

Setting that aside, this was an entertaining twist on the chosen one trope in which the main character, Deka rose up against a crushingly patriarchal society. This book was dark and extremely violent; those elements and the pacing were strongly reminiscent of <i>The Poppy War </i> for me, and I would hesitate to recommend this to anyone who isn't late into their teen years, if not older.

Deka's friendships were more compelling than her love interest, and the squad's dedication to protecting their own was admirable, especially since we saw this camaraderie grow throughout the story. The conclusion was also quite movie-esque in that it had a clean ending that could either unfold into a sequel or be left as-is. Personally, I don't think I'll be continuing on with this series, so I love how Forna offers readers that choice.
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