momotack 's review for:

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

4.0

adventurous inspiring relaxing fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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This was such a good debut novel from Namina Forna!! The plot was well laid out - I predicted a lot of the themes but was surprised by many of the details, which is a balance I really enjoy. The discussions of gender and race and in particular gender as related to monstrosity were fascinating, although they felt a tad heavy handed on occasion. But way better that than too light. I wasn't actually expecting this to be a YA novel, so I didn't love the romance or the initial introduction of the lead (dead mum, absentish dad, small village), but that's a flaw of the genre and the way fantasy is categorised rather than the writing. The individual characters were solid, although I'd love to see more of the rest of Deka's friends' internal lives in the next book, beyond their suffering (I was also thrown by how brutal the content of this book was, also not a critique but a shock!) The worldbuilding was excellent, growing more and more complex as the book continued, and was very satisfying when it came together at the end - I'm really looking forward to it developing in the sequel! I'd love to see a bit more development of the politics of the world beyond Hemaira - the Nibari were wonderful, but I'd love to know more about the mechanics and political functioning of the world and societies within it. I'm hoping that will be explored in the next book!