A review by mrtvavrana
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

adventurous challenging funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The Gilded Ones is the first book in the Deathless trilogy. It follows a girl named Deka and her friends throughout their lives and adventures. 

The book started off really strong; I was in awe of the beautiful storytelling and descriptions. I felt like this book was not entirely like a classic young adult novel; it did not seem as childish (character- and dialogue-wise), and I loved how everything was explained. I´d say it was quite detailed and easily understandable—Deka´s abilities and skills were developed over time and with training. There were some short time skips that helped the story move along a little faster, and they gave Deka time to master her skills. 

I was genuinely surprised by how much I loved Deka—the young adult heroines are usually very insufferable, and I do not like them. 

This novel also deals with some extremely heavy topics (like rape, assault, misogyny, murder, torture, etc.) and contains graphic descriptions (mostly of murder). I think the author described and talked about these topics on a very appropriate level, and I truly appreciate it. I felt the same about the way sex was discussed, but I would have appreciated it more if that topic was avoided entirely. 

I had so many theories about Deka and White Hands throughout the book. I have to say that I was genuinely surprised with where the story was going and how the events played out on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, though, some of these “big reveals” lacked—they seemed quite out of place and did not fit with the story entirely. 

Another thing I was not really on board with was the relationship between Deka and Keita turning romantic towards the end of the book. I do not like romance in young adult books and series, as they tend to take up too much space, and they are almost never done well. The authors tend to completely switch the characters´ personalities once they're in love, and I find that incredibly annoying. Hopefully it will not be the case in Deathless. 

All that being said, I think this was a very promising beginning of a trilogy. I honestly can't wait to read the rest!