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martereadsalot 's review for:
The Gilded Ones
by Namina Forna
Sigh… I really wanted to like this one.
There are plenty of average – or flat out bad – white, cis-het YA fantasy books that get published every year. So, if a white author’s work can be mediocre why can’t the work of a black author be the same?
Why shouldn’t they also get to utilize common tropes? Why must their debut be a masterpiece when they too, over time, will only continue to improve their craft?
So, The Gilded Ones wasn’t amazing. That’s okay. And what really killed it for me was the infuriating pacing.
I’m not talking about the awkward timeskips – though they too were rough. The biggest problem was how little time we got to ponder.
Whenever any kind of question or intrigue arose, it would be answered in the very same chapter or at best in the next one. Honestly, what’s the point of trying to create a mystery when it will be solved in less than twenty pages? Where’s the satisfaction in an "epic" climax consisting of ten of pages build-up, five pages of actual conflict and another five pages of resolution?
Not to mention how it makes the job so much harder for the author. When having to constantly create new twists you’ll only end up leaving gaping plot holes in your wake.
Despite that, we still need more books like The Gilded Ones. Books aimed at young adults that are brutally honest in their portrayal of real-life issues. Hell, with its’ graphic depictions of torture and sexual violence, it wouldn’t be wrong to label this as grimdark. But that would imply that it’s not the current experiences of real-life women.
We need that books are reflections of our reality; including all its’ diversity and injustice.
So, if you’re going to read a perfectly average YA fantasy why not go with this one?
“We who are dead salute you.”I’ve had terrible luck with YA fantasy lately and The Gilded Ones is yet another frustrating case. So much potential, some really good ideas, an absolutely stunning cover, but not successful in its’ execution.
There are plenty of average – or flat out bad – white, cis-het YA fantasy books that get published every year. So, if a white author’s work can be mediocre why can’t the work of a black author be the same?
Why shouldn’t they also get to utilize common tropes? Why must their debut be a masterpiece when they too, over time, will only continue to improve their craft?
So, The Gilded Ones wasn’t amazing. That’s okay. And what really killed it for me was the infuriating pacing.
I’m not talking about the awkward timeskips – though they too were rough. The biggest problem was how little time we got to ponder.
Whenever any kind of question or intrigue arose, it would be answered in the very same chapter or at best in the next one. Honestly, what’s the point of trying to create a mystery when it will be solved in less than twenty pages? Where’s the satisfaction in an "epic" climax consisting of ten of pages build-up, five pages of actual conflict and another five pages of resolution?
Not to mention how it makes the job so much harder for the author. When having to constantly create new twists you’ll only end up leaving gaping plot holes in your wake.
Despite that, we still need more books like The Gilded Ones. Books aimed at young adults that are brutally honest in their portrayal of real-life issues. Hell, with its’ graphic depictions of torture and sexual violence, it wouldn’t be wrong to label this as grimdark. But that would imply that it’s not the current experiences of real-life women.
We need that books are reflections of our reality; including all its’ diversity and injustice.
So, if you’re going to read a perfectly average YA fantasy why not go with this one?