A review by mellarkbakery10
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

3.75

a stunning fantasy tale with strong themes of family, finding inner strength, and feminism, this was so amazing! i really loved all of characters and the family and sisterhood dynamic that was present between them. Deka was definitely my favorite, and i loved and really appreciated all of the growth that she went through in this story, it was amazing to watch her inner strength and confidence grow. Britta was also amazing and so much fun, i really enjoyed how the bond of friendship was the deepest and most focused-on love of this story! Keita is also the sweetest and i loved how unwaveringly supportive he was. one of my favorite parts was the world-building, i felt that it was immersive and expertly constructed, and it balanced being thorough without overwhelming the reader with details. THE PLOT! amazing! i never really knew who to trust, which is something i love as a plot feature, and i think that the plot twists were perfectly timed with little details interspersed earlier in the plot. the pacing was also superb and i found myself flying through the pages and enjoying every second!