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A review by whatellisreadnext
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
"𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘮."
Deka lives in fear of the blood ceremony, that will determine if she is pure. But when the day finally comes, her blood runs gold, the colour of a demon.
After falling in love with this cover over a year ago, and waiting what felt like forever for its release, I think my hopes were just too high. Sometimes I hype a book up so much in my mind, that when it falls a little short, I can't help but feel like it's my fault in a way.
This was a good YA fantasy, that read super quick, and had a really interesting magical system. I just struggled to picture the world, and some of the side characters felt like a bit of an afterthought. Deka on the other hand, was fully fleshed out, and the journey she goes on of growth, as she finds out her history, was what kept me reading.
Another small gripe that probably won't bother too many people, was the kind of pointless romantic arc. This was a story about women, banding together to bring down the patriarchy, so to me the romance felt very out of place and a little forced.
What I did love about The Gilded Ones was the ending, it made the whole read worth it in my eyes. The stakes felt so high, I was flipping the pages like crazy. Even though this book let me down in some aspects of the writing, overall is was a solid read, and after that ending I am dying to get my hands on the next book.
Deka lives in fear of the blood ceremony, that will determine if she is pure. But when the day finally comes, her blood runs gold, the colour of a demon.
After falling in love with this cover over a year ago, and waiting what felt like forever for its release, I think my hopes were just too high. Sometimes I hype a book up so much in my mind, that when it falls a little short, I can't help but feel like it's my fault in a way.
This was a good YA fantasy, that read super quick, and had a really interesting magical system. I just struggled to picture the world, and some of the side characters felt like a bit of an afterthought. Deka on the other hand, was fully fleshed out, and the journey she goes on of growth, as she finds out her history, was what kept me reading.
Another small gripe that probably won't bother too many people, was the kind of pointless romantic arc. This was a story about women, banding together to bring down the patriarchy, so to me the romance felt very out of place and a little forced.
What I did love about The Gilded Ones was the ending, it made the whole read worth it in my eyes. The stakes felt so high, I was flipping the pages like crazy. Even though this book let me down in some aspects of the writing, overall is was a solid read, and after that ending I am dying to get my hands on the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Racism, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault