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A review by ansoreads
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
WARNING: violence and abuse
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is the first book in the deathless trilogy. It's a young adult high fantasy series. Living in a contemporary world of One Kingdom of Otera, where men are ruling by the words of the Infinite Widoms. Which make women subjects of society. All females have to undergo a Purity Ritual by a blood ceremony at the age of 16-17. May the blood flow red, but nothing seems what it is.
This book got me hooked from page one. It is a fast paced dark, adventurous fantasy story about Deka. You are only at page 20 and the first plottwist is thrown at your head. The story itself is mostly based on the development of the characters and what they go through. The plots is just an extra. It contains a lot of violence and abuse in the beginning but it helps you understand the evolution, the confusion and all the emotions that Deka goes through. This book hits also some major themes like racism, female suppression... At the end I expected more. The final battle deserved more attention than 3 pages. It is a good start to a series of The Gilded Ones.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is the first book in the deathless trilogy. It's a young adult high fantasy series. Living in a contemporary world of One Kingdom of Otera, where men are ruling by the words of the Infinite Widoms. Which make women subjects of society. All females have to undergo a Purity Ritual by a blood ceremony at the age of 16-17. May the blood flow red, but nothing seems what it is.
This book got me hooked from page one. It is a fast paced dark, adventurous fantasy story about Deka. You are only at page 20 and the first plottwist is thrown at your head. The story itself is mostly based on the development of the characters and what they go through. The plots is just an extra. It contains a lot of violence and abuse in the beginning but it helps you understand the evolution, the confusion and all the emotions that Deka goes through. This book hits also some major themes like racism, female suppression... At the end I expected more. The final battle deserved more attention than 3 pages. It is a good start to a series of The Gilded Ones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Torture, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death