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qgg 's review for:
The Gilded Ones
by Namina Forna
Some YA fantasy stories explore blood color, but having gold or silver blood makes one regal. In this book, golden blood makes a girl impure and priests will kill her.
And sometimes she comes back.
In other YA novels, authors delve into persecution of women, usually started by the monarchy and backed by the church and society. This book takes it a little further than most, especially by calling killed girls who come back to life, demons (and then more debasing names for women).
Now the emperor has decided to train these girls as weapons in his army.
Like many YA novels, the story is entertaining but not expertly written. My least favorite yet too common YA phrase was used, “My thoughts swirled in confusion.” Blech. Obviously there is the extra super special gifted one trope. There aren’t any subtle or unexpected moments outside of one very odd conversation that occurs. I had to pull the strangest quote I’ve ever read in YA fiction (big spoiler) “Warmth spreads through me. Tears pricking at my eyes. Keita accepts me as I am. Loves me. He doesn’t have to say the words but I feel them. I feel them in the way he cradles my severed head so gently.”
And sometimes she comes back.
In other YA novels, authors delve into persecution of women, usually started by the monarchy and backed by the church and society. This book takes it a little further than most, especially by calling killed girls who come back to life, demons (and then more debasing names for women).
Now the emperor has decided to train these girls as weapons in his army.
Like many YA novels, the story is entertaining but not expertly written. My least favorite yet too common YA phrase was used, “My thoughts swirled in confusion.” Blech. Obviously there is the extra super special gifted one trope. There aren’t any subtle or unexpected moments outside of one very odd conversation that occurs. I had to pull the strangest quote I’ve ever read in YA fiction (big spoiler)