A review by literalottie
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I found this to be a pretty stock-standard, average YA fantasy, without anything special to make it stand out. It has many of the common tropes, but doesn't really execute them in any particularly amazing way. I was particularly disappointed by the setting, which was a lot more generic than I was expecting.

The diverse cast is nice to see, but that alone isn't enough to carry the book, and the commentary on societal issues was very simplistic and on occasion a bit too on the nose for my liking (though this isn't an uncommon trend in YA books). Overall, this wasn't terrible, but I struggle to think of anything here that I haven't seen done before, and better

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