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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
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
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Death, Body horror, and Sexism
Moderate: Rape, Racism, and War