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A review by tqlikesbooks
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
“We all have a choice right now. Are we girls or are we demon? Are we going to die or are we going to survive?”
The Gilded Ones was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021, as such I had very high expectations. While ultimately it didn't meet those expectations, The Gilded Ones is a very promising debut fantasy novel.
For a YA fantasy, this was pretty brutal. With a world rife with misogyny, violence and oppression which, even as an adult reader, was pretty jarring. I am sure this could make many readers uncomfortable, particularly considering the younger audience this is targeted at. I will say that I ultimately enjoyed the feminist themes of the story, of fighting against a patriarchal system and the quite literal demonization of women.
I found the book really hard to get into in the beginning, the writing did not appeal to me and was bogged down with exposition- explaining every little detail of Deka's life and the upcoming ritual. However, slowly the story seemed to find it's rhythm and I started to enjoy it. The plot had a few intriguing twists and turns throughout and unfolded at a pretty fast pace, which kept me gripped throughout. Tough the writing at times was very clichéd, and this was particularly obvious with some of the character's dialogue and Deka's internal voice.
One of the elements of the story I enjoyed most was the focus on female friendships; the bond Deka shared with her bloodsisters was built on trust, loyalty and empathy. This is something I always want to see more of in
The romance element felt rushed, with Deka and her 'love interest' sharing a kiss at the end because this is a YA book and oh no the story is almost over and no one has kissed the main character yet! Don't get me wrong, I understand why Keita and Deka's relationship was important from a story point of view but it really didn't seem like it needed to be a romantic one.
Overall, some elements of The Gilded Ones fell flat for me, but it was nevertheless an enjoyable and interesting start to a YA fantasy trilogy and I'm definitely excited to see where this story goes.
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Cursing, Death, and Violence
Minor: Racism