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A review by megsreads
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
5.0
An unjust patriarchal society. A girl unsure of herself. A destiny she could have never dreamed of.
Deka is a 16 year old girl who lives in Irfut, a village in the West-African inspired country of Otera. Under the watchful eyes of Oyomo, the god that all Oterans worship, every teenage girl must undergo the Ritual of Purity. This ceremony determines whether their blood is pure (red) or impure (gold). Those deemed impure are referred to as alaki, almost immortal demons with special gifts, and are sentenced to death. But their death may not be their final death, that is, they may have to die multiple times before they stay dead. When Deka is determined to be an alaki, a mysterious woman shows up and gives her a choice: stay in Irfut and be put to death, or join the emperor’s army of alaki. As only one of those options keeps her alive, she chooses to leave with the woman and accepts her fate as a soldier of the emperor.
This imaginative tale was a pretty light read and still managed to be everything I want in a YA. Female empowerment, twists and turns, an unexpected villain, and a light-hearted romance that wasn’t the center of the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Girls aren’t allowed to be near sharp things from the moment they turn fifteen until the day after they’re proven by the Ritual of Purity. The Infinite Wisdoms forbid it, ensuring that we do not bleed a drop before the Ritual.
Deka is a 16 year old girl who lives in Irfut, a village in the West-African inspired country of Otera. Under the watchful eyes of Oyomo, the god that all Oterans worship, every teenage girl must undergo the Ritual of Purity. This ceremony determines whether their blood is pure (red) or impure (gold). Those deemed impure are referred to as alaki, almost immortal demons with special gifts, and are sentenced to death. But their death may not be their final death, that is, they may have to die multiple times before they stay dead. When Deka is determined to be an alaki, a mysterious woman shows up and gives her a choice: stay in Irfut and be put to death, or join the emperor’s army of alaki. As only one of those options keeps her alive, she chooses to leave with the woman and accepts her fate as a soldier of the emperor.
This imaginative tale was a pretty light read and still managed to be everything I want in a YA. Female empowerment, twists and turns, an unexpected villain, and a light-hearted romance that wasn’t the center of the story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️