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A review by queer_bookwyrm
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: death of a parent, racism, misogyny/oppression of women, violence, descriptions of blood and gore, dismemberment, torture, implied rape, child sexual abuse, PTSD, genocide, violence against women (including verbal violence)
"Are we girls, or are we demons? Are we going to die, or are we going to survive?"
"We who are dead salute you!"
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is her debut nice, and what a debut it was! This book was glorious, yet brutal. I could not out it down.
We follow Deka, a mixed race black girl living in the Northern Provinces, where racism toward dark skinned people is rampant. Not only does Deka suffer from this ostracism, she is also found to be impure--meaning she bleeds gold instead of red--marking her for immediate execution. Deka goes through trauma after trauma as the villagers try in vain to kill her until an emissary from the Emperor comes to collect her for the Emperor's special army.
Deka trains with other "impure" girls and learns her new abilities, although she soon realizes she's different from the rest of the girls.
We get an excellent found family trope, chosen one trope, and even a slow burn romance. This book does not center in the romance, it's barely a blip. The importance is placed on the friendship Deka has with Britta. We get wonderful diverse characters with flaws. We even have a sapphic side character.
This story is full of struggle, betrayal, and long game outcomes. Although I figured out the twist fairly early, it didn't feel wasted. We also get fantastic feminist messages about the oppression of women born out of men's desire for power and control. Just like in real life, however, we can't lump all the men into one group. We get to see men being true allies and deferring when appropriate.
We get a magical animal pet sidekick! #TeamIxa forever. The world building in this was great, I loved all the fantastical creatures and their varied intelligences. I can't wait to see what Forna has in-store for us in the next book! Did you it's going to become a tv show?! It's going to be beautiful.
"Are we girls, or are we demons? Are we going to die, or are we going to survive?"
"We who are dead salute you!"
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is her debut nice, and what a debut it was! This book was glorious, yet brutal. I could not out it down.
We follow Deka, a mixed race black girl living in the Northern Provinces, where racism toward dark skinned people is rampant. Not only does Deka suffer from this ostracism, she is also found to be impure--meaning she bleeds gold instead of red--marking her for immediate execution. Deka goes through trauma after trauma as the villagers try in vain to kill her until an emissary from the Emperor comes to collect her for the Emperor's special army.
Deka trains with other "impure" girls and learns her new abilities, although she soon realizes she's different from the rest of the girls.
We get an excellent found family trope, chosen one trope, and even a slow burn romance. This book does not center in the romance, it's barely a blip. The importance is placed on the friendship Deka has with Britta. We get wonderful diverse characters with flaws. We even have a sapphic side character.
This story is full of struggle, betrayal, and long game outcomes. Although I figured out the twist fairly early, it didn't feel wasted. We also get fantastic feminist messages about the oppression of women born out of men's desire for power and control. Just like in real life, however, we can't lump all the men into one group. We get to see men being true allies and deferring when appropriate.
We get a magical animal pet sidekick! #TeamIxa forever. The world building in this was great, I loved all the fantastical creatures and their varied intelligences. I can't wait to see what Forna has in-store for us in the next book! Did you it's going to become a tv show?! It's going to be beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Gore, Torture, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual violence