4.0
The Gilded Ones
By Namina FornaPublisher Description
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TEEN VOGUE
"A dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold. Must read!" –Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.
Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.
Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.
The start of a bold and immersive fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.
"A dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold. Must read!" –Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.
Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.
Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.
The start of a bold and immersive fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.
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4.0
Jasmine Verville
Created 4 months agoShare
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“Enjoyable story! A little more brutal then expected. I will read the second book in the serie for sure. I loved the relationship between the characters and the sisterhood. The end was predictable but still enjoyed my time reading.”Reviewed in:Fantasy & Frens Book Club
Characters change and growLikable charactersEasy to read
Stefania L
Created 5 months agoShare
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“I loved this book!! The fantasy was very original and I was hooked the entire time. The only thing that felt a bit flat for me was the romance aspect. There was just a sprinkle of romance in this book and I feel that a bit more would have made this book a five star read for me. Overall an amazing book!”Reviewed in:Fantasy & Frens Book Club
Characters change and growOriginal writingComplexTwistyWell-researchedMotivationalRacismDisappointing romance
Katrina
Created 4 months agoShare
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“it was such a dark YA book, but I am already reading The Merciless Ones because I just cannot leave the world even if each blood spilled makes my skin crawl”Reviewed in:Fantasy & Frens Book Club
Characters change and growDiverse charactersAddictiveSuspensefulDark settingDarkThought-provokingAbuseViolence
Stormaggedon
Created 4 months agoShare
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“I think this is a story that plays heavily into some of the classic YA fantasy tropes, so those new to YA fantasy will have a great time trying to predict what's coming next, and long time fans will enjoy how the author takes on this tropes in her own unique ways.”Reviewed in:Fantasy & Frens Book Club
Diverse charactersEasy to readAddictiveAbuse
Nicole Howie
Created 4 months agoShare
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“I quite enjoyed this! There were parts I wasn't a huge fan of, mainly the romance aspect, which wasn't expanded upon enough to make it believable, and some of the writing was a bit repetitive, like how Deka was always nauseous or throwing up and also always startled or surprised. But I really did like the plot, very interesting and engaging, and the found family aspect to this! The worldbuilding was great, and I liked the character development from Deka! I'll definitely be reading the next book!”Reviewed in:Fantasy & Frens Book Club
Characters change and growDiverse charactersEasy to readFast-pacedUnpredictableDarkThought-provokingBigotryMisogynyViolence
About Namina Forna
Namina Forna is the New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Ones series. She has a MFA in film and TV production from USC School of Cinematic Arts and a BA from Spelman College. Namina now works as a screenwriter in LA and loves telling stories with fierce female leads. Visit her on twitter at @NaminaForna and on Instagram at @namina.forna.
Other books by Namina Forna
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