The Gilded Ones

Thanks to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for an ARC of this book. Honest review.Namina Forna’s debut novel had a cover that caught my eye from first glance. The cover, however, is an understatement for the beautiful and painful writing within.Deka is taken from her hometown after bleeding the gold blood of the ‘impure’. She is tortured, killed, and tortured some more in the name of religion and for the wealth her golden blood can provide. Her journey to a training ground for other alaki (presumed demons) leads her to discover her own power and strength, but also provides the challenge of accepting what she is despite being told how evil her species are all her life.The Gilded Ones doesn’t shy away from violence and gore, with graphic imagery used artfully to fully explain the struggle both Deka and the other girls and recruits go through. Forna makes you feel angry and sympathetic for the treatment of the alaki (and later something else…). She also includes an interesting take on feminism within the story, showing how a patriarchal city was created and how control is needed in every part of life. This is woven through the text and highlighted by the suffering of the characters, and their need to prove themselves. In her fantasy style, this is not thrown in your face, but built up carefully through the characters’ experiences. You feel such a bond to the group that their fight becomes yours.Much of the language of the book is haunting, and can still be related to real world struggles. The settings remind me of classic fantasy, but her new creatures and ideas elevate the story and make it her own. Deka is a great main character with excellent development in so many ways.An excellent 5 star fantasy read.

Did I read this book or did I dream it? The Gilded Ones is bold and powerful and utterly gripping. The world that Namina Forna has created is so deeply compelling and this story is an epic in every sense of the world. It's a book that just doesn't let you go. I'm still thinking about it. Still turning things over in my mind, piecing everything together, contemplating this world and its fascinating cast of characters. I'm going to be pushing this book into the hands of everyone I know. It has completely blown my mind.

** True rating 3,5/5 **Ok, I had some hurdles to overcome going through this book. Those who are closest to me will know my first issue. I just don’t like books that have been written from a first-person perspective. I don’t know what it is but there is only so many times that I can read: “I did this…I say this…I felt this,’ before losing my mind. Granted this is a personal preference at best and doesn’t say anything about the quality of the book. That quality is foremost shown in the world-building. Looking over Deka’s shoulder, who only knows the lies she has been fed for as long as she can remember, we discover more with every page we read. We learn about the hierarchy and social confines, the geography of Otera, the god (or should I say gods) that have walked the land and how everything neatly fits together. We learn about the patriarchal system that is meant to keep women down, especially those who are ‘unpure’, who are abominations in the eyes of the most high. Giving up a hint of a Handmaids tale vibe which I, for one, approve of. However, the ‘unpurity’ of these women is one of the other things I do take issue with when it comes to this book. Apparently, those women who bleed gold, are demons, forsaken by the one true god. So far, no problem. I can see that, I can accept that.   The problem starts when the author wants us to believe these women, well girls really, only find out what colour their blood runs around sixteen years old. Sure we are offered a flimsy explanation that says they are not allowed to handle knives from the time they turn fifteen. Sure we are told the richest girls are hidden away in padded retreats, safe from sharp edges. Let’s be real though, that is not the only way a girl would ever see her own blood. Show of hands from girls who had their first period before sixteen, please? Show of hands from girls who are incredibly clumsy (like me) and have had countless cuts and scrapes from paper, their own fingernails, doorposts, their own glasses, the list goes on.What happens to these girls who know they have gold coursing through their veins. Do you want us to accept each and every one of them will meekly let themselves be led to the slaughter? Yes, they have been oppressed, but to completely miscount self-preservation goes a bit far. Why aren’t girls purposely injuring themselves to find out what they have inside them? Making plans to escape this kingdom that hates them to their core. Why aren’t loving families sending their daughter away to safety? Surely not everyone hates their own progeny.While we get some answers to these questions, they are few and far between. Not to mention that the answers we do get, feel lacklustre.When we get past this, however, we are left with an interesting plot and a set of characters we quickly grow to love. I have nothing but praise for some of the Alaki. Britta my darling, Belcalis my poor damaged soul, White hands you cunning devil. The praise this book has been lauded with truly is due to your presence.The friendship between the Alaki is perhaps the most redeeming thing about this novel. The kinship between Deka and Brita. The protectiveness Deka feels over Belcalis, who certainly doesn’t make it easy for people to get close to her. The raw grief when Katya is ripped from this world without a goodbye. The unbreakable bonds, women helping women. That’s what makes this story.It is so good, it even makes me overlook the young adult romance. Which, trust me is an impressive feat.Not to say that Keita and Deka are a bad paring. They are innocent and cutesy sure, they are ‘unlikely’ lovers, those who aren’t meant to be. But, and this is a big one: they hit every young adult trope that you can think of:-       Downtrodden commoner who only recently discovered they possess immense power: Check-       Person born into nobility who shirks his responsibilities by joining the army: Check-       Bonus points for having a tragic backstory where one or more family members died a gruesome death; Check and Check-       A meeting under dire circumstances causing tension between them: Check-       Slowly falling in love as they share their vulnerabilities: Check In my humble opinion, it would have been better if these two had remained friends. No need to add a few stolen glances and rushed kisses. It doesn’t add to the story, so why add it at all.Finally, I have to talk about the plot twist. Who doesn’t like a fat, juicy one? One that seemingly came out of nowhere. ‘Seemingly’ being the keyword. A plot twist only feels satisfying if the author has sprinkled breadcrumbs throughout their story. Skillfully masking these hints that have been hidden in plain sight. Leaving you feeling duped and dumbfounded when all is finally revealed. You could have seen it all along, you should have seen it all along, but you didn’t.The plot twist in The Gilded Ones, isn’t that. The plot gets twisted alright, but there is little building up to that moment. One of our main characters isn’t who she pretended to be, fine. Making her all but omnipotent, less so. Turning sworn enemies into blood sisters at the drop of a hat, no thank you. Introducing a new, equally matched ‘race’ to suit the story, ehh I’ll pass. It just doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t fit the larger narrative.Now don’t get me wrong, overall this certainly isn’t a bad book. I would go as far as to say this is quite an exemplar debut novel. It is just that it could be much more, a lot better. If some of the plot holes were correctly addressed, if some of the side characters were given more interesting adventures, if we could just get more build-up to the grand reveal, it would be amazing. A dash more struggle during the ultimate clash wouldn’t hurt either. As it stands, it’s just ok.Who knows though, perhaps Forna will blow us all out of the water with the follow up to this action-packed debut.

This was an excellent read. I loved the world building, the mythology, magic/power, and the creatures. I could really imagine this world existing. In fact, I enjoyed reading it so much that I woke up at 5am so I could finish reading it before work this morning. It follows the general 'chosen one' trope, but there is a refreshing twist to it.The characters felt alive to me. I think I probably mumbled a few words to them as I was reading. There was quite a lot of violence and sometimes it was brutal, but there was always a reason for it; it was never just gratuitous violence. There is reference to things that could be triggering to some, like rape and sexual assault. But again, it isn't glorified at all.While there is a sequel coming in 2022, this book does not leave you hanging. There is a satisfying conclusion and a brief hint to indicate what the next book will contain. The story is well rounded and comes full circle. I'm looking forward to the release of The Merciless Ones in 2022.

I adored this read. It is action-packed from page 1 and the high stakes make it very hard to put down! There are so many secrets and lies, and the patriarchal society is built on violence and abuse. The book is full of empowered and diverse female characters, each with an individual personality. My favourites were Deka, the irregular ‘demon’ with seemingly endless power, and Britta, who is always positive despite the horrors she has witnessed. I loved that I was emotionally invested in the characters’ stories and I CANNOT wait for book 2!