• Home
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Comics
  • Features
    • Curation by Cee
    • Holy, Mother Cover!
    • Sincerely, Cee | A letter from yours truly
    • The Three C’s: Candid Conversations with Cee
    • You’re Just My Type | Fonts galore!
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Review Policy
    • Giveaway Policy
  • Contact

The Novel Hermit

daydreaming about books

Reviews

REVIEW • Are We Girls or Are We Demons? (The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna)

March 1, 2021 Comment : 1

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna • February 9, 2021 • Delacorte Press
Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Indiebound | Indigo

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.

myreview

I received this book for free from Random House for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

First sentence: “Today is the Ritual of Purity.”

In a patriarchal society where girls are judged by the blood that runs through them—where abuse, racism, and xenophobia runs rampant—Otera is a brutal world to live in. Deka knows that first hand. As someone who has never felt like she’s belonged in her village, Deka prays for red blood—the color of acceptance and purity. However, when the day comes when she turns sixteen, all the praying she did does not come into fruition; her blood runs gold—the color of impurity.

When Deka is given the choice to stay and be tortured and eventually killed OR leave to fight for the emperor with girls just like her, she chooses the option that will keep her alive. Deka becomes part of an elite team who’s mission is to wipe out Deathshrieks for the Emperor.

That’s when her greatest battle begins.

The lore of the alakis and the Gilded Ones will pull you in. During the Ritual of Purity, the Elders of the village make a cut in your skin to see what color you bleed. If your blood bleeds red, you are pure and accepted as an official member of the village. However, if your blood bleeds gold, you are subjected to torture and death. These girls are Alaki—near immortals with rare gifts who are descendants of The Gilded Ones, four ancient demons who “preyed upon humanity for centuries, destroying kingdoms…until everyone banded together for protection, forming Otera, the One Kingdom.” Most choose to become warriors and fight for the emperor, training and fighting Deathshrieks—beings who the emperor is intent of ridding the world of.

I enjoyed reading about the lore surrounding this world. It’s so rich with history, culture, and diversity; you see it so vividly in the way Namina Forna weaves these stories together.

The Gilded Ones tackles racism, colorism, xenophobia, patriarchy, abuse, misogyny, and much more. It can be emotionally taxing to read because it’s all things that happen (and continue to happen) all over the world. There’s so much trauma happening and a lot of raw hurt that it’s amazing to see how these girls channel that into their actions to prove to themselves that they are worthy of living in this world—that they aren’t demons. The Gilded Ones is a lot more violent and graphic than I was expecting, so warning!

The story can get vague with the descriptions on certain moments that are pivoted in developing the story. Sometimes, the book was vague exploring scenes that should be delved into like when the girls are learning at Warthu Bera—a training ground for the Alaki—and character devleopment. I couldn’t connect with some of the characters because we don’t get to delve into their character. Yes, this is Deka’s story, but everybody involved has a part in the change that happens. It makes certain moments—like Deka’s connection with Keita, her brother in arms and the Deathshrieks—feel like it came out of left field.

More friendships, less romance please. That’s what I wanted. We love to see girls supporting each other, and The Gilded Ones is exactly that. These girls are bonded—not only by the gold in their blood—but by their experiences individually and together as they try to survive a world where they are not wanted. I wanted more scenes with these girls forging close bonds with each other because it was never enough!

Did this YA novel need a romance? Not at all, especially when the romance happened out of the blue like key scenes were missing to naturally develop this budding romance. It just had no place in this story without it being cheesy. It’s like the romance was included to emphasize that regular human beings are capable of loving “monsters” like Deka.

Should you read The Gilded Ones? Yeah. Get this Western African inspired fantasy with girls kicking ass in this awful patriarchal society and dealing with the trauma that put them there. (Just a fair warning that it does get violent and graphic, so if you’re okay with that, read it!) Don’t worry that it’s part of a series; this book ends in a way that wraps up this story arc.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Previous:
MUSIC TO MY (Y)EAR • 2020
Next:
BOOKS IN HAND • What Customers Bought in February 2021

You might also enjoy

REVIEW | Things Molly Should’ve Done, But Didn’t in 99 Days
REVIEW | 1990 vs 2014: Pretending to Dance by Diane ChamberlainREVIEW | 1990 vs 2014: Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain
(ARC) REVIEW • At the Mercy of Fates and the Stars (The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi)(ARC) REVIEW • At the Mercy of Fates and the Stars (The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi)

Comments

  1. Poulami @ Daydreaming Books says

    March 1, 2021 at 9:03 am

    I have been seeing this book for quite some time now, upon seeing your review would love to pick this up. Loved your review!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Me


I’m Cee. Lover of books + comics. Bookseller. Former teen witch.

The Novel Hermit is written by a daydreamer who loves books and want to share her love with everybody. You will find YA, comics, reviews, discussions, book cover love, and lots of adoration for books. What more can you ask for?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

If you want to read more of my reviews and book cover discussions, or you want a narwhal to appear in your dreams, subscribe by email here!

Follow Me

Twitter Facebookg Goodreads Instagram Pinterest E-mail RSS

Recent Posts

  • BOOKS IN HAND • What Customers Are Buying in January 2023
  • HOLY MOTHER COVER! • Favorite 2022 YA Covers
  • MUSIC TO MY (Y)EAR • 2022
  • TOO MUCH TBR • January 2023
  • BOOKS IN HAND • What Books Customers Are Buying in December 2022

ARCHIVES

2023

  • – February (1)
    • BOOKS IN HAND • What Customers Are Buying in January 2023
  • + January (4)

2022

  • + December (5)
  • + November (3)
  • + October (6)
  • + September (4)
  • + August (4)
  • + July (5)
  • + June (9)
  • + May (8)
  • + April (4)
  • + March (3)
  • + February (2)
  • + January (5)

2021

  • + December (5)
  • + November (1)
  • + October (1)
  • + September (4)
  • + August (4)
  • + July (4)
  • + June (2)
  • + May (3)
  • + April (2)
  • + March (2)
  • + February (3)
  • + January (1)

2020

  • + December (4)
  • + November (1)
  • + October (6)
  • + September (2)
  • + August (3)
  • + May (1)
  • + April (2)
  • + March (4)
  • + February (2)
  • + January (3)

2019

  • + December (4)
  • + November (2)
  • + October (7)
  • + September (3)
  • + August (3)
  • + July (1)
  • + June (4)
  • + May (2)
  • + April (2)
  • + March (1)
  • + February (2)
  • + January (4)

2018

  • + December (3)
  • + November (3)
  • + October (2)
  • + September (3)
  • + August (2)
  • + July (3)
  • + June (2)
  • + May (6)
  • + April (11)
  • + March (9)
  • + February (7)
  • + January (7)

2017

  • + December (5)
  • + November (2)
  • + October (11)
  • + September (14)
  • + August (12)
  • + July (12)
  • + June (9)
  • + May (11)
  • + April (9)
  • + March (13)
  • + February (19)
  • + January (10)

2016

  • + December (9)
  • + November (11)
  • + October (12)
  • + September (15)
  • + August (8)
  • + July (16)
  • + June (15)
  • + May (16)
  • + April (17)
  • + March (18)
  • + February (19)
  • + January (15)

2015

  • + December (15)
  • + November (15)
  • + October (15)
  • + September (17)
  • + August (18)
  • + July (17)
  • + June (14)
  • + May (16)
  • + April (15)
  • + March (14)
  • + February (15)
  • + January (14)

2014

  • + December (14)
  • + November (14)
  • + October (13)
  • + September (11)
  • + August (14)
  • + July (14)
  • + June (14)
  • + May (17)
  • + April (9)
  • + March (18)
  • + February (19)
  • + January (21)

2013

  • + December (18)
  • + November (17)
  • + October (21)
  • + September (18)
  • + August (16)
  • + July (17)
  • + June (15)
  • + May (11)
  • + April (6)
  • + March (7)
  • + February (4)
  • + January (2)

2012

  • + December (2)

Disclaimer

All of the books I review either have been purchased by me, borrowed from the library, and sent to me by the publisher (the latter of which I will note).

All the words and opinions in this blog are my own. I am not paid to write reviews. Synopsis are taken from either the back of the book or from Goodreads.com.

Any use and/or duplication of my material without permission from me (the author and owner of The Novel Hermit blog) is strictly prohibited.

2023 The Novel Hermit. All Rights Reserved. Design by SkyandStars.co
Back Top

Copyright © 2023 · Yoon Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in