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A review by the_ya_assassin
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
5.0
I received an ARC from the Charleston YALL Fest 2019.
Deka . . . how to describe the inspirational heroine of this tale?
Deka is strong. She is rebellious. She is brilliant. She is powerful.
My Summary:
Deka was living a normal life as a girl in Otera before she was found to have the cursed gold. The golden blood of demons. She is imprisoned and tortured for months before a savior comes: "White Hands" as Deka calls her. She is given the option to remain trapped or to become a weapon for the king. She chooses life. White Hands delivers her to the Jor Hall, which leads Deka to Wathu Bera, a training camp for alaki like her. Or so she thinks until she begins changing and has unusual powers, even by gilded ones standards. They send her on missions to kill the deathshrieks, a terror threatening the kingdom. She begins to understand them and questions this. She is sent to the campaign against them and learns that all isn't the same as the girls were taught.
The characters are original, all girls of great power and potential (let's go strong female heroines!). The world-building could've been more explicitly explained, like the history of Otera (rulers, places, etc.) The theme, I believe, is: Don't believe everything that you hear, because it's a story that teaches you of a common belief system that is actually based on incorrect facts. The plot is your usual story with a Herald (the one that brings change), an Ally (or multiple), a hero (obvi), and a shapeshifter (a person that seems good but works closely with the enemy/ is the enemy).
My favorite quote:
"'Kill them all, Deka,' she whispers. 'Kill every last one of those bastards.'
'I intend to," I reply."
In my opinion, this is one of the best books I've read in awhile. It doesn't follow the YA Fantasy standard exactly, and it brings a little bit of a whole new concept of a oppressed-women world. It is a spell-binding, binge-worthy read.
If you're a fan of this book, I recommend "Children of Blood and Bone", which is similar in the fact that there is an oppression against a ethnic group (this time, people with magic).
Deka . . . how to describe the inspirational heroine of this tale?
Deka is strong. She is rebellious. She is brilliant. She is powerful.
My Summary:
Deka was living a normal life as a girl in Otera before she was found to have the cursed gold. The golden blood of demons. She is imprisoned and tortured for months before a savior comes: "White Hands" as Deka calls her. She is given the option to remain trapped or to become a weapon for the king. She chooses life. White Hands delivers her to the Jor Hall, which leads Deka to Wathu Bera, a training camp for alaki like her. Or so she thinks until she begins changing and has unusual powers, even by gilded ones standards. They send her on missions to kill the deathshrieks, a terror threatening the kingdom. She begins to understand them and questions this. She is sent to the campaign against them and learns that all isn't the same as the girls were taught.
The characters are original, all girls of great power and potential (let's go strong female heroines!). The world-building could've been more explicitly explained, like the history of Otera (rulers, places, etc.) The theme, I believe, is: Don't believe everything that you hear, because it's a story that teaches you of a common belief system that is actually based on incorrect facts. The plot is your usual story with a Herald (the one that brings change), an Ally (or multiple), a hero (obvi), and a shapeshifter (a person that seems good but works closely with the enemy/ is the enemy).
My favorite quote:
"'Kill them all, Deka,' she whispers. 'Kill every last one of those bastards.'
'I intend to," I reply."
In my opinion, this is one of the best books I've read in awhile. It doesn't follow the YA Fantasy standard exactly, and it brings a little bit of a whole new concept of a oppressed-women world. It is a spell-binding, binge-worthy read.
If you're a fan of this book, I recommend "Children of Blood and Bone", which is similar in the fact that there is an oppression against a ethnic group (this time, people with magic).