“No matter my origins, there is worth in what I am.”

The Gilded Ones is a strongly feminist YA fantasy. The author grew up in Sierra Leone. This is her debut novel, the first in a trilogy, although it can be read as a stand-alone book.

In the world Forna has created, girls are purity tested at age 15 with a blood-letting ceremony. If they bleed red they are deemed pure and granted a life of submission and servitude to their husbands. If they bleed gold, however, they are either sold, enslaved or killed outright, although sometimes this takes multiple attempts as the gold-blooded ones have magical self-healing properties. The torture is fairly brutal and may not be an easy read for some, but probably paves the way as an explanation for later events. Forna has said she has loosely based this on her experiences growing up in Sierra Leone during her civil war. After she is found to be “impure” Deka is finally offered an escape from her torture by the arrival of a mysterious woman who takes her to the capital city to train her as a warrior. Instead of killing the gold-blooded ones (the alakai) the Emperor has decided to use them instead to kill the deathshrieks, deadly monsters who raid the cities and slaughter people. Here Deka becomes part of a training group of ethnically diverse girls who share the same gold blood. She befriends the loyal, warm-hearted Britta, feisty twins Adwapa and Asha, and the fierce and proud Belcalis. Deka gradually makes discoveries about herself, her heritage and the special powers she possesses.

“We all have a choice right now. Are we girls or are we demons? Are we going to die or are we going to survive?”

The story was gripping, especially the first two thirds. I found the ending rather rushed and neat. I’m not a great fan of a twist that needs lots of explanation to make it plausible. The romance was probably an unnecessary addition as it distinctly took second place to the strong female friendships. Overall this was an inspiring feminist read that dealt with racism, xenophobia and misogyny along the way. I liked the way it took Deka time to come to terms with who she was, and cast off the traditional stereotypes and roles she had been raised to believe in. ( )

4 Stars

An inspiring story about overcoming oppression in a severe paternalistic society that serves only to put every female in their place, and if they’re not deemed pure enough, they’re killed. Yep. You heard that right.

Harsh. Brutal. Violent. This pulls no punches on what women in this fictional world are subjected to. Good thing there’s an ally who has put in motion a series of events that starts the beginning of the end of such a cruel and unfair culture.

Filled with a bit of magic, a brewing teen romance, plenty of legend and lore, and wondrous creatures and monsters, Deka’s journey has just begun, and I look forward to seeing how she fights for her freedom and those of her fellow sisters!

Go Girl Power!!
( )

Gr 7 Up—Deka bleeds not red but gold, the color of impurity, during her village's Ritual of Purity. Because of this
anomaly, she is offered an opportunity to join an army of alaki, near-immortals with rare gifts, fighting for the
emperor. This debut YA fantasy presents issues of social justice and is full of action and surprises.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: The Gilded Ones

In Deka’s village, young girls must abide by strict rules or else risk becoming impure. And to be impure means enacting the death mandate. Deka lives in a near-constant state of anxiety, fearing she will be impure. Having a mother from outside the village, she already stands out from the rest. When the day of the bloodletting ritual comes, disaster strikes the village and it is discovered Deka’s blood runs gold. Deka is continually subjected to horrors from the elders as they try to enforce the death mandate. Until a woman arrives at the village, offering Deka a way to leave the village behind. Deka is offered a way to use her near-immortal powers as an alaki to fight for the empire and earn purity as a reward.

The Gilded Ones is not a book for those for the faint of heart. While Namina Forna wrote about Deka's time with the village elders in a way to avoid diving into details, it is still a traumatic experience. One Deka relives throughout her time at the training grounds. However she never fully processes what occurred in the village. She buries it and the anxiety she once held. Ingrained into her mind are the beliefs of her village, and it will take Deka a while to unwind the untruths she lived.

This novel didn’t quite dwell on the emotional side of the alaki and their situation. There was a detachment when Deka was reliving the actions of the elders. Taking an almost disassociated approach to the trauma Deka endured. When a fellow alaki named Belclis shares her story, it is steeped in emotion and the pain her past caused her is quite evident. Taking the same approach to Deka’s trauma would have made her a character easier to connect with and more realistic.

Building the lore and beliefs of the world was well done. From the start, readers are shown how quickly loved ones will turn on their family if they are found to be alaki. However, the smaller details were sometimes lost within the narration. Certain aspects of the alaki, such as the signs of a true death were glossed over during action sequences. This could make it easy to miss and later on when the same situation is brought up, but no explanation is given, it’s hard to connect the dots and see the conclusions characters are coming to.

The Gilded Ones was a quick and easy read. It has wonderful battle sequences and lore. It’s a unique storyline and the abilities of the alaki are just beginning to be discovered by the end of the novel. Readers who enjoy darker young adult fantasy may enjoy this novel. ( )

Wow. This book took me a few chapters to really get pulled in, but within the first 40 pages the story has done a complete 180. What a beautiful world built out with surprises at every turn. Cannot wait to start reading the sequel!! ( )