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THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER! "Namina Forna Could Be The Toni Morrison Of YA Fantasy." -Refinery 29 "Fans of Children of Blood and Bone, Mulan, and the Dora Milaje from Black Panther are going to adore this one." -BuzzFeed
A dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold. Must read! -Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles The most anticipated fantasy of 2021. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice. Get ready for battle. 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 The most anticipated fantasy of 2021. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice. Get ready for battle. 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.
- Format: TradePaperback
- Author: Forna, Namina
- ISBN: 9781984848710
- Condition: Used
- Dimensions: 8.25 x 0.88
- Number Of Pages: 432
- Publication Year: 2022
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refreshing new sci-fi
Jinelle S. - 5 years 6 months agoLet me just start off by saying WOW. This was one of, if not the, most anticipated books for 2021. I waited months to get my hands on a copy of The Gilded Ones and it did not disappoint, in the slightest. I LOVED the way Namina Forna portrays Deka, and most of the other characters, as strong and powerful women. The characters were all real, with visible faults, that allowed you to relate and connect to them (Keita and Belcalis were my faves). The Gilded Ones was paced perfectly with just enough suspense, romance, fantasy, and adventure to keep you hooked from start to finish. With an incredibly full and satisfying ending, I absolutely adored Namina Forna's debut novel and cannot wait to read the rest of the books in the Deathless series! #SpringPicks
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Burning down the patriarchy
Krista F. - 5 years 6 months agoThis story is so refreshing in a genre that overwhelmingly focuses on white characters and storylines. The world Forna has created is beautifully detailed, inspired by pre-colonial West African dynasties, though twisted into a dark and patriarchal society where women are strictly “protected.” Deka struggles to come to terms with her power, which she has been told is demonic. As she strives to fit into a society that is bent on casting her out, she begins to see the cracks in it, exploring the deepest intricacies of misogyny, racism, and xenophobia. #springpicks
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“Legend is what humans call the things they do not understand.”
Jennifer E. - 5 years 6 months ago“There are four of them...the wise Southerner, gentle Northerner, warlike Eaterner, and motherly Westerner, all conquering monsters, battling rebels, raising the walls.” The ancient Gilded statues are mirrored by the modern Bloodsisters. This one has “rage--deep wells of it… That one has pain--an entire lake's worth… That one is strong, loyal, and will do what must be done.…And that one is unnatural.” The golden blood they have so long been told is cursed binds them together. “Our whole lives, we’ve been taught to make ourselves smaller, weaker than men. That’s what the Infinite Wisdoms teach--that being a girl means perpetual submission...The truth is, girls have to wear smiling masks, contort themselves in all kind of knots to please others, and then...girls die...We all have a choice right now...They called us demons, even though we are the daughters of goddesses!” “Why is freeing the goddesses so important? What will change if they come back to this world?...Everything will change...Once you wake the goddesses, they’ll make Otero [Our Terra/Earth] what it once was: a land of freedom, a land where men and women rule equally, where women weren’t abused, beaten, raped. Where they weren’t imprisoned in their homes, told that they were sinful and unholy.” But it is up to these young women whose “unnatural” golden veins run with rage, pain, and loyalty to win freedom for all--”so different, and yet all fighting in a world where they were unwanted, lesser than, despised.” As teenage heroine Deka discovers, “I realize something beautiful: this whole time, I’ve been searching for love, for family, but it’s been here, right in my grasp. No matter what happens in this new world, I have...Britta, and Belcalis, and Asha, and Adwapa. We’ll confront any problems that rise together--side by side and hand in hand--and that’s all you can ever ask for, isn’t it?”