Book Review: The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Whew, two reviews in one month! I can’t believe I did it! I wasn’t sure if I would make it, but I couldn’t put The Gilded Ones down. When I first picked up the book, I had no idea what I was getting into, only that the premise caught my attention. But The Gilded Ones is pure magic. Namina Forna created a feminist-driven fantasy novel, complete with a captivating world, strong characters, and heartwarming dynamics. I cannot wait to dive into this book review. Let’s get started! ♡

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna: Fast Facts

Release Date: February 9, 2021
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 415
Genre: fantasy, feminism, high fantasy, young adult
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Content Warning: abuse, captivity, death, dismemberment, gore, rape (mentioned only), sex trafficking (mentioned only), systemic violence against women, torture, violence

Synopsis

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.

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— i.

I will not die here in this horrible place. I will not die before I discover the truth about myself. I’ll survive, and I’ll do so long enough to leave this place, long enough to find someone to love me who cherishes me the way Katya’s betrothed does her. All I have to do is be brave for once.

Good lord, The Gilded Ones was one hell of a ride. The novel hooked me from the start, and when I finished it, I just wanted more. When is the sequel coming out?!

Let’s begin with the characters. Deka is not only a strong protagonist, but she invented character development. Seriously, her arc is so raw and real, probably the most authentic character arc I’ve seen in a while, especially for a protagonist. Her development is not linear or straightforward. As Deka learns more about who she is, it is not easy for her to come to terms with being “impure” or “unnatural.” She sometimes falters, feeling shame when she begins thinking that everything society has taught her was wrong. But as she becomes physically stronger, her character grows too, in every way imaginable. Eventually, she becomes confident enough to follow her own path and complete what she has to do. Deka may be physically strong, but her heart is where her true strength lies, and Namina Forna did a fantastic job in portraying that.

The secondary characters were just as wonderful. There’s Britta, who is soft, loyal, and kindhearted; Belcalis, who has strength more than anyone. White Hands, a strange character with unknown intentions, makes you want to keep reading until you discover them. Adwapa and Asha, who brighten up your day; Keita, who, as he says himself, “is full of surprises”; the remainder of the jatu, and more. I cannot think of anyone I do not like, except for characters you aren’t supposed to like. It feels like The Gilded Ones has become my new home, and these characters have become my new family. It is rare to find a novel with such a unique band of characters, but The Gilded Ones is definitely it.

— ii.

Now then, tell me—what have you decided? You have only two choices, after all: remain here, where the elders can bleed you while pretending to enforce the Death Mandate, or come with me to the capital and make something of yourself—something even those greedy bastards upstairs cannot sneer at.

There is a reason why I generally prefer high fantasy to urban fantasy, although I love them both dearly. High fantasy takes place in an entirely different world, and Namina Forna did an excellent job crafting Otera. Otera seems intimately familiar yet unlike anything I’ve read, which is what a world in a high fantasy novel should be. Furthermore, everything about this world is coherent. There are no inconsistencies, the book obeys the rules that Namina Forna created, and most importantly, you feel transported as you read. There was nothing difficult to comprehend, no beating around the bush when describing Otera’s attributes. Despite the brutal aspects in The Gilded Ones, I found this particularly powerful. The most atrocious characteristics were straightforward, even if they were horrifying. Namina Forna constructed everything about Otera so beautifully that when the One Kingdom appeared, I was ready to pack my bags and move. World-building is one of Namina Forna’s strengths, but then again, is there anything about this novel that isn’t a strength?

— iii.

The emperors of Otera have oppressed our kind for too long. Proclaimed us as demons. But now their turn has come. Once you wake the goddesses, they’ll make Otera what it once was: a land of freedom, a land where men and women ruled equally, where women weren’t abused, beaten, raped. Where they weren’t imprisoned in their homes, told that they were sinful and unholy.

Let’s talk relationships. The strongest dynamic in The Gilded Ones by a landslide is between the blood sisters, i.e., or the alaki in the Warthu Bera. This select group of girls—outcasted, shunned, and humiliated from their respective towns—came together and formed the most beautiful bond possible: sisterhood. I found the blood sisters and the love they have for each other incredibly moving. Their relationship grows stronger and more powerful with time. Many aspects make The Gilded Ones a feminist novel, but I think the one that stands out the most is the dynamic between Deka and her blood sisters. Sisterhood, women empowerment, loving and supporting women—these themes were most prevalent when Deka interacted with her blood sisters. I loved this dynamic so much.

Deka was closer with some of her blood sisters, and Britta is one of them. When Deka and Britta first met, I knew almost immediately that they would form a special bond. You can feel the sisterly connection bleed through the pages. And as someone who tries to find a romantic connection between any two female characters, this time around, it was practically impossible. That’s not to say Deka or Britta cannot be LGBTQ+, but there is nothing even remotely romantic about their relationship. From the beginning, they interact with, look out, protect, trust, and love each other the way sisters would. The Gilded Ones primarily focuses on relationships between women, and Deka and Britta’s friendship demonstrated that. I didn’t realize how much their dynamic had affected me until a particular scene toward the end. If you have read it, you’ll know what I mean.

I especially love that Keita, Deka’s love interest, does not hinder her character or the novel’s feminism. I had an inkling as soon as they became partners that something would happen between them. Their spark reverberated off the page, and once they started working together, it only grew from there. I loved how Deka and Keita’s partnership represented what Otera used to be (see the quote above). I think that’s why their romance made sense and did not ruin any aspect of the novel—their relationship is simply a representation of what Otera is supposed to look like. I was a little disappointed that some of their development happened off-page, but this only happened initially. But more on that later.

— iv.

This whole time, I thought I was the hero, the righteous savior, here to liberate Otera from the deathshriek scourge. But in reality I was a destroyer—a monster who falsely thought she was destroying monsters.

It’s one thing to build a world, but to set up a narrative in the said world is something else entirely. Namina Forna crafted a unique world accompanied by a riveting plot. The plot moves through needing answers to our questions. At first, we want to know why certain girls have golden blood and why they are called demons. Then, when Deka departs on her journey, we begin to have the same questions that she does. Who is Deka really, and where is she from? Why is she so different from the other alaki? What makes her special? And the more she trains, the more compelled we feel to obtaining these answers. A riveting plot is crucial to an excellent novel, and Namina Forna crafted it brilliantly.

The only issue I had with the storyline is for the first half of the novel, it almost felt like the chapters were fragments rather than a continuous plot. This is because of several time jumps explained by “two weeks had passed,” and the narrative would move forward as if nothing had happened. Sometimes it worked, especially since the book takes place over ten months. But other times, especially once Deka settles at the Warthu Bera, it affected the novel’s pacing and continuity. I felt like I was missing pieces from the story.

There were even a few instances when this affected the dynamics, primarily between Deka and Keita. It was a little difficult to root for them initially because most of their development was happening off-page with barely any explanation. Luckily, they began having more interactions on-page, so their relationship quickly became appealing. But this issue seemed to stop being one altogether in the second half of the novel. Other than this aspect, I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The Gilded Ones is a vibrant and engaging novel from start to finish, despite the few hiccups along the way.

— v.

“What happened to you… what happened to me—these things, they alter us,” Belcalis says. “They change us in the most fundamental ways. The emperor and his men, they can use White Hands and the rest of the karmokos to make us into warriors—they can even give us absolution—but they can never change what they did. They can never take back the horrors that have already been inflicted on us.”

I love Namina Forna’s writing. She is a talented writer all around, but she is especially good at writing dialogue. I found that the novel was at its strongest during conversations between characters. Of course, dialogue is important in most books, but sometimes, it can feel a little much or overbearing. I never felt that way reading The Gilded Ones; no matter how much dialogue there was in a chapter, that’s how good Namina Forna is. I personally prefer exposition, so for me to gush over the dialogue is a testament to how great The Gilded Ones is.

— vi.

The world is changing now. We’re going to make it change—make it better. We’re going to make sure that what happened to us never happens to anyone else.

Overall, The Gilded Ones is an absolute masterpiece of a novel, and I’m so glad I picked it up. I had average expectations going in, but I fell in love with the book. With Deka, the blood sisters, Keita, and Otera. According to Goodreads, this is supposed to be a trilogy, which I am grateful for because I am nowhere near ready to let go of these characters. Other than some unexplained time jumps that made me feel like the book had missing components, everything was beautiful. I highly recommend this book, whether you’re a fan of high fantasy, feminist novels empower you, or you’re simply looking for a new read. I think there are many aspects about The Gilded Ones that could appeal to a wide variety of audiences, so even if you don’t care for fantasy, I would recommend giving this book a try.

Final Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

— vii.

The emperors of Otera made a crucial mistake in dealing with our kind. They taught us alaki to suffer, but they also taught us to survive—to conquer. And we will use those lessons. It’s time to take up our swords once more.
Otera may be vast, but we intend to take back every last inch. It’s time to reclaim the One Kingdom and make it ours again.

But I want to hear from you guys! Did you get a chance to read The Gilded Ones? If so, what did you think of it? Are you hoping for future novels? If you didn’t read it, are you planning to? If not (although I highly recommend you should), what fantasy novels are on your radar right now? Tell me about them!

If you missed my review of Ashley Shuttleworth’s A Dark and Hollow Star, you can read it here.

And if you’re interested in acquiring new books to read (and signed by authors!), feel free to check out my latest Royal Teatime feature, where I talk about reorganizing my bookshelves (and provide information on giveaways).