“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?”
Deka anxiously awaits the Ritual of Purity that will see her welcomed finally as a member of her village, or cast out forever. But, on the day of the ritual, her worst fears are realised when her blood runs gold. The discovery means she’s treated brutally and made an outcast. However in this dark and violent moment, Deka receives an unexpected offer to fight for the Emperor. From there, she journeys to the capital where more secrets lay in wait about who and what she is on the army training grounds.
The Gilded Ones is a YA Fantasy that hits in the right spots. Namina Forna brilliantly weaves a Fantasy world with strong themes of feminism, misogyny and fighting against the patriarchy. The world-building around these themes makes it a solid fantasy. Explained in an interview with Forna (here), The Gilded Ones draws inspiration from West African culture, even going so far as some of the terms in the novel being derived from the Temne language of Sierra Leone. This realistic world-building gives The Gilded Ones an enticing edge to those who love reading Fantasy with detailed worlds.
“No matter my origins, there is worth in what I am”
The women in this book are powerful, not just for their heightened abilities and battle prowess. There is sisterhood in the community of women Deka finds on the training grounds. Britta, Katya, Belcalis – I loved their individual stories, which were as diverse and powerful as the soldiers they became while learning to fight the Deathshrieks that plague Otera. The young women in this story are searching for their place in the world and their personal worth within it. You could take these women and place them in our present world and you’ll find some of their same struggles; the battle for identity, belonging and living without fear of violence.
My only irk with The Gilded Ones was that the plot was very fast-paced, almost like a screenplay. This would be fine for some readers, but I found it harder to be genuinely immersed in the world building with such brusque changes in the timeline and scenes. When I read Fantasy, I love getting completely involved in what I’m reading and at times, the pacing made that harder for me. This is not a critique, merely my observation as a reader.
“We who are dead salute you”
This book is probably up there as one of my favourite reads of 2021. I highly recommend this to young adult readers (bearing in mind the themes) and general fans of YA/Fantasy.
Content warning: this book does contain backstories featuring characters who have experienced significant violence, have been sexually abused and are processing trauma. It may be triggering for some readers.
