Hannah H., 17The Gilded Ones, by Namina Forna, is a tale of bravery, friendship, and love combined into a page-turning fantasy novel. Our protagonist, Deka, has been brought up to believe certain ideas her entire life, and having red-blood to be pure is one of many. But when the blood ceremony comes (a ritual to test the purity of the village girls) Deka’s blood oozes a deep golden hue, making her impure. Deka’s execution shortly follows, but in a surprising turn of events her final end does not come. This sparks her new life full of unimaginable pain, adventure, and self-discovery. What sort of creature has she developed into-- one so powerful as to hinder death? Although this work has an action-based storyline that truly draws the reader in, what stood out to me in Forna’s writing was Deka’s journey in developing herself. She comes from the harshest situation, and with the help of mentors and friends, Deka turns into the greatest warrior of them all. But underneath the glory and honor, there is just a feeling that doesn’t make sense in our main-character's mind. The monsters, called Deathshrieks, that her team specializes in killing, seem to know something about Deka that she doesn’t know about herself. What piece of the puzzle is she missing in her bizarre new life of battle? In all, I truly recommend this amazing fantasy novel to anyone in the teen audience. The only negative review of this work is that I wish it was longer, for the ending could have been stretched out for more suspense. Nevertheless, it’s page-turning and action-packed chapters truly immerse you into Deka’s world. I have spent many hours reading this novel, not even realizing the time that has passed. Thank you for reading this review, and I hope that you take the time to explore The Gilded Ones! REFERENCES
CIN Catalog. (2021). Retrieved from: https://catalog.cin.bywatersolutions.com/ Book Club Discussion Questions. (2021, June). Usborne. Retrieved from: https://usborne.com/media/book_club_notes/bookclubqs-thegildedones.pdf Goodreads [Cover Images]. (2021). Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/ Hannah H. (2021, June). Teen Review. Namina Forna [Author's Official Website]. (2021). Retrieved from: https://naminaforna.com/ NoveList Plus: The Gilded Ones [Genre/Themes and Read-alikes]. (2021). Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=neh&tg=UI&an=10892051&site=novp-live&custid=s5664038 Overdrive Catalog. (2021). Retrieved from: https://cin.overdrive.com/
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