The Gilded Ones

“Who better to fight a monster than another monster?”

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley. Trigger warning for violence against women, including rape, torture, and dismemberment. This review contains some vague spoilers.)

I grin from ear to ear when a dewdrop descends slowly before me, its crystalline beauty easily perceptible by my sharpened vision. I’ve never felt this happy before. Never felt this free.

“Is this what birds feel like?” Britta shouts excitedly. “No wonder they never wanted us to run.”

And I stumble, the reminder as piercing as an arrow. the Infinite Wisdoms forbid running, as they do most things that don't prepare girls for marriage and serving their families. According to show more them, girls can’t shout, drink, ride horses, go to school, learn a trade, learn to fight, move about without a male guardian. We can’t do anything that doesn’t somehow relate to having a husband and family and serving them. Elder Durkas always told us that’s because they’re trying to show us how to live happy, righteous lives.

What if it’s meant to cage us instead?

###

“The Gilded Ones...,” Belcalis says, finishing Britta’s question. There’s no question about it when those veins are so unmistakable, as are the other things: the pregnant belly of the Westerner, the Southerner’s darkness, the pale glow of the Northerner, the scaled armor of the Easterner, wings protruding from it.

“They don’t look like demons at all,” Britta says, shocked. “They look like—”

“Gods,” I whisper, thinking of all the statues of Oyomo I’ve seen, glowering down at us from the corners of temples. “They look like gods.”

###

Keita accepts me as I am—loves me. He doesn’t have to say the words, but I feel them. I feel them in the way he cradles my severed head so gently, even though the very act of holding it should horrify him.

###

Sixteen-year-old Deka of Irfut lives in Otera, a fantastical world that looks little like our own ... and yet still feels painfully familiar.

Long ago, Otera was simply a collection independent villages and kingdoms, loosely divided into four regions: north, south, east, and west. That is, until the humans banded together to defeat The Gilded Ones, four demons who were terrorizing humanity, as powerful as they were bloodthirsty. Ever since, Otera has remained a theocracy: ruled by an emperor, and governed by the Infinite Wisdoms.

Otera is a deeply patriarchal society; women are meant to be wives and mothers, and little else. The prohibitions on female activity are endless: women and girls cannot run, laugh, ride horses, drink, receive an education or learn a trade, fight, leave the house without a male chaperone, be seen in public without a mask after a certain age, work outside the home, or have an opinion. "Women were created to be helpmeets to men, subservient to their desires and commands" - after all, it's right there in the Infinite Wisdoms.

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While this misogyny is the bread and butter of feminist dystopian fiction, Forna throws in an extra little twist, in the form of the Ritual of Purity. Every year, all the sixteen-year-old girls in the village are rounded up and ceremonially cut. While most girls' blood runs red, as expected, occasionally a girl will bleed gold. She is impure - an alaki, a descendant of The Gilded Ones - and, according to the Death Mandate, she must be executed. But this is often easier said than done: an alaki only has one true death, one from which she cannot recover, and it is different for each girl. Otherwise, she will simply slip into the Gilded Sleep, only to awaken weeks later, good as new.

It's here that we meet Deka, as she's on the cusp of undergoing her own Ritual of Purity. Before her turn can come, Irfut is attacked by deathshrieks: fearsome, supernaturally fast and strong creatures made of quills and leather and rage. (I pictured them as crosses between werewolves and porcupines, maybe with a little pterodactyl and Groot thrown in.)

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Just as her beloved father is about to be slaughtered, a primal, irresistible scream wells up from the depths of Deka's soul - and the deathshrieks freeze. It seems that she alone can command them. For her troubles, she's thrown in an elder's basement, tortured, murdered countless times, and bled dry for her valuable gold blood.

Her salvation comes in the form of a mysterious woman Deka nicknames "White Hands," aka the Lady of the Equus, who whisks her off to Hemaira, the City of Emperors, to join the emperor's burgeoning alaki army, specially assembled to exterminate the deathshrieks.

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Here, she finds her true family: good-natured Britta, with the perpetually upset stomach (much like Roberta in Superman Smashes the Klan, Britta's stomach is A MOOD); sisters Adwapa and Asha who, as daughters of the high chief Nibari, only pretend to follow the Infinite Wisdoms for the benefit of visiting priests; Belcalis, who suffered more than most under the Death Mandate and knows better to trust the elite's fleeting favor; and Katya, a red-headed farm girl who wants nothing more than to marry her childhood sweetheart.

As the alaki train alongside the uruni - regular human boys who are to be their brothers in arms - Deka undertakes her own lessons in secret; White Hands teaches her how to harness her combat state to further enhance her already superhuman powers, and consolidate her control over the deathshrieks.

But with each raid, Deka cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong: with her cryptic answers, what truth is White Hands keeping from her? Why does Deka witness the deathshrieks using increasingly complicated tools - cochleans to cover their ears, armor to protect their bodies, and weapons ranging in sophistication from rocks to swords and maces - when she has been taught that they are unthinking, unfeeling brutes? And what of the shrines to The Gilded Ones the alaki warriors keep discovering along their path of destruction?

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Usually when I dread reviewing a book, it's for one of two reasons: either the story was so utterly, jaw-droppingly amazing that I fear it's impossible to do the author justice - or it's simply "meh," and I can't for the life of me think of anything to say. I bet you can guess which category The Gilded Ones falls into. This is my first starred read of 2020 - I read an early copy in April, before the release date got pushed back almost a year thanks to the corona virus - aside from a few graphic novels and a reread of Not a Drop to Drink, that is.

The Gilded Ones is like The Handmaid's Tale or The Grace Year, but cranked up to the nth degree, and with a welcome understanding of racial politics to boot. There's so much to love here: richly detailed and wholly imaginative world building; one awesome found family (that keeps growing more wondrous with each chapter); unexpected plot twists like whoah; a terribly sweet (and sometimes weirdly gross; not mutually exclusive) star-crossed romance; and a compelling, skillfully executed plot, the true feminist ferocity of which doesn't become fully apparent until the story's end. The Gilded Ones continued to surprise me to the very last page, in the best ways possible. This book is every bit as beautiful as the cover promises, and then some.

The ending also sets up a pretty epic sequel, which I'm already pining for. It was giving off a serious Fury Road vibe, which I am so here for. In the meantime, HBO? Pick this up, stat. You need a next Game of Thrones, I need some feminist fantasy to inject into my socially isolated veins, let's do this thing! (Hey, it's got to be better than bleach. Hello again from early 2020.)

On the book's Amazon page, Refinery29 blurbs The Gilded Ones thusly: "Namina Forna Could Be The Toni Morrison Of YA Fantasy." Three words, and I'll try to keep it as unspoilery as possible: Octavia. Butler. Deathshriek.

https://giphy.com/gifs/cbc-funny-comedy-26DN1AcPC2dReHuTe

http://www.easyvegan.info/2021/02/09/the-gilded-ones-by-namina-forna/ show less

I think it was interesting for a story to play with the constructs of purity in a fantasy world. As usual, only girls’ purity is called into question and the "purest" girls are the most covered with mask adorned with gold or cheaper metals. We see Deka run herself ragged trying to meet her society's standards. She tries to be as devout as she can.

Unfortunately, and understandably, Deka felt like such a sad sack the entire time. She's tortured in brutal ways and abandoned. I wasn't aware that this was a multiracial (why are there so many blonde and blue-eyed ppl? At least make it interesting, blonde and red-eyed?) fantasy world, so I was surprised at Deka being basically a magical biracial girl.

On top of the impurity bs, she's isolated show more from her mom's side of the family and further alienated. With that being said, I fully understand that Deka’s dejectedness is a purposeful progression.

The storytelling felt very slow-moving, and some readers may drop before they see Deka come to terms with herself. But my heart was gladdened once Deka did. I didn’t care about any of side characters, the allies Deka makes, though White Hands immediately piqued my interest.

The conversations between Deka and Britta just never hit for me. Very ‘we’re friends because we sit next to each other in class’ vibes. I was indifferent to Keita. But I enjoyed the lady army, the commanders and the soldiers were ruthless. the final fight scene felt so technical. The emperor was acting so hammy.

Because I wasn’t endeared to any of the characters, the reading experience was lackluster. I wonder if the author’s screenwriting experience played a part in the execution. Still, creating a fantasy story is no joke! show less

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!!

Definitely a 4.5.

CW: body mutilation, torture, talk of past rape

I have been waiting to read this book since the first time I saw that gorgeous cover. The color scheme and the stunning young Black girl on the cover impressed me immediately and I was so happy when I got the advance copy. But when the release date got pushed to this year, I decided to pick it up closer to when it comes out. And this was wonderful.

I started reading this the day after I sprained my ankle and was confined to the bed, so I really needed a good distraction. And this one turned out to be so good. The story starts off with a bang and it never slows down, keeping us engrossed in it throughout. The mythology and culture of this world is both fascinating and show more brutal, but just as we think we know something, we are bombarded with more twists and revelations and I couldn’t even imagine taking a break from the book. The writing also felt very personal and full of feeling, making us deeply invested in the proceedings and get emotional whenever something happened. The author also never shies away showing the cruelty of the people in this world, especially towards women whom they consider impure and it’s horrifying to read, but it’s also a tale of strength and survival.

Deka is such an amazingly written character. She is a young woman who has kind of been an outcast all her life and just wants to below. But then her life is upended and she is put through such ordeals that it is very despairing, but it also drives her to become a survivor. And after losing the only people she knows in such a brutal manner, the bonds she makes with her fellow survivors was a joy to watch. Her absolute trust of her fellow alaki women, who have equally suffered, and the way they all derive strength from each other was immensely satisfying to read. I am especially in love with her beautiful friendship with Britta who is a ray of sunshine among all the darkness. The bonds these women slowly form with male recruits who initially hate them is also very organically developed in the story, and it never felt contrived. And Keita and all his friends made great additions to a story which was otherwise full of misogynistic men, wanting to completely control women.

The author mentions in her note that this was her story about patriarchy and it’s vivid in every single page. This is the story of what happens when men decide they can’t have women be in any powerful positions, and what kind of lengths they will go to convince the whole population that women are meant to be subservient only. But this is also about women who can change their understanding about themselves if given the opportunity, and take their destiny into their own hands when they stand together, along with some men who are not scared to be supportive of them.

In conclusion, this is a stunning portrayal of what a brutal patriarchal fantasy world can look like, and what women can achieve when they decide they’ve had enough. It’s a story of resilience, survival and strong friendships which will definitely leave a mark on you. I feel lucky to have read such a marvelous debut and I can’t recommend it enough. show less

Trigger Warnings: Racism, xenophobia, misogyny, inequality, abuse, trauma, rape

Deka has been anticipating the blood ceremony her whole life - she prays she will bleed red blood to prove once and for all to her village she is pure and that she belongs. But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity, and Deka knows she will face consequences worse than death.

But, a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and accept her fate, or leave to fight in army made of girls just like her. Deka goes with the woman and meets other alaki, the girls who are like Deka. Alaki are near immortals with rare gifts - and they're the only ones who can stop the Deathshrieks, monsters who kill villagers. show more

Through the journey to the capital, Deka trains for the biggest battle of her life alongside people she calls her bloodsisters. There are secrets everywhere and no one is quite what they seem, including Deka herself.

I have been wanting to read this book for ages... the cover alone caught my attention and I just knew I would love it. I totally judged a book by it's cover, but this is one I could just tell I would love. I was right.

This is a super empowering YA novel that offers a large diverse cast of female characters. The main character is black and there are many black, Asian, and brown major and minor characters. All the characters were flushed out and had depth to them that made me curious to know more about them. Britta was one of my favorites, her loyalty to Deka and her humor always made me smile. Even characters I wasn't too fond of still had moments - like when the villagers were calling the alaki horrible names and saying how they don't want them here and Captain Kelechi was like, "Well then, who wants to take their place? No one? Then be quiet!".

There were only two things I had a bit of a trouble with. One was that the romance part of the novel fell a little flat for me. I felt like Deka had other worries and concerns that we focused on more... it wasn't that I didn't want or like them together, there were just more interesting things happening than that. The other part was a bit of the pacing. There would be some months that we fast forwarded through that would only be briefly mentioned by Deka. It was mostly during training and I completely understood there wasn't anything crazy going on, but I wouldn't have minded a few more details here and there.

The ending was kind of crazy and I honestly wasn't expecting it, especially since it's the first book of the series. It makes me super excited to see what the next book is going to be about though!

Overall, I loved this novel. The characters and their development were well thought out and detailed, the plot was engrossing and amazing, and the writing was phenomenal. Namina Forna put a lot of work into this novel and it shows, what an excellent author she is. I would recommend this series to fans of Children of Blood and Bone, Black Panther, and The Good Luck Girls. show less

“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 show more 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. show less

A heroine who lives in a world where women across the entire empire are subjected to wearing masks at all times and have had all their rights stripped from them. But this society is thousands of years old and nobody now questions it. After all, the empires goal is to keep the women who are descended from demons from infiltrating their society. In order to ensure this, all girls are tested at 16 to see if their blood runs gold as that of the demons. Deka is sure her blood will be red- until monsters attack her town and her blood runs gold. Usually, girls with gold blood are killed or never seen again, but the emperor has put out a new mandate, calling up the gilded ones as soldiers to fight in the war against those same monsters who show more attacked Deka’s village. show less