A book review: The Gilded Ones
Title of the book: The Gilded Ones
Author: Namina Forna
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
Publication Date: 9th of February 2021
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Why I picked up this book:
‘To every person reading this book, know that you are the hero of your own story. You can make things happen, and you can change the world. Choose to change the world for good.’
Call it cheesy if you like, call it whatever you want really, but that sucked me right in. In the current pandemic, it is hard to feel like our lives have a purpose. Aside from work (if you are still lucky enough to have a job) and going out for a walk there has only been so much we have been able to do for well over a year now. No travelling, no visiting friends and family, no celebrations, no pointless afternoons lounging in coffee shops with your favourite books. No doing things that make you happy outside of your home.
No small acts of normality that make it feel like our lives make sense. So when an author tells me that I can make things happen, that I can have a lasting impact on this world. No matter the state it may currently be in, it makes me feel hopeful. Even if it is just for a fleeting moment. Which is all we can ask for right now, isn’t it? Small glimmers of hope, telling us we will get through this.
About the author:
Namina Forna is a young adult novelist based in Los Angeles, and the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the epic fantasy YA novel The Gilded Ones.
Originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa, she moved to the US when she was nine and has been travelling back and forth ever since. Namina loves building fantastical worlds and telling stories with fierce female leads.
Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in Otera, a deeply patriarchal ancient kingdom, where a woman's worth is tied to her purity, and she must bleed to prove it. But when Deka bleeds gold - the colour of impurity, of a demon - she faces a consequence worse than death. She is saved by a mysterious woman who tells Deka of her true nature: she is an Alaki, a near-immortal with exceptional gifts. The stranger offers her a choice: fight for the Emperor, with others just like her, or be destroyed...
Review of the book:
Ok, I had some hurdles to overcome going through this book. Those who are closest to me will know my first issue. I just don’t like books that have been written from a first-person perspective. I don’t know what it is but there is only so many times that I can read: “I did this…I say this…I felt this,’ before losing my mind. Granted this is a personal preference at best and doesn’t say anything about the quality of the book.
That quality is foremost shown in the world-building. Looking over Deka’s shoulder, who only knows the lies she has been fed for as long as she can remember, we discover more with every page we read. We learn about the hierarchy and social confines, the geography of Otera, the god (or should I say gods) that have walked the land and how everything neatly fits together. We learn about the patriarchal system that is meant to keep women down, especially those who are ‘unpure’, who are abominations in the eyes of the most high. Giving up a hint of a Handmaids tale vibe which I, for one, approve of.
However, the ‘unpurity’ of these women is one of the other things I do take issue with when it comes to this book. Apparently, those women who bleed gold, are demons, forsaken by the one true god. So far, no problem. I can see that, I can accept that.
The problem starts when the author wants us to believe these women, well girls really, only find out what colour their blood runs around sixteen years old. Sure we are offered a flimsy explanation that says they are not allowed to handle knives from the time they turn fifteen. Sure we are told the richest girls are hidden away in padded retreats, safe from sharp edges. Let’s be real though, that is not the only way a girl would ever see her own blood. Show of hands from girls who had their first period before sixteen, please? Show of hands from girls who are incredibly clumsy (like me) and have had countless cuts and scrapes from paper, their own fingernails, doorposts, their own glasses, the list goes on.
What happens to these girls who know they have gold coursing through their veins. Do you want us to accept each and every one of them will meekly let themselves be led to the slaughter? Yes, they have been oppressed, but to completely miscount self-preservation goes a bit far. Why aren’t girls purposely injuring themselves to find out what they have inside them? Making plans to escape this kingdom that hates them to their core. Why aren’t loving families sending their daughter away to safety? Surely not everyone hates their own progeny.
While we get some answers to these questions, they are few and far between. Not to mention that the answers we do get, feel lacklustre.
When we get past this, however, we are left with an interesting plot and a set of characters we quickly grow to love. I have nothing but praise for some of the Alaki. Britta my darling, Belcalis my poor damaged soul, White hands you cunning devil. The praise this book has been lauded with truly is due to your presence.
The friendship between the Alaki is perhaps the most redeeming thing about this novel. The kinship between Deka and Brita. The protectiveness Deka feels over Belcalis, who certainly doesn’t make it easy for people to get close to her. The raw grief when Katya is ripped from this world without a goodbye. The unbreakable bonds, women helping women. That’s what makes this story.
It is so good, it even makes me overlook the young adult romance. Which, trust me is an impressive feat.
Not to say that Keita and Deka are a bad paring. They are innocent and cutesy sure, they are ‘unlikely’ lovers, those who aren’t meant to be. But, and this is a big one: they hit every young adult trope that you can think of:
- Downtrodden commoner who only recently discovered they possess immense power: Check
- Person born into nobility who shirks his responsibilities by joining the army: Check
- Bonus points for having a tragic backstory where one or more family members died a gruesome death; Check and Check
- A meeting under dire circumstances causing tension between them: Check
- Slowly falling in love as they share their vulnerabilities: Check
In my humble opinion, it would have been better if these two had remained friends. No need to add a few stolen glances and rushed kisses. It doesn’t add to the story, so why add it at all.
Finally, I have to talk about the plot twist. Who doesn’t like a fat, juicy one? One that seemingly came out of nowhere. ‘Seemingly’ being the keyword. A plot twist only feels satisfying if the author has sprinkled breadcrumbs throughout their story. Skillfully masking these hints that have been hidden in plain sight. Leaving you feeling duped and dumbfounded when all is finally revealed. You could have seen it all along, you should have seen it all along, but you didn’t.
The plot twist in The Gilded Ones, isn’t that. The plot gets twisted alright, but there is little building up to that moment. One of our main characters isn’t who she pretended to be, fine. Making her all but omnipotent, less so. Turning sworn enemies into blood sisters at the drop of a hat, no thank you. Introducing a new, equally matched ‘race’ to suit the story, ehh I’ll pass. It just doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t fit the larger narrative.
Now don’t get me wrong, overall this certainly isn’t a bad book. I would go as far as to say this is quite an exemplar debut novel. It is just that it could be much more, a lot better. If some of the plot holes were correctly addressed, if some of the side characters were given more interesting adventures, if we could just get more build-up to the grand reveal, it would be amazing. A dash more struggle during the ultimate clash wouldn’t hurt either. As it stands, it’s just ok.
Who knows though, perhaps Forna will blow us all out of the water with the follow up to this action-packed debut.
What are your thoughts? Have you been in love with Deka from the moment you first joined her in the cold North? Have you been dreaming of fighting or becoming a Deathshriek? Or are you happy to leave this book series be? Is the conclusion of The Gilded Ones, satisfying enough to not leave you wanting for more? Let me know in the comment section below, and until then - just one more page!