Justice for Tamir Rice: https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-tamir-rice-appoint-a-special-prosecutor
Trigger warnings: Racism against Deka for having dark skin, conversations about sex and virginity, graphic 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.
Review: The Gilded Ones starts with Deka anxiously preparing for a ceremony which will show whether she is pure or impure based on the color of her blood. Deka is found to be impure and is sent to be part of a community of people trying to earn their purity. From the start, we see Deka wrestle with the theme of wanting to be part of a community that doesn't want her back. She has darker skin than anyone else in her village which already makes her an outcast. The ceremony only makes the village dislike her even more. I think Deka's struggle to fit in and conform to what others want her to be will hit home with a lot of readers, and Namina does a great job of highlighting this throughout the book. Deka finds herself surrounded by fellow warriors who embrace her and fight with her.
This is one of those books that moved very quickly. I immediately fell into Deka's world and I wanted to see what became of her and her fellow alaki. I especially loved that The Gilded Ones are considered gods in this world because we get to see how some people revere The Gilded Ones and others fear them. An element I appreciated from Namina is how she handled the idea that alaki can't die. Neal Shusterman tried this in Scythe and it wasn't really done well, in my opinion. In Scythe, there's a character who constantly tries to kill himself because he knows he will be revived and there will be no consequences. This was frustrating, as someone with severe mental health issues. In The Gilded Ones, a character tells the alaki to not consider suicide. It's such a small thing, but I appreciated it all the same.
Interesting and engaging story with a great found family element.
4 howls
If you enjoy The Gilded Ones, consider checking out the following titles:
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko (YA fantasy about a girl who is sent to work for the prince until she becomes old enough and is expected to kill him)
Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee (YA fantasy following a girl who unleashes a dormant power within herself and has to deal with the ramifications)
Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries (Graphic novel about a young witch expected to join the Witch Guard to avenge her father's death)
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.
Review: The Gilded Ones starts with Deka anxiously preparing for a ceremony which will show whether she is pure or impure based on the color of her blood. Deka is found to be impure and is sent to be part of a community of people trying to earn their purity. From the start, we see Deka wrestle with the theme of wanting to be part of a community that doesn't want her back. She has darker skin than anyone else in her village which already makes her an outcast. The ceremony only makes the village dislike her even more. I think Deka's struggle to fit in and conform to what others want her to be will hit home with a lot of readers, and Namina does a great job of highlighting this throughout the book. Deka finds herself surrounded by fellow warriors who embrace her and fight with her.
This is one of those books that moved very quickly. I immediately fell into Deka's world and I wanted to see what became of her and her fellow alaki. I especially loved that The Gilded Ones are considered gods in this world because we get to see how some people revere The Gilded Ones and others fear them. An element I appreciated from Namina is how she handled the idea that alaki can't die. Neal Shusterman tried this in Scythe and it wasn't really done well, in my opinion. In Scythe, there's a character who constantly tries to kill himself because he knows he will be revived and there will be no consequences. This was frustrating, as someone with severe mental health issues. In The Gilded Ones, a character tells the alaki to not consider suicide. It's such a small thing, but I appreciated it all the same.
Interesting and engaging story with a great found family element.
4 howls
If you enjoy The Gilded Ones, consider checking out the following titles:
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko (YA fantasy about a girl who is sent to work for the prince until she becomes old enough and is expected to kill him)
Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee (YA fantasy following a girl who unleashes a dormant power within herself and has to deal with the ramifications)
Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries (Graphic novel about a young witch expected to join the Witch Guard to avenge her father's death)
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