Release Date: February 9, 2021
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Description
“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.”
My Thoughts
A lot of us have been waiting a long time for Namina Forna’s debut young adult fantasy novel, The Gilded Ones. Originally slated for earlier last year, the pandemic pushed it all the way into 2021. In that time, the excitement has only grown. The big question is does the book live up to the hype? Happily, the answer is “mostly yes.”…
Read the rest of this review at Tor.com.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.
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