The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

3.5 out of 5 🌟Girl Power Fantasy

Full disclosure: I used to love fantasy books and I know if I'd read that book ten years ago, I would've given it 6 out of 5 stars. But after reading a lot of fantasy I couldn't stop cringe seeing yet another chosen one that proven herself/ saved the world/ fulfilled her destiny. That book is redundant to all classic YA fantasy topics but at the same time, it makes it sounds so much better. If I could forget all other titles about girls with extraordinary abilities and know only this one, I'd do that without hesitation.

Let's imagine the world driven by patriarchy where young women need to prove themselves pure in a sacred ritual when entering adolescence. The ones that fail, are condemned to death and their families are disgraced. It wasn't hard to imagine, was it?

The word created by Namina Forna resembles real people's experiences, therefore it feels personal to readers. Deka, the book's protagonist was notoriously ill-treated, disgraced, and violated only because she was born different. I fiercely rooted for her and other mistreated characters the whole book, and despite I knew how it'd end, I enjoyed the reading.

'The Gilded Ones' shows that even when you feel abandoned and fighting & killing is your whole life, it doesn't make you a monster. You are still able to love, care and you deserve to be loved and cared for. There are plenty of battles and blood-shedding in the book and the same amount of deep friendship and loving community. I loved the positive undertone of the book, whereas I didn't enjoy some aspects of the story that much.

I recommend that title to everyone who loves fantasy books and to all young girls, as the story teaches some important life lessons, plus it's really entertaining.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.

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