An epic new fantasy with heart-stopping stakes and a fierce, persevering hero, The Gilded Ones is a dazzling and powerful debut.”—Elizabeth Lim, bestsellingauthor of Spin the Dawn Time trial trophy required to reach Afilaor, Sentinel Of The Emery boss fight under 30 minutes after you start the game.

I do think this was a connector novel as Deka discovers more truths within her own world about the gods and magic, it does become a very interesting mystery. Sadly, this really didn’t live up to its predecessor and falls into several of the traps and issues that second books in a trilogy suffer from: super powered MC, contrived plotting meant to force a turning point in the series, large info dumps for a super expanded world, slow pacing. An enthralling debut. The Gilded Ones redefines sisterhood and is sure to leave readers both inspired and ultimately hopeful.”—Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval If you enjoy fantasy fiction then this is a great read. The good news is that it has been left open for a third book in the series and I cannot wait for the next instalment. Content of note: violence, sexual assault. Imani Jade Powers does a phenomenal job with the narration of this story. The variation in the pace and pitch of her reading effortlessly conveys the intensity and sentiments of the story. On top of this, cute accents and voices are done for the various characters, making the audiobook more entertaining.A dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold, The Gilded Ones lifts the veil of violent patriarchy and burns the idea of purity to the ground. Must read!”—DhonielleClayton, New York Times Bestselling author of The Belles This book shimmers like gold. Add it to your library shelves to dazzle voracious readers.”— School Library Journal, starred review

Firstly, I struggled with Deka’s behaviour and decision making, over and over again. For an immortally super-powered warrior woman, she certainly became inept or unconscious a hell of a lot. There was also one or more emotionally charged breakdowns in there too, which, sure, made sense considering the devastation she faced and the weight of responsibility on her shoulders, but it still felt a tad out of place at times. Had it not been for the calming, logical, rational minds of her closest friends—I’m looking at you Keita, Britta and Belcalis—I fear Deka’s choices/behaviour may have ended the story in a whole different way. Ich fand es hier etwas schade, dass es so viele Parallelen zum ersten Band gab, also die Plottwists kommen alle aus der gleichen Richtung, sodass es mich kaum noch überraschen konnte. Man muss sich schon wieder an neue Regeln gewöhnen, aber das hat mir auch nicht so viel ausgemacht, schließlich galten die alten Regeln ja auch noch nicht so lange. Make no bones about it, this world is not nice and it certainly isn’t pretty. Having fought valiantly to sever the bonds that held her prisoner, Deka and her friends have escaped their cruel patriarchal society and are set to rebuild their lives with the newly freed goddesses who promote equality and peace. Lastly, with the introduction of the non-binary God, of which we now know Deka is descended from, or their “first born”, and discussion that Deka’s human body is decaying and breaking down, her vessel not yet divine, it makes me wonder if we’re going in the direction of having Deka ultimately identify as non-binary. If that happens, what happens to the very specific, very detailed gendered violence and oppression that defined book 1? How would making Deka a female first be explained? Does that finish dismantling the arc and story the first book set up in the way all these new elements have already started to? It’s an interesting potential change and I feel like the author has left enough big hints that the door seems wide open.

Namina Forna Press Reviews

THE MERCILESS ONES is the second, thrilling instalment of the epic fantasy series in which a young heroine fights against a world that would dare tame her. What I continue to love about this series is the female empowerment and the diversity represented in these strong, intelligent and imperturbable core characters. And it’s in this cast of support characters—among the dearest and closest to Deka—that the story is its most engaging. Thankfully, these characters spend the entirety of the story at Deka’s side, travelling across Otera on one mission or another, so the presence of my favourites is always there, which I have no doubt helped hold my attention at times that my focus may have been further waylaid. There just were no rules for the magic system, so any character could get these random epic powers at any time. We don't even know. Magic doors. Magic artefacts. New gods. Whatever. No parameters to work with. This doesn't make the plot twists feel big and powerful -- it makes them feel convenient because there's no ability to foreshadow changes because there are no rules. Even Deka kept being like "oh i just didn't know this was possible earlier" which felt like this thin excuse for the book to be like: eh just didn't think of it in book one.

The only part that I didn't care for was Deka making these rash decisions without thinking things through and getting others hurt. I thought she'd be more mature since she's grown to be an excellent leader, but at the end of the day she's still young and learning. Hopefully in the final book, she'll listen to her friends more and be more careful with everyone's safety. The story is unending in its brutally, which always takes me by surprise (but shouldn’t), considering its target audience. The world Deka and her friends inhabit is cruel and unforgiving and it often takes me a hot minute to reconcile with the things these characters have to do to survive. Some six months after she freed the Gilded Ones goddesses from imprisonment in the mountains and promised to “fight for all the women of Otera”, Deka is alerted to the rise of a dark power that she and her army must quell, alongside adapting to changes in her own gifts.

Popular Servants Today

Whoo, these books are so good! I love these alaki girls and their battle to free all girls and women from their oppressive rulers. The mythology is so well written, with great world building and interesting characters. I enjoyed learning more about the gods and following Deka as she discovers who she is and what she's meant to do. After Deka freed the Gilded Ones and took her place by their side, life has continued to be full of battles and blood. She is the Nuru, one true daughter of the goddesses, and she is set to awaken them and bring equality to her kingdom. But things are more complicated than that, and as Deka journeys to fulfill the Gilded Ones' wishes, she will unearth many revelations that lead her to wonder whether her mothers are even who they say they are. To reveal the ramifications of this discovery would be a huge spoiler but it is safe to say that Forna is asking readers to think about feminism, and how feminism isn’t necessarily the answer to all of society’s problems. Forna leans more towards “womanism”, which she says is a more inclusive version of “quote unquote feminism”, because “it espouses a view that we are all in this together, women, men, non-binary people, trans people. We are all in this, and how do we move forward together? Yes, men 100% benefit from patriarchy but just as women are oppressed, so are men, so are non-binary people. If you want to take a look at these systems, you have to look at who sits in the middle.” There’s a lot of action in this book, but there’s also a lot of Deka’s internal growth. There’s no question she’s having a rough time with her position, whether that’s within her friend group or with the alaki or the Gilded Ones. This is a story of betrayal and trust, connections to friends and kin, and resilience. The amount of growth that Deka goes through in a relatively short period of time is rough on her (and me, the reader, as well!). There’s something about this author’s writing that just draws me in and fully immerses me in a character’s head, and it makes the joys and the heartbreaks especially poignant.

Overall, I did like the book. But I would have enjoyed it more if some parts were more detailed and others left out completely. I also would have preferred it if Deka had more of the struggle and humanity I felt from her in the first book. I'll probably read the last book, but my eagerness has wilted a bit. But the real battle has only just begun and Deka must lead the charge. Deka is tasked with freeing the rest of the goddesses. Only as she begins to free them, she begins to see a strange symbol everywhere in places of worship and worn on armor. There's something unnatural about that symbol; just looking at it makes Deka lose her senses. Even worse, it seems to repel her powers. She can't command or communicate with the new deathshrieks. In fact, she can't even understand them when they speak. There is a saying, Deka: when gods dance, humanity trembles. And a lot of dancing is happening these days. Thankfully, as the Nuru, you have a say in the direction of the dance.” With an opening that couldn’t be more arresting – “Corpses. Each one female and young…They’re mounted on stakes at the mouth of the jungle”– Namina Forna's The Merciless Ones, sequel to her powerful patriarchy-confronting debut, The Gilded Ones, presents a thrilling return to the richly-evoked kingdom of Otera. I do also struggle slightly with the writing style, sometimes I feel it’s overly descriptive in places also has quite a bit of internal monologue that gets repetitive. However, the world Forna created is as magical as it is brutal.

LoveReading4Kids Says

Find all 5 Daughters, then interact with the NPC in bed found in Streets of Wakes, so you can access and complete all 5 challenges. There is also so much talk of memories and how pain and trauma molds and shapes us, so again, it’s an interesting and almost strange choice the way the alaki and other supporting characters are seemingly forced aside like Deka no longer needs them or is too important for them, even though that shared trauma and healing was pivotal for all of them in the previous book. It's been six months since Deka freed the goddesses in the ancient kingdom of Otera, and discovered who she really is... But war is waging across the kingdom, and the real battle has only just begun. For there is a dark force growing in Otera - a merciless power that Deka and her army must stop.