The Gilded Ones
Namina Forna's The Gilded Ones (2020) is a dark fantasy and epic fantasy novel. Key subjects include teenage girls, rites and ceremonies, women soldiers and Epic.
Open Library readers give it an average of 4.5 out of 5 from 6 ratings, and 67 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 8 editions. It appeared on the New York Times Young Adult Hardcover bestseller list in 2021.
It runs to roughly 432 pages — 7–8 hours of reading at an average pace.
About The Gilded Ones
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.
Awards & lists
- ✦Locus Awards 2022 — Best Young Adult Book (nominee)
- 📰New York Times bestseller list — Young Adult Hardcover, 2021
Quick answers
Who wrote The Gilded Ones?
The Gilded Ones was written by Namina Forna and first published in 2020.
What genre is The Gilded Ones?
It is usually shelved as Dark Fantasy and Epic Fantasy.
How long is The Gilded Ones?
The median edition has 432 pages, about 7–8 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.
What books are similar to The Gilded Ones?
Readers who like it often enjoy A Little Hatred, Daughter of Smoke and Bone and All the Stars and Teeth.
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