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lisashelves 's review for:
The Gilded Ones
by Namina Forna
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 3 stars
The Gilded Ones is a fantasy story about a group of girls forced to join the emperor’s army when it’s discovered that forbidden magic blood flows through them. They'll have to rely on their unique powers and on each other to survive the dangers awaiting them.
I loved the topics the book dealt with, but I did find it to be lacking in some ways. The book was a fun and quick read, and it was quite fast paced. I absolutely love how women empowerment and girl friends are written in this book. No girl on girl hate or anything! Some heavy topics like race, patriarchy, sexism and feminism are also handled and executed very well.
The narrative seemed a bit inconsistent to me. There were some time jumps between chapters than weren’t all that smooth, but I do prefer that above filler events. Also, in towards the end we read how Deka had gotten her answers, but we didn’t read the scenes in which she got them. This felt a bit rushed and dismissive to me. I would’ve preferred to read those scenes.
Deka is likeable and her development is believable. I did find her a bit naïve to be honest. Whenever someone told her something or gave her an answer to her question, she immediately believed them to sometimes be proved wrong afterwards. I also felt like she forgot everything that happened to her in the beginning to easily. I’m glad her eyes were opened again to that later in the book. I also really enjoyed Britta’s character, although her speech sometimes was a bit harder and a tiny bit annoying to read.
The romance was too rushed. Yes, for the characters months has passed, but because of all the time jumps it didn’t feel like that. I didn’t feel the chemistry and it wasn’t really buildup since most of it progressed off page. The friendships between the girls were heartwarming and very positive. I loved how the girls were completely different but formed a strong bond.
Overall, the book is a very easy read, and I did enjoy it. I just don’t think it is a memorable book due to the executing. The first half of the book was a lot stronger that the second and I hope the second book in the series will be better.
The Gilded Ones is a fantasy story about a group of girls forced to join the emperor’s army when it’s discovered that forbidden magic blood flows through them. They'll have to rely on their unique powers and on each other to survive the dangers awaiting them.
I loved the topics the book dealt with, but I did find it to be lacking in some ways. The book was a fun and quick read, and it was quite fast paced. I absolutely love how women empowerment and girl friends are written in this book. No girl on girl hate or anything! Some heavy topics like race, patriarchy, sexism and feminism are also handled and executed very well.
The narrative seemed a bit inconsistent to me. There were some time jumps between chapters than weren’t all that smooth, but I do prefer that above filler events. Also, in towards the end we read how Deka had gotten her answers, but we didn’t read the scenes in which she got them. This felt a bit rushed and dismissive to me. I would’ve preferred to read those scenes.
Deka is likeable and her development is believable. I did find her a bit naïve to be honest. Whenever someone told her something or gave her an answer to her question, she immediately believed them to sometimes be proved wrong afterwards. I also felt like she forgot everything that happened to her in the beginning to easily. I’m glad her eyes were opened again to that later in the book. I also really enjoyed Britta’s character, although her speech sometimes was a bit harder and a tiny bit annoying to read.
The romance was too rushed. Yes, for the characters months has passed, but because of all the time jumps it didn’t feel like that. I didn’t feel the chemistry and it wasn’t really buildup since most of it progressed off page. The friendships between the girls were heartwarming and very positive. I loved how the girls were completely different but formed a strong bond.
Overall, the book is a very easy read, and I did enjoy it. I just don’t think it is a memorable book due to the executing. The first half of the book was a lot stronger that the second and I hope the second book in the series will be better.