The Gilded Ones - Namina Forna

You know those people that can never seem to catch a break? It’s one problem after the other? That’s basically Deka’s life. 

This is a fantasy book where girls who are thought to be impure because their blood runs gold are shunned from their communities and end up being trained as soldiers for their kingdom (the alternative is death so not much of a choice). They’re stronger than the average human and can regenerate a few times, depending on one’s luck. 

Still, Deka happens to be even more different. We follow her story from when her village discovers she is ‘impure’, ‘a demon’ and all other derogatory terms used on her. She is subjected to the death mandate several times before she is rescued and taken to join girls like her, to train as a warrior. She discovers she can command deathshrieks (the creatures they are trained to fight against) which makes her an asset, or does it? I don’t want to give too much away because at the end of it all, I’m trying to convince you to read it right?

If your main goal is romance then this probably isn’t for you. I mean it’s there but like  a pinch. It’s meant to be a YA book so…

But what it does have is sisterhood, loyal friends or found family and self discovery. It can also take some time to get into it though I’d say it’s worth it.  It’s a yes for me.