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Title details for The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna - Available

The Gilded Ones

#1 in series

by Namina Forna
Shayna Small
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TEEN VOGUE
 
"A dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold. Must read!" –Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles
 
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.
The start of a bold and immersive fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.

  • Creators

  • Series

    The Gilded Ones

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 9, 2021

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593207833
      • File size: 367985 KB
      • Duration: 12:46:38

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 780
    • Text Difficulty: 3-4

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 6, 2020
      All 16-year-old girls in Otera must endure the Ritual of Purity. Those who bleed red when cut are judged fit for marriage and motherhood; those who bleed gold are deemed impure and banished. Sturdy brown-skinned Deka is an outcast in Irfut, where villagers skew thin and blond, and she craves the rite’s validation. When the ceremony is interrupted by deathshrieks—vicious monsters with agonizing screams—Deka miraculously repels the creatures, only to be dubbed a demon. Multiple attempted executions reveal that Deka is both gold-blooded and seemingly unkillable. After two months of torture, a mysterious woman, White Hands, extends an invitation: come to the capital, where the emperor is assembling an army of quasi-immortal “alaki” like Deka to combat deathshrieks. Deka enlists, relieved to find a place where she might finally belong, but the more she learns about deathshrieks and alaki, the more she questions Otera’s patriarchal tenets and the emperor’s true intentions. Formidable heroines and a thoughtful feminist myth-ology distinguish debut author Forna’s West Africa–inspired fantasy trilogy launch. Abundant action drives the pace, while a nuanced plot advocates social change by illustrating the myriad ways
      in which society cages and commodifies women. Ages 12–up. Agent: Alice Sutherland-Hawes, Madeleine Milburn.

    • School Library Journal

      July 1, 2021

      Gr 7 Up-Deka has always known she was different, but when during the Ritual of Purity she bleeds gold instead of red, her entire village, including her own father, turns on her and kills her. Her body heals itself quickly, so they repeatedly try to kill her, but it doesn't work. When a mysterious woman offers Deka a new life fighting for the emperor in an army of "demon" women, she gratefully accepts. She soon finds out that nothing is as it seems, however, and she struggles to find out who the real enemy is. Shayna Small narrates and uses her wide range of accents to distinctly voice the characters. The frequent action sequences are performed with vigor and passion. VERDICT Give this to listeners who crave social justice issues mixed with their action.-Julie Paladino, formerly with East Chapel Hill H.S., NC

      Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:780
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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