Rant & Rave- The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

 Hi Everyone!

This is the promised, spoiler-free, Rant & Rave for The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna.

I got this book in my March 2021 Owlcrate box, along with some other sweet goodies. (I can't wait to see what April's box brings!) It is a young adult book centered around the adventures of Deka, a young woman coming of age in a patriarchal society called Otera.  She, like all other women, must endure a purity ritual, where she is cut open to see the color of her blood.  Women of pure blood bleed red, while those of impure blood bleed gold. Not surprisingly, the purity ritual doesn't go according to plan, and  Deka finds herself recruited to an army of the impure gathered to fight off deathshrieks, monsters that increasingly plague Otera. Her only other option is to be another victim of the death mandate, the law that allows priests to kill the impure. She has a difficult road ahead to become a fearsome warrior, a road that might make her wish she had succumbed to the death mandate instead.  

So lets start with the raving:

I think the plot of this novel is intriguing- simultaneously unique and a classic of the fantasy genre. By this, I mean that Deka's struggle is one seen by many main characters- fighting against a patriarchy to prove one's worth to be equal to that of a man.  However, the plot of this book goes beyond that to try to change society with an entire cast of strong female leads, whose contributions can't be disputed.  I won't elaborate because I promised to be spoiler-free, but just trust me when I say that this novel goes above and beyond the classic fantasy trope. 

In terms of character development, I love that this book doesn't shy away from character flaws.  Even though Deka doesn't always have the knowledge she needs or wants, she is forced to make decisions she isn't intellectually prepared for, often making what she eventually considers the wrong choice.  Instead of always justifying these incorrect decisions or having them be "for the best" in the long run, like many books, the novel sometimes allows Deka to (realistically) stew on her poor choices.  She readily admits that she is not the most talented or powerful warrior (with the exception of her special gift).   While I love Deka as a character, I hope that future books focus on other characters that are just as great.  I feel like this novel is a good summation of Deka's story, but that she has fulfilled her purpose in the history of Otera. 

The world building in this book was great! I think it accurately portrayed an early patriarchal society, but also showed cultural diversity in different regions.  The complexity of the world is sufficient, but not so complex as to add confusion.  I do hope that, should Namina Forna write other books in this world, they will focus more on other parts of Otera, or even Otera's relationships with other kingdoms.

I absolutely love how this book flirts with dark and horrible topics without sliding into a horrifying novel itself.  The message is always one of hope and betterment, but it never shies away from the terrible things that can, in this scenario, lead to growth and empowerment.  Whenever a dark topic comes up, the bright side is always the focus, even when it seems like there shouldn't be a bright side.  

 

And now the ranting:

I do wish that the book went into more detail about other characters besides Deka. We get a very basic history for most of the female leads, but it would be interesting to know more about their strengths and weaknesses as warriors, and to get more information about the male characters as well. I think in future novels, more time should be dedicated to developing side characters and their relationships to the main character, and potentially less time in the main character's own head as they process every small detail and overanalyze every situation.  I think the relationship the reader has with the main character is important, but after a few chapters, once the reader is able to "get in their head," we no longer need to read through their processing of everyday situations that don't really add to the plot.  That time could be utilized helping the reader build a similar relationship to other important characters.  

I feel like I should preface this paragraph by mentioning that I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon, Western sub-Saharan Africa, so that is where a lot of my experience with Africa comes from.  Otera is based on West Africa, but a lot of the regions and main characters seem more like westerners.  In fact, the only characters that seem to be African are shrouded in mystery for almost the entire book.  This might be because of Namina Forna's experience living in the United States, as opposed to Africa, or minimal/poor research on her part. Alternatively, this could just be an effort to appeal more to a younger and primarily western audience. This is definitely not a criticism, but I feel like claiming that Otera is based on West Africa could be misconstrued.  The southern part of Otera is heavily based on West Africa, and I support that claim wholeheartedly.  However, only a couple of the main characters are from the southern regions, and even Deka herself, though ethnically southern, was raised in the north.  The southern regions of Otera are not very well-known in the book, and it is even said that priests don't really live there and the people are kind of secretive.  In addition, what little details we do get about southern Otera are vague and could apply to many parts of the world, not specifically Africa. I do hope that another book will reveal more about this region of Otera, since there was so little about it in this novel. 

Lastly, like many young adult fantasy novels, I think this book introduces unnecessary love interests.  We are following Deka, a badass female lead that is beautiful, wise, curious, an outsider, and on top of all that, she emerges early as a leader and a fighter. She fights her naivety, the patriarchy, deathshrieks, and her own insecurities. She has more important things to think about than boys.  Namina Forna does eventually include the love interest in the plot, instead of their love just being a side story, which is commendable, but I still think that there is one too many love interests in this book. 

So overall, I really enjoyed this book.  Although I had a few issues with it, I definitely hope to see more of Namina Forna's work, and learn more about Oteran culture.  As I previously mentioned, the things I'm looking for in the next book are: 

• A different perspective- While Deka's story is interesting and captivating, I feel like the most significant part of her story has been told, and anything else will be overshadowed by what is already written.
• More worldbuilding- So far, I think the nation of Otera is sufficiently complex for a first book, but if more books are released, I would expect readers to be interested in learning the intricacies of the country.  This book rightfully focused on the details necessary for the plot, but another book will need more information, especially as the nation is re-shaped and reformed after the events of this novel.  
• A strong female lead WITHOUT a love interest- Or, alternatively, a strong female lead with a strong female love interest.
• A more concrete relationship to West Africa- While there is a small correlation to West Africa in this novel, I think a future book should cement the relationship by being more direct and clear about the details that make West Africa a unique and interesting culture. 

So there you have it!  Those are my, admittedly harsh, judgements of Namina Forna's The Gilded Ones.  Despite how negative this review sounds, (I know, I've read through it a couple times) I can't give this book enough credit for the things it does right (at least not without giving away the plot).  It is a great example of noblebright fantasy, with positive messages imbued throughout the story, even when things and characters seem at their darkest.  I hope this Rant & Rave was interesting, useful, and fun for everyone.  Let me know what you think of the Rant & Rave and/or the book in the comments. I can't wait to hear what others liked and disliked about the book! Until next time!

Dana