Rant & Rave- Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

 Hello Everyone!

It's that time again- this time I'll be reviewing Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart.  This was another Owlcrate book, from their rivals-themed box. This book took me over two weeks to read, but was definitely worth it!

Witches Steeped in Gold follows Jazmyne Cariot and Iraya Adair.  Both rulers by birth, they vie for the same throne.  Jazmyne is the daughter of the current ruler of Aiyca, the doyenne, but is frustrated by her mother's practices.  Countless times, her mother has sacrificed her fellow Alumbrar order members (including Jazmyne's sister) for reasons Jazmyne sees as unnecessary.  Iraya is the daughter of the previous rulers of Aiyca, killed by the current leaders in a brutal takeover. She was recently freed from prison, and seeks revenge, as well as to help her order, the Obeah.  However different they may be, Jazmyne and Iraya understand each other's value in bringing down the current doyenne, and enter an unlikely, and admittedly unfriendly, alliance. 

So let's get to the raving!

First, I loved how well-woven the relationship between politics and emotion was in this book.  Ciannon Smart illustrated this through the use of two main characters at opposite ends of both the emotional and the political spectrum. In the novel, we see time and time again how emotion influences political decisions, and the less obvious vice versa.  

Both Iraya and Jazmyne are fully realized characters, and make understandable decisions based on their emotions and knowledge.  The places where their duality were most obvious were when each character reached a crossroads and had to make a decision.  You could tell that they were heavily influenced by the beliefs and customs of their own order.  In a way, they both fit a typical fantasy novel protagonist (Jazmyne the enterprising revolutionary, Iraya the passionate orphan seeking revenge).  You find yourself rooting for both characters at different points in the book, and conflicted feelings abound.  

The language used in this book is a step up from most other young adult novels I've read.  This was a pleasant surprise, but it did periodically slow my reading speed a bit.

And the ranting:

One of the biggest problems I had with this book (and the reason it took so long to read) was the use of made up words.  I read a lot of fantasy- I know that made-up words come with the territory- but it's taken to a new level in this book.  Some made up words appear to have a dual meaning, and others are briefly described once and then not used again for another hundred pages.  I found myself having to go back and look up words multiple times.  I honestly like made up words.  I think they can add to the worldbuilding and give character to a novel.  However, even I have a limit to the amount of made up words I can handle in a book, and this novel exceeds it.

I thought the systems of magic in this book were hard to follow.  What little description there was, it seemed like it was spread out over the entire book.  I would read one piece of information, but then wouldn't learn anything else about it until much later.  I think that both this and the problem above had to do with the writing style of the book.  I'm sure it was designed to create intrigue, but instead it created confusion, at least for me.  

This one is more of a suggestion than a rant, but I wish I had known more about island culture when I read this.  As it stands, I know very little about Jamaican culture and history.  I think that I missed some subtle references I might have really appreciated by not knowing this information beforehand.  Obviously this is nothing wrong with the book, just my own lack of knowledge.

So those are my opinions on Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart.  I'm very interested to see what comes next for Iraya and Jazmyne.  The book was clearly designed with a sequel or series in mind, and I will definitely pick up the next book when it comes out.  Hopefully it will clear up some of the confusion I had with the magic systems and language, and add more to this dramatic plot.  In the meantime, I'll read up on island culture and daydream about visiting Jamaica!

A reminder for those of you reading this on email- this feature will no longer be available in a couple months.  Please reach out if you'd like to continue reading my reviews.  If you leave your email in the comments, I'll add it to my list and promptly delete the comment.  If you know me personally, message me with your email address (or just tell it to me) so I can put it on my list.

My next Rant & Rave will be for The Seventh World: Search for the Lost Keeper, another book I'll be reviewing for Paper Raven Books!  Thanks for reading, and don't forget to let me know what you thought in the comments!

Dana

Rant & Rave- Grave Importance by Vivian Shaw

 Hello everyone! 

You've made your way to my Rant & Rave for Grave Importance by Vivian Shaw.  

Grave Importance is the third book in the Dr. Greta Helsing series. Check out my previous post about the series for information on the first two books, but beware- there's spoilers. Dr. Greta Helsing is a doctor for all manner of supernatural beings- ghouls, vampires, vampyres (there's a difference), demons, mummies, banshees, etc.  In the third installment of her adventures, she is asked to take a temporary medical director position at a luxurious medical spa and resort for mummies. She discovers that something strange has been causing bouts of fatigue and dizziness in her mummy patients.  Needless to say, there's more going on than meets the eye. 

So let's rave:

I loved the way Vivian Shaw weaved multiple plotlines together to provide a seamless story.  Like her second book, I thought this book brought the plotlines together well.  I still prefer the story of the second book, but, in my opinion, this novel does a better job of hinting at relationships between different viewpoints.

I loved the inclusion of some actual medicine and Egyptian culture in this book.  It felt more like a dive into the day-to-day of a supernatural doctor, which is why I chose the series to begin with.  It connected the dots between magic, in this case based on Ancient Egyptian culture, and modern medicine.  This bridged a gap that, until this book, was kind of overlooked.  

And some ranting:

Similar to the first book, I feel like the resolution of the story was a little too "out of nowhere."  It felt almost like Greta got herself into something that was too big for her to solve, so Vivian Shaw wrote a cop out for her to get out of it.  I can't really elaborate on this without major spoilers, but if you read the books, I think you'll agree with this part of my assessment.

I like the voice of this book.  It's rational and evaluative, but snarky, with some humor thrown in.  I know, this isn't ranting, but bear with me.  I've found that this is hit or miss with readers of the series.  Here's the real ranting- I wish that the voice varied a little more between characters.  It felt obvious to me that all the characters were penned by the same person.   

And some final announcements:

My next book will be Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart.  This book comes from my rival-themed Owlcrate box.  These boxes are always an exciting part of my month! There is rarely more than one item in the box that I don't use or enjoy in some way, which was a reservation I had about getting the boxes, and I highly recommend them (and no, they aren't paying me to say that). 

A friend of mine from my time in the Peace Corps, Danielle Timmons, just published a memoir called God, Love and Mototaxis. I've read it and, with the exception of a few grammatical errors, it's a good, fast read.  It's available on Amazon for anyone that's interested in supporting her on her latest venture. 

If you are getting notifications for this blog via email, you will stop receiving email notifications for new content in July.  Since I'm not particularly tech savvy, I can't figure out how to export your email addresses to a list I can use to continue sending emails.  If you'd like to continue receiving emails, please let me know your email address, either in the comments section or in person.  Once your address has been added to the list, I will delete the comment, so don't worry about it being online forever.

Dana

Rant & Rave- Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley

 Hello, Hello!

It's that time again- when I tell you my (almost) spoiler-free thoughts on Adrienne Tooley's Sweet and Bitter Magic!  I say almost because there is a couple minor spoilers in this one.  Don't worry though, I'll give you plenty of warning so you can skip over it if you don't want any information on the book.  I have to be honest, I absolutely loved this book, so my ranting column is going to be a little thin on this one.  I finished the book in about four days, if that's any indication. 

Sweet and Bitter magic is the story of an unlikely pair- Tamsin the witch and Wren the source.  Tamsin is a witch banished from her homeland and cursed to never feel love.  Tamsin's backstory is complicated (and too much of a spoiler to put in here), but she now resides in a small town, making a living performing feats of magic for the townsfolk in exchange for a taste of their love.  Wren is a source, a person made of magic that witches can draw power from, but who, themselves, cannot use magic.  Sources are rare, and Wren has spent her entire life hiding from the world of magic so she can care for her ailing father, who happens to blame witches and all things magic for her brother's and mother's deaths.  The unlikely duo pair up when Wren's father catches a deadly plague caused by dark magic; their goal- stop the spread of the plague by catching the person responsible. 

Lets get to the raving:

I could not get enough of these characters! Throughout the book Wren grows from naivety and compliance to self-prioritizing and recognition of her own strength.  Tamsin is grouchy, snarky, and, in my opinion, hilarious.  She appears cold and spiteful, but that is sort of to be expected from someone who has spent the last half a decade without being able to enjoy any of the best parts of life.  Both characters are likable and relatable on some level.  The side characters are less well-developed, but the plot centers so heavily on Tamsin and Wren that I don't think it deters from the book much.  

Minor Spoiler #1 (Skip this paragraph if you don't want any spoilers.)- This has an LGBT relationship that is completely accepted by society! The relationship is well-written, and doesn't seem like it was just thrown in to be inclusive, like some I've seen.

I think the writing in this book is excellent.  It has the perfect relationship between being straightforward and flowing well.  The vocabulary is fairly simple, but it never fails to get the point across.  I never felt like the author's voice caused me to need to slow down at all, or ever shattered the illusion of being in a fantasy world.

And now the (admittedly short) ranting:

I felt like the plot of this book, while interesting, was poorly developed.  By this, I mean that most of the book's storyline was told to you by one of the characters before you had a chance to be surprised by discovering it "in action."  I just felt like the author revealed their hand too early.  To be fair, this is pretty common in a debut novel, and it didn't severely impact how interesting the book was, but it was a little disappointing in a book I otherwise really enjoyed. 

The only other thing, and this is more of a suggestion than a criticism, is that I wish the worldbuilding included a little more information, as opposed to only what's strictly necessary to the plot. I know that not everyone will agree with this, but the anthropologist in me always wants more culture. This is especially true in a fairly generic high fantasy world seeking to stand out among great settings like Middle Earth, Sitia and Ixia, Oz, Eruvia, Westeros and Essos, and many others. 

So, a question I sometimes get is "do you want to read a sequel?" With Sweet and Bitter Magic, the answer is a resounding YES.  I want to see Tamsin and Wren again; I want to see Adrienne Tooley's plot development improve; I want to see more of the world Tooley has created.

Minor Spoiler #2 (Skip this paragraph if you don't want any spoilers.)- I'm not usually the type to just hope for a happy ending (in fact, I typically prefer darker endings, or at least a solid middle ground), but I spent this entire book wanting what's best for the characters.  I wanted them to be happy, and I was ecstatic when they finally were in the end.  I can't wait to see them face the world fully united in the next book.  (Fingers crossed that there is one!)

So that is my honest(ly raving) review of Sweet and Bitter Magic, Adrienne Tooley's debut novel! Up next is the third book in Vivian Shaw's Dr. Greta Helsing series, Grave Importance.  For those of you that need some background on the series, I have a previous blog post about the first two books.  That post does have spoilers.  As always, feel free to comment your thought about the book or my review! See you soon!

Dana

Rant & Rave- Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko, Translated by Julia Meitov Hersey

 Hi All!

Here is the much-anticipated, spoiler free, Rant & Rave for Vita Nostra, by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko, and translated by Julia Meitov Hersey.  

Vita Nostra centers around Sasha, a seemingly ordinary sixteen-year old Russian girl who is preparing to attend university.  During the summer break before her senior year, she meets a man who makes several strange requests of her.  When she doesn't comply, bad things happen to people she cares about.  As a reward for completing these strange requests, she receives special coins that later serve as the entrance fee to the Institute of Special Technologies, located in the small town of Torpa.  No one has ever heard of the school, and despite Sasha's objections, the man requests that she attend the school.  She does so, in order to protect her family, although they despise the idea.  The book follows Sasha's first two and a half years at the institute, where she quickly learns that the school is anything but normal.  The books can't be read, the lessons are obscure, and nothing can be memorized. She starts to notice changes in herself, and they aren't all for the better.  Vita Nostra is a dark fantasy novel, using psychological suspense and terror to both humanize and dehumanize Sasha in the eyes of the reader.

Let's get to the raving:

My favorite part of the book, by far, was the transcendental encounters Sasha experiences.  They are perfectly described so the reader can understand what's happening, but the experience is not relatable to real life.  Without giving too much away, there are multiple times when these encounters occur in the books, and each one is given a unique description.  

The prominent characters in the book are are well-written, with quirks and peculiarities that make sense for the character and the situation.  A common example is smoking, but pacing, going for walks or jogs, and cleaning are also used. There aren't many parts in the book that elicit a positive response, but hugging to show relief is utilized quite a bit.  I think the authors did an excellent job of pairing each main character's personality with an appropriate response to a situation.  For example, when Sasha gets into trouble with her teachers, the strict, unfeeling one smokes and yells at Sasha, while the calmer, more emotional one paces the room looking for a solution.   

This book felt almost timeless, as though it could exist in any time and place.  There are some things that restrict it to fairly modern times, such as the fact that cell phones exist or the clothing descriptions, but even these only restrict it to sometime in the last thirty years or so.  Much of the activities and classes are not bound by a specific time.  Torpa is still described as an old fashioned town, and the Institute, even more so.  I think this gives the school a certain amount of credence and mystery.  Overall, I think the timelessness adds to the darkness surrounding the book and ushers in the right psychological thriller vibe.

Finally, I think the translation is excellent.  It goes beyond merely words, to maintain the intended atmosphere throughout the book.  You can tell the book takes place in Russia, and see some Russian foods and customs, but nothing feels "out of place" as a reader from the USA.  This is an issue I've had with some other translated novels, where a custom is named but isn't explained, and therefore doesn't make sense to me without doing some outside research. Vita Nostra doesn't make many culture-specific references, but when it does, Julia Meitov Hersey explains or describes instead of merely translating the words.  

And the ranting:

I, personally, did not like the authors' voice in this novel.  This is 100% personal preference, and might have been influenced by the translation as well, but- It felt disjointed at the paragraph and section level.  Sometimes it would jump from one topic to another, seemingly randomly, or move between transcendental scenes and normal life within one sentence.  Occasionally, this was used well, such as to hint at causality, but most of the time it just felt like the reader is jumping around.  At the sentence level, I often found myself having to reread a sentence because my internal voice or tone didn't sync up with what was on the page.

Another problem I had with the book was that most of the time it felt like a "slice of life."  While this is fine in most cases, it's not what I look for in a fantasy book.  The plot was slow going and, at times, boring.  This was likely designed to build suspense, but I found it functioned in quite the opposite manner- it made me want to put the book down and do something else.  The only thing that kept me going was my own sense of curiosity.  

And, perhaps the biggest problem I had with the book, is that it didn't have much of a conclusion.  My curiosity kept me going for 400 pages, only to find out that there was no satisfying ending.  I was looking for answers, and found none.  

So my sum-up of this review is short and sweet: Do I think the book is interesting and am I glad I read it? Yes.  Am I pleased with the culmination of the book? No.  But on a more serious note- the writing of this book reminds me of The Vorrh by Brian Catling.  It is a type of fantasy that focuses more on spiritual and psychological growth than a well-planned plot.  Personally, I prefer an exciting story with a perfect conclusion.  However, I do see the value in books that focus more specifically on character growth, especially in a genre that is dominated by fanciful and ostentatious plots.  

Thanks for reading! Up next is Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley, from my witch-themed Owlcrate box.  Let me know what you think of Vita Nostra, or my review, in the comments!

Dana

Rant & Rave- The Prophesy by Phil Asmundson

 Hi Everyone!

I'm here with my spoiler-free Rant & Rave for The Prophesy by Phil Asmundson.  This is the first book in the Tuar Tums Trilogy, and the first book I'm Reviewing for Paper Raven Books!

The Tuar Tums trilogy combines mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. With a basis in southwestern Native American myths, the book follows Alexa and her friends as they attempt to discover what happened to her father.  Jeff, Alexa's father, was a treasure hunter who went missing exploring the desert for treasure twelve years ago.  Early in the book, her father returns, with some notable medical anomalies, prompting Alexa, her best friend Sharon, and her boyfriend Jack, to solve the mystery of where her father has been the last 12 years.

Lets get to the raving:

I think this book had a good balance between time spent on information that is pertinent to the plot, and time spent on parts that are intended for character development or relationship-building.  The book starts out slower, with the reader getting to know Alexa's private life and her unique voice.  This beginning has just enough mystery to keep the reader interested in getting answers.  After this, the book shifts into solving the mystery with a longer plot-heavy section.  Finally, the book jumps into an ending of self discovery and recognition of the antagonists for the trilogy, with an excellent balance between plot-driven and character-driven parts.  Like all stories, the author is tasked with fitting in both plot and character development.  Phil Asmundson does a great job of making sure neither outweighs the other.   Additionally, he ensures that there is more development of both types to be done in the rest of the trilogy.  

Normally, I don't like when a book switches between perspectives with no discernable pattern.  However, The Prophesy utilizes this technique well, ensuring that the reader has just the right amount of information, even when the characters individually don't. That being said, there are parts where it took a few sentences to pick up on which perspective you were reading from, forcing the reader to restart the section after discovering the point of view.  This is particularly common through the last hundred pages or so, when all the characters are in different parts of the desert and scenery differs very little (at least to a northerner like me).

I find that some books in a series end at a point where there is either a concrete conclusion or no conclusion at all.  The Prophesy does an excellent job of concluding in a manner that is both satisfying in a small way, and unsatisfying enough for the reader to want to continue the series.  This is hard to explain without spoilers, but I'm sure other series-readers will understand what I mean by that. 

I love that the book uses real Native American legends as its basis, and the respect it shows for Native American characters, often portraying them as wise and noble! The Tuar Tums are the Hill People in Native American lore, and this book revamps their story, giving it a science fiction twist in addition to its fantastical one. I do wish the original lore was included in the story, perhaps as a poem in the beginning of the book or in parts as a chapter heading. 

This is a short one- the language is easy-to-read and the story doesn't involve too much thinking.  There is very little multilayer plot introduced in this book, although there might be more in the following two novels as it digs deeper into the science fiction side of things.   

Now to the ranting:

By far, the most frustrating thing about this book was how unrealistic the relationships seem.  This may very well be just me and my experiences, but there seems to be a lot of gestures and behaviors that don't seem authentic in The Prophesy.  Some spoiler-free examples include Alexa blowing kisses at everyone and anyone, Jack kissing an old woman he barely knows on the cheek, and Alexa and Jack's entire relationship.  Alexa and Jack get together, after a few brief conversations, with no history, and instantly move into the comfortable stage of a relationship that typically comes much later.  It feels completely rushed and unnatural.  While Alexa's relationship with Sharon is more on point, it still feels abnormal at points throughout the book. 

Another thing I disliked in this book was that there were some grammatical errors.  I understand that things sometimes get missed in the editing stage, and I would only mention this if there were several errors.  The nature of the errors in The Prophesy ranged from missing periods to missing entire words. While I realize that this is a little nitpicky, I felt like some of the errors were significant enough to slow the reader down, and therefore are worthy of mention.

Finally (and again, I'm being nitpicky), the book describes the Richter Scale as ending at ten.  While it's true that the most powerful earthquake has only clocked in at about an 8.9, the scale is logarithmic with no end. I understand not wanting to go into elaborate scientific details as it would take away from the story, but I firmly believe that, at the very least, the information given needs to be true.  Plus, in this case, one additional sentence or even a restructure of the current sentence could give the same dire sense using information that is actually accurate. 

So those ae my thoughts on the first book of the Tuar Tums Trilogy, The Prophesy, by Phil Asmundson.  Up next will be Vita Nostra, by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko, translated by Julia Meitov Hersey.  So far its been interesting and mysterious, so I can't wait to share it with everyone!

As always, feel free to read along and to share your thoughts in the comments!

Dana

A Quick Post About Me (and an update on my reading list)

 Hi all! 

Since it's been a couple years since I first started this blog, I figured I'd give a personal update along with information about my next couple books.  

I still work in a lab as a certified asphalt binder technician, and I am in training to become a laboratory manager in the next couple years. On the home front, I have a wonderful boyfriend (who leaves supportive comments on here without realizing I know it's him), a superb group of friends, and of course my two favorite kitties, Magpie and Calley.  

In my free time, besides reading, I enjoy playing Dungeons & Dragons, MTG and Legends of Runeterra (when I'm in the right mood), and cooperative board games.  I also appreciate a weekly yoga class and jog a couple times a week, although I'm not sure I would say that I "enjoy" jogging.  Streaming services and the occasional video game are another way I spend my free time.  This past year I coached a youth cheer and dance team as well, and that was exciting because it gave me an opportunity to do something I love- choreographing dance routines- as well as help teach values and self-worth to promising young women. 

 But, back to the topic at hand- reading.  I am currently reading a book I will be reviewing for Paper Raven Books called The Prophesy.  It is the first book in the Tuar Tums Trilogy by Phil Asmundson. It is a cross between sci-fi, mystery, and fantasy.  You can expect to see a Rant & Rave about it in the next week or so. After that, I will be reading Vita Nostra by Mariana and Sergey Dyachenko, and translated (from Russian) by Julia Meitov Hersey.  This book has excellent reviews, and has been described as "dark Harry Potter on steroids with a hefty dose of metaphysics."  Honestly, with that description, who wouldn't want to read it?  That Rant & Rave will be further out, and the book may even inspire a full analysis post.

As always, feel free to read along with me if you think a book sounds interesting and share your thoughts in the comments! 

Dana

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