In times past she would have no recourse but to die death after death until one sticks-these gold-blooded girls are immortal but for one specific death, which is individual to each-but Deka luckily has another option. If it runs gold, it means that they are unpure and are subject to the Death Mandate. At age sixteen, girls undergo the Ritual of Purity during which they are bled. When she has tightened her craft a bit, I’ll happily give Forna another shot, but I think I’ll skip the rest of the Deathless series.ĭeka lives in a fiercely patriarchal society in which women are taught above else to court piety and purity. The strong ideas are disserviced by uneven pacing and tired tropes that do nothing for it. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be-not even Deka herself.I’m excited to read Namina Forna’s third or fourth book because her first, The Gilded Ones, has good ideas but middling execution.

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. Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat. They are called alaki-near-immortals with rare gifts. 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. 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. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

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. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice. 'Namina Forna Could Be The Toni Morrison Of YA Fantasy.'-Refinery 29 The start of a bold and immersive West African-inspired, feminist fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.

The gilded ones series