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The Gilded Ones

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The Gilded Ones

By: Namina Forna
Narrated by: Shayna Small
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About this listen

A New York Times best seller.

The epic fantasy of 2021, as featured on Cosmo, Buzzfeed, BookRiot, and Refinery 29. In this West African-inspired world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in Otera, a deeply patriarchal ancient kingdom, where a woman's worth is tied to her purity, and she must bleed to prove it. But when Deka bleeds gold - the color of impurity, of a demon - she faces a consequence worse than death. She is saved by a mysterious woman who tells Deka of her true nature: She is an Alaki, a near-immortal with exceptional gifts. The stranger offers her a choice: Fight for the Emperor, with others just like her, or be destroyed....

©2020 Usborne Publishing Limited (P)2020 Usborne Publishing Limited Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Literature & Fiction Multicultural Science Fiction & Fantasy

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Critic reviews

"Fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther are going to adore this one." (Buzzfeed)

"The Gilded Ones redefines sisterhood and is sure to leave readers both inspired and ultimately hopeful." (Stephanie Garber, New York Times best-selling author of Caraval)

"Debut author Namina Forna's created a fierce female protagonist you'll root for and a captivating world that feels so real you can step inside it." (Bookriot)
All stars
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Over all the person reading the story was easy to listen too. I enjoyed the story with the main character. The character development was great for all characters with the twists and turn that happen. Great book I will read again.

Good audiobook

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What a breath of fresh air. Old story revisited in really interesting way.
Loved it

Very enjoyable

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Great story, eagerly awaiting the next book. Really didn't like the narration it's a shame because the story is gripping

Loved the story

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I really enjoyed the story and the entire idea behind it. The only thing that let it down a little was some of the voices. I could occasionally hear the accents drifting between various Caribbean islands to west Africa. This however was a very minor point in what is a fun and engaging story.
Am now going to download the 2nd book and will read the 3rd once this is completed.

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾.

“Brilliant” story.

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Really strong storyline - had me hooked and dealt with some important social issues alongside it. However, I found the writing very repetitive. The main character ruminated on every little thing or interaction with the same language used over and over. It really started to grate on me from about a quarter of the way through. Character development is important but still... it was annoying to keep coming to a halt all the time to consider everything at excruciating length.

BUT I believe this book is aimed at teens so I may just be a bit old for the writing style... that said, I don't exactly spend my time listening to Shakespeare and Dickens either..... this is the first time I've given a book a negative review.

Anyway, on the bright side, the storyline, world building and lore are all brilliant - enough to keep me listening despite the above. Though I'm glad it's over and I know what happens!

Oh, also, the narrator: she was very talented and kept all the characters very distinct, but her American (which included the main character) and possibly-Irish-esc accents were jarring... which didn't help with the repetitive ruminating.

Great story. Writing style not for my age group.

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