Young Adult Fantasy: The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

 

Summary

The Gilded Ones is about a sixteen-year-old girl named Deka who discovers that she possesses gold blood which is considered to be a curse and heavily forbidden in the ancient kingdom of Otera. After discovering this at purity ceremony, she is immediately disowned by her father, her only living family member (her mother is deceased). Following this discovery, she suffers many "deaths" only to recover miraculously and reincarnate back to life (one of the most common characteristics of gold-blooded people). She soon joins a tribe of other gold-blooded women and is soon met with a major dilemma--deciding whether she should stay in her home village and be ostracized, or accept her true identity and go to war against the entities that attack girls like her.

What does the text have to do with the reader personally?

Although this is a fantasy text, readers may be able to discover some real-life topics of the book. One of them would be self-discovery. This is something that those in the targeted reading age group (grades 7 and up) are experiencing so this would be an aspect of the text that is specifically relatable to them. Another topic that readers within the targeted age group may be able to relate to is having to leave home and being in another environment that is different from everything that they have ever known. For example, a high school student who is getting ready to leave home for the first time to leave for college or the military could find this aspect of the text relatable. Similarly, Deka is forced to leave her home and everything that is familiar to her after discovery that she is gold-blooded.

How may the text agree with or clash with the readers view of the world? 

This text addresses many social issues such as, colorism, racism, inequality, racism, abuse and other forms of trauma. Despite the fact that the book is a fantasy book, it does shed light on all of the aforementioned atrocities that take place and educates readers about these societal issues through storytelling. Acquiring this education alone could easily enlighten readers view of the world and give them an inside view of how others may be suffering and facing adversity.

Can the reader enjoy the text as entertainment or as a work of art?

The reader can definitely enjoy this text as a work of art in particular because it is a vivid illustration of strong and powerful womanhood. The text provides many illustrious descriptions that the reader can visualize as they follow along. The text could also be enjoyed as a book of adventure as it takes readers on a journey to redemption and freedom.

Citation

Forna, N. The gilded ones. DelaCorte Press.

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