A review by novelheartbeat
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

4.0

This was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases! I was really hoping for this to be a 5 star book for me. While it didn't quite make it as high as my expectations, I enjoyed it a lot! The concept is really cool - I loved the gilded ones, alaki, and the deathshrieks. The narrator (Shayna Small) is FANTASTIC! Honestly, she brought this book to life and I know that I wouldn't have enjoyed it half as much as if I'd outright read it. I will be seeking out other books narrated by her for sure!

The plot was quite predictable - I saw a few things coming early on - but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story. I still liked seeing how everything unfolded.

Spoiler

The main thing I saw coming was the big twist that deathshrieks are actually alaki. I forget what tipped me off, but I figured that out pretty early!

The characters were good, not great. Deka was a decent lead, but I didn't connect to her like I'd hoped to. I really didn't care about the love interest (I forget his name, oops) or the romance at all. Britta was a good sidekick. The only one I really loved was Ixa, Deka's little cat shapeshifting friend! I want Ixa!!


This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.