Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.

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. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.īut 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. 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. This is an honest, spoiler free review and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I received an ARC of The Gilded Ones from Delacorte Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book has been on my radar for a while, especially since my blog tour company, Book Terminal Tours, did a blog tour for this book! Seeing everyone’s amazing reviews and gorgeous posts got me so hyped for this book and while I have some qualms with it, this book definitely lives up to its hype.

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