The Gilded Ones Summary
Namina Forna

The Gilded Ones Overview

Namina Forna's The Gilded Ones takes placed in the fictional kingdom of Otera. In Otera, when girls turn 16, their blood is tested. Those whose blood runs gold are designated impure and are killed. When Deka's blood runs gold, she fears she will be executed. However, a strange woman appears and gives her the opportunity to join the emperor's army to fight the monstrous deathshrieks that have been assaulting the kingdom for centuries. Deka agrees to join the army to fight for her emperor and gain absolution from her god, but she soon realizes that everything she believes about herself and her world is a lie. The novel explores empathy, race, patriarchy, history, and religion.