The Gilded Ones #2: The Merciless Ones | Forna, Namina

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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER   The epic, hotly anticipated sequel to the instant bestseller The Gilded Ones about a girl with the power to remake her world or destroy it.

Fans of Children of Blood and Bone, Mulan, and the Dora Milaje from Black Panther are going to adore [The Gilded Ones]. BuzzFeed

It's been six months since Deka freed the goddesses in the ancient kingdom of Otera and discovered who she really is... but war is waging across the kingdom, and the real battle has only just begun. For there is a dark force growing in Otera a merciless power that Deka and her army must stop.
 
Yet hidden secrets threaten to destroy everything Deka has known. And with her own gifts changing, Deka must discover if she holds the key to saving Otera... or if she might be its greatest threat.
 
The Merciless Ones is the second thrilling installment of the epic fantasy series in which a young heroine fights against a world that would dare tame her.

 'This book shimmers like gold.' School Library Journal, starred review

Rezensierung
'This action-packed sequel is even more thrilling than the first.' Buzzfeed

'Catch up now before Forna's planned trilogy is turned into the next major movie franchise.' E! Online

'The second installment in Namina Forma s West African-inspired fantasy series, this follow-up to The Gilded Ones doubles down on what made its predecessor so good: The rich, thoroughly lived-in world building full of details that are so unlike almost everything else in this genre space.' Paste

 'This book shimmers like gold. Add it to your library shelves to dazzle voracious readers.' School Library Journal, starred review

Praise for The Gilded Ones

Namina Forna could be the Toni Morrison of YA fantasy.   Refinery 29

Fans of Children of Blood and Bone, Mulan, and the Dora Milaje from Black Panther are going to adore this one. BuzzFeed

The girls are powerful, the danger is real, and the characters are engaging and diverse. Forna has accomplished something really special here, equal parts subversive and fun.   Tor

Namina Forna introduces readers to an intricate, West African-inspired fantasy world. POPSUGAR

Total book candy for fans of Tomi Ayedemi's Children of Blood and Bone.   PureWow

'A dark feminist tale spun with blood and gold, The Gilded Ones lifts the veil of violent patriarchy and burns the idea of purity to the ground. Must read!' Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times Bestselling author of The Belles

Haunting, brutal, and oh-so-relevant. This book will suck you into a world where girls bleed gold, magic fills the air, and the real monsters hide behind words instead of claws.   Roseanne A. Brown, New York Times bestselling author of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin

An enthralling debut. The Gilded Ones redefines sisterhood and is sure to leave readers both inspired and ultimately hopeful.'  Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval
 
The Gilded Ones is a fierce, unflinching fantasy that marks Forna as a debut to watch. Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken

'Phenomenal and extraordinary! Forna's breathtaking use of language depicts a thrilling journey through an epic world, rife with danger and deception, as an obedient girl survives the patriarchy and becomes a warrior. Unquestionably, the best fantasy of 2021.'  Kim Johnson, author of This is My America

An epic new fantasy with heart-stopping stakes and a fierce, persevering hero, The Gilded Ones is a dazzling and powerful debut. Elizabeth Lim, bestselling author of Spin the Dawn

A poignant examination of patriarchal oppression that ensnares its reader and doesn t let go. With a compelling main character and fresh magic system, it takes you on a journey of self-discovery through a fantastically built world with a burning mystery at its heart. Kalyn Josephson, author of The Storm Crow

While elements of action and social justice are strong, there is also mystery . . . readers will find themselves awestruck with satisfying revelation, leaving both a clean ending and desire for more.
Booklist, starred review

Buchausschnitt

1

There are four of them.

Corpses. Each one female and young--around my age, if that.

They re mounted on stakes at the mouth of the jungle, the evening shadows spreading inky tendrils over their ash-colored skin and bulging, distended stomachs. They almost look like dolls . . . except dolls don t have black masks hiding their faces like funeral cowls, and they certainly don t smell putrid, like animal carcasses left too long in the sun. The stench of rot wafts past, and my stomach lurches. I don t like the odor of meat even under normal circumstances, but this--the stink of those bodies displayed among the tangle of roots and ferns . . . Sweat turns my palms slick, and a subtle tremor begins in my muscles. I focus on the necklace hidden under my armor, my touchstone in times like this. The mothers gave it to me some months ago to replace the one I inherited from my birth mother, Umu.

When I tug on it mentally, a replying vibration travels through me--an acknowledgment from the mothers: they re here with me. No matter how difficult things become, the goddesses are always there, silently supporting me.

Think we should risk takin them down, Deka? Britta s voice sounds oddly composed as it pushes against my whirling thoughts.

Just last year, she would have been in tears. She was the typical Northern farm girl then--blond, rosy-cheeked, and plump. Now, her muscles are as formidable as her curves, her skin is golden from the desert sun, and her heart is hardened against such sights. Her entire posture bristles with rage, but she remains quiet as she stares at the bodies.

I do the same, all the while steadfastly ignoring the strange heartbeat pounding in the underbrush just a few lengths from me. The person it belongs to has been there for some time now, but they re so loud, and are making so much clamor, it s obvious they re not one of the jatu--the former emperor s guards, and our sworn enemies--or any other threat, for that matter.

Perhaps they re related to one of the corpses. It wouldn t be the first time I ve encountered a grieving family member at a site like this. There are many such displays all across Otera now, warnings to women: step one foot out of line and this is what will happen to you. Each one is a bitter reminder that the longer we take to eliminate the priests and the jatu the more the women of Otera suffer and the more our friends back in Hemaira--

I dismiss the thought by regarding the corpses distended abdomens. No, I finally reply. They re too far gone. Usually, we take any female corpses we come across down from the stakes, but these girls bellies are swollen by the heat, which means they re likely to explode if we touch them.

I turn to my other companions Belcalis, Asha, Adwapa, and Katya. They are nearly indistinguishable among the towering tree trunks because of their leathery black armor, which we all wear during raids, as do the gryphs--the winged, striped desert cats we use as mounts. The sight is so familiar, I halfway expect Keita and the other uruni, our partners and brothers in arms, to stroll out of the jungle and join the group. They re off in Hemaira, however, aiding our siege on the capital s gates, which still haven t fallen after six months of relentless attack.

We continue on foot, I say. There ll be traps now.

Change, Ixa, I add mentally, speaking to my shape-shifting companion.

Deka, he agrees from underneath me, already shrinking to a smaller size. Normally, Ixa looks like a gigantic blue-scaled cat with horns jutting from its head like a crown, but for missions like these, he prefers to take the form of a small blue bird a nightflyer.

He s