11 must-read new YA book releases to snuggle up with in February
By Lacy Baugher
The Gilded Ones – Namina Forna
Namina Forna’s highly anticipated debut The Gilded Ones was originally set to release last spring, but the book saw its release date pushed back several times due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the buzzy West African-inspired fantasy is finally headed to shelves in February, and from everything we can tell it will be worth the wait.
In the patriarchal kingdom of Otera, all girls must undergo the Ritual of Purity when they turn sixteen. During this ceremony, those who bleed red when cut are judged as fit for marriage and motherhood; those that bleed gold are labeled as impure, before being cast out and banished from their own people
Sixteen-year-old Deka wants nothing more than to belong, but when her blood runs gold and monsters attack, she is revealed as an alaki – a race of near-immortal warrior women with special gifts. Sent to train in the capital to learn to fight the same monsters that attacked her, she will join an army of girls who share her abilities and perhaps find a place for herself in the world at last.
But the capital holds many surprises – not the least of which may turn out to be Deka herself.
The official synopsis describes the book in more detail.
"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. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs. But 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. 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. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat. Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. 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. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself."
The Gilded Ones is available on February 9.