View Spoiler » The main thing I saw coming was the big twist that deathshrieks are actually alaki. I still liked seeing how everything unfolded. The plot was quite predictable – I saw a few things coming early on – but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story. I will be seeking out other books narrated by her for sure! 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. 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. This was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases! I was really hoping for this to be a 5 star book for me. 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.

The gilded ones book review