“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.” - taken from Goodreads.com
I really didn't know too much about this book going in except that it has been compared to Children of Blood and Bone. What this girl power fantasy has going for it is its unique story. Deka, who bleeds gold at her purity ceremony, is immediately ostracised by her father and the entire community. Locked in a cellar, Deka is subjected to her death several times over. Deka's life is virtually Immortal. Rescued from her torture by the Lady of Equus, she and another girl, Britta, are taken to a training camp to learn how to defeat the imposing enemy.
Deka lives in a world where males dominate while females are taught to be subservient. She craves to learn more about her mother and the secrets being kept from her. Lots of secrets, intrigue, sisterhood, and a touch of romance, readers will be left in an uproar for the next segment in this trilogy.
Book two, The Merciless Ones, is due out on April 5, 2022.
Visit Namina Forna’s website.
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