In the heart of a world where belonging hinges on the color of one’s blood, Deka stands on the precipice of her destiny, her life hinging on a ceremony that will either embrace her or mark her as an outcast. With an intuition that sets her apart and a heart yearning for acceptance, she faces the ritual only to have her deepest fears manifest—her blood runs gold, a beacon of impurity, a harbinger of a fate worse than death. It is then that a stranger offers Deka a choice that could alter the course of her life: remain and face oblivion or join an elite force of warriors, the alaki, girls who share her rare gifts and whose blood runs as golden as hers. These near-immortals are the empire’s only chance against a looming threat, and Deka, driven by a newfound purpose, steps into a future she never could have imagined. As Deka embarks on a journey to the empire's capital, she trains for a battle that could save or doom them all. But the city of walls holds secrets that twist deeper than Deka’s own mysteries, challenging everything she has come to believe about her world, her people, and most importantly, herself. In this riveting tale of courage, identity, and the search for belonging, "The Gilded Ones" by Namina Forna unfolds as a mesmerizing saga of a young woman’s fight against a world that seeks to define her by her differences and her own quest to forge a destiny that is uniquely hers. Through battles fierce and revelations startling, Deka will come to find that the greatest battles are fought within, and the hardest won victories are those over oneself.