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.
*This book was sent to me by the publisher and is my honest opinion.*
Read. This. Book. Watching Deka grow from someone who's frightened and full of self loathing to a strong, confident, leader is such a beautiful thing. I love that while Deka's transformation is swift (the book isn't that long yall), readers understand what drives her and aren't forced to suspend our disbelief for a foolish plotline. I hate teaser books. Just tell me what you did and why you're full of angst. Thanks.
This book is the first in a series (didn't know that. What am I supposed to do for a year and a half while I wait. UPDATE: Just found out the pub date was pushed back to Feb. 2021) so there's still a lot I want to know but I was plesantly surprised by the characters Namina Forna surrounded Deka with. While I would have liked to see more of them, and there's definintly potential for chracter development they didn't seem like they were created from a google character generator. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them.
We watch Deka build a family, meet a boy (because why not), learn secrets about her mother, and about herself. Deka learns that she's not only alaki, she's much much more. Deka also learns that she's being lied to and that all the training shes recieved is being used to turn her into a monster.
Release Date: February 2021
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