The Merciless Ones

The Gilded Ones, Book 2

By: Namina Forna

Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers

Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The hotly anticipated epic sequel to the instant bestseller The Gilded Ones about a girl with the power to remake her world—or destroy it.

“Fans of Children of Blood and Bone, Mulan, and the Dora Milaje from Black Panther are going to adore [The Gilded Ones].”—BuzzFeed

It's been six months since Deka freed the goddesses in the ancient kingdom of Otera and discovered who she really is... but war is waging across the kingdom, and the real battle has only just begun. For there is a dark force growing in Otera—a merciless power that Deka and her army must stop.

Yet hidden secrets threaten to destroy everything Deka has known. And with her own gifts changing, Deka must discover if she holds the key to saving Otera... or if she might be its greatest threat.

The Merciless Ones is the second thrilling installment of the epic fantasy series in which a young heroine fights against a world that would dare tame her.

"This book shimmers like gold."—School Library Journal, starred review

©2022 Namina Forna (P)2022 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"This action-packed sequel is even more thrilling than the first."—Buzzfeed

"Catch up now before Forna's planned trilogy is turned into the next major movie franchise."—E! Online

"The second installment in Namina Forma’s West African-inspired fantasy series, this follow-up to The Gilded Ones doubles down on what made its predecessor so good: The rich, thoroughly lived-in world building full of details that are so unlike almost everything else in this genre space."—Paste

Great follow up to the gilded ones

***5 Stars***

Overall,

An incredible sequel to The Gilded Ones, this book did not disappoint. Fast paced with many twists and turns, many of which I did not see coming. Overall this book is a fantastic next installment in this (what I assume will be) trilogy. It’s been 6 months since the events of the first book and Deka and her friends are still fighting the empire. In the midst of it all Deka is finding out about who and what she truly is and what that means for her and her friends. Lies, Betrayals and half truths leave her in a state of wondering what the right path is. Her friends and love interest are with her, the since of found family is very prevalent and I love the relationships she has with them especially Britta and Keida.

Cover

As with the first book I love this cover, it presents such strength and beauty and is instantly eye catching.

Audio

I did listen to about half of this book on audio and the narrator does a great job, keeping the pace of the book, she has a pleasant voice and does voice work for all of the characters (I love Britta’s). I would definitely listen to more audiobooks this narrator has done.

Recommendation

If you enjoyed the first book obviously make a point of picking up this sequel, it truly is fantastic and there is no sophomore slump. There are definitely some dark elements still running through this book, but I would say that its less then the first book. More talked about in passing then seen on the page. There is still is quite a bit of violence but I would not call it gratuitous. It is YA and while there is a love interest there is not much more than a few kisses and some cuddling. If you are coming across this review and haven’t read the Gilded Ones, I highly recommend that you go read it. This story is so good and I am now a very die hard Namina Forna fan.

Where’s the last Narrator?

I wanted to get into it more but I miss the African accents and flair it’s what grew me to it the first book

Loved it!

Loved this book!

Can’t wait for book 3. It captivated me and I wish I could read book 3 now

Addictive story

Great follow up novel. I highly recommend this book. I could not stop listening . Narrator was awesome

Beautifully written!

This was a fantastic sequel to listen to. I enjoyed the unexpected twists and turns that drove this story forward. Definitely would love to see this turned into a film.

Amazing

Looking forward to part 3. I’m now a huge fan of this author. I was engaged from beginning to end.

LOVED IT

After reading the first book, The gilded ones, I was excited to read the second. I was NOT disappointed! I love her story so much! Can’t wait for the next book to come out!

Book 2

Book 2 was just as good if not better!!! Definitely a fan of the author!

Love💐

The narrator was perfect and really embodied the character, you could hear every emotion down to the character questioning things, felt real. I switched between the audiobook and physical book, this book did not disappoint with all of the plot twists that I didn’t disappoint, I cannot wait to read book 3.

Beautiful Imagery

Environmental descriptions were incredible and unique without being overly verbose. I could really create a picture in my mind. Dialogue felt a bit contrived at times, but enjoyed the overarching story and characters.

Did not love narration…could be why the dialogue felt the way it did, but it was listen-able.