Forna has accomplished something really special here, equal parts subversive and fun.” - Tor “The girls are powerful, the danger is real, and the characters are engaging and diverse. “Fans of Children of Blood and Bone, Mulan, and the Dora Milaje from Black Panther are going to adore this one.” - BuzzFeed “Namina Forna could be the Toni Morrison of YA fantasy.” - Refinery 29 Add it to your library shelves to dazzle voracious readers.'- School Library Journal, starred review '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 'Catch up now before Forna's planned trilogy is turned into the next major movie franchise.'- E! Online 'This action-packed sequel is even more thrilling than the first.'- Buzzfeed ★ 'This book shimmers like gold.'- School Library Journal, starred review 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. And with her own gifts changing, Deka must discover if she holds the key to saving Otera. Yet hidden secrets threaten to destroy everything Deka has known. For there is a dark force growing in Otera-a merciless power that Deka and her army must stop. but war is waging across the kingdom, and the real battle has only just begun.

It's been six months since Deka freed the goddesses in the ancient kingdom of Otera and discovered who she really is. “Fans of Children of Blood and Bone, Mulan, and the Dora Milaje from Black Panther are going to adore. The epic, hotly anticipated sequel to the instant bestseller The Gilded Ones about a girl with the power to remake her world-or destroy it.or if she might be its greatest threat.INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER For there is a dark force growing in Otera – a merciless power that Deka and her army must stop.

But war is waging across the kingdom, and the real battle has only just begun.

It's been six months since Deka freed the goddesses in the ancient kingdom of Otera, and discovered who she really is. The stranger offers her a choice: fight for the Emperor, with others just like her, or be destroyed. She is saved by a mysterious woman who tells Deka of her true nature: she is an Alaki, a near-immortal with exceptional gifts. But when Deka bleeds gold - the colour of impurity, of a demon - she faces a consequence worse than death. Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in Otera, a deeply patriarchal ancient kingdom, where a woman's worth is tied to her purity, and she must bleed to prove it.

The gilded ones 2 the merciless ones