The Gilded Ones

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the Ritual of Purity, a ceremony that will determine if she will become a full member of her village. Already an outcast because of her dark skin and unnatural intuition, she prays for her blood to run red, the color of purity. However, on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity, a discovery that marks her as a demon and destines her for a fate worse than death. A mysterious woman offers Deka a choice: submit to her fate or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her, who are called alaki, or near-immortals with rare gifts. These girls are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat. Deka accepts the offer and begins training, but as she journeys to the capital, she discovers that the walled city holds many secrets, and nothing and no one—not even Deka herself—are quite what they seem to be.

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