Eternal Ones by Namina Forna
Wow. You know it was a good book when you get to the end and are just left sitting there still savouring everything that happened, not yet ready to return to the real world.
Following the tumultuous events of The Merciless Ones (no spoilers here in case you haven’t read it yet), Deka and White Hands have split up in the quest to find Deka’s kelai the source of her divinity so that she can ascend as a God and slay the Oteran pantheon of gods who are so desperate to hold onto their power, they are bleeding Otera dry. Alongside the fierce fighting on the battlefields, Deka has her own internal struggle as she wrestles with the decision she must ultimately make. By becoming a god eternal, she saves the world but will lose her friends and her true love Keita.
This trilogy has been brilliantly crafted with this last book’s plot twisting and turning all the way through to a such a satisfying ending; it feels so complete. As you weave your way through, it is full of action without being rushed, has constant twists without being over complicated and one can identify fully with the characters, their feelings, what they must be suffering. Countless times I wondered how they would get out of a situation and was never disappointed. Namina’s imagination and writing are fantastic. This is truly a perfect ending to the Gilded Ones trilogy and I look forward to her next project.
