Otera is a strict, patriarchal society, so the transition to becoming a warrior is difficult for Deka. Her choice will not only affect Deka's own life, but that of everyone in Otera, rewriting the history they thought they knew. The Emperor hopes that this is the time for Otera to end the Deathshrieks for good. Abandoned by her family, she is given the choice to stay in her village and be tortured until she dies, or to join an army of women like her, to become the Emperor's greatest weapon in the war Otera is fighting against creatures known as Deathshrieks who are now massing at their breeding grounds as they do every hundred years. The alaki are subject to execution - the Emperor's death mandate says: 'Never allow an alaki to live, nor anyone who aids her.' On the day of her ritual, her village comes under attack and Deka is revealed to be one of the alaki. But if they do not, they are labeled alaki, monsters who are virtually immortal and have 'impure' gold blood. In Otera, adolescent girls endure a test in which they are cut if they bleed red, they are recognized as pure humans and assume their place in society. A stunning deconstruction of patriarchy in an engaging young adult fantasyscape in which a teenage girl realizes her true power and potential.Īfter years of feeling like an outcast, Deka wants nothing more than to pass through the Ritual of Purity so that she can become a recognized member of her village in the kingdom of Otera.

The gilded ones book