Golden Blood (Vol. 1 Immortals Series)

What if the Dora Milaje from Black Panther lived in the universe of The Handmaid's Tale ? In Blood of Gold, meet the alaki, near-immortal warriors who fight to survive in an empire that only thinks of destroying them.

Deka lives with fear and anticipation every day. Finally, her time has come to undergo the blood ceremony, which all girls in Otera undergo. If her blood is red, like that of any human, Deka will finally be part of the village that has ignored and despised her since birth, finally be accepted, finally live a normal life... If her blood is red.

But it isn't.

The blood that flows from their veins is golden, the color of impurity. And so their fate will be to face consequences worse than death. Until a mysterious woman appears, bringing an alternative: to fight for the emperor in an army of girls like her, the alaki, beings nearly immortal and, more importantly, endowed with rare gifts.

Together, the alaki can contain the empire's greatest threat: the deadly howlers, savage beasts that raid from village to village, leaving dozens of bodies in their wake. Seeking a sense of belonging, Deka sets off for the capital, where she soon discovers that nothing is quite as it seems—not even her.

Golden Blood , the first volume of the Immortals trilogy, is a powerful and compelling feminist fantasy inspired by West Africa. Named by Amazon as the best Young Adult book of 2021, Namina Forna's debut novel became an instant New York Times bestseller.

“Formidable heroines and thoughtful feminist mythology set the debut of this West African-inspired fantasy trilogy apart.” - Publishers Weekly

“Fans of Children of Blood and Bone , Mulan , and the Dora Milaje from Black Panther will love this one.” - BuzzFeed

"Namina Forna may be the Toni Morrison of YA fantasy." - Refinery29