by Namina Forna
First published 2020
Sixteen-year-old Deka's blood runs gold, a sign of impurity that will doom her in her village. But a mysterious woman offers Deka a choice: stay and accept her fate, or join an army of near-immortal warriors with rare gifts, the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat. Deka chooses to leave the only life she's ever known, embarking on a journey to the capital where she'll uncover surprises, confront her own nature, and fight for a place to belong.
Genres: adventure, coming-of-age, fantasy, young-adult
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Africa
432 pages · Paperback · Ember