For there is a dark force growing in Otera-a merciless power that Deka and her army must stop. The second thrilling installment, The Merciless Ones, picks up six months since Deka freed the goddesses in the ancient kingdom of Otera and discovered who she really is… but war is waging across the kingdom, and the real battle has only just begun. Uncovering mysteries surrounding herself and the kingdom all along the way. Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs. In Forna’s first New York Times Bestselling book, The Gilded Ones, readers are introduced to sixteen-year-old Deka, who lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Join us for an action-packed online conversation with New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Ones Series in a discussion about her second installment in the series, The Merciless Ones. Click this link to attend the virtual event.

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