
The Merciless Ones
Namina Forna · Deathless #2
Shares chosen one, found family, rebellion & dark magic. Same author, too.
Read-alikes
The Gilded Ones is chosen one, found family & rebellion — sweet (1/5), first-person, ending on a hard-won happy ending. These 12 romantasy read-alikes are ranked by how much they share with it, closest first — each one explained.
In the West African-inspired kingdom of Otera, sixteen-year-old Deka bleeds gold during the mandatory purity ritual — marking her as 'impure' and destined for death. A mysterious woman offers her escape: join the Alaki, an army of similarly cursed near-immortal girls, and fight the monstrous deathshrieks threatening the empire. As Deka trains and battles, she begins to uncover the true, world-upending origins of her power.
Share the most of what makes The Gilded Ones work.

Namina Forna · Deathless #2
Shares chosen one, found family, rebellion & dark magic. Same author, too.

Tracy Deonn · The Legendborn Cycle #2
Shares chosen one, rebellion, dark magic & found family.

Andrea Stewart · The Drowning Empire #1
Shares rebellion, dark magic & found family.

Aiden Thomas · The Sunbearer Duology #1
Shares trials & tournaments, found family & chosen one.

Saara El-Arifi · The Ending Fire #1
Shares rebellion, trials & tournaments & found family.

Rin Chupeco · The Bone Witch #1
Shares dark magic, chosen one & found family.

Shares chosen one, found family & trials & tournaments.

Jay Kristoff · The Nevernight Chronicle #2
Shares trials & tournaments, found family & rebellion.

Marissa Meyer · The Lunar Chronicles #4
Shares rebellion & found family.

Tracy Deonn · The Legendborn Cycle #1
Shares chosen one & dark magic.

Laini Taylor · Strange the Dreamer #2
Shares found family & dark magic.

Sabaa Tahir · An Ember in the Ashes #1
Shares trials & tournaments & rebellion.