I would like to thank Usborne Publishing for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Usborne Publishing

Published – Out Now

Price – £8.99 paperback £3.99 Kindle ebook

Deka is a goddess-in-waiting with the potential to save her people from the brutal ancient goddesses who terrorize her kingdom of Otera. But first she must find her celestial essence - and if the Gilded Ones find it before she does, they will drain her power and tear Otera apart.

Alongside her army of friends, Deka faces the hardest battle of her life - not just with the goddesses but with her own doubts. What if becoming a goddess makes her as evil as the Gilded Ones? And is she ready to leave her earthly life and loves behind?

NB this novel concludes the trilogy that starts with The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna — Runalong The Shelves and The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna — Runalong The Shelves

The last series in a fantasy novel is the final push. Up that volcano; the big battle to fight or the amazing spell to cast. We the reader have trodden those miles with the cast and we now want the right ending. The outcomes should be just and the plots explained. It can set a high bar. I’ve loved Namina Forna’s first two books in The Gilded Ones trilogy and now get to read the conclusion in The Eternal Ones but while I am satisfied the various endings make sense I did feel that the story went a little too much for the straightforward option.

To recap Deka was once doomed to die as so many girls and young women did in her culture. She did though have a magical gift of not being able to die and so was recruited into an army known as The Gilded Ones to serve a patriarchal society. But Deka and her soldiers found that they were being used and rebelled. But then Deka found the Goddesses guiding them too also revelled in the destruction and death these acts created and Deka rebelled one further time. In this process Deka found out that the Gods and Goddesses of her world are actually part of the same being and indeed Deka has been sent to stop them. We left Deka and her team isolated and Deka in great physical pain after her last battle. The way forward is unclear.

Up to now I’ve found this trilogy inspiring and subversive. It tackled important subjects such as women being viewed a weak, cursed and property. It also explored the dangers of a society that is too binary and was not afraid to challenge views on gender and sexuality. All of that has been delivered with a big story, interesting characters and a fascinating weaving plot. On the one hand I’m impressed how much Forna was able to gather together and neatly resolve all the plot ends. Indeed this story goes even bigger as we find more gods, hidden dimensions and bigger magic. Deka is at the start at her weakest for quite some time and has to dig deep. The fates of all worlds now rely on her and her team. The stakes are high but sadly I didn’t really feel them.

So far I’ve found Deka telling us her story a compelling tale of someone finding herself and battling to decide the right answer. While didn't are some aspects explored  - Deka’s initial weakness makes her cut herself off initially its very quickly solved. Indeed as the main plot for this book arrives a lot of things just conveniently happen. While they set up hard tasks you soon start to think it won’t be too long before a solution is found which tends to be the case. The problem with god like beings is they can be very godlike and that slightly reduces the tension. In addition although still mentioned the exploration of society and how women have been treated feels here a little subdued and not to the same level explored as in past books.

I’mvery glad to have read this trilogy and I’m very intrigued as to what Namina Forna has in store for us next but this trilogy feels to have ultimately not quite hit all its potential It’s a solid conclusion to a very interesting story but perhaps the most traditional of the three stories. Ultimately the journey has been more interesting than the very final destination. Recommended for fans of the series to date.