I adored The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. The heist story and plot was excellent. But it also had an amazing world building that I can see leading to more books and it was such a diverse cast of characters and history and cultures that I found really beautiful.

While I understand the connections people are making with six of Crows. I believe this stands in its own right. The diversity within it is so much more than six of Crows and heist stories were not invented with six of Crows. This stands excellent for fans of it. But also stands amazing on its own.

The fantasy is very well built based on Christianity and Egyptian mythology. I enjoyed learning about these stories. It's clear Chokshi researched well and added her own imagination into the soup. I liked the characters she created, and I think she put her own culture and her heart in it as well, which is very valuable.
I'd read again from her.
Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

A thrilling fantasy world, complex and fully developed awaits the reader here. Vivid language and lush settings conspire to enthrall the reader as fatefully as the villains and heroes who struggle to find and hold onto the truth. Hidden in a city lost to time, and distant from our own lives, a tale of trust and betrayal plays out in the mind of the reader, and lingers for some time after the final page.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me once I picked it up. However, I’ve heard amazing things so I’m sure many will love this book. I may be tempted to give it another shot in the future.

I received a free ARC from netgalley.

This fantasy heist was well researched and intelligent. The characters each had their own viewpoint. A few mysteries are solved but more questions come up at the end along with strained relationships. The fantasy is based in Christianity and Egyptian mythology that strongly reminded me of Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail.

There isn't any sex but it is alluded to as a past event. There is homosexual and heterosexual kissing.

Intersting twist on the world. I really liked the caste idea of being "marked" by the ruling personages.

There’s been a lot of comparisons between this book and Six of Crows. To me, the only similarity is that it’s a heist book.

In Six of Crows, you really get a feel for the complicated relationships of the characters. Their back stories are woven into the storyline in an appealing way.

In this book, I have no idea why Severin has earned such loyalty from his team. We weren’t given enough backstory to understand. And The flashbacks to Severin’s childhood were so confusing.

And the magical elements were difficult to follow at times. It actually reminded be more of The Palace Job.

It took me a long time to get though this one. It was slow going in the beginning, but picked up in the back half. So I have it 3 stars instead of 2. There was some nice writing at times, but this one wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It intrigued me from the very beginning, caught my attention, and held it up to the end. The creative world building and interesting characters are what made this book for me. The world of this novel is unlike any I have visited, either in life or in literature, which made it an especially engaging read. The characters are multicultural and multidimensional; there is a lot going on and each character has his/her own unique complexity. It kept me guessing and left me wanting more. Hopefully the next book in the series is not long behind!

[Review will be posted on Reader Voracious Blog on December 13, 2018.]

"Everywhere he looked, he was surrounded by gilded wolves. And for whatever reason, it made him feel perfectly at home. Wolves were everywhere. In politics, on thrones, in beds. They cut their teeth on history and grew fat on war. Not that Séverin was complaining. It was just that, like other wolves, he wanted his share."
I am a sucker for historical fantasy, and The Gilded Wolves delivers an action-packed story with a diverse cast of characters that I treasured with every ounce of my being. A secret society that pulls the strings of society (Illuminati?!)? Hunting for artifacts? Magic and technological invention when the world was on the cusp of Industrialism? Heck. Yes. If you are in the mood for an adventure with a precious found family, this book might be for you!

It's Paris, 1889. The world is at the brink of the Industrial Revolution, but there is another kind of technology that goes back way further. "The art of Forging is as old as civilization itself," and is the magic system of the book. Those born with the ability manifest it by their 13th birthday and can either influence the mind or matter.

"To those blessed with a Forging affinity, it is an inheritance of divinity [...T]o Forge is not only to enhance a creation, but to reshape it."

The former is heavily regulated by the Order of Babel, but "all Forging is bound by three conditions: the strength of the artisan's will, the clarity of the artistic goal, and the boundary of their chosen mediums' elemental properties." The Order's taking of culturally significant artifacts and assimilating folk beliefs are a powerful and nuanced allusion to colonialism.

Where this story truly shines is with its characters. The Gilded Wolves is told in the perspectives of four main characters: Séverin, Laila, Enrique, and Zofia. The fifth part of their crew is Tristan, and they work together to help Séverin get what is needed to claim his true inheritance. While they each are looking for something themselves, they never expected to form a family of their own and each of them express anxiety at what the future holds when their goals are achieved.

"It'll be 'like dreaming' you said. As 'easy as sleep!'"
"Nightmares are part of sleeping."
"Is that a joke?"

Honestly the banter between the characters is absolute perfection and everything that I want in my friend groups. Can I enlist myself into their friend group? I will help feed Goliath. *shudders*
✨ Séverin is a French-Algerian treasure hunter and hotelier with a haunted past. He was robbed of his true inheritance 10 years earlier and is determined to claim it.
✨ Enrique is a Spanish-Filipino historian that has a mind tuned for riddles and history. He longs to be part of the Ilustrados' inner circle and recognized for his brilliance.
✨ Laila is an Indian girl that has the ability to read the histories of unforged objects, loves to bake, and is honestly mom of the group. She cares so much for everyone, taking the time to do little things that matter to each of her comrades.
✨ Zofia is a Jewish Polish Forger with a propensity for fire. She adores math and solving puzzles, and has social anxiety. Zofia loves perfectly round cookies, counting, and of course fire.
✨ Tristan is the little brother in all but blood to Séverin and a botanincal genius with a giant pet spider named Goliath.
✨ Hypnos is honestly kind of Anne Hathaway's character from Ocean's 8 and really seems to want friends. Which is adorable.

Power and race play an important role to the diverse characters of this book and their positions within the world they live in.

"Of course it would be easy to spy when you hardly look like one of us. Marcelo spoke with no malice. In a way, that was worse."

Each of the main characters has something about them that outwardly alienates themselves from their cultural identity, whether it be their religion or their mixed heritage. These assumptions and misunderstandings are all brought to the fore when fake identities are provided which directly challenge their identities: a Filipino is given an Chinese identity, a classically trained bharatnatyam dancer is told she will be a nautch dancer. This blatant insensitivity is addressed and called for what it is - offensive - but sadly brushed aside as they realize that playing into the prejudices of others will allow them to blend in and go unnoticed, thus continuing the system of oppression. I really appreciated this quiet and nuanced discussion on racism and power dynamics.

"Séverin [...] saw how each invitation flew in the face of each person's self-image. But he also understood how Hypnos had seen the scenario, how he had worked to ensure that each person could access the Chateau de la Lune without incident. 'When you are who they expect you to be, they never look too closely. If you're furious, let it be fuel.'"

I loved the world that Chokshi crafted, drawing from history and mythology from multiple cultures around the world. The reader is thrown right into the world and action. The one thing that didn't quite work for me was the execution of the worldbuilding. It was kind of infodumpy in parts, over time I became overwhelmed and confused by all of the information and backstories provided. For me there was SO MUCH going on to keep track of that it was a little difficult to keep it all straight. Where I think I struggled the most was that some of the events were not clear to me while reading: some things were left unresolved/skipped over and I assumed something happened that made future plot points not make sense, only to find out much later that the thing I thought happened didn't. Since I read an early ARC, it is possible some of this confusion will be edited for the final copy. What's weird was I was still so intrigued, so interested and hungry for more. I wanted to wade through the confusion to have everything slide into place like the puzzles our team was solving. If I am being honest, usually I am a lot more bothered by confusing worldbuilding, but I adored the characters and the ideas so much that I was a lot more forgiving.

Friends if you are looking for a character-driven book with a truly diverse cast of characters, I highly recommend The Gilded Wolves! The puzzles, the adventure, the heists, the banter between the characters made this an incredibly enjoyable read for me. The excellent diversity and representation in this book, along with its subtle discussions on racial prejudice, colonialism, and assimilation also make this an important read.

Things I hope are explained in the next book:
- How the overall Order of Babel functions & different country's Houses interact with one another
- How Forging works. It doesn't appear to be inherited but is something a person is born with. What does being born with the affinity mean, and what training/indoctrination do they undertake?
- More about Fallen House

REPRESENTATION: racially diverse characters (Filipino, Indian), Jewish rep, bisexuality, anxiety
CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS: racism (kind of challenged), inferred abuse, death of a loved one

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me an eARC via NetGalley for review. Quotations are taken from an uncorrected proof and may change upon publication.

I could not stop reading this book! The world building was phenomenal and I completely fell in love with the cast of characters. It was very reminiscent of Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows to me. I cannot wait for the next book and to be back with this crew!

At first I didn't know what to expect with this title, but I was blown out of the water. There are so many complex social and historical themes running through the fabric of this story. The characters had SO MUCH personality and vibrant life. What begins as a story of a young man, Severin, attempting to regain his inheritance becomes a tale of intrigue and rich interactions that also explores the place of the marginalized ethnicities and persons of the colonized world of the late 1880s. Add a dash of magical transmutation of matter and mind alongside the story of the Tower of Babel and flavor it with a little cult-like taking over of the known world and you've successfully reached an AMAZING read. I would definitely recommend this title to any teen or adult who enjoys a nuanced story with a touch of magic, a little angst, and a lot of self-exlporation, steeped in imagination.

This book has been on my most anticipated upcoming releases list and I was so excited to read it. Thankfully my expectations were met and surpassed. The story is so unusual and I couldn't put the book down. Roshani's writing is so strong and she had me addicted to the story.

All I can say is: Wow! Luscious world-building setting the stage for a heist in an alternate version of 1889 Paris? Roshani Chokshi must have written this novel just for me. The characters are somewhat typical of YA fantasy in that they all have special, magical abilities. That said, they are complex and very well written. I'm having a hard time in deciding who is my favorite character... I think it's whoever I'm reading about at the time. Séverin leads a band of extraordinary misfits. All of them with tons of baggage but great talent. Their banter is funny and smart and it really does sound like overhearing the conversation of a reluctant family who may argue but really love each other. The will-they/won't-they relationship between Séverin and Laila, a mysterious and ethereal creature had me fangirling like a teenager. The twists were all unexpected and quite clever and the final surprise took my breath away. Lastly, I must say that, even if it's not something I actively search for, I know how important diversity is and this is diversity done right. This is not a "let's throw in a token minority character to make critics happy" but truly colorblind casting that doesn't fall in stereotypes. I can't wait for the next volume. This is escapist but quality fun.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/St. Martin's Press!

3.5 stars rounded to 4

I have a complicated relationship with Roshani Chokshi's books. I like her stories but I am not particularly fond of her writing style, I find it too flowery and too whimsical. Overall I enjoyed The Gilded Wolves but it wasn't a five star read for me because once again I didn't necessary connect with the writing style. There was a lot that I really liked about the book though.

I loved how different myths from different cultures were woven together with the myth of Babel at the center. I find the story of Babel to be one of the more interesting Biblical stories, so I was happy to see it in this book. Other elements that I liked were the Order, a secret society with different Houses or families, each with their own secrets and agendas; a hunt for ancient artifacts; and a number of compelling and diverse characters that Severin's crew was comprised of. Out of all the characters Laila was definitely my favorite, her origins story was so fascinating!

I found the worldbuilding to be intriguing but overly complex. It took me awhile to wrap my head around the Forging (magic?) system. Because I struggled a bit with the writing style I found some parts of the book slow-paced. For a heist story it wasn't as action-packed as I would've liked. But the ending was interesting and I definitely want to read the next book, especially since I really want to follow Laila's story arc.

I very rarely DNF books but this one I am going to put down for now. I loved the authors first book, The Star Touched Queen. She has an amazing writing style. This book just started off with way too much information, specifically about all the many characters, for me to get into. I just became confused trying to remember who was who. As I have enjoyed the authors previous work, I may try to read this again in the future, but my now I’m calling it a DNF.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARV of this book.

I had heard some hype about this book and it got me interested in it. It is set in a very cool world with a great magic system. Unfortunately the plot just didn't grasp my attention. I had a hard time getting through this book. There were some boring parts that just seemed to drag on. I did really enjoy the characters. They each had their own unique personality with a troubling past. They were a group of misfits and it was my favorite aspect of the book. Overall I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Well I feel like I need to keep this short and to the point until it actually comes out! This was a good book. That being said, did I expect more? Kind of.

At this point I honestly don't know if I didn't like it as much because I started reading it a few months ago, put it down and read a ton of books in-between, and then just now finally finished it. I do think that this might suffer from a case of the "people likened it to Six of Crows so my bar was set SUPER HIGH" or what. And I get that, it had a cast of misfit and awesomely diverse characters that came together to pull of a heist and that was awesome. BUT. I guess there was also a lot I didn't get. Maybe it was because unlike Six of Crows which is set in a completely fictional world, this was set in France is 1889 and I kept forgetting that. There are instances of people being treated a certain way because of their race and talks of revolution and things of that nature that had pausing for a second because I honestly have no idea what kind of a place France was during that time period. I do always feel bad too, when books are compared to a series that was hyped up so much and so loved by so many. I'm always nervous like, okay, is this book set up to fail because too many people are going to go into it expecting something exactly like the other series??!?! I'm not sure.

EITHER WAY, this book has solid bones. The characters, like I said, were really diverse and fun and had good banter with one another. A lot of things really intrigued me about them and I hope that we continue to get more back story on all of them, ESPECIALLY Laila..Also, the ending set the next book up in a way that I NEED IT. I need more Severin and Laila (the best kind of tortured romance, folks), I need to know more about last thing that was said about a certain someone being an heir or not..I just need to know a lot of things. So again, this wasn't GREAT like I thought it was going to be, but it was good and I will be 100% checking out book two. I still think this will get a lot of buzz and that a ton of people will fall madly in love with the characters, too.

In this book, a group of incredibly wealthy and powerful young people--and some of their poorer friends, some of whom are actually the wealthy folks' slaves, gather together--or are forced to--in order to pull off a heist that will return one of said wealthy young people to the ranks of even more wealthy and powerful people. Everyone is young and gorgeous and magically talented and wears fabulous clothes and entertains in grand and whimsical and decadent places and ways and what a bunch of incredibly horrible snobs, who believe that your bloodlines make you better than other people and who use people in horrible ways to attain recognition of said bloodlines and what an utter waste of paper and ink.

[4.5 stars] This book broke me, okay?! If you're new around here, I am not a huge fantasy person. But I can usually tell the kind of fantasy that I will like and this sounded up my alley. And I was right! Definitely one of my all time favorite fantasies! I absolutely adored all the characters. Especially Hypnos and Tristan. I completely fell in love with Laila and Zofia's friendship. The care Laila put into helping Zofia feel comforted! MY HEART! (pretty sure Zofia is on the spectrum). Honestly, I loved the entire gang's found family vibe. It was just really fantastic. But then Roshani went and did something I did not want her to do. So now I am just a shell of my former self, while I wait for the sequel.

If it wasn't obvious, I highly recommend this book. There's lots of racial diversity, one character is Bi or Pan. Another male character definitely likes other men, but I don't know if he only likes men, dig? And like I said before, pretty sure Zofia is on the spectrum.

Description:
No one believes in them. But soon no one will forget them.
It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.
To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.
Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history--but only if they can stay alive.

My Thoughts:

This is a story of young thieves with different powers. If this were contemporary novel, the characters would have different 21st century tech skills. Together, under the leadership of their own ousted "prince," these young people have created their own extended family, working together to try and return their "prince" to his throne, or his House. What I like about this is the fact that in a way the characters are both loyal to each other and using each other at the same time. That leads a complexity to the relationships that draws me in. I also like that this is not a happy sappy. The best YA stories, in my opinion balance victory and tragedy, magic and mundane, disappointment and optimism.

Ms. Chokshi is not known as a trilogy YA writer, however, although there is no hype about a second book, based on the end of the book, there will be at least one more story. If I am wrong about that, I am very confused because there are so many unanswered questions left hanging.