I've tried reading the book and listening to the audiobook. But both times I gave up in the first quarter of the book.

This just wasn't the book for me. I think part of the reason was just too much going on in the beginning and I couldn't keep track of who was doing what and who everyone was.

I haven't gravitated toward Chokshi's past work, but this one was lush and interesting enough to draw me in. The characters were interesting and sufficiently complex.

***Review not posted on blog***

I have thoroughly enjoyed many books by Roshani Chokshi. Her writing is simply gorgeous and her stories are so much fun. Unfortunately I am unable to post a review of this book on my blog at this time. I am excited to read more by Roshani Chokshi and this publishing imprint. Thank you so much for the opportunity.

The Eater of Books!

Love the writing style and the lush, atmospheric vibe of the entire novel. Would recommend to anyone who wants to get swept away in it's prose.

I was worried that this would be another YA book that blended in with so many I've read lately - they have magic, they have romance that is somehow thwarted, they have some kind of danger, and the characters seem to value their adolescent love over things like...you know...the fate of the world (I mean come on, focus on the task at hand, kids). However, The Vishakanya's Choice is one of my favorite short stories of all time. I loved how she was able to build this world and its customs and characters in such a short amount of time. The Gilded Wolves was a mix for me.
I love the magical aspects. I love world building. However, six characters is a lot to keep track of, and while she tries to make them as diverse as possible, it's not in ways that are overt, so things can get jumbled. Add in the alternate universe with its own customs and all the magical aspects, and it can be a lot.

However, her writing is always lyrical and her descriptions are amazing, and there wasn't the same old YA things I mentioned above, which was a huge relief. I'll be reading the sequel!

Roshani Chokshi's The Gilded Wolves was a great book with beautiful and lush storytelling. Loved the setting, characters, and overall story.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were really well developed and varied. It was a bit of a slow start but by the end I couldn’t put it down.

If you know me at all you know I’m a sucker for a heist in general. From ocean’s 8 and beyond I just LOVE them. So this was right up my alley and it did NOT disappoint. Gorgeous writing and amazing characters I can’t wait to read the next!

A fantastic novel with a combination of magic and con artistry, with well developed characters and delicious settings. Can't wait for the next volume!

I loved this book and I'm sorry it took me so long to write this review. This was exactly the type of YA fantasy book I was craving! It is set in Paris in 1889 and really reflects the that time period even if this is a fantasy novel. The world that the author has created in complex and layered and the characters compliment this world well. Their stories pull you in and you want to know what is going to happen next to each and every one of them. Bonus points for the diversity of the characters in the book as well. I liked that this book is full of political scheming and is more complex (and lighter on the romance) than other YA that is out there. The challenge of this book is that it is complex and full of puzzles which at times can make it challenging to follow but it is absolutely worth working through. I cannot wait for the sequel!

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi is a book akine to people who enjoy a great treasure hunt. As far as I know, this book is the first in a trilogy and the second book arrives sometime in 2020. However, in terms of storyline, I was hooked from the first page. This book surrounds a group of characters on a treasure hunt to find objects that hold the fate of the world in their power. Of course, there are villains who aim to seek that power and use it for their own.
When it comes to the characters of this novel, there's quite a bit of diversity. You have:

- Séverin: He is biracial (Algerian & French) from what I have read from other reviewers, as well as the author and the novel. He is considered one of the main characters of the novel and you follow him quite often. He is also the leader of the pack and seems to have some of the clearest motivations.

-Tristan: He is white, but is considered to be the "little brother" of Séverin. As these two men were raised inside the foster care system together. Séverin has sworn to protect his little brother from harm; should anything happen to him.

-Hypnos: This character is African-American and queer; he is enormously wealthy and comes into the book about 10% of the way through in order to provide his resources to the crew.

-Zofia: This character is considered to Polish and Jewish, who has come to France in order to provide a better life for her family back home. There is no clear indication, but the character could be considered to be on the autism spectrum; given her habits. She does not read feelings and people well and is wholly devoted to her work. However, this is never expressed on the page.

-Enrique: He is another biracial character within the novel. He's part Filipino, as is the author, as well as Spanish. He is the historian of the group and though never expressed on the page, he is most likely, bisexual. As he shows feelings for at least two characters within the novel. He is a quirky and funny character; as he provides a lot of comedic relief.

-Laila: She is Indian, as is the author, who makes her living also as a dancer. She is on the hunt for a lost book, which might explain who she is and how she can save her own life. She has a magical ability - called forging - where she can touch any object and be able to see its history, which is an extraordinary power.

If you like movies like National Treasure and if you enjoy a complex, young adult fantasy, I think you will really enjoy this one. It is also set in France, during the time of the World's Fair, which was when the Eiffel Tower was being built. So, you could say this is a historical, young adult fantasy with a highly diverse cast. Each of these characters get their own chapters and page time. You find your attached to different characters at different points. There is some great romance, if that's your thing in novels, and it is a perfect book for a time like what we are currently experiencing.

This is difficult. I was really looking forward to this one and I'm actually mildly disappointed. There was just something that was missing this whole time. I was still gonna give it 3,5 stars and round it up to 4 but then the ending happened and that did it for me tbh. I thought the death at the end was so unnecessary? Or at least so anticlimactic after everything they went through. I was more looking forward to them working through their trauma together than just having him be killed off. It felt like it was done for shock value and I hate that. Also, what happened to the killer? They were never mentioned again. And then one of my trope pet peeves is when someone tries to distance themselves from someone who so Obviously has the same romantic feelings as they have simply “to protect them” like I never get that logic and I always thought of it as completely unnecessary conflict. So i was majorly disappointed with the ending.

And on top of that the narrators of the audiobook annoyed the crap out of me. The woman was okay but the man narrated it like a documentary he has absolutely no interest in but the money is good.. And the french accent was so bad. I mean I'm not a native but I did have french in school for like 7-8 years and I'm pretty sure the “e” at the end of Enrique is silent. Anyway, I'm just really disappointed because I loved the premise of this book so much. I'm really hoping that the sequel will clean up the messy parts of this first book.

"The Gilded Wolves", while an interesting story with interesting characters, just seems like it tries to do too much at once. It's a well written story but the characters and the writing style just fell flat for me. It's not as enjoyable to read as I wish it was. Hopefully the sequel will be better.

Very slow paced but beautiful writing. I did not like this book as much as her first series, though as this book has henceforth been released, I know that several patrons at my current library has very much enjoyed it. The world, however, was where this book stood out for me: lush, well-written, and engaging. Very much as "it's not you, it's me" book.

Although I haven’t been the biggest fan of Roshani Chokshi’s writing in the past, I had hoped that the setting and plot this time around — an AU version of fin-de-siecle Paris, with magic and heists and a diverse cast! — would present a new and exciting point of entry.

Unfortunately, it still didn’t work for me. In fact, I tried to read this book several times over the course of several months, and just kept having to start over again and again. The writing is just all over the place, the characters, for all their alleged diversity (i.e., we’re told of it but not really shown it because they largely have interchangeable personalities when they “banter”), do not connect for me, and the setting and magic system come off like fantasy for people who don’t read fantasy.
Because it lacks the right atmosphere (which is extra odd considering that Chokshi’s other books were more or less reliant on nothing BUT atmosphere!), it seems less like an AU 19th century Paris and more like a new place and time vaguely inspired by France but spun from whole cloth... and spun rather badly, via constant and annoying info dumps that disrupt the story more than adding to it. There is just way too much going on; the author seems unable to balance it all in an organic and compelling way.
I finally made it about 1/3 into the book before giving up for good.

This one just wasn't for me, I have read the previous books by this author and loved Crown of Wishes. This book shift perspectives multiple times between about 5 or 6 characters all with their own unique powers and backgrounds, so it took some time to understands each of the characters and orientate myself with the book. Even after that I wasn't fully invested and was leery of how the Biblical Babel was twisted into a fantasy story, as well as other elements.

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. I had a difficult time getting into this one, which is completely abnormal for me, as I love Chokshi and all of her work, we will chalk that up to my poor mood! Once I got past the first 5 chapters I was all in. I didn't feel as captivated in her world building as I normally am, but her character building made up for that. The diversity in her characters was amazing, I appreciate the historical context and the conflict it created within the characters. So, while this isn't my favorite book by her it was definitely still worth the read.

I wanted to love this one, but unfortunately I was not in the right headspace to read it and had a lot of trouble connecting to the characters. YA fantasy isn't my go-to, I struggle with the immense world building. I'm hoping to try this one again later, but for now it's a DNF at 26%

This book was so fantastic to read! I loved this world with the Babel fragments, that allow some people the ability to forge, it was so interesting! And then there was the Order, who protected the fragments. It was just such an interesting world and I can't wait to learn more about it!

We were in most of the gang's head for this book, and that was really great, I really enjoyed seeing things from their different perspectives! They all had their reasons for working for Séverin, what they wanted, what they needed. They were all such interesting and real characters!

Given that this is a heist novel, basically, with a few other elements thrown in, well, yeah, it had a lot going for it! There's the magic of the world, and the politics of the Order. I also really enjoyed seeing their interactions with Hypnos, he was kinda blackmailing them, but he also was pretty lonely and wanted friends. Really enjoyed that bit of the story!

That ending, oh! That was such a bombshell, and I have no idea of how it's going to play out in the future. And if there's a deeper secret there, well, that would be so interesting to read, I have ideas, and if they're right, there's some implications! I need to know more!

Loved this book, and I'm so excited to read more!

Unfortunately this was a DNF. Honestly, it was hard to even make it to 20% because I couldn't seem to engage with the story or characters. The world is pretty complex, the characters are many and again, complex. The writing was incredibly wordy. I was bored and it felt heavy.. Gorgeous cover.