well damn just damn I REBUKE THAT ENDING!! *sobs*

This was such an intriguing and lush world created here. Every aspect of it was fascinating. So many little details that wowed me, from the tezcat doors to the very idea of Forgers and what they could do, to the Sphinxes. And the characters felt so alive, just as the world did, and i'm still not sure who's my fave. With each POV change and backstory reveal I realize everyone one of them have an interesting story, made even more so by how they all intersect. I mean i enjoyed Enrique and Hypnos a lot because i always have a soft spot for the over the top, charming, flirty one and that is certainly Hypnos.

Although the ending did secure a special place in my heart for Laila, for reasons!! Damn girl, you let him know! No spoilers obviously but my feels were allll over the place. Laila has a past that was just sad and heartbreaking and i just want her happyyyy pleaaase.

So if you're looking for a fun,lush, fantasy with several characters of colour as the mains this is it friends!

So I’m going to get the elephant in the room out of the way first and then it’s done and we can move on. Yes, this book is very similar to Six of Crows. To be honest it was that that kind of drew me to this book in the first place, and whilst there a number of direct comparisons, when I read Six of Crows for the first time all I thought about was Ocean’s 11. A group of misfits banding together, plotting to steal an item is not a unique concept so please accept that fact and enjoy the book for what it is, you’ll be seriously missing out if not.

The characters are all strong, each with their own skillset and emotional baggage. There is so much potential back story for each of them which would be perfect to explore further in future books in the series, but we’re given just enough about each in this book to keep our interest piqued. Laila is certainly a character I would love to delve further into, especially when we learn her history! Her ability to transform from daytime baker to nightime darling of the burlesque is fabulous. The enigmatic Severin, denied a birthright, slowly simmers until the perfect opportunity arrives to take back what is his. He is the architect of the piece, and darkly complex. Zofia is wonderful, and as a sufferer of anxiety myself I totally identified with her and the quirks of her behaviour, her ability to force herself to adapt even when the introvert in her tries to drag her back down. I loved the beauty of the friendship she has with Laila, this story has a number of powerful moments but one that stands out most for me is when Laila set out 3 dresses for Zofia to choose from each with it’s own trait to help her with whatever anxiety she was feeling. Hypnos provides the much needed comedy relief at times when the story becomes too heavy and he really did remind me a bit of Magnus Bane!

The concept of the power of forging was great and covered pretty much all the bases when it came to the fantastical world and what they were able to achieve. Imaginative devices and wonderful potions and poisons, really gave me a feeling of steampunk. Exciting scrapes and tangles, bringing to mind thoughts of raiders of the lost arc and similar tomb raider style puzzles to be solved. The Gilded Wolves is an amazing race against time, I found myself holding my breath a number of times as each part of the plan (and sometimes the unplanned) unfurled – there is a ton going on and if you get distracted you’ll miss something important, such is the volume of information. This is a story with a pace that rarely lets up and will have you devouring the pages with it’s exciting set pieces. One of my favourite parts of this book is actually the small pockets of flash back where Severin recounts the families he stayed with during his childhood, giving each “father” a corresponding deadly sin – this is a poignant change of pace and also a valuable insight as to how he became shaped to be the man he has become.

There were minor issues with the storyline, minutes after warning Enrique not to taken in by Hypnos’ tricks I found Severin’s blind faith in what he witnessed jarring, I accept that was the pivotal point of moving the story forward but I think it could been captured without such a continuity issue. The beginning chapters really had an infodump feel, I found that I initially struggled to get to grips with The Order, The Houses, Forging and getting to know the characters and setting, the writing does fall into a natural rhythm with it though and it does become quickly familiar. I don’t feel that these points overall impacted my enjoyment of the book in totality though.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Gilded Wolves and despite the small issues I still give this 5 Stars, with thanks to Netgalley for the review copy.

<i>The Gilded Wolves</i> follows a group of friends as they work to uncover the hidden secrets of the magical order that controls unspeakable power while also working to achieve their own goals. If this sounds incredibly vague, it’s because one of the best parts of this book was how well the plot unfolded and I don’t want to give anything away.

This is ultimately a book about friendships, chasing what you want, and magical artifacts. There were tons of twists that kept me hooked. The ending left me <b>so upset</b> and I can’t believe I have to wait so long to get my hands on a sequel.

I loved the world-building in <i>The Gilded Wolves</i>. This is a dark, glittering Paris filled with power and illusions. The Houses were a unique way to organize magic and the politics involved with them made the world feel even richer. I liked that the descriptions were rich and evocative without bogging down the plot.

The only place where I felt a little disappointed was with the character development. Séverin, Laila, and Zofia were really well done and had lots of internal motivations to explain their actions. Hypnos, Enrique, and Tristan felt a bit more removed to me and were often referred to in the context of just one character trait. This didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story by any means but I’d love to see more character development in book 2.

If you like books with ensemble casts, like <i>Six of Crows</i>, or are in the mood for something with an evocative setting and lots of action, I highly recommend <i>The Gilded Wolves</i>.

The Gilded Wolves contains some of my favourite elements: Paris in the late 19th century, magic, and a wonderful amount of diversity – so it’s no surprise that I absolutely adored this novel!

Chokshi’s magic system is unique and well thought out; I loved the idea of the Babel fragments, and the powers of Forging. The setting of Paris during the Exposition Universelle was used to wonderful effect with Chokshi’s lush and dynamic writing style.

For me, however, it was the characters who really made The Gilded Wolves. Séverin, our main character, owns the prestigious hotel L’Eden, where he lives with a select group of friends and allies:

Tristan, his childhood friend who has the ability to Forge living things and create wonderful and exquisite gardens. His talent hides a damaged soul, however, and he remains a rather mysterious and aloof character throughout.

Laila, a dancer from India with whom it is implied Séverin has had a romantic affair, but no longer. Laila, uniquely, can touch objects and discover their past. She is in Paris to search for a book taken by the Order of Babel which can hopefully provide answers for her.

Zofia, a Jewish girl from Poland who was recently kicked out of university. Zofia sees the world a little differently than most, but her friends never treat her as any less because of this. She is an expert engineer, nicknamed ‘Phoenix’. I admire Chokshi for including an autistic character, and I loved the chapters from Zofia’s point of view!

Enrique, a historian and linguist who is Spanish-Filipino and a walking encyclopaedia. He is sarcastic, hilarious, and a solid friend. He wants to join a group working for a Filipino revolution, but he is white-passing and none will let him join.

Hypnos, who at first no one actually really likes – they are working for him, after all – but eventually they are all enamoured by his charm. He is heir to a different House, and wants to help Séverin and is often underestimated due to being black.

And Séverin, of course, whose claim as heir of his House was denied, and who desperately wants it back. He is half-Algerian himself, and was raised by seven different ‘fathers’, each of whom he named after one of the seven deadly sins.

Together they make a fantastically diverse group, and I adored every one of their interactions. There are mysteries and adventures aplenty, as well as more touching moments between them. Our group contains characters of colour, characters who are gay, and characters who are neurodivergent – and never does it seem like the author went to a great amount of effort to make it seem this way. They simply are, and it’s wonderful to read about.

The attitudes that were common at the time are constantly called into question, and I admire the way this is done – we are never allowed to forget about the colonialism and exploitation of the age, and the white Europeans claiming the objects, magic, artefacts, of other cultures as their own.

Overall I gave The Gilded Wolves 4 stars, because while I did genuinely enjoy it, I found that the ending kind of fizzled out; it also ended on several cliffhangers, but I feel the effect of these was less successful as a result. I still look forward to reading the next book in the series, however!

Part heist novel, part adventure story, part fantasy – this book is many things, all of which I feel come together to create a dynamic and exciting YA novel, one which I can see becoming very popular and which I expect to see lots of praise for – and deservedly so.

Actual rating: 4.5/5

I've been hearing about Roshani Chokshi (and about this book) for a while now, and now that I read it I completely get the hype. Not only is Chokshi's writing truly beautiful, but the parallel universe she created in The Gilded Wolves is captivating and unique.

The story is set in the Paris of the 19th century, during the Exposition Universelle, and throughout the entire book I could perfectly picture how it was at the time. Roshani Chokshi perfectly translates the atmosphere of the period, and I loved discovering the French capital through the characters' eyes.

Séverin, Tristan, Zofia, Laila and Enrique are amazing characters, as flawed as interesting, and I quickly fell in love with each of them. I especially loved how different they are, but somehow they form a family (even if quite dysfunctional). Their bond reminds me of Leigh Bardugo's Dregs in Six of Crows, though only in the relationship that these characters share.

I absolutely loved what I read, from beginning to end, though I must admit that it took me a while to fully grasp the workings of the Order of Babel, and to understand everything that was happening, which is why I'm not giving this book a higher rating.
Now that I'm done, I don't know how I am supposed to wait for book 2 (and the fact that The Gilded Wolves is not even officially out yet doesn't help).

A magical heist set in the historical period of Belle Époque? Roshani Chokshi has breathtaking prose and imaginative world-building. I've read other reviews that compare this to SIX OF CROWS (which I adore), but I think this novel definitely has legs to stand on its own.

WOW! Roshani Chokshi did it again! This novel will rock out there! A MUST READ FOR EVERYFANTASY READER!

There is nothing better than a book set in Paris, except for a book set in Paris in 1889. This book is fun and unique. It isn’t just any YA, which is hard to come by now. The story is great and the characters are intriguing. It’s all I could want in a delicious book..

4.5 stars. The story was so intriguing that I read the book in a night. I want the book to be made into a movie so the vivid characters and scenery can come alive. I like the diversity of the main characters in appearance, background, talents, and weaknesses and the fact that they all have secrets. The mixture of science, math, history, religion, nature, and "magic" (for lack of a better word) is great. I like that the book utilizes historical events and religious beliefs and events to advance the plot and explain the current circumstances. In particular, the story utilizes the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. It was also nice that scientific inventions and principles and mathematical principles were key to solving some of the puzzles/mysteries that confronted the main characters. Although the six main characters are not equals in terms of status and power, I appreciated that all of them made major contributions and that the success of the group in their endeavors could not have happened without all of them. I liked the use of the seven deadly sins as the nicknames/identities of Severin's foster fathers and the fact that he learned lessons from each of them, even the worst/cruelest ones. While all six main characters are appealing in their own way, Zofia is one of my favorites because the reader gets to witness more emotional growth/self-confidence.

I am glad I had the opportunity to read a copy of the e-book via NetGalley and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Stunning. Absolutely beautifully written. Roshani Chokshi is a master storyteller and this is yet another example of her mastery. If you enjoyed her previous works, this one will captivate you as well.

This book was an absolute delight to read. I likened it to a rich, decadent chocolate with layers of mousse, caramel, nuts, nougat, and rich chocolate—the result being a melt in your mouth novel that you absolutely have to revel in. As always, Chokshi is a brilliant storyteller, weaving plot elements into character development and creating characters whose friendships you adore. Heartbreaking and heartbreakingly good, I couldn’t put this book down.

This book is a mix of The DaVinci code, Six of crows and Indiana Jones and incredibly, it works!
It is an amazing story about a group of outcasts who join to achieve their objectives, and they strategize together with their different powers to get what they deserve!
The twists and turns of this book made me want to read more and more, and I picked the book every time I had some free minutes just to see where the story was going.
Theres a lot of action, friendship, even love. The politics and history of this book is great, I think teres a lot of room for many many books on this world and I will read them all.
I will tottally recomment this book to everybody, its a fantasy that I think all will enjoy because there´s a bit for everybody´s taste.

Thank you net galley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An interesting mix of fantasy and reality.
The story was exciting, suspenseful and dramatic. Having never read this author before, I was pleasantly surprised.

This book is an DNF for me. The cover and synopsis are promising and the plot is unique but the characters and premise were not engaging and immersive enough to keep my attention.

I am a huge fan of everything that Roshani Chokshi writes and this novel definitely did not disappoint! Chokshi has created an amazing mythology here that weaves in with history and with Paris at the turn of the century. Her writing was beautiful and spectacular, full of sentences and paragraphs that made me feel as if I, too, were really there with the characters as they walked the streets of Paris, danced at lavish parties, or baked in the kitchen of a grand hotel. I always found myself re-reading parts of the book because they were too beautifully written to enjoy only once.

My favorite part about this book, however, were the characters. Chokshi brings all six of the central characters to life effortlessly. I legitimately cared for each and every one of them. Even though the chapters shift perspective (while still staying in third person), I was never upset when one chapter ended to focus on another character. I loved each and every single one of them. For me, the two stand-out characters were definitely Lalia and Zofia, two very different, very dynamic women who have their own entrancing backstories. All the characters have wonderful, detailed, legitimately interesting backstories that make you root for them to succeed and also make you grow to love them more and more with each page. Romance is something I can honestly take or leave in a novel, but I was hooked on the very interesting, delicate dynamic between two of the main characters.

Honestly every page of this book was wonderful. Except the end, but only because of that cliffhanger! This is a great book for fans of Six of Crows or The Young Elites and is definitely a page tuner. Another wonderful book but Roshani Chokshi...I don't know how she manages to have so many awesome series going on at once!

I enjoyed this book a lot! I did find some elements of the plot confusing. It was clear that Roshani Chokshi knows her world and her heist/puzzles well, but I felt like sometimes I needed a little more hand-holding. Particularly when we switched character POVs--which was occasionally disorienting. However, I was happily willing to forgive a little confusion here and there because it was such a fun adventure, and I loved all the characters, and loved how they interacted with each other. Witty, clever, treasure-hunting fun!

Wow! Just wow! I have read one of Roshani Chokshi's novels and I knew I wanted to read this one! What a pleasure it was to sit down and soak up all this book had to offer. History... check! Ancient secrets... check! Treasure hunters... check! Paris... check! Oh my goodness I cannot even express how much I loved this book and the storyline. I am so thankful that there is a second one planned.

DNF.

I wanted to love this one--but I just can't get past the blatant misuse of Scripture that the whole story is based on. The story even goes so far as to misquote Scripture, adding to it without any sort of disclaimer or note about it being fictional (even with one, I'm still not okay with them twisting God's Word). I won't be finishing this one because of that.

Roshani Chokshi continues to impress me with her effortless skill and crafting marvelous stories and endearing characters. A lot of young adult fantasy/heist books have been lauded as the next Six of Crows, and so far I’ve been disappointment by the ones I’ve read. And while I’m hesitant to compare The Gilded Wolves to it – they are each their own completely unique story – I truly believe that fans of Six of Crows are going to be as enamored by The Gilded Wolves as I was.

The world created here can only be described as opulent and magical. Roshani has written such a unique story full of dark magic, thrilling adventures, and a diverse cast of compelling characters. From the mysteries and secrets, to the heists and plot twists, there is a lot of good stuff going on in this book. One of my favorite aspects was the interactions between the characters. There are a lot of different dynamics to love and each was written so beautifully and believably.

And speaking of character dynamics, I love everything going on with the romances. We have one romance which is essentially mutual pining and angst, and it’s like Roshani has read all of my previous reviews of books and wrote this specifically for me. I’m also totally on board for the love triangle Enrique has going on, and although I’m already trash for one of the possibilities, I’m also a big fan of the other possibility as well.

Basically, this book is amazing and should totally be on your TBR if it isn’t already. I highly recommend this for fans of Roshani Chokshi’s other works or those who love Six of Crows. The Gilded Wolves is a thrilling book full of heists, loyal friends, and magic. The ending crushed my soul and I have no idea what I’m going to do while I wait for the next book in the series.

The Gilded Wolves is beautifully written and really smart. There are parts of this book that read like dessert. It has so much going for it. I quite enjoyed the religious and mathematical references! (I love phi!).

You know the characters are good when you can't pick your favorite one because there are so many things that you like about them! Not only are they are diverse, but there is something to like about each one of them. Laila was created out of magic and has magical abilities. Séverin's flashbacks are really awesome and they were intertwined with seven deadly sins. Zofia's mathematical mind and awkwardness draw you in. Then there's Tristan who would do anything for Séverin.

With everything that this book has going for it, it was not always easy to understand, but I am definitely going to be reading the next book.