Interesting read, full of mystery and suspense! I enjoyed it! I can’t wait to read more by this author!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

2.5/5

Honestly I think I would have enjoyed this book much more if it wasn't a complete rip off of Six of Crows, down to characters' mannerisms and storylines. I'm pretty disappointed as I loved Roshani's other books.

Paris is a city filled with glamour and artifacts of interest and as new possibilities in industrial power grows ancient secrets start resurfacing in Roshani Chokshi's The Gilded Wolves. 

With the Exposition Universelle opening night soon approaching, the innovations of industry and power that'll be on display for Parisians of 1889 are highly anticipated. For hotelier and treasure-acquirer Séverin Montagnet-Alarie, the exposition provides an opportunity to explore some old secrets. When a former friend, and Order of Babel member, Hypnos comes to Séverin for assistance in finding an artifact he agrees to help in exchange for the chance to gain back his true inheritance that was previously denied him. With the help of friends who have varying skills, including an engineer, a historian, a dancer, and a brother in all but blood, Séverin begins upon a journey with a world-changing end.

With a wonderfully diverse cast of characters and fascinating premise based on artifact heisting, the story is filled with clever thinking and dialogue, as well as underlying explorations of big topics beneath a veneer of magical adventure. As a captivating story there was evident thought put into creating the world, but the world-building didn't seem to be fully presented through the text to help readers make sense of this particular version of Paris; the narrative seemed to jump in rapidly headfirst into events and interpersonal relationship dynamics without explanation and then slowly begins to add in necessary information, which left me feeling as though I'd missed something at the outset (or a previous installment in this series despite this being the first of the series), particularly for the relationships between characters, their motivations, and how various affinities and power fit within the world. 

Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Look at that cover and tell me you aren’t intrigued. Read the synopsis and tell me it doesn’t sound amazing.

This world is what drew me to this book in the first place. Paris in 1889 with treasures and secrets and power. I sounded dark and haunting yet magical. You get all of that within the book. But I think there was too much. The worldbuilding was really intense. Not so much as an information dump, there are just a lot of terms and policies of the world that are given to you very quickly. I found myself a little confused a few times and I had a hard visualizing a lot of things. Despite the world’s drawbacks, once you peel away everything, you truly are left with the world that is originally hoped for.

I knew this was going to be a found-family book and I knew it was going to be a group cast. Every single on the characters sounded interesting and like they had something to say. I was looking forward to each of their POVs. And they delivered and they also didn’t.

I loved aspects of every single one of the narrators, Zofia, Séverin, Enrique, and Laila. Though I do have soft spot of Zofia. I think the multiple POVS are needed to make this story what it is, I just have a few problems with it. One of the crew members doesn’t have a POV. It seemed weird and off kilter. I can’t say much more without spoiling literally everything, but I think adding in a few chapters from that characters POV would have strengthened the plot and how everything flowed.

I feel like this was a setup book without being a setup book. It had it’s own plot and own story and own happenings, but I think the next book is going to be even better than this one is because of the groundwork laid. I’m really looking forward to how this world expands and grows as the story moves forward!

And there are a lot of puzzles in this. A lot. Diagrams are given for some so you can really see what the characters are looking at. I found that so cool!

There was one scene in the beginning that completely took my breath away. That was the scene that had me hooked and that was the scene that helped me visualize everything. It was so freaking cool that I don’t even know how to explain it.

And then there was one scene at the end that stuck with me. I think these two scenes show what happened in this book and the development all the characters went through. One made me excited for the things to come and one made me unbelievably sad. It was amazing.

I’m honestly not sure how I completely feel about this book. I loved the characters and I loved parts of the world, I just didn’t love the whole thing. I just know that this book is different from anything I’ve ever read in a really good way. I’m looking forward to my next adventure with the crew!

This book was GREAT! I have never read anything by this author but I am ready to go grab more off the shelves NOW! I encourage you if you have read Six of Crows and loved it like I did. The author does a great job with her character development and if you don't LOVE Severin, we can't be friends!

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

Heist books have really become popular and it is good that I enjoy them. This one was set back in history with a twist of fragments from Babel being thrown in. Chokshi has long ago made me a fan of all her work, but I was slightly disappointed in this work compared to her others. While I did love most of her characters some felt a little lacking. There were moments that I desired to know more than what was given to me. Generally, this all had to do with the fact that two of the narrators had one night where they had sex with each other. They both never let us forget this fact often bringing it up. Still, the plot drew me on until the very end. Another part that could have been handled better. All the bumps won't stop me from picking up the second. book. Chokshi left enough plots left unfished that I have to read the second to know how she ties them all together.

This series has a lot of potential. It’s a little jumbled up, and some of the connections between characters are unclear. Similarly, the motives of the characters and the conflicts aren’t explicitly shared with the reader. The antagonist could be developed more. It’s a fun book, and I’ll read the sequels. Hopefully the story will become more streamlined.

Such a great job of world-building by Roshani Chokshi with these unusual characters and their strange powers. A great read for fans of Six of Crows.

I was given this book as an advanced reader copy through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi is a YA novel set in Paris, 1889. It is not, however, a historical novel. It is a fast-paced fantasy novel about a group of tightly banded misfits. The world is full of magic, intrigue, deception, and powerful ruling families. This novel is a cross between The Last Magician and Six of Crows, but it is its own story.
I will preface by saying I had a hard time getting into this book because there were a lot of characters to keep track of, while also learning the rules of the world in which the book is set. That being said, the characters are endearing and have genuine depth. Chokshi has given us a diverse set of characters for which to root, and therefore I will forgive the confusion a large cast of characters caused in the beginning.
This is a heist story, mixed with magic and hierarchy, but at its heart it is a story of friendship. The characters are varied in personality and skillset, and they balance each other well. There is a love (lust?) story involved, which I think makes this more of an upper YA, but it is not over the top. I think it is just enough to lead us into the next book in the series.

Choshi engages in masterful world building that brings the reader into a Paris where magical families rule and their power is woven into everything from clothing to topiaries. Séverin and his ragtag bunch of compatriots plan, play, and steal together but they may have overplayed their hand when going up against the Order of Babel. YA readers will be enthralled with The Guilded Wolves and demanding more of their adventures.

I'm sorry, but this book just did not work for me. It ranges between being overwritten to having anachronistic contemporary slang, with the result that I never got a sense of what was supposed to be a rich, dark alternate Paris.

LOVED this book. I can't wait for it to come out so that I can recommend it to my students. I think it is a mix of Ocean's 11, James Bond, The DaVinci Code, and The Alchemyst series. The history, religion, and political lessons woven into the fantasy of this book is very intelligent. Students will love this fast-paced adventure.

I have read some of Chokshi’s work in the past and found this to be on par with her Star Touched Queen. The world building is intricate and detailed. The characters grow all the way from beginning to end. And the plot lines have a little bit of everything in them. This work is a great example of a fantastical world hiding within our reality. The idea is wonderful and had me excited to learn all I could about this under the surface society. Unfortunately for me, the writing was somewhat long winded and had me stopping quite often out of frustration over the excessive information. I liked the characters, but didn’t feel that I connected to any of them. I wish that I could have gotten more into this novel, but it just wasn’t for me, though I know there are many who will eat it up.

4.5 stars. This book is completely unlike Roshani Chokshi's previous books. It had a steampunk feel, with clever devices and stunning imagery. The characters' banter was snarky and fun. I am very much looking forward to the sequel, especially with themassive cliffhanger at the end of the book.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

DNF at 19%. It feels like a blend of The Young Elites and Six of Crows. I was beginning to like this, despite the overuse of purple prose which makes the whole thing confusing and hard to get into. However, the inclusion of gay romance sealed the DNF-deal for me. This is a story with a lot of promise, but the violation of my faith makes it impossible for me to waste my time finishing it.

Late 1800s Paris. The L'eden hotel. A group of intelligent, eccentric, unique young people all work together on "acquisitions," aka thievery. When they stumble upon something that is connected to something much larger, and scarier, than they anticipated, they bring one more into their fold to find an ancient artifact with more secrets than they know the answers to.

I realize that this might not be the most popular opinion.... but I wasn't absolutely obsessed with it quite like other readers. The writing is superb, especially when discussing the emotions and turmoil of each of the characters. While I loved finding out about Zofia and Enrique and the relationship between Laila and Severin, I thought that the multiple character perspectives was just.. too much. I would have liked a focus on just 2 characters to go a little more in depth and feel connected.

I would definitely recommend this to other readers-- it's fantasy, treasure hunt, romance, friendship... It's worth a read :)

This will appeal a lot to fans of Six of Crows by Leigh Badurgo and for people who just like YA packed with magical elements, great characters and that historic vibe.

We’re introduced to Séverin, who believes he has cheated of his status as the heir of House of Vath, so he makes an unusual alliance with an old friend that he’s not sure he can trust. Séverin is the owner of a hotel and already has a group of partners, his friends, each one with a different ambition and goal, and they’re great in their own unique way..

This is all set in Paris 1889 and the aesthetic that it gives is amazing, with Secret Societies that hold a lot of power, elegant parties, glamour and heists/treasure hunts. All of this has a mystic catch to it, with magical elements related to alchemy, enigmas and puzzles. It also good in the representation aspects, with so many diverse characters, addressing racism, colorism etc.

Being a little bit more critic, I think some scenes and plot points were a bit confusing to me, I felt like the story wasn’t as easy to follow, but that might have been my own fault.

And even though I really liked the characters, to me their dynamic in the beginning felt off, kind of forced. From the start they were already a group and had their schemes (except for one character) so I think I would have liked to see more of how some of them met, what were their first impressions of one another, something that made me see more of their companionship and comradery. Towards the end of the book I felt like it gradually changed, though. By the end their dynamic was a lot more convincing, and it paved its way nicely for the next book, so I’m excited to read that.

Paris, 1889 - Severin has put together a group with a range of brilliant abilities, aiming to restore his place as head of a magical House. A historian, an artificer, a caberet performer who can read people and objects - all of them with interesting back stories which are gradually revealed and are vital to the major heist another head of House wants them to carry out. The world building is good, the characters are sympathetic, the betrayal was NOT the one I expected (there's always one in a heist) - it was a highly enjoyable combination of action and good writing which I raced through and want the next instalment already!

Several things which I liked about it in addition: the setting, it feels a little unusual to get a YA Book set in Paris and it made a nice change; the use of religious myth was sympathetic; the varying personalities of the main characters.

Magic, mathematics and mayhem. Heists, history and humor. Glamour, gore and a gardener’s pet gargantuan spider. Welcome to the world of “The Gilded Wolves.” Set in 1889 Paris, readers are swiftly enveloped into a high-action heist led by an “Ocean’s 11” type troupe teens. Each character is intoxicatingly enjoyable, and as an ensemble of friends, they each contribute talents and traits critical to the team’s success. In their pursuit of ancient artifacts, planning is paramount and death-defying dangers abound.

Readers will revel in Chokshi’s ability to seamlessly integrate a breadth of knowledge to construct a world that is superbly imaginative and brilliantly built. Alluring costume design and stunning architecture heighten story aesthetics. Enigmatic equations and expertly engineered gadgets add technical appeal. Kitchen concoctions, a performer’s perfumes, and chemical explosions intensify olfactory experiences. Meanwhile, allusions to mythology and religion intensify the depth of the story.

Roshani Chokshi’s writing acumen is astounding. She crafts polished prose, ignites multi-sensory imagery, and delivers dialogue that is deliciously dry, undeniably funny, and always true to character. “The Gilded Wolves” is truly a “14 carat” contribution to the fantasy canon. Guaranteed to enrapture YA and adult readers alike. Recommended for grades 9 and up. ~Lisa Brennan, Middle School Librarian @noveltalk _ARC via Netgalley