Our adventure begins by dropping you into our gang’s lives a few months after book one. And it’s so sad! They are all apart doing their own thing while Severin is drowning in his sorrows. Severin quickly calls them all together to finally find The Divine Lyrics. Then things really pick up.

They are not thieves like the gang from Six of Crows, but they are treasure hunters. So freaking cool. They each have a job to do within the crew. And of course, Severin trying to “protect” them, treats them all horribly. Especially Laila. *Cue tears* But through that, I love how close Laila gets with Enrique and Zofia! Those three are the sweetest ever. I love them.

Zofia was probably my favorite character this time! She is very logical to the extreme but she is learning social cues and maybe learning some of her own heart. I for sure ship her with a certain someone. And this book put wind in my ship’s sails!!!

I liked Hypnos but he was sort of the annoying/ little brother character? I don’t know how to explain it.

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE WRITING?! I give 5 freaking stars to the writing alone. It’s pure magic. Chokshi makes the reader feel all five senses while reading. And it’s different for each character. One character will see snow as sugar while the other feels it as tiny ice droplets that makes their skin freeze. She also writes AMAZING food scenes. Made me hungry.

The plot read like an adventure, treasure hunting movie! They travel to Russia and discover new places to find the mysterious book. And they all go through plenty of trials and pain!

Gilded Wolves was such a stunning and fun book and I was hoping that Silvered Serpents would take this story to new places. I absolutely loved being reunited with our crew (and I loved seeing all of them again so much even if certain characters did frustrate me at times). This book gripped me from page one and didn't let me go until I'd finished it. We were at the point that I was thinking about this book during dinner, while doing homework, etc. I cannot wait for the next one!

"What he had done had not looked like love. But then again, love did not always wear a face of beauty."

Against the grain, and it's not a first for me, I liked this book more than the Gilded Wolves. treasure hunting is a trope, and hunting a lost/ almost destroyed manuscript is my kind of trope. So, go figure.

From the first few chapters, the clock was ticking. I thought that the Gilded Wolves had a little bit too much of everything. The Silvered Serpents, on the other hand, was just about right. Some live for the character introduction part, but I live for the plot, the real meat. And once all the cloying details of this character and that house were out of the way, there was something I was really anxious to get through. I finally wanted to know.

Chokshi's writing is a bit on the purple prose side, but as the story progressed there was a lot of heart. And yes, there was angst (not my favourite trope), but there was also a lot of grief carried out from the first book and as a result, a broken man seeking godhood. There were also intonations of bits of history that were brushed under the carpets: colonialism, pogroms and a lot of symbology that resonates with the modern world.

And that end...I mean, I didn't see that coming.

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this adventure.

This is one of those books that totally breaks your heart (somehow in a good way??). I feel like I fell in love with every member of Séverin’s team. The story goes so deeply into their minds and their feelings that I couldn’t help it. Zofia and her very literal interpretations of things. Enrique and his need to be listened to. Séverin and his broken, desperate quest to make everyone safe. Laila and her secrets.

I struggled a little bit with THE GILDED WOLVES simply because there was so much worldbuilding that it got a little bit overwhelming and drowned out the story in a few places. THE SILVERED SERPENTS, though, has the perfect balance of setting and story, and even has some cleverly placed details in the opening that helped to jog my memory about things that happened in the first book.

From the very beginning, there’s a kind of desperation across all members of the team. That and their quest to find the lost artifact drives the story forward and made it nearly impossible to put this book down. In addition, I LOVE Roshani Chokshi’s writing. She gets inside each character’s head and heart and makes them so real.

The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so be prepared to immediately crave the third book.

If you haven’t read THE GILDED WOLVES, I’d start with that one first. If you liked SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo or WE HUNT THE FLAME by Hafsah Faizal, you’ll definitely want to check out this series.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a dramatic and tragic return! Roshani Chokshi has taken everything that made The Gilded Wolves fun and intriguing and added so much more for The Silvered Serpents. It’s not perfect, of course, but it’s an easy 4.25 stars from me because I felt swept away from the first page. Everything here is richer. The world, the magic system, the stakes, the consequences, the characters, oh my, the characters.

Everyone has been left reeling from the aftershocks of the previous book and the losses they each experienced, from friends and family to love and godhood. The wounds are fresh and run deep, and everyone is attempting to deal with the trauma and fallout in their own ways, namely by seeking out their most secret, closely-held ambitions. Because this is how we cope. I totally understand.

From Séverin’s newfound coldness to Enrique’s yearning to be truly heard, Chokshi breathes so much life and emotion into these characters. I had always felt attuned to Séverin and Laila from the start, but I had trouble viewing Zofia, Enrique, and Tristan as fully-fledged characters before. That trouble has vanished with this book. Chokshi gives us constant deep dives into their heads, their thoughts, their feelings, and even demonstrates with respect and insightfulness about how their Otherness influences how the world interacts with them. This author has always done well with diversity, but here it shines like a jewel. You just want to keep it in your sight to admire it. The same could be said of her descriptions; I particularly love how character-focused they are.

That being said, the only main character I felt landed flat this time was Hypnos. I enjoyed him in The Gilded Wolves as the handsome, gay love interest of Enrique, always quick with a joke and wanting to fit in with the group. In The Silvered Serpents, however, Hypnos felt like he was standing still next to everyone else. Aside from a few, brief moments of self-awareness, he didn’t seem to be growing in any particular direction. His jokes were ill-timed and highlighted many of the problems the dialogue still has with these books. (The dialogue is, for me, the weakest aspect of the trilogy so far, which is a shame because the descriptions are so strong in comparison.) I also quickly became disenchanted with his romance with Enrique, which was the point the book was making, and I do ultimately prefer Enrique and Zofia together, but still. It was difficult to watch Hypnos being so tone-deaf toward Enrique’s feelings all the time.

I also had no real use for Eva and Ruslan. Their presence is necessary for the plot, if not a bit obvious, but even so. I usually wanted them off the page as soon as they appeared.

Speaking of the plot, it’s more meandering this time compared to The Gilded Wolves. This is a book, not of much action, but of introspection, quiet desperation, and horror. I personally didn’t mind this because it was to the benefit of the characters, with the author taking the time to flesh them out more. As exciting as the first book was, the action and puzzle-solving did prevent me from getting to know them with the depth I craved.

I’d be remiss, too, if I didn’t highlight the quiet desperation and sheer yearning between Séverin and Laila in particular. This is my OTP of the series, and their constant push and pull was as sizzling as it was agonizing. You ever see two people so clearly meant to be together—who both also know that—but they’re telling themselves all the reasons why they can’t? That it’s for their own good, that it’s because they’re hurting, that it’s because of the long game, which will make all of the suffering make sense one day, but oh my God, can y’all also just be transparent with each other and kiss already?

I love to suffer, though. I really do.

It’s why my heart also broke for Enrique, with how brilliant yet overlooked he is because of his age and race. For Zofia, who is equally brilliant and brave yet feels like a burden to everyone because she can’t view the world the way her friends can. (I must give my props to Chokshi again for depicting an autistic character’s POV, something I’ve never read before this series.) Plus, Zofia is Jewish, and Chokshi knows how to ground her fantasy, 19th century Europe in real-world politics, giving it that extra depth and relevance it needs. My heart even broke for Tristan, which is impressive given how he had to be shown in this book.

And then the ending happened, and I lost my entire mind. Heart-pounding, sexy, terrifying, cruel, devastating—all of these words describe the ending and yet cannot fully sum it up. One line, however, can:

“I wish my love was more beautiful.”

That right there is one of those rare, galaxy-brained lines a writer only dreams up every so often, and its power lies as much in its construction as it does in its delivery. Chokshi. Does. Both. Reading this line on the page punched me full on in the gut; I’m still thinking about it. I’m obsessed with it.

The only thing I wish was that the book had ended sooner than it did. This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I think the very last Séverin chapter should’ve been saved for the third book. For the drama. And because I love suffering, remember?

But regardless, so many mistakes have been made by so many people, and I can’t believe another year must pass until the last book comes out. Why? Why is the passage of time so necessary but so merciless?

I struggled with the first book and had such high hopes for this one and yet I’m wondering if 3 stars is too high.

I don’t know how I feel about these characters. I don’t do well with so many POVs and everyone’s inner monologue started to sound the same to me.

Plot wise, I don’t even know. I ended up skipping around because I was getting so bored and then just like with the first book, the last 20% was action packed and had me deliciously second guessing everything. I wish the entire book would have been like that.

Overall, it’s the ending that captivated me, but not much else. I’m sure I’ll read at least the last few chapters of the next book, but I know that I won’t be clamoring for it.

**Huge thanks to Wednesday Books for providing the arc free of charge**

It's been a long time since I found a series that I loved as much as the Gilded Wolves trilogy. Chokshi's writing is unparalleled. Every time I think I know where the story is headed, she surprises me with a twist that I didn't see coming yet makes perfect sense. I loved the insight into the characters that we get in The Silvered Serpents, building upon the backstories we got a glimpse of in The Gilded Wolves. I read the whole book in one sitting, skipping lunch and then reading through dinner. The interweaving of culture, history, and mythology is absolutely masterful.

4/5 stars

I really liked this magical, adventure packed sequel! The ice palace setting was my favorite part of the story and felt so unique. It was absolutely magical, imaginative, dangerous, and mysterious! There was definitely still a feeling of Indiana Jones and National Treasure-like adventure. I loved this fact and it seemed to help the story flow a lot faster than the first. I really enjoyed seeing some of the couples and possible couples in the group interact, especially Laila with Severin and Enrique with Zofia. As much as I love Hypnos's antics and distractions, those four characters are my favorites. Severin and Laila have so much pent up feelings and chemistry that you can't help but root for them. Zofia is such an interesting character herself and I love her blunt personality when it interacts with Enrique's historical nerdiness. Once again though, the adventure ended on a bit of a cliffhanger so beware! I'll be interested to see where this story goes next, where it takes all my favorites and how it all manages to end.

***Thank you so much to Wednesday Books, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this tale of grief, love and betrayal, Séverin and his friends assemble for one last heist that just might save - or doom - them all.

The Silvered Serpents is a story about longing. Longing for something more, a longing to be anything but who you are, to strip away the pain and loneliness and be something more. In many ways, this novel is an exploration of grief and love and how different people let themselves be guided by those emotions.

The Gilded Wolves was set in golden glittering Paris, but with Tristan's death, there's a coldness casting a shadow over this group of friends. The setting reflects this, as the team makes its way to silvery, cold Russia to search for a hidden palace filled with treasure and secrets. There's plenty of mystery and elements of the first book start to click in place. I have to admit, I found the first half of the story quite slow and it took me a while to get through, but once the action hit and secrets started to unravel, I couldn't stop reading!

Roshani Chokshi is a master at crafting beautifully flawed and complex characters with real arcs that you just can't help but fall in love with. Every single character is being devoured by longing for something out of their reach. Laila longs to live, Enrique longs to be listened to, Zofia longs to belong.

Séverin takes this to an extreme, longing to not only cease to be human but be more than human: a god. This desire guides his every action, he's trying to be more than human because humans are fragile and the only way he sees to protect his friends, is to become a god. As a reader, this was incredibly frustrating. I perfectly understood his pain and helplessness, but having to see him make terrible choices and continually hurt is friends made me so angry. Throughout the whole book, I simultaneously wanted to hug and punch him. Roshani Chokshi brilliantly plays with the tragedy of Séverin's wish. It's his biggest weakness and what ends up hurting him and his friends the most. And that's what we call character development and great tension!

Overall, I had a great time with this book and I cannot wait for the next one to see how this story continues.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This was a fantastic second book in this YAFantasy series. This book definitely does not suffer from the notorious "second book slump" and there is little to no "filler" that is typically stuffed into second books.

The action picks up right away. I was glad the author inserted a bit of exposition in the beginning to explain what happened in the last book, because it has been quite a while since I read it. We find the crew scattered at the onset of the book. Severin is haunted by the death of his brother Tristan, as is everyone else. He vows to cut off all emotion and stick strictly to business when it comes to the crew in an effort to save them from Tristan's fate. He is determined to find The Divine Lyrics, which is rumored to contain the secret for joining the Babel Fragments to build the Tower of Babel and thus access the power of God. Once he has those powers, he will be able to protect his crew forever. This search will drive the action for the remainder of the book.

The rest of the crew is also licking their own private wounds from the events of the last book. They notice the change in Severin, but decide to trust him once again and embark on this latest venture. It will take them to the frozen tundra deep in Russia in search of the Sleeping Palace, which is rumored to hold the treasures of the Fallen House. Of course, treachery is found around every corner and old and new foes put the fate of each crew member in danger.

This book is full of action and suspense. There are new characters to be suspicious of, and old characters that may or may not be friends. The tense relationship between Severin and Laila is hard to read, because I just want them to get back together and work it out, dammit! Hey, here's an idea - how about you actually talk to each other?! :-)

The book ends on an insane cliffhanger and I cannot WAIT to see what happens next. If you haven't gotten into this book series yet, I highly recommend you do so. It's a unique combination of Historical Fiction and Fantasy, with plenty of sciency gadgets that do cool things.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Having really enjoyed The Gilded Wolves, I was intrigued to see where the story would go in this second installment. Thankfully, I was not disappointed. Roshani Chokshi has done a fantastic job here, both in terms of the relationships between characters and also with the deepening of the world. We find out more in this novel about the mysterious fallen house and plunge into the icy tundras of Russia, as the story moves out of Paris. Given the larger scope at play and the increase in personal stakes, the nuance between the characters was still wonderful and the level of angst was turned up to eleven. I love all of the characters in this series and it was fascinating to see how the events of book one had affected each of them. There is a lot to unpack in this novel in terms of character behaviours and I am utterly intrigued to see where things will go in the next installment.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"If there were stairs to hell, would you venture down those?"
"It depends on what was inside hell, and if I needed it"


Still broken and traumatised from the devastating ending of The Gilded Wolves, Séverin and his team take on another adventure to the forgotten Sleeping Palace. While our beloved characters are all fighting their inner conflicts, they search for a book that is said to give you the power of the gods. We see their search surrounded by myths and mythical creatures, dangerous friendships and secrets of the past.

While I loved the plot and thought the writing was captivating and simply beautiful, the real highlights were the characters and their relationships. While I had a hard time connecting to them in The Gilded Wolves, in this stunning sequel, they irreversibly stole my heart. The tone changed, the story got darker, and the grief was almost tangible. Every single one of these characters had their own story: Enriquez, feeling unheard while becoming one of my favourite characters; Séverin, feeling like he failed his found family. Laila, incredibly strong Laila, having trouble facing mortality; Zofia, burdened by her sick sister, while feeling like a burden herself; Hypnos, beautiful aristocrat just trying to belong.

This diverse set of characters made me fall in love with this enthralling book. Their relationships, the pain, the longing, the angst: I'm still in awe. The dialogue made me laugh out loud but other moments broke me. I already feel a hole in my heart reserved for the third and final instalment.


I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost ― one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God.
Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.
As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.
A haunting, beautifully written tale of love, danger and the setting in Russia being one of the greatest characters.

*This review is based on an uncorrected proof copy provided by the publisher.*

4.5/5 stars

In the sequel to The Gilded Wolves, Severin and his crew are reeling from the loss of one of their own. Each deals with grief in their own way. Enrique has thrown himself into his work, trying to impress his colleagues and earn his place as a historian. Zofia has returned to Poland to tend to her ill sister. Laila is immersed in finding the Divine Lyrics, the book she believes can save her from death and unmaking. Severin is searching for a way to keep everyone around him safe.

When a lead on the Divine Lyrics emerges, Severin recalls his crew for a risky mission that leads them to the heart of Moscow and beyond. Joined by Hypnos and other members of the French and Russian Houses, the crew tries to solve the mysteries of the Fallen House, uncovering a lost palace and risking everything. Love takes many forms, but only the greatest trust can lead to the ultimate betrayal.

Once again, Roshani Chokshi has delivered a stellar treasure hunt with an incredibly deep, scarred soul. The crew are back, as diverse and lovable as ever, but new wounds run deep and everyone is changed after the events of The Gilded Wolves. The rift that is growing between Severin and his friends is affecting and gut-wrenching. Every step of the journey through this book is dogged by the emotional tangles the characters have worked themselves into. The only things more dangerous than the relationships are the trials the crew goes through to find the Fallen House.

What were vivid and intriguing characters in The Gilded Wolves have become real, breathing people that drive this story. Severin is haunted and half-mad with want and fear. Laila is broken by the loss of her friend and the idea that her clock is ticking. Zofia and Enrique are trying to work out what they want from the world, while simultaneously feeling their friends slip through their fingers. Each point of view is riveting and nothing in the story drags or detracts. It is rare that a cast of characters is so magnetizing across the board, without a single misstep or boring chapter.

The plot of this novel is as tightly-woven as the first. The mysteries placed before the characters dive deeper into the Tower of Babel mythos and expand into legends from all over the world. Chokshi continues her unflinching look at the effect of colonialism on the societies who are colonized. Every clue is brought to fruition, and readers will find themselves flipping back to earlier parts of the book to confirm their "ah-ha" moments and figure out the mysteries on their own.

This novel did not suffer from second-book syndrome, which can plague the middle book of trilogies. I was hooked throughout and the ending left me wanting the final book immediately. Readers who enjoy mystery, adventure, angst, and emotional ruin will flock to this series. I expect there will be new readers who discover this series far into the future. They are in for a treat. Recommended for fans of National Treasure, ensemble casts, Six of Crows, and diverse casts.

I received an uncorrected eARC from Wednesday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really liked The Gilded Wolves when I read it last year. I loved the characters. I thought the magic system was interesting (even if I didn’t fully understand it) and enjoyed the plot. So I had high hopes for The Silvered Serpents and it did not disappoint.

The Silvered Serpents is a wonderful sequel. It is a bit darker then The Gilded Wolves and the characters are haunted by the aftermath of the previous installment. The mystery they are trying to uncover is at its core quite dark, but despite the darker themes and elements there is humor throughout to balance it.

I just adore Roshani Chokshi’s writing style. The descriptions were so vivid. I appreciated there weren’t any major info dumps from the previous book, just what you needed to jog your memory. I usually reread previous books, but was unable to do so and didn’t feel lost. Even without reading the recap on the author’s website I would have been fine.

The only complaint I have was some of the content was repetitive. I’m not sure if it was because it was a lot of information to remember, or an attempt to convey a character’s thought process, but there were a couple instances where I found myself skimming.* Note: This may have been changed in the final version. This didn't hamper my enjoyment of the book though.

I loved revisiting these characters and this world and can't wait for the third book!

If you enjoy books with found families and cool magic systems you should check out this series.

Thank you so much Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the review copy!

*A review featuring small spoilers is available on GoodReads.

After the terrible loss and surprising reveal at the end of The Gilded Wolves, Severin and crew seek out a mysterious and powerful artifact in Siberia. Their travels lead to a mystical palace full of ice and forgotten memories, and beasts of the tundra lurk within as the crew aim to decipher the clues that will lead them to their goal. However, alliances are strained due to competing priorities, and the pain of the past has presence in the now as each member of the crew must determine where their loyalties lie, and what they will do to get what they want. The prize is godly, but is it worth it if all is torn asunder?

The Gilded Wolves series takes on a new tone in The Silvered Serpents. Where the first installment was light streaked with darkness, its sequel is full of icy darkness. With who he has lost, Severin must deal with his own demons, and the new conflict with Laila. Hypnos continues to be amusing, and Laila is such a strong, capable woman who has a commanding presence. Zofia is also very strong, because she is introspective and perseveres even in the face of things that are tough for her. Enrique is still pulled in different directions, and he is always ready with a solid contribution to any situation. The architecture and setting in The Silvered Serpents really did it for me, and I loved being sucked into this world of history, magic, and lore once again, where assumptions are challenged, and what seems apparent at first may not be so apparent after all. Roshani Chokshi has expanded her world into new terrain and stretched her characters beyond their previous limits, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Grab your parka and find your way to the nearest copy of The Silvered Serpents today!

Rep: french-algerian main character, bisexual spanish-fillipino main character, south indian main character, autistic jewish main character, achillean french-haitian main character

CW: grief, terminal illness, murder, antisemitism, self harm (for magical purposes), sexual assualt by deception, mention of suicide, mention of cruelty to animals, mention of miscarriage

I read The Gilded Wolves not too long ago and I enjoyed it. I knew before I started reading The Silvered Serpents that I would probably enjoy it too, and that this series had the potential to become a favourite of mine depending on how this one went. Chokshi then proceeded to hurt me from the very first chapter, and it took me ages to read this whole book because I knew that every time I picked it up I’d get hurt again, so obviously I loved it and this series is definitely a favourite of mine. Which makes talking about it in a review rather difficult, but I’m trying my best. Please bear with me lmao.

Séverin’s goals and motivation has changed massively following the end of The Gilded Wolves. He’s very much not coping well, and if you were to try and place him somewhere on the five stages of grief he’s stuck at stage one. His new goal is born from this, and oh boy. It’s a type of goal that’s usually reserved for villains. Which is something that Séverin seems to almost be aware of, but he’s so sure of himself and so clouded by his own grief that despite everything that it will take to get there he’s choosing to do it anyway. I know I’m not the only one who spent a lot of their time reading this wanting to reach into the book and shake some sense into him. It was fascinating to read, it was a highly unusual direction for a protagonist’s arc to be going in, and it caused me much pain.

There were a couple of things concerning Laila that I really liked. The first is something that was also the case in the first book. Laila is shown to have casual sex sometimes, and she isn’t demonised or glorified for it. It’s just a thing that she does because she enjoys it, and that’s okay! It doesn’t make her worse than anyone else and it doesn’t make her better than anyone else. It’s a really small part of the series and of her character but it’s something that I appreciated and I’m glad that Chokshi included and wrote it the way she did.

Another thing that I like about Laila is that she refuses to fall prey to certain misogynistic tropes, especially when other characters seem to expect her to conform to them. A new character is introduced in this book who develops a crush on Séverin, and she takes an instant dislike to Laila because of her not-relationship with him. Laila, however, is unwilling to participate in a rivalry and holds no ill-will against this character because of this. Laila saw the girl-hate trope and said no. This book takes place in a period of time very close to Laila’s birthday, less than a month away from it, meaning that she’s due to die soon. When it’s suggested to her that maybe if she tells Séverin about it he’ll start to act more like his old self again, she shuts that suggestion down immediately. She has enough respect for herself not to let her death just be motivation for the boy in her life. Her death is her own. Laila saw the fridging trope and said no.

I want to give Zofia a hug and reassure her that her friends do love her and don’t think she’s a burden at all. It’s very obvious from all of her friends’ POVs that they adore her, but she doesn’t believe it and thinks they’re just putting up with her. This is probably relatable to a lot of people, including myself at times, but it doesn’t make it any easier to read ;_;

I didn’t expect the Hypnos/Enrique/Zofia triangle to develop in quite the way that it did, but I liked the way that it’s going! I’m going to avoid going into too many details about it here, but this storyline highlights that mutual attraction alone doesn’t necessarily mean that a perfect relationship will follow, even if everyone involved in said relationship are ultimately good people who care about each other. I’m still holding out hope for a happy ending for all three of them!

I told my partner about the book as I was reading it, and I ever so slightly spammed them while I was in the final stretch. Highlights from that conversation can be found in the version of this review posted on my Wordpress blog!

I think it’s safe to say that I’m in pretty deep with this series. I just checked what content there is for it on ao3, and I am horrified at the lack of fic there. This is a disgrace. Somebody needs to rectify this immediately. (Please don’t make that person be me, I have enough to do already.)

In case it wasn’t clear already, I highly recommend this series. My heart has been stabbed multiple times and I need more people to suffer with me.

Where do I begin when I talk about this book? Silvered Serpents is the second book in the Guilded Wolves Trilogy. I loved the first book and was so excited to get a copy in advance. Thank you so much Netgalley and St. Martins Press. ⁣
⁣Roshani Chokshi is such a talented writer and this YA fantasy does not stop with imagination, action, and emotion. Chokshi said that “This is a book about love” and I have to say that I felt the pain of each character that can only come with love. ⁣The book follows Severin, Laila and the team as they search for treasure once again. This time, they are far from Paris, in Russia. The book is non-stop from the minute they arrive in Russia. This is such a great YA fantasy and I’ve been yearning for one for months. I cannot believe that the book ended and left me hanging. Now I have to wait a year on the edge of my seat to find out what happens to these beloved and complex characters!

Not as intriguing as the first book. There was none of that connectedness of the group like there was at L’Eden. Ava was an unnecessary annoyance, in my opinion, and I felt like some parts dragged.

However, I’m very interested in Severin’s god storyline, and I’m curious to see what happens with Laila—will she really die in a week? I also just want Enrique and Zofia to be together, but I don’t want her to be the “second choice” now that his relationship with Hypnos didn’t work out.

The Silvered Serpents is Roshani Chokshi’s highly anticipated sequel to last year’s bestseller The Gilded Wolves. Like it’s predecessor, The Silvered Serpents is set in the mesmerizing world of 19th century Europe, following Séverin and his eccentric crew as they hunt for hidden treasure. The team is still reeling from the events of The Gilded Wolves, and not everyone is handling the trauma well. But they have to put their differences aside if they are going to find the coveted book, The Divine Lyrics.

I’m a sucker for any kind of treasure hunting adventure or heist, so this series was right up my alley! I feel like there were so many really interesting themes and ideas in this book. Like the religious themes with the Houses of Babel, and the magical forging affinities. But because there were so many different ideas introduced, at times I felt a little lost due to lack of detail.

For example, Séverin’s family life was very confusing. He had 7 fathers, each named after one of the seven deadly sins. And sometimes also had a mom or another sibling, but always had his brother Tristan? As intriguing as the writing was in these descriptions of Séverin’s home life, I don’t feel like the detail added much to his character, and instead left me feeling confused.

I was a little let down after reading The Gilded Wolves because the story and layout reminded me of a watered-down version of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. But The Silvered Serpents caught my interest much earlier on, and the character development kept me reading all the way through. The characters are diverse and endearing, and I loved getting to read from each person’s point of view! It is not easy to write 6 unique voices in one story, and Chokshi did this very well.

Overall I would give this book 4/5 stars. I feel like this was a good idea, in a great setting, but not executed as clearly as I would prefer. It is definitely worth a read for fans of YA and New Adult action-adventure, heists, and romance!

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.