It was so great being back in this series again! I absolutely loved THE GILDED WOLVES and the Belle Epoque world Roshani Chokshi created and the dark magic that flows through its veins. I don't want to say too much about the plot and risk spoiling it for those of you who haven't read, or finished reading, book one, but I'll say that I'm impressed with the intricacy and difficulty of the puzzles Severin and his team have to solve. In book two, the stakes are even higher, the interpersonal relationships more strained, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what clues they would uncover. The writing is beautiful, and I volunteer to read everything Chokshi writes (no hard task there). I will absolutely be recommending THE SILVERED SERPENTS to everyone I know looking for a well-paced fantasy adventure with queer characters and diverse representation. Loved it!

The Silvered Serpents is a wonderful second installment in the Gilded Wolves trilogy. Our favorite crew comes back together for another heist, traveling from France to the icy heart of Russia. If you thought TGW broke your heart, this one will shatter you entirely.

This book is a lot darker and painful than the first. Roshani is such an incredible writer. The world-building is crafted so carefully. It was so mesmerizing. This world beguiles you, it draws you in completely. The research that Roshani has done, bringing in so many early world history aspects shows the ugliness of colonialization and the system that continues to prey on marginalized groups.

The romance is heartbreaking but are we really surprised? Séverin hardens his heart but nonetheless does all that he can to protect his friends in the background. Laila getting the brunt of his emotional spiral is tear-jerking. The angst, the longing is what makes this romance so soul-crushing. It physically and mentally exhausts me and yet I'm addicted to every aspect of this book.

With a book that has so many points of view, it seems that it would be hard to differentiate the characters but no, each narrator has their own beautiful voice. Character representation matters and Roshani gives us such reflective and unique characters. We have characters of color with varying sexual orientation and those on the ASD spectrum. I think diversity in books is something that is absolutely necessary and Roshani does an excellent job of making sure each character is authentic and humanized in a world that often tokenizes, misrepresents, and forgets them.

I couldn't put this book down! This text is a masterpiece that brings out all of your emotions. This is a journey about grieving, acceptance, love, and most of all hope. I highly recommend this series to everyone I come in contact with and I seriously cannot wait for the final installment.

5/5 Stars

Once again Roshani Chokshi has brought us a stunningly brilliant and emotional tale with The Silvered Serpents. There's of course history and mystery but at it's heart is the bonds between the characters and how far they will go for each other. With writing that seeps into the bones and sets the soul alight, readers will surely love this one.

One of my favorite parts of this series is always going to be the exploration of artifacts, folklore, and legends and this sequel delves deeper into all those aspects. More importantly though, this book shines a light on the hidden and often unseen emotions and thoughts that humans deal with. Dealing with grief, loss, and trauma; the feeling of being other; and above all love, in its many, many facets.

This whole crew of characters is so nuanced and their connections to one another carry the story. Whether it's Séverin's quest for power, Laila's search for more, Enrique's desire to belong, Zofia's fear, or Hypnos' need of acceptance; all of them bring something special to the table. I find myself wanting to coddle and yell at them all at the same time.

And oh that ending. It was at once heartbreaking yet hopeful, and I'm eagerly anticipating the final installment in the trilogy. Chokshi's writing continues to excel bringing a sweeping, lyrical narrative to the page. If you haven't started this trilogy yet, I highly recommend picking up The Gilded Wolves as soon as possible so you can then delve into The Silvered Serpents.

The Silvered Serpents is the Gilded Wolves, all grown up! An immensely enjoyable sequel that has me dying for the next book. It ends on a cliffhanger, as all good second books do, so read at your own risk!

Technically, I loved pretty much everything about the Gilded Wolves - the beautiful world, the unique magic, and of course the misfit characters who were about as diverse as they could be. However, the first third of that book was really hard to read! I’m not sure if it was just the mass amounts of info dumping, or weird pacing, or just rough writing but I had a real hard time getting into it. Once I did, I loved it. And I forgave the book this sin. But it did have me nervous to read the second book.

I needn’t have worried! The book was infinitely more readable from the start to finish, so much so that I couldn’t put it down. So if that was an issue for you the first time around you need not worry either.

The story post-Gilded Wolves is not a happy one. The team is suffering from Tristan’s death big time, no one more than Severin. It was amazing to see how Roshani took these characters that I fell in love with in the first book and infused them with visible grief. I felt their pain and sadness, I felt the loss of Tristan and his place in their world. And I truly felt like I was witnessing the aftermath of that loss from each character’s perspective. These characters all feel multi-faceted now. But they are not the same and readers should be prepared for that.

So things weren’t as fun and lighthearted as before, but that’s what Hypnos is for! I loved that we got to see more cool forging out in the world and I really loved the introduction of blood forging. Sure, it seems like we should have heard about this in the first book but I’ll forgive that. As well as the convenience of some of the forging. Overall it still felt like a beautiful and unique world that I am just dying to run around in. The visuals of the Sleeping Palace have me craving a trip to Russia in the winter. Just kidding.

In summary, I was really happy with this book and I am already impatiently waiting for the next one. I want to see these characters find a way to trust each other again and stop the Fallen House once and for all!

This was fun, I enjoyed it so much, and thought that Roshani really brought forth an emotional character driven novel! I enjoyed all the characters, the looks into their lives and feelings, as well as the new secrets and plot twists that were revealed. With the way this ended, I cannot wait to see what happens to the characters in the next book!

The Silvered Serpents is a fantastic installment in a series you need to be reading, if you aren’t already.

The Silvered Serpents is the sequel to The Gilded Wolves, following the characters we’ve grown to love as they cope with the events of the first book, and go on a dangerous hunt for a legendary artifact.

Roshani Chokshi’s writing style is the love of my life. It’s absolutely stunning. She could write anything and I’d read it. Her prose is beautiful, almost poetic, with rich descriptions and flowing dialogue. But it isn’t just pretty, there’s great humor and heart beneath it.

This book follows the group as they hunt for an ancient artifact. There’s plenty of puzzles and riddles thrown in, leaving you constantly guessing. And these aren’t easy riddles, so you truly believe in the character’s intelligence when you see them solve them.

The plot moves at a good pace, with a great mix of action and adventure. It was nearly impossible for me to put down! Also, can we talk about that ending? Because I’m dying. Can we get book 3 now?!

The characters are where The Silvered Serpents truly shines. I love this cast so much.

First, Severin- I wanted to yell at him so many times while reading. He is such a flawed character but so interesting to read about, and I love him so much. He’s officially up there as one of my favorite characters of all time (even if I really, really wanted to hit him).

Enrique, Laila, Hypnos, and Zofia are equally well crafted and complex characters, and I loved their individual inner struggles as well as watching their development. I also just really enjoyed the banter within the group. While the tone in this book is much more somber than the first, there are still some great moments in the dialogue.

The Silvered Serpents takes the characters and the world we fell in love with in The Gilded Wolves, and brings it to the next level. I am not emotionally prepared for book 3.

Oh my goodness, what a masterpiece. Roshani's writing is as beautiful as every. I'm so happy with how she build up this world and the absolute insanity she managed to pack into each page. The angst was delicious and the character development was fantastic. I cannot wait for book three!

Title: The Silvered Serpents
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5

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 tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job.

I have not read The Gilded Wolves—the first book in this series—but that didn’t prove to be much of a problem, although I think reading that one first would give this one a nice depth. I like this setting and the worldbuilding was great, with the culture nicely developed but not dripping with too many tiny details.

There’s a nice mix of characters here. Séverin was kind of a controlling jerk, although I understand why. Laila was probably my favorite character, but the whole group was well-developed and realistic, and their interactions and conversations were just fun: full of lots of exaggerated drama and sarcasm. This was an excellent read, albeit a bit dark, and I intend to read the first one, then re-read this one before the next bookd comes out.

oshani Chokshi is a bestselling author. The Silvered Serpents is her newest novel.(Galley courtesy of Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 9/25)

Ok first of all I thought this series was a duologu. So imagine my surprise when I get to that ending and am frantically trying to find the rest of the story. I liked this book so much better than the first one. The pacing was much easier to get in to and the characters made sense. This book hurt my heart in parts and yet also made me strangely hopeful for what is to come.

This series!

It’s been SO LONG since I’ve felt about a series the way I feel about The Gilded Wolves!

The excitement, the intrigue, the drama! This book had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next. Even more so at its conclusion, knowing that there was still so much more of the tale to come.

Only recently have I started reading newer series that are still in the works, with upcoming instalments that have yet to be released. So, it’s been so long since I strayed from reading stand-alone novels or, if choosing to venture out into a book series, delving into one that hasn’t already been concluded. I forgot the feeling that grips you when reading an amazing, totally compelling book series without a complete finale. That insatiable need-to-know that can’t be fulfilled no matter how much you want it.

And The Silvered Serpents brought all that back to me. Oh so effortlessly.

Honestly, even looking back on the book series I used to love – checking religiously to see when the next installment in the series would be published and flying through them the second I could get them in my hands – I think The Gilded Wolves/Silvered Serpents blows almost all of them out of the water. I can’t think of any other book series I’ve read that include so many different literary genres, gripping plot-twists, imaginative world-building and unique, round characters.

And Chokshi manages to not only do so, but do it flawlessly.

The Silvered Serpents built off everything that worked in The Gilded Wolves, and made it even better. Chokshi obviously took advantage of the ~free real estate~ from an additional book to delve even more deeply into the fantastical (and thematically pointed) world-building of the international Order of Babel and the motivations of the main characters (which just made me fall in love with them more; as if that was even possible).

If her track record is any indicative, Chokshi is on a role. And, personally, I can’t wait to see what come next.

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Hello Gemmies! I have a new book review to share with you today. Please note: I received a digital ARC of this book (via NetGalley) from its publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.

The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi is the follow up YA historical fantasy to The Gilded Wolves. The Silvered Serpents picks up right where The Gilded Wolves ended. Immediately we see that our beloved characters are still dealing with the death of one of their own. Like Gilded Wolves, Silvered Serpents is very much a character driven story. This book really shines in the way it unpacks each characters grief and how they each deal with loss. Most are not dealing well and it is reflected in the choices they make and how they treat each other. I just wanted to reach through the pages and give them all a hug!! Or in Severin's case...shake him, really, really hard.

The action and stakes in Silvered Serpents are ratcheted up by 1000%. I think I gained one new grey hair with each plot twist and new puzzle unlocked. The world building is incredibly detailed. Roshani Chokshi artfully created lush decadent imagery on every page. With many of the scenes set in Russia, we get vivid images of ice creatures and ice palaces. There are also a plethora of fabricated creatures including one leviathan. The Silvered Serpents has underlining themes of duty, family, love, loss, and acceptance of one's self. To put it shortly, The Silvered Serpents is great!

If you are a fan of historical fiction, heists, travel, found families, action, mysteries, heartbreak, and love then go read this book! Published by Orbit, The Silvered Serpents is available for purchase from all major booksellers. I give The Silvered Serpents 4 out of 5 gems. I look forward to reading more stories set in this universe. Happy Reading!

Chokshi has brought another winner! I loved The Gilded Wolves and found this one to pick up the pace perfectly. The characters and story are compelling and draw you right back into this world and magic system. I love the adventures the characters take on and how they interact.
Highly recommend for the fantasy lovers. Definitely not a second book slump for this series!

#TheSilveredSerpents #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #WednesdayBooks

I liked this a lot more than the first one, perhaps because I listened to and read the book simultaneously. The narrators are not my favorite, and I tend to lose track of who is talking when I listen to them. So reading it along with the readers actually helped me get drawn into the story more easily. Why didn't I just read it? Because there are many Russian and French names, as well as phrases here and there, and I like to hear how the words are pronounced--it helps me to increase my understanding of the meaning.

As for the story, there was more that was developed in this 2nd book that made me intrigued, both about the way magic works, and also the mystery of the book, The Divine Lyrics. Without giving away too much from the first book (just in case you haven't read it), the first book ended with a huge loss that has the whole team reeling and Severin has decided he's going to just not love his team to protect both himself and them--at least that's how he treats them throughout. Honestly, I just wanted to wring his neck, except I felt bad for what he went through. To me, it's as if the logic completely erodes all sense of humanity. As for the rest of the team, I like how they learn to trust and lean on each other while still trying to protect Severin. There is a lot of push and pull in this second novel and you go between wanting to slap some of them and feeling like your heart is being torn out because they're suffering so much. Yes, this book made me feel so much more than the first book, and of course, this book leaves you completely hanging and I just want to see this team not suffer anymore! The bottom line is that I like this book so much more than the first one and I can't wait for the conclusion, which I hope is coming next year!

FTC Disclosure: Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Silvered Serpents is a great YA novel. Loved the characters and the setting. I believe this is part of a series, however, I read it and enjoyed it without reading the first book. I highly recommend it.

“Life is cruel, and often without cake.”

This quote may or may not appear on my tombstone. TBD.

I think I liked The Silvered Serpents 5x more than I liked Gilded Wolves, mainly because the quest to find the lost treasure just felt more personal which kept me glued to the pages. There were also so many secrets to unfold!! I dare you not to be excited for the unveiling of the deceit.

And also, I love me some Enrique.

Like, you all can keep super dark emo boi Severini (I know it is Severin). I’ll stick with Enrique. If this story was all about Enrique and Zofia I’d still read this gem of a book, because they are couple goals. They understand each other, care about each other’s opinions, listen to each other…. even though Enrique is going out with Hypnos. Hypnos is interesting. He wants so badly to belong and be a part of the group. He tries too hard; I like that Layla notices this. He wants to be close to Severin but Severin doesn’t give him the time of day due to a slight done when they were kids (for that matter Severin doesn’t confront him about it either which is super frustrating!).

So yeah, Enrique and Sofia are couple goals, but on the other hand Layla and Severini bring the PASSION and romantic tension. Uuuuf, they are fire on the page. I love Layla’s character complexities, she contains multitudes. She is kind, yet confident. She is a baker who at night plays the role of a diva cabaret dancer! How cool is that?

In the Silvered Serpents they are all under such a dark cloud of emotions it is easy to understand why they burrowed into their darker selves. Severini does take it to the next level though by acting like a complete ass and pushing everybody away. It made for an interesting read. Layla on the other hand will not take pity on Severin and doesn’t even tell him she is dying *le gasp* she is not here to advance a male character’s story that is for sure ❤

I am super pumped for the sequel!

I loved this book, I think this is by far the best book of 2020!! I love reading good YA books.

I devoured this book in one sitting. Thank you so much for the chance to read and review..

WHHHHHYYYYYYYYYY HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!!!!!!
How long do I have to wait till the next one? OMG I can’t cope literally WHAT THE HELL.
This is torture you are torturing MEE!!!!
Gah why did this book have to be so damn brilliant and mysterious and like the best book I have read this year.
Why did I read it so fast.... now I have AGES TO WAIT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT and it’s not fair.... you can’t leave it there.
That ending was too much... how will I go on?
Also how dare you do this to me again, just when I love someone you snatch them away from me - it’s not ok.
Now two of my favourite characters are lost and I want you to bring them back!

This book took my heart in its hand and just kept squeezing until everything hurt. Then, the book ended and of course there's a major cliffhanger and of course book three is a long way out since book two just came out. So I'll just be in pain for a while until it comes out, no biggie.

Honestly though this was a great book. I adore the writing and the characters. The plot is great are there are some fun twists throughout the story that kept me on the edge of my seat. But oh, the characters. I love these characters so much and they really came to life in this book. I felt their joy, their anger, and their pain so clearly.

I'm so excited (and also so scared) for the next book to come out!

"𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩."⁣⁣⁣
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The Silvered Serpents is an extremely exciting follow up to Roshani Chokshi's The Gilded Wolves. I devoured this second book in the trilogy in less than 24 hours. The Silvered Serpents takes place not long after the first book ends, when many of the characters are still suffering from the events that took place in the previous book.  ⁣⁣⁣
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Severin gets the gang together again, for one last treasure hunt. They're looking for a book called the The Divine Lyrics, which The Fallen House seemed to have, and also is really needed by Laila to stay alive.  The hunt takes them to an impressive but creepy mansion in Russia, full of ice animals that attack as if they're real.  This book absolutely did not disappoint! I am really going to struggle now in my wait for the final book in the trilogy. Can't wait!! ⁣⁣⁣
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𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 St. Martins Press 𝘢𝘯𝘥 NetGalley 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.⁣⁣⁣
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The Silvered Serpents is the second book in The Gilded Wolves series by Roshani Chokshi. Ann intriguing young adult fantasy that is sure to take your breath away. I absolutely devoured The Silvered Serpents! From beginning to the very end, I was hooked.