"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.

In this sequel to The Gilded Wolves and middle book in her trilogy, Roshani Chokshi treats the reader to another treasure hunt/adventure. The treasure? The Sleeping Palace and The Divine Lyrics. The setting? Cold, icy Russia. The gang is still reeling from the events of the first book when Séverin finds a lead on the location of the Sleeping Palace and brings them all together again.
I’m totally entranced by the world Roshani has created. It’s such beautiful mixture of science and magic, I want go live there. It is of course aided by her wonderful writing.
The characters all given their due, time to grow, their own emotional story arch’s. All of their flaws and strengths add to the story, propelling it forward. The tension kept rising with each discovery as the group got closer to their goal. Roshani plotted it masterfully so I kept coming back and turning pages.
I loved The Gilded Wolved and I love The Silvered Serpents. I can’t wait for the final book in this series.
Overall 5/5

I received this book as an ARC through the lovely folks at Netgalley.

When I first read it, I opened it with trepidation. I loved The Gilded Wolves, and I was moderately afraid of this book. The first book was so intense, and spent so much time on character development, that I really didn't know what Chokshi would do in this title. I needn't have worried. Chokshi delivered a fantastic story that was brimming with a fast-paced plot and incredible character development.

Without being too spoilery, the treasure hunters of the first book have changed greatly by the time this title begins. They've been forced to examine what they always wanted. Here, they set new goals for themselves. However, since so many of these goals are shaped by the scar tissue of their pasts, and they have to decide if, once again, they're actually chasing something that anyone should actually possess.

Chokshi's imagined world of Houses and Forging and pieces of Babylon grows ever richer in this book. It's not a comfortable world, and her characters are not comfortable people. But I will read anything set in this world and with these characters.

"I wish my love was more beautiful."

Just take my heart, rip it out, grind it into shards of ice, and burn it. This sequel was spectacular but I CANNOT FORGIVE IT for doing what it did. What a beautiful, terrible, heartrending piece of fiction. Everyone should read it.

Writing: ★★★★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★★
Character development: ★★★★ 1/2
Enjoyment: ★★★★★

This book is a sequel, and so my review will have SPOILERS for the first book in the series. Please don't read if you don't want SPOILERS for The Gilded Wolves. You can read my review of The Gilded Wolves here.

*****

...Are they gone? Good!

Alright, so let's just dive right in. First off, how dare she—the author has done us dirty, folks. Roshani Chokshi has written such a beautiful world with wonderful characters, and she keeps hurting them! And now we have to wait a whole year for the next book. Brutal.

The Silvered Serpents picks up shortly after the events of The Gilded Wolves. The team is fractured beyond repair following the surprise death of Tristan, one of their own, and all of them are (not) coping.

Severin has decided that the best way to not fail his friends again is by... failing them every day with a numb, cold caricature of himself. Laila is quickly approaching her birthday and knows that her days are numbered—she needs to find the book that can keep her alive. Zofia, Enrique, and Hypnos are caught in Severin and Laila's crossfire and it's not looking pretty—and they all have dramas of their own.

And then the group gets a lead on the Fallen House's Sleeping Palace, which seems to hold the answer to all of their problems. It has The Divine Lyrics, the book Laila desperately needs. Severin is also newly interested in the book, but for different (darker) reasons. And the rest of the team just hopes that this quest will lead to a happy ending.

But the night gets darkest before the dawn...

Filled with heists, drama, intrigue, stunningly lush descriptions, and shocking betrayals—this sequel has it ALL. I could not believe the amount of character development and plot development that Chokshi was able to cram into this novel. It doesn't even feel forced—it's that well written.

Like in The Gilded Wolves, this series' focus on the grim underbelly of colonialism and Western "might is right" politics was a cutting commentary, and that increases with this novel too. I love the diverse backgrounds of the crew and how their backstories unfolded to reveal more secrets and some interesting tie-ins to the discussion of race, class, and politics.

My favorite aspects of this series continue to be its world building, the setting descriptions, and the nuanced relationships between all of the characters. (And the angsty romances? SO WELL DONE.) Each of the POVs adds an extra layer of secrets, intrigue, and motives... and in this installment in particular, it was fascinating to see the pieces of the pie assemble into the final conclusion.

Which, without giving away any spoilers..... that conclusion gutted me. And was extremely surprising. If you thought the ending of The Gilded Wolves was big, strap in. This one is bigger.

I can't wait to see what Chokshi brings us next.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I missed my little wildly flawed found family of attractive misfits!

The Silvered Serpents may be better than its predecessor, The Gilded Wolves. Let me tell you why.

Plotting in Serpents is more clever and incorporates more topics grounded in real history, a fantasy element that I personally really enjoy. There's still a lot of confusion surrounding the various Houses and Forging magic which doesn't fully get cleared up in this book since the focus is more on the next great Heist and the character dynamics; however, there are loose ends tied up from book one and some explanations that shed light on previous actions. And the character dynamics are GOOD - characters are growing, becoming more and more fleshed out, intriguing new characters are introduced, and the alternating POVs are golden (or gilded, if you will). The final 20% of the book is unputdownable.

That being said, I genuinely don't think that you need to read book one in order to enjoy this installment. Which is a weird statement concerning a series of books that are ostensibly carrying on an overall cohesive tale. I wish there was more incorporation of recaps from book one to tie things together better. There seems to be a switch in focus from book one to book two that is mostly glossed over so it's a tad awk.

Overall, I was happy to be back in this world and back with these characters. While there is an awkward shift in focus and lots of elements remaining largely unexplained, there is clearly going to be a book three of this series and I will happily snatch it up when it arrives.

I really enjoyed this YA fantasy title. It was unique and the world building was exciting, fresh, and well developed. I felt connected to the characters and the plight of the story. I hadn't realized when requested that this title was a second book so I happily read book one first and felt truly invested in the books. The writing of Chokshi was equally as gifted as the development of the world building. This author pulls you in expertly while leaving you thoroughly reeling over the plot and characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an advanced copy of "The Silvered Serpents" in exchange for an honest review.

This book was heartbreaking and wonderful all at the same time. Chokshi can take myths and history and twist them into something so vibrant and magical.

The first book in the series, “Gilded Wolves,” was much of what I hoped for from Chokshi. I was missing some of the poetic language from her past works, but the dialogue more than made up for the void. I loved every character, and the banter between them all was such fun. I also appreciated the mix of history, mythology, and forging. At times, it was a little challenging to keep up with all of the information and puzzles, but it makes sense to have such a diverse mix of culture considering everything connects to Babel.

“The Silvered Serpents” has all of the same elements, but it is a much darker tale. Séverin, Laila, Enrique, Hypnos, and Zofia travel to Russia in search of The Divine Lyrics. They are all wrenched by the death of Tristan, and some are processing his death in healthier ways than others. But, the stakes are high, and in the end, each much decide who to trust.

This is a story of love, but not a beautiful love. This is the kind of love that manifests itself in the form of heart twisting sacrifice. My heart was aching for these characters, and I am so anxious to see how their stories end.

This was an incredible sequel.

These characters all mean so, so much to me. They're all so complex and interesting, and they all have unique relationships with each other that warm my soul and break my heart. Especially Enrique and Zofia. The way they understand and see each other makes me feel so many emotions.

That being said-my poor baby Severin, whom I love, can choke.

The amount of research that went into these novels is honestly incredible. I want a Silmarillion style compendium of the history and lore of this world (which is our world, with Forging added to it, but still).

My soul is broken, and I need the third book right now thank you very much. I think it's safe to say that this is now one of my favorite ongoing series. Everyone go read this series now, please and thank you.

I was hoping that I would enjoy the second book in this series more than I enjoyed the first. I realize that this series was just not for me. It consistently feels like a Six of Crows copy, with far less charming characters. The National Treasure like hunt for objects has also just never appealed to me, so likely this is just not my type of story.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Though I don’t talk about them enough, these characters and this story live in my head rent free. This sequel was just wOW

The Silvered Serpents picks up a few months after where The Gilded Wolves left off, with grief an ever present shadow hanging around each and every one of the characters. The loss of Tristan has driven the L’Eden gang apart, but upon discovering a lead to a certain powerful artefact – The Divine Lyrics - Séverin is determined to bring the band back together and to do whatever is necessary to find it.

Roshani’s beautiful and immersive prose transports us right back into her world of secret Houses, magic and Forging, this time taking us on a quest to Russia. The story takes a much darker turn to its predecessor though I feel like it also really comes into its own. The National Treasure-esque storyline is dialled up with higher stakes and more complex puzzles and twists, and further elements of lore and history have been masterfully interwoven into the narrative.

The pacing and new aspects of the Forged magic system and world really keep you on your toes. I don't want to say much with regards to the plot so as not to spoil anything but I was absolutely hooked.

The L’Eden gang are without a doubt my favourite found family and it really hurt to see how the tragedy at the end of the first book had driven a wedge between them and affected their relationships. Their connections with one another were so full of angst and constantly being explored, as was each individual’s arc and backstory - you can really sense a higher level of maturity around all of them. I really loved how well balanced this all was with the plot. Though the frequent banter from the first book has been somewhat reduced there were still some moments of wittiness that will warm your heart - I particularly loved the dynamic that reformed and strengthened between Laila, Zofia and Enrique. I honestly didn’t think I could love these kids any more but I was wrong.

Now fair warning this book will come with a desire to throttle Séverin on numerous occasions but I feel like Roshani represented grief and its repercussions remarkably well through his character. Again like with book one the various flashbacks added further layers to his story and I won’t lie and say his traumatic childhood had me sympathising with him a little. Well, until he opened his mouth… this boyyyy

If you thought the romance and pining throughout The Gilded Wolves was driving you crazy, if the ending of the first book made you fling the book at the wall, well…

This book well and truly broke me and I will not know peace until I have book 3 in my hands. (But then again I am terrified of what Roshani has planned for my children.)

Either way I urge you to read this series and suffer with me!
Final Rating - 4.5/5 Stars

Second books are often seen as filler—the saggy middle in a trilogy. In this sequel to THE GILDED WOLVES, Roshani Chokshi not only avoids this stereotype, but she ups the ante considerably, raising the stakes for each of the protagonists as they are thrown into an elusive and fantastical ice palace in Russia on the hunt for a historic item that will solve each of their most desperate needs. 

It is hard to say what is best about THE SILVERED SERPENTS, but Chokshi’s characters are certainly high on the list. Chokshi seamlessly brings together characters from different regions of the world, belief systems, sexualities, and social classes. Every single one is lovable and stan-able in their own right, and together, they form an equal-parts-love-and-banter team that’s impossible not to root for. Whether driven by desperation, ambition, or love, each character has relatable and believable motivations—even in their cruelest moments. One of the most wonderful things about this series is that gentleness and vulnerability are presented as strengths, not weaknesses, a welcome offering in a genre that has often trended toward celebrating a gritty ruthlessness.

Each character has been made a misfit or underdog by historical processes of colonialism, racism, and other forms of exclusion. Chokshi offers a compelling underlying commentary on coloniality that is relevant both historically and contemporarily, amid current struggles against imperialism, racial injustice, systemic violence, and extremism. Some further situating of Russia’s role in the colonial history of the Order of the Babel would have been appreciated (though, admittedly, would perhaps have turned off non-history buffs).

The cast of dashing nerds, a glittering setting, steampunky magic, swoony but messy romances, and historical factoids will hook readers right away. It seems that there are fewer puzzles than there were in THE GILDED WOLVES, which may disappoint some riddle lovers but could be welcome to those who get antsy in between action-driven scenes. Fans will absolutely love the tender moments between those in the book’s found family, and love-to-hate the parts where things all go so stupendously wrong.

What was THAT????
I kept reading and reading even though i had hw and finals!! COULDNT STOP!!
I gave the gilded wolves 5 stars and this too, but THIS FIVE STARS WERE ANOTHER LEVEL!!!!
The book was PERFECT!!!! Everything i needed!!
Made me cry, mad, sad, and HAPPY AT TIMES!!
It mostly broke my heart to be honest but i’m fine with that!
What i’m not fine with though is waiting FOR A WHOLE YEAR TO GET BOOK THREE???? 😭

The Silvered Serpents starts a few months after The Gilded Wolves. Our main characters are off doing their own things as they try struggle to deal with the consequences of their first adventure. This sequel is much darker than the first novel. It has you nervous for all of your faves as they are faced with conflicts brought on by others and amongst themselves. I loved getting the different points of view of the characters and they really have such distinct voices. This book hurts your heart and is such a beautiful continuation of the series.

We get more background on each of the characters which was really helpful to understand their decisions. I love the new setting of The Sleeping Palace. It sounded both beautiful and terrifying. I was on the edge of my seat the entire book and was completely taken by surprise with the twists (I usually really love trying to figure them out and did not see these). I am truly excited but also very nervous for the next book. Laila, Zofia, Enrique, Hypnos and Severin have a long path ahead of them before they have their happy endings if that is what is in store for them.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

For me, The Silvered Serpents is a solid 3.5 stars. We are following the crew through their grief and the different ways they are dealing with it. I felt like the whole book was just sad and angsty. Laila and Severin were still doing the push and pull in their relationship, and it was exhausting to watch because Layla deserves so much better. Severin is still the character I dislike most. I also found myself disliking Hypnos more and more in this book. Most likely because I don't think Enrique deserved to be treated like that by him. Laila, Zofia, and Enrique are still my favorite characters in the story.

Now onto the plot: it was a little sparse. The story was stretched out so long for the amount of plot points that were actually in the book. **SLIGHT SPOILER BUT NOT ANYTHING SPECIFIC** There were puzzles and things like in The Gilded Wolves, but the reader doesn't get to work them out or even see them in the process of working out the puzzles. That was my favorite part of The Gilded Wolves and the reason I was so excited to read this book. So I'm pretty disappointed. **SLIGHT SPOILER OVER** I also saw the plot twist coming a mile away, which was a little annoying. There is also a death at the end that was pointless and really annoyed me.

What did I like? The atmosphere and descriptions. Chokshi has a very beautiful writing style that really transports you right into the location. I also appreciated the continued discussion of colonialism and its effects. Zofia really brings it home as being pretty much the top tier character in this book. Laila really frustrated me, but I felt so much for her and her struggles. My poor bean.

All in all, I will be reading the next book in the series, and seriously crossing my fingers for puzzles to help solve. If the reason you loved The Gilded Wolves was the characters, I definitely think this book will be one you'll like more than me, as I was really in it for the plot and puzzles.

Last thing I need to say is that Severin can meet me outside so I can dropkick his dumb ass.

Séverin and his crew are back in this sequel to 2019's The Gilded Wolves - a dark return to the world that Roshani Chokshi has crafted so well. With higher stakes, boiling drama, deadly secrets, and rising tension, The Silvered Serpents brings with it a page turning mystery that hurts the heart and touches the soul with its complex characters, layered story telling, and stellar world building. And if that's not enough to float your boat, how about we add some witty banter, magic, plot twists, and an eye popping cliffhanger to the mix! This book truly has it all. Don't be late to this party. Make sure that you are here with us so we can all scream about book 3 together!

I must start off by saying - the entirety of “Part IV” ... *aggressively needs paper bag to breathe into* That was Intense™. Before starting part 4 of the book (chapter 25-epilogue) please listen to my advice and make sure you set yourself time to sit and read the whole thing because your body will be shaking with the inability to put this book down. Wide-eyed emojis don’t even compare to how wide your eyes will go.

Anyway, regarding the entire story, I was pleasantly surprised! It starts off feeling like it’s very much matching the tone and feel of The Gilded Wolves. It was apparent it wasn’t going to suffer from the dreaded middle book syndrome. It actually ended up being even better than The Gilded Wolves.

Of course now I have to endure the hair-ripping, midnight pacing, constant clock checking wait for book three.

The Silvered Serpents is a wonderful continuation of the series! It had the complete package of being intriguing, action packed, romantic, and of course, mysterious. One thing I believe was done exceptionally well was the character growth. They all faced their own personal demons in a multitude of different ways, which helped me better understand them and their motives in the second book.

I do hope the physical book as more of the printed puzzles/pictures in it as the version I had did not, but I loved that addition in the first so hopefully that will be the case for this one!

Overall, if you enjoyed the first book, you are going to love this one! I can't wait for the third installment to come out!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this opportunity!

I’ve been waiting for this book for AGES because the last few pages of The Gilded Wolves is massive cliffhanger after cliffhanger. And holy hell did this book not disappoint.

After the death of Tristan all of our characters are a little fractured. Séverin is a lot colder than he was before, Laila stopped baking, Zofia has retreated back into her shell. The foundation that they built for themselves and the life of heists and secrets has come to a crashing halt, and they’re not too sure how to start over again.

But as they all reunite to stop the Fallen House and save Laila, they learn to move on and rebuild the relationships and trust that they had before. It’s heartbreaking, its breathtaking, and absolutely wonderful.

There’s so much I want to say about this story, but so little I feel like I can say without giving away spoilers.

But I will say this: I adore the relationship building soooo much in this story.

Laila and Séverin trying and fighting against rebuilding what they started. Enrique and Zofia’s relationship, Hypnos and Enrique. Hypnos and Séverin. It’s all so beautiful and realistic, something you don’t see enough in novels nowadays.

The world building in this book was also AMAZING. The quest to stop the Fallen House and get the Divine Lyrics brought the team to Russia and it was so beautiful. (Have I been using that word too much?) I loved the new ways of traveling introduced in this book, the added information about how magic works in this world, and I loved absolutely every single thing about the Ice Palace. Seriously, from the guard animals, to how to access the dining room, the palace was just so well thought out and so creative and if I wasn’t 100% sure I would die in it, its a place I would love to go to.

Some parts of the story were a little predictable, especially in relation to Séverin’s past, but overall it was very entertaining to read about.

And of course, it ended once again with massive cliffhangers and WHAT THE HELL moments, so I need book 3 immediately.

I enjoyed this second book to the series much more than the first. I felt the characters were better developed and flowed well with each other. We got to see into the person of these characters more and what they brought to the adventure. This second installment was much easier to follow and the overlapping histories of the artifacts weren’t as distracting as the first book. I’m devastated where the book left us because I am only assuming the worse and now I have to wait to see what happens. But I’m happy to say I’m looking forward to the next book!