This is the second book in the Gilded Wolves series. I completely thought this was a duology and was VERY shocked at the cliffhanger ended I ran right into!

The story picks up shortly after the end of the last book where the team is trying to move forward with the new state of the world after Tristan’s death. This book takes a much darker turn than the first, and while it moved slower and had less action I found I still enjoyed it. It was pretty typical of a second book in a series where we have met the main characters and the world and now we are building up to a finale.

Chokshi created beautiful imagery and very unique places and things that I cant say I have read in any other books. I would love to go into more details but it would totally spoil it and trust me you want to read it through! I will say that some of the “reveals” were predictable but the setting and the characters still made for a good read. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series to see what happens next and if I will ever be put out of my misery on some of the romance storylines I want to happen so bad!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of Silvered Serpents in Exchange for my honest opinion.

It’s been over two weeks since I finished The Silvered Serpents and I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. This book is breathtaking. The setting, the mood, the characters — my heart aches for Séverin! — everything is woven together beautifully. Even if The Gilded Wolves wasn’t your favourite, The Silvered Serpents is well worth your time. Eagerly awaiting the next book!

First of all, thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Net Galley for an eARC of The Silvered Serpents!

I read Gilded Wolves thanks to receiving it in a book box last January, and absolutely loved it! I've been looking forward to Silvered Serpents for some time, now!

Unfortunately, I kind of struggled through this one. Now, I should mention that with the nature of this book, it's probably best to reread Gilded Wolves before diving in, or to read it immediately after! I struggled through bits, and we really don't get sort of recap (which I don't normally like, but it might have been nice for this!)

The beginning was intriguing, but I really got lost in the middle. There was so much going on, I seriously struggled through it. I ended up really enjoying the ending, but now I have to wonder if it was worth it! I think I've going to give the audiobook a go once it's out, to try to figure out how I feel about this one. It was just kind of disappointing, and I've really been looking forward to this one for some time!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC, this one was available under the Read Now section. Dare I say, I loved this more than the first book. The Silvered Serpents is packed with Roshani’s lush worldbuilding, rich mythologies, history, cultural identity, and characters that you will root for. Enrique and Laila have all my heart. Our band of misfits have to deal with grief and betrayal for their “one last job”.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.

After the tragic loss suffered by Séverin and the team at the end of The Gilded Wolves, it’s no surprise that at the beginning of this book they are fractured - even more broken than previously.

However, they regroup and head to Russia in search of an artifact that grants it’s possessor God-like powers, but it’s a dangerous mission and they’re not the only ones seeking the artifact.

Love, friendship and trust are precious, what would you be willing to give up?

PS if you don’t do well with thrilling, cliff hanger endings, oh forget it, you know you need to read this book and are prepared to wait for the next one! Enjoy.

I wasn't blown away by "The Gilded Wolves," the first in this YA fantasy trilogy. But as I liked it more than Chokshi's other books I've read and the cast of characters was compelling, I decided to keep going with the series. Well, I have, and...I don't think I liked this one any better? Maybe worse? And yet I still will probably read the third? I'm not sure what this says about me as a reader or about the trilogy itself. Me, probably a completionist. The trilogy, something about it must be intriguing enough to keep me invested. 

Things have kind of fallen apart for our crew after the dramatic events at the end of "The Gilded Wolves." Each on their own, each has been trying to make their own way in the world, feeling cut-off from the rest. But when a lead on "The Divine Lyrics," the magical book at the heart of Severin's (and Laila's) quest, finally comes to light, Severin brings them back together for one last adventure. Into the heart of the north and through mysteries new and astounding, the crew must once again bring each of their unique skill sets to hand in order to pull of this last job. But, of course, nothing goes as planned and a darker price is waiting than any of them could have imagined. 

So, a lot of the problems I had with the first book (and with this author in general) were still present here, unfortunately. There's something about her style of writing that I struggle with. On one hand, there's the turns of phrase that seem to be written more because they sound beautiful and poetic rather than the fact they convey any actual image. The titles, for example, of both of these books doesn't seem to really connect directly to much in the story. But they sure sound pretty! Most of the time it didn't bother me too much, but there were definitely other times when I would re-read a sentence and be like "Sure...sounds nice...but...what?" And that confusion carries over to my second struggle with the writing. 

While the author does a good job with characterization for the most part and clearly has a bunch of unique fantasy ideas. She's not lacking in imagination on either front. But when it comes to the actual description of locations, objects, and how they interact with each other...it's just not good. There were entire locations (where the book spent a significant amount of time) that I couldn't describe to you. There was an entire action scene that was a blur of movement, and by the end, again, I couldn't tell you what exactly had happened. The writing looks pretty on the front of things, but it too often failed at its most basic requirement: conveying ideas clearly. 

I also struggled with the plot itself. The mystery was both at times not clear at all (Severin and his cohort would jump through leaps of logic that were either impossible to follow or just totally unbelievable that anyone would connect those dots). And at other times so bizarrely obvious that I couldn't be less impressed when AHA! the reveal finally came and Severin and his crew were just oh, so clever for putting it together. 

And, sadly, on top of all of this, my favorite part of the first book, the characters, was a let-down here as well. They're all still interesting enough, but man, this was a glum book. Severin was practically unrecognizable, and his decisions were, again, hard to buy at times. As for the rest, they all seemed to become more and more caught up with unnecessary secret keeping that served no other purpose than to stir up more drama. It was just all kind of sad and tiring. 

And yet...I'm probably going to finish out the story. For one thing, this book mostly felt like a place hold and necessary vehicle for the author to get from point A to point B. So while this middle portion of the trip was a let down, I can still be hopeful that it was all to the purpose of getting us somewhere more interesting. I'm not really holding out much hope for the writing to clear up and suddenly become my cup of tea, but I do have hopes that the characters themselves will go interesting places and resolve their own story lines in compelling ways. Fans of the first book are sure to like this one. But if you were on the fence there, you'll probably have similar feelings here. I leave it to you whether it's worth going through it based on only the hope of a well-executed landing. 

Rating 6: Fairly glum and mired in its own "middle-ness" in the trilogy. 

Link will go live 9/30

I loved this book so much! It was the perfect sequel to TGW. My full review is yet to come, but I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

This was SO GOOD. I was totally obsessed with The Gilded Wolves as soon as I read it, and I was so happy to have this ARC so that I could dive right in! Although now, the wait for book three is going to be even longer, and after that ending, I don't know how I'm going to make it. There's so much that needs to happen!

It took me a little while to figure out what was going on in this book, mostly because it starts out at a slightly different place than you might expect given the ending of the first book. But once I figured out what had happened in the gap between the books, I was hooked right back into the story again!

Once again, the strength of this series is the characters. I care about them all individually so much, and I absolutely love the group dynamic. It was notably different this book, for, uh, spoiler-y reasons, but it was so interesting to see how everyone was affected. And once again, my favorite is Zofia. I love her so much, and I want to read about her forever. We also got some new really interesting characters in this book! (Slightly spoiler-y note ahead relating to new characters, which I'm not putting in a spoiler tag because I think it could be really important for readers to know going in: I wasn't super thrilled about how the only physically disabled character is kind of more on the villain-ish side. I'm actually really not super sure what she was doing by the end, and I believe that having a disabled character as a villain isn't necessarily bad, but when that's your only physically disabled character...didn't super sit right with me. I'll want to see what happens in book three.)

The plot kept me guessing the entire time. I should have guessed how twisty this would be based on book one, but things still totally caught me off guard. And now book three is so far away! I'm really excited to see how everything is wrapped up, and I can definitely see this becoming one of my all-time favorite series.

"Returning to the dark and glamorous 19th century world of her New York Times instant bestseller, The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi dazzles us with another riveting tale as full of mystery and danger as ever in The Silvered Serpents.

They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope.

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 really still want to read the first book it's got to be around here somewhere, I think I got it in an OwlCrate...

Suffers quite a bit from second book in a trilogy syndrome, in that the plot is not even kind of resolved at the end of the book even with a big reveal at the end. The twists and reveals of the villains were rather obvious, but it's tough to introduce new characters, so I guess it's done well enough, and there's room enough for redemption of one of them if desired. Otherwise, if you enjoyed the first, you'll enjoy the second. The diversity and themes of colonialism are just as strong here.

Best read of 2020.
I can't even say anything more.
The story arc and the ending. I really want to what happens next but got wait.
Also the character development was so phenomenal.
I loved how the author crafted this wonderful story.

This book picks up right where we left off and it is a ride. The book is faster and has bigger events than the first book making it much easier to read. If you love villains -like I do- you will probably enjoy this book. Would recommend this for fans of Six of Crows.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I love this series. There are SO many things about this series that work for me. I like the puzzles, the history, the setting, the characters!!! Ah! They are wonderful! The characters are diverse and robust. Their personalities and motives are so refreshing. They feel real and tangible and just so lovable. The characters are what make this book great. The overall storyline is also really enchanting.

I must say that the cliffhanger ending gutted me, but it was done in a way that I’m not mad. The last time I read a cliffhanger I was really irritated because I felt like it didn’t resolve well. This novel, however, I feel like I can accept the suspense.

This one hurt me physically because at the last few chapters I was screeching, so now my voice needs rest.
Basically, in the silvered serpents, we follow the characters as they move on to their next quest of finding The Divine Lyrics. Each one of them wants to find it to achieve some goal they have their eyes on.
Like the first book in this series, Roshani's writing did not disappoint. Her descriptions of the mesmerizing sights in this book were clear and vivid. The way she portrayed the character's emotions gets to you, even for characters you didn't care about at first. But I love these characters with all my heart and frankly, I'm scared. Because unlike the first book, this one is darker and heavier and I can't help but feel like that will only increase in the third book.
Now, there was a period where I thought that the characters felt dumb compared to their problem-solving in The Gilded Wolves. Turns out they were just doing their best. There were some things that were obvious, they shone as bright as a dome under the sun [if you know you know] but that ending is unforgettable.
I'm fully invested in this series and I believe it deserves better recognition from YA readers.

I had such a good time coming back to this world with The Silvered Serpent. I loved the characters and it was lovely to read their POVs again. The writing flowed rather smoothly and it was wonderful to be introduced to this new story through different perspectives. The novel did have a rather heavy atmosphere, though, as it did not shy away from dealing with what happened in the previous book. Basically, everyone was sad and miserable all the time \o/

The way the mystery was presented and approached made it so I didn’t mind the sadness? The stakes were much higher this time than in the first book. It was really interesting to read about the characters working together and combining their strengths while being sort of at odds with each other due to grief they were all feeling.

My problem here was that, aside from the main group, we only really had 2-3 fully developed and relevant characters throughout the story? So all of the twists during the final half were incredibly obvious. There was no suspense because there simply weren’t enough people around to reveal themselves to be the villain. You could guess who they were from a mile away.

I also really really majorly disliked the ending. It was a huge cliffhanger and left the main plot conflict without any sort of resolution whatsoever. I could have given this a pass if at least one subplot was resolved, but that didn’t happen at all. It only added more issues and twists without bothering to close any of the plot points developed throughout the novel. It made me so angry that I’m not sure if I’ll pick up the next book despite really liking 80% of this one.

A satisfying sequel to one of my favorite reads last year! The Silvered Serpents delivers on all the elements I love in young adult fantasy. An intriguing plot, interesting characters with a dash of romance, mystery, action and adventure this book is not to be missed. Roshani Chokshi has written a sequel just as engaging and entertaining as it’s predecessor.

This highly satisfying sequel to The Gilded Wolves finds the crew of L'Eden still reeling from the death of one of their own. Scattered across Paris, it seems unlikely that the group will ever come together again as they once did. That is, until they are contracted to recover the lost treasure of the Fallen House, which is rumored to contain a magical book that might just be the answer to all their problems.

Chokshi's flawless world-building will delight readers as it extends all the way to Siberia. Loss has forced her characters to evolve, and not always for the better. They'll have to deal with dissension and heartbreak within their own ranks, while new foes try to tear them apart.

My only complaint is that I have to wait until next year for the third book!

4 Stars and a bottle of jam (Original Rating - for the story)
3 Stars (after much contemplation- for the south Indian rep) - August 22, 2020

Reasons for why I reduced the rating - While I love the characters, Laila's representation confuses me to no end. Full disclosure, I live in Chennai which is a little over 3 hours from Pondicherry where Laila is said to be from. Both places are in the state of Tamil Nadu and while Chennai is the capital, Pondicherry is an Union territory. Also let's remember this is a historical fiction fantasy set in 1889.

Laila is said to be a native of Pondicherry but literally the only thing that nods towards this is the fact that she knows Bharatanatyam, a classical dance indigenous to Tamil Nadu. Everything else about Laila makes her seem like someone from the northern or northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent.

The native tongue she slips into every now and then is Hindi (she uses words such as jaadugar which means magician in Hindi) and she knows the story of Laila and Majnun which is a Persian story. The story came to India through the Mughals but a person living in South India wouldn't know about the story in 1889. As a South Indian, my mother even today doesn't know who Laila and Majnun are. I know only because of popular culture. There are multiple other instances but these were the ones that stood out to me

In TGW I was giving the whole thing the benefit of the doubt because to me it wasn't very clear if Laila was from Pondicherry. One could assume she only went to Pondicherry but with TSS, I was sure Pondicherry is her native.

I do really like this trilogy and can't wait for the third book. I like the plot and all the character dynamics and I adore the writing style. Plus I have huge respect for Roshani Chokshi for being a pioneer is bringing Indian mythology to mainstream YA. But as an Indian, especially a South Indian I wouldn't recommend the book as having a good or accurate South Indian rep. (I can't speak for the accuracy of other reps in the book though.)

We once again join Severin and his crew on a dangerous mission. They’re all handling the loss in different ways and it’s fractured the bond between them. This time they’re in pursuit of a book that promises to solve all their problems.

Severin has decided that he cares so much about the others that he’s going to treat them terribly, especially Laila. Laila remains a tragic figure as her death date is rapidly approaching and her only hope is the book she’s been searching for forever. Of course Severin doesn’t know this and she refuses to tell him when he’s decided to be an ass. Severin is overall hard to like in this one. We get a lot more detail about his past and find out why they really moved around so much. Which might make him sympathetic if he wasn’t being miserable. I understand grief is a terrible thing but it’s still frustrating to read his reaction. His friends don’t deserve the treatment. The side sort of love triangle also continues to be frustrating.

Overall I did enjoy it. The ending makes up for some of the frustrating middle. The history woven in is once again fantastic. If you enjoyed the first book I don’t think this will be a disappointment. This review was written in exchange for an ARC on NetGalley.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday book.

This book took everything I loved about the first one and made it so much more epic. The stakes feel so much higher in this one and yet somehow my appreciation is even more deepened for the things set up in the first book.

So basically our dude Sev gets the gang back together to look for a book that will basically set them up for life.

They all have their reasons for wanting it and that's great and all but a lot of the book is also colonialism and grief and while that may not sound intriguing to a lot of folks, the way it's weaved so easily into the soul of this series it really really is.