oh wow my poor poor heart.

I was incredibly lucky to win an arc of this book in a giveaway, and I'm so glad I did.

So I feel like sequels tend to be a little slower, especially in a trilogy. I was worried that the Silvered Serpents was going to be this way, especially when it started out a little slow. But it certainly picked up. And ripped my heart in two. And sent tears streaming down my face.

This book is lovely. It brings you all the excitement and adventure the Gilded Wolves did, but with a slightly new twist and higher stakes. Roshani Chokshi has created a beautiful, tragic world, and I really can't wait to see what the last book brings.

Everyone read this series. it's so much fun.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5 stars!

Oh my goodness, this was a spectacular read. It’s almost 2am and I’m unable to organize my thoughts into coherent sentences. So, I’ll have to come back and do that later. But I just had to take a few seconds before sleep to sing this book’s praises! It’s going to be a looooooong wait for the next (last?) book.

* Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

I got way more into this one than I did with the first book, which is rare for me to say. This one felt significantly darker, which is something I am a sucker for. The character development was well done.

3 stars. This one fell a little flat of my expectations. That's not to say I did not enjoy it, because I did. I just was hoping for things in this book that I did not get, and that's tainting my review a little bit. Let's start with what I did enjoy.

The world of Forging is as beautiful as ever. That ice palace was absolutely stunning. I loved all the descriptions, and the plot within it was very fascinating, even though I saw that plot twist coming from a mile away. It still baffles me that our band of literal geniuses had no inkling of it happening until the enemies were already upon them. But I digress. The search for the Divine Lyrics was really fun. There were mysteries and chases just as we expect from this series. The fallout from the death at the end of the Gilded Wolves made for some nice emotional moments. And, as usual, the characters were wonderful.

I loved all the conflict with Laila posing as Séverin's mistress. Laila herself is as wonderful as she always has been. She became my favorite in The Gilded Wolves, along with Hypnos, and remains so in this installment. Her character has so much HEART. She is utterly warm, and utterly confident and I really love being in her head. But I don't particularly love her WITH Séverin, as I don't think he deserves her. Séverin's journey in this book was fraught with angst and bad decisions. I hope he can find some healing in the finale.

As for our final three, Hypnos, Enrique, and Zofia, I thought some potential was lost there. I was really hoping for a polyamorous relationship between the three of them, but that is not to be. I love all three of the characters as individuals. Hypnos is hilarious, constantly makes me laugh, and I can see so much hidden complexity in him. I love Zofia's adorable, neuro-divergent genius perspective. I like Enrique's knowledge and passion for history. I thought the alchemy between the three of them could have been something wonderful.

As for the end, as I stated earlier, I saw the plot twist, and the villain a mile away. The last plot twist regarding a certain character, however, was the only part I didn't see, and I think that journey is going to be fun to read. I hope our characters get what they deserve in the finale.

3.5 Stars
I don't know exactly how I feel about this sequel. I loved The Gilded Wolves with the characters and the atmosphere, and the food....it was wonderful. Naturally I was a little worried going into the second book to this series because of standard "second book issues". Some of those issues are here, including some pacing problems, a little rehashing of the first story, and a very large cliffhanger, but I think the main issue I had was with the characters. I felt like they were a little flat this time. I didn't get quite what I wanted from them and it really bummed me out, I hate that I have any issues with this book because I wanted to love it as much as the first one. That being said, overall, I did enjoy reading this book, I just really wanted a lot more out of this installment but you can bet I will be reading the next book, in what, two years or something.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

This sequel to "The Gilded Wolves" picks up a few months after the first novel's events that saw Séverin's brother dead. The crew comes together once more for one last heist --- the treasure might save Laila's life while Séverin, driven by guilt, hopes to become a god and change everything for the better. But things have changed and working together is no longer as easy, fun, and unburdened as before.

While the world building and the magic system still make no real sense (forging is nothing and everything???), story-wise the novel was quite enjoyable. Yes, all the characters are so overly intelligent or good looking or dramatic or witty, but I have grown fond of them. I enjoyed their journey to Russia / Siberia and I still absolutely enjoy the mythologies hidden everywhere. Still I had hoped for more character development and more explanations concerning world building or magic system. Well.

4 Stars because it was entertaining

This is an incredible follow up to The Gilded Wolves. I enjoyed this a lot more than the first book in the series and am dying to get my hands on the next book already!

Full review to come!

The Silvered Serpents is the sequel to The Gilded Wolves. If you haven't read The Gilded Wolves, you can see my review here. Spoilers ahead for The Gilded Wolves - proceed with caution!

We pick up shortly after the events of the last book, which left one of our characters dead. Pretty soon, though, there's a new artifact to find in remote Russia. Most of the team's very lives, or the lives of their loved ones, depend on the team's ability to find the object so the stakes and high and the banter is quick.

This is pretty easy to review, because if you liked the first book, you'll love this one. Aside from Severin being really annoying/a total idiot, its an improvement on the first book! I enjoyed the first book, but the second one was twice as fun, largely because of the puzzles they had to solve and the trappings of those puzzles. Basically, they end up in an ice palace with critters and traps that attempt to murder them in various ways. It's so creative and fun to read - minus the whole you-could-die-at-any-time thing, I wanted to go to there. That and the characters (aside from the aforementioned Severin, who I'll get to in a minute) continue to be likable and their developments make sense and drive their individual storylines forward in a cohesive, fun way.

Ok, let's talk about Severin, shall we? Je does the thing where he assumes total responsibility for Tristan's death and then tries to protect the other characters from a similar fate by not communicating with them and making decisions on their behalf. It's all very Aelin/Celaena of him and was increasingly frustrating to read.

TLDR: If you liked the first one, you'll love the second one! It's got that same Six of Crows meets Indiana Jones vibe, but manages to improve upon the first book. 4 stars - I really liked it.

The Gilded Wolves had me hooked, so of course I was dying to read this, and the sequel was amazing as well! Roshani Chokshi is a damned artist with words, I love her work. This story had a lot of great action, just like the first, and each character still has so much personality, all unique and lovable in their own ways. They still trade a lot of witty banter, but there is a heavy focus on the group's grief. And the way it ends! Holy crap, this series is just so good!

The Silvered Serpents is the follow up to the amazing The Gilded Wolves. Unfortunately, this installment doesn’t live up to the wonder of the first book.
After losing the closest thing he has to a brother, Severin has focused his life on one thing: finding The Divine Lyrics. No longer will he dally in human emotions and the tragedies of life. Meanwhile, the rest of the group have broken away dealing with their own pursuits and then are only brought back together when Severin finally finds a lead to the item that will change everyone’s life. The team’s heads to Russia and must once again face The Fallen House.
The issues with this book are that it is typical bridge novel for a trilogy. The plot is drawn out to span a whole book so the ending sets up for the finale. I was left unfulfilled especially after the amazing start. The novel doesn't feel self-contained with a plot with beginning middle and an end. It stops after middle promising and ending in the last book.
I hate the idea of not liking this book. There were some aspects that are great. The characters other than Serving still shine and they are what propel the h novel in its slow passed plot. I wanted more for each of them than just a frosty prison and the ghost of Tristian hovering over their heads.
When there is action, the author echoes the fantasy world of the original. The places are amazingly described taking you away from your daily life. It's these expansive places that really shine.
Whatever I thought of this book, the characters and the climax of the book pushes me towards the the next novel. I'm ready to see what happens and how it affects the characters I have come to love.

The Silvered Serpents was one of the best books I have read so far this year. The group is broken after the events of last year. Severin, more so, because of his deep bond with Tristan. Severin is also trying to come to terms with what Tristan was doing. Meanwhile, Enrique, Zofia, Hypnos, and Laila are struggling also. Each has their own burden to bear. So well written. The angst came off the pages.

Let's talk about the end. I was NOT prepared for what happened. I should have been, looking back. I was left almost crying and saying "Why!! Why!!" And the cliffhanger!! All I have to say is HOLY CRAP!!!

The Silvered Serpents is currently available for preorder. Its expected publication date is September 22, 2020.

I loved Gilded Wolves and imo Silvered Serpents is even better. Heists, highjinks, complicated relationships and schemes. Everything has been building to this. Since it’s not out until September 2020, I’ll hold off posting my full review until nearer the time but rest assured the wait will be worth it. Highly recommend for all YA fantasy heist fans and those looking to scratch their Six of Crows itch.

**I received an eARC of 'The Silvered Serpents' through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review**

Roshani Chokshi's 'The Silvered Serpents' was such a great read, and it left me wanting soo much more!

This is the sequel to 'The Gilded Wolves', which takes Severin and his crew into Russia in order to find an object that is said to have the power of the gods. This story takes place a couple months after the events of the first book, and the group are still mourning over the tragedy that took place at the end of 'The Gilded Wolves'. Everyone is struggling to move forward. Relationships are severely strained, making the task of working together very complicated. However, they face any struggles encountered in Russia seamlessly, placing the goal of seeking the object ahead of personal conflicts.

I already enjoyed the personalities Severin, Laila, and the crew expressed, but I feel that she added a whole new dimension to their characters in 'The Silvered Serpents'. Each person's conflict was displayed and described beautifully. We dive more into each character's personal struggle with racism and social complications, and how they persevere in spite of said complications. Each person carries their own internal 'flaw', and they grow even closer as the story progresses, building up to quite a huge cliffhanger!

'The Silvered Serpents' is an excellent follow up to 'The Gilded Wolves'! I can't wait to purchase this book when it's released...and anxiously awaiting book 3 of the trilogy!

--Cathleen (Woven From Words)
https://wovenwords.com (I will post my blog review on August 2020)

The Silvered Serpents is a story about sacrifice, grief, love, and obsession. Still in the midst of their grief from The Gilded Wolves, Séverin, Laila, Enrique, Zofia, and Hypnos are still reeling from that unexpected death. Even though they may have reunited for one last job, there are ghosts and gulfs of silence between them. Remnants of sweeter memories, tinged with ignorance, and regret. Faced with the ache of loss, our intrepid adventurers have to figure out if they will let their grief turn them bitter, or if they will allow themselves to treasure each moment.

And what better adventure is there than a treasure hunt? The Silvered Serpents brings a story full of ghost stories that inspire legends, mysterious iconography that stretches back centuries, and a dangerous power that could unravel the world. A plot full of treacherous and familiar conspiracies, betrayal coming in ice tipped daggers, and secrets that could be our undoing, The Silvered Serpents is a fierce adventure story anchored by characters who will tug your heartstrings.

*Thank you Netgalley/St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This is a great continuation of Gilded Wolves. The characters are struggling with the end of the 1st novel and head from Paris to snowy Russia to find an artifact that is rumoured to give the power of the Gods to the holders. I don't want to give too much away, since it is a sequel.

To be entirely honest, I hated the first one and was just frustrated with it. I felt like it was generic, the characters were forgettable, a rip off of Six of Crows and the characters talked like they were smart for the sake of being smart.

But since I had the e-Arc and had requested it before reading Gilded Wolves (it was really anticipated for me) I knew I was going to give it a go. I'm also a completionist and feel a need to finish series. This series took all my complaints, fixed them in a satisfying way and gave me a fantastic story though. The characters didn't feel as generic and the writing was a lot better. We didn't get long segments of characters talking smart for the sake of it, they actually just felt like they were supposed to be that way as they figured it out. I had way more fun reading this book, and I read it a lot quicker than the first novel. The travel and the heist were perfect for me. The darker tone, the character arches. Honestly, I just really loved this novel.

This book is a lot like The Wicked King to me, in that the first is forgettable but still totally worth reading to get to the second book that is way better than the original. The writing was also the perfect amount of purple for me.

4/5 stars.
If you like YA Fantasy and heist novels I really recommend this. Even if you didn't like the first or decided not to read it because of what you heard about it, give it a try. This novel is definitely worth the read. It's perfect for fans of Six of Crows or if you want to read a YA version of The Lies of Locke Lamora.

Hmmm... Review? Not so much. Rants and illogical thoughts? Most definitely.

This book doesn't release until September 2020, but I just finished reading The Gilded Wolves and I had to know what was next for Séverin and his team! I'm new to Chokshi's work, but this series has me HOOKED!! This author's words are inspired, reverent and relevant. I love history, especially mythological or religious history, and the way she filled this story with so much color, I was enthralled.

✳ A huge part of me sympathized and understood Séverin's actions and behavior. He had suffered such an unbelievable loss. A loss that even I was still coming to grips with. So him bowing out on things that humanize him or exploit his vulnerabilities made sense in a sad sort of way. However, another part of me wanted to shake him and yell in his face. I wanted him to lean on his friends because they were hurting too. Well, maybe don't lean on Laila. She was still all too selfish IMO. I just think he needed their support and comfort more than anything else.

✳ My bae was so busy trying to protect his heart from more pain and to protect those he cared about, he did just about everything he could to hurt them and push them away. It may not have been his intention, and I may have wanted to punch him in his back for some of his negligent words and deeds, but the end result was the same.

She couldn't live with his pity, and she would die at his apathy. All that remained was his silence. Laila wondered if that was the truest death - being slowly rendered invisible so that all she inspired was indifference.


✳ I was determined to understand Séverin's urgent need to find the book of the Divine Lyrics aside from the obvious. His lofty goals didn't seem to align with everything I had already learned about him. Was his grief warping his values? While his ambitions shared a marked similarity to what The Fallen House was seeking, maybe he felt that he was on the side of righteousness because his intentions were pure?

✳ I've been shipping Enrique and Zofia for a minute now. At first I wondered if there would be a polyamorous relationship between the two of them with Hypnos as a content top, but now I'm not so sure.

✳ I kind of guessed the huge plot twist almost from the beginning. It was weird that my mind already went there when there wasn't any real evidence to steer me that way, but when weird ish happens, I start figuring out the why and I was so freaking right!!

✳ Why didn't these so-called friends ever simply trust in Séverin. I get it. Truly I do. He wasn't acting as the man they had all come to know and love. I get it. However... wasn't he the one who plucked each of them from obscurity? Didn't he encourage, support and believe in them? He deserved better and I kept waiting for someone to speak up, confront him, and treat him the way he had always treated them. Imagine it was Hypnos, the newcomer, who was the one to have his back!

✳ Dear author... that scene at the end... Bittersweet. All of the answers, everything my bae did was right there at their fingertips. Please tell me that they actually see it!! Until I get some reassurance (the next book can't come soon enough!) I'm going to be over here crossing my fingers, my toes, and even my nose hairs hoping you gently coax me from this edge. Honestly, I need to find out the next book's release date STAT!!

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A lot of the issues I had with this book were the ones that I had with the first. Some issues are new.
We don’t really know how old anyone is (except for like, two characters). The extremely repetitive physical description of the characters (Zofia’s hair and eyes were described as “candle bright” or “blue as candle hearts” way too many times.)

To me some characters also seemed so inconsistent. I feel like the Hypnos in TSS is not the same person I read about in TGW. Séverin is utterly unrecognizable; even when faced in the events of the last book, I couldn’t connect or sympathize with him in this state – but if the goal was to alienate the reader, than it was a job well done.

I still struggle with the Zofia as a Jew. The only way you know she is Jewish is because it is stated multiple times. It’s like she was assigned this as a nationality, not a faith, and it’s only mentioned when talking about pogroms or racism. It is such a wasted opportunity to add something unique to this story like Cassandra Clare’s Simon Lewis of the Shadowhunter Chronicles or Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver.

I don’t want to say much about the ending until this is out, but it was predictable (but only kind of in a bad way) and some of the details were a bit of a stretch.

Now for the good:

There were noticeably less descriptions of food, to which I was very very grateful.

There’s definitely a lot more action in this one, and we get more glimpses of the promised heist aspect that sparked the comparison to Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows but turned out to be non-existent in the first book.

I really enjoyed Laila and Zofia’s friendship, as well as Enrique's character growth.

At the end of the day, I admire the world Chokshi built. Some characters I learned more about and love even more and they are the reason I will come back for Book 3.

I’ve been questioning whether to do this review since the release date was moved to September 2020 and that is a LOOOOOOONG time from now, but if I don’t do it now, I’ll have forgotten everything about it by then. So here we are.

It’s very difficult for a sequel to live up to the first book but The Silvered Serpents is just as good as, if not better than, The Gilded Wolves. Roshani Chokshi is able to be explore the characters much more since she doesn’t have to introduce the reader to them. And the shit that happens to Severin, Sofia, Enrique, Hypnos, and Laila is incredible. Like…book twitter might explode. Let’s get to the review!

Everyone is back for this story (except Tristan because…RIP), but that doesn’t mean everything is the same. After what they went through together in The Gilded Wolves, nothing can be the same again. They lost Tristan and they’re all feeling the after effects of that.

Severin has closed everyone out. He blames himself for Tristan’s death and is not willing to let anyone close in case he loses them. And yes, this goes for Laila too. Their relationship has completely crumbled.

Laila is still working at a dancer but is no longer living at Severin’s hotel. It’s too difficult to stay there and bake for everyone when Tristan isn’t there. It also doesn’t help that Severin has completely shut down any kind of emotion so when Laila sees him, he barely looks at her. She’s also still trying to find the book that will help keep her alive. But with no clues in sight, her days seem to be numbered. That’s when Severin comes to her with his plan.

Sofia has been away visiting her sister who’s been sick. She’s worried about how she’s going to pay for her care but when Severin calls her back to the hotel, that problem seems to be solved. He’s going to send money to her sister in exchange for Sofia coming on a mission with the team. But Sofia still worries when she’s away from her for too long. What if she gets worse? What if she doesn’t make it?

She also might be a little sad when she sees Enrique and Hypnos together (But she’ll never admit that!)

Enrique is getting ready for the presentation of his life. The one that will get him everything he’s ever wanted. Recognition and people really listening to him when he speaks. Well that and to be loved for who he really is.

The presentation…does not go as expected (I’m really trying for no spoilers but with this book, it’s difficult!). As for the love part… Enrique is loving Hypnos’s attention but he wonders if Hypnos wants the same kind of commitment/relationship that he wants.

And Hypnos. My poor dude. He is as flamboyant as ever, but also doing everything he can to be a permanent member of the group. Severin is still not treating him like a member of the team and it’s killing him, but the others are trying their best to make him feel welcome.

But what’s the adventure?

This time they’re off to Russia (Siberia technically) in search of an icy palace where Severin believes The Divine Lyrics aka the ancient book that holds the secret to Forging, the knowledge of how to join the Babel fragments, and…and this is important (especially to Severin) will give the one who has it access to the power of God.

WTF?

But this book isn’t just a book of great knowledge, it’s also a way to prolong Laila’s life. But that’s not why Severin wants it…SPOILER ALERT!! I don’t know how to say this without it sounding totally bizarre but it also kind of is totally bizarre. Severin want the book so he can make him and all his friends into gods so that none of them can ever die and he’ll never lose them. SPOILER ALERT!!

The boy has taken grief to the next level.

But does he tell his friends what he plans? Of course not.

Together, they go along to search for The Divine Lyrics and make their way to Siberia. But they don’t go alone. The Matriarch of House Kore (Severin’s aunt) is along for the ride as well and as you can probably guess, Severin is pisssssed about it.

And so the adventure begins. I don’t want to give anything away here because it’s magical beyond belief and it’s better if you read it for yourself. It’s filled with goddesses, murder, magic, mechanical monsters, portals, secrets, twists and turns, secret rooms, things not being what they seem, and relationships tested and brought to the brink.

Also…be prepared for a cliffhanger (I KNOW. I ALMOST DIED!)

The Silvered Serpents is an epic adventure with the characters we’ve come to know and love. Sofia will always be my favorite character, but (and I can’t believe this) this book made me actually like Severin a little bit!

But all the characters have their own unique parts and the development of the different relationships and personalities is incredible to read. I’m giving The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi 4 out of 5 stars. If you loved the first book or thought it needed a little more oomph, read this one. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

I was amazed by the first books ability to have so many characters and yet make them all so memorable. This book does that and more. All I can say is…get ready for the ride of your life.

The Silvered Serpents comes out September 22, 2020 (I know! It’s a long time from now. I’m waiting for the cover reveal at this point lol)

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press - Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read a lot of Roshani's books including the Gilded Wolves so having that little bit of background going into the Silvered Serpents did help a lot and with that said I was expecting just as much excitement just as The Glided Wolves gave us and I must say it did not disappoint. Having a victory that was short lived and that came at a price I believed left a chip on Séverin and his team's shoulders and now with the risk of obtaining an ancient relic that possesses the power of God most definitely comes at a price. While reading this book, I definitely got an Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark vibe to it which allowed me to read on and have my interest stay peaked. The book was filled with suspense and conflict like no book I have ever read.

We will consider adding this title to our YFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!