Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi. I've voluntarily read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Silvered Serpents is the sequel to The Gilded Wolves, which was one of my favorite fantasy reads in 2019. Naturally, I couldn't wait to read The Silvered Serpents.

The Silvered Serpents takes place a few months after the events of The Gilded Wolves. Séverin and his friends are scattered, every one of them dealing with their own grief and problems. When a new clue regarding The Divine Lyrics comes to light, Séverin, Laila, Enrique, Zofia and Hypnos reunite to travel to Siberia and find the hidden treasure but once again their efforts aren't made easy by The Order of Babel.

Just as The Gilded Wolves, The Silvered Serpents is a beautifully and richly written story, the character dynamics are amazing and the mystery element of finding hidden treasure is super exciting.

"Séverin. A silhouette of silk and night, a boy with a mouth made for kisses and cruelty. A boy who had once conjured wonder and came too close to touching her heart."

Quotes like this just show how beautiful and captivating Chokshi's writing is. I loved every minute of this story. The ending blew me away and once again we are left with a cliffhanger that just breaks your heart. I honestly can't wait for the next book!

What an amazing second installment of The Gilded Wolves series. This world is so rich and the nuanced. There is always something hidden behind every word and backstory. I can't wait to read the next in the series.

I’ll be honest, I hadn’t read The Gilded Wolves, so a very quick catch up was made for The Silvered Serpents, and I’m so glad I did!
The Silvered Serpents was truly brillant with not an ounce of second book syndrome in sight!

TSS delivers more of a treasure hunt with a faster paced plot, but maintains great character arcs. It’s obvious this crew have worked together many times before, but it was more fun with the clues being better and less easy to guess.

Roshani’s gorgeous prose brings to life a Gilded age of decadence, built on the back of racism and colonialism.

The stunning metaphors of fairytales, curses and comparisons with gods and monsters, and of course the characters, with all the angst, loss, fear, love and longing, are the perfect ingredients for a trilogy of history, magic, romance and sheer bloody angst!

Definitely a book that grabs you by the scruff to pull you in, but doesn’t need to hold on to you, because you don’t want to leave. Roll on book 3 - I have to know how it ends.

I hadn't read The Gilded Wolves when I picked up this ARC, but I was able to get a very good picture of what happened in the story from online reviews. I felt like The Silvered Serpents was a decent continuation of that story, but I felt that it suffered the sophomore slump that some series have. In some cases, the second book isn't as good as the first and only drives the plot forward until we can finally reach that conclusion everyone wants in the third book to finish the trilogy.

Still, I felt like I could connect to this book and to the characters. It's essentially a story of grief, how we cope, how we get stronger, it's a human story. I did very much enjoy it, but I have to agree with some of the other reviewers that this book isn't quite on the same level as the first book. And yes, I am over the POV style of every YA novel right now. It works sometimes, but I just didn’t feel it here. Overall, a good 4 out of 5 stars for me. Highly recommend to YA readers looking for something that will rip your heart out and sew it back in all in the same book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spellbinding, mesmerizing, and absolutely captivating, THE SILVERED SERPENTS immerses the reader back into a world where beautiful and heart-rending feelings await! This is a sequel to The Gilded Wolves featuring heists, intrigue, betrayal, and drama so do make sure you read book one before reading this one.

‘The Silvered Serpents’ was one of my highly anticipated reads of 2020. I couldn’t wait to get my grubby little hands on it, and I am ecstatic to say that the author knows how to deliver! This was absolutely phenomenal, breathtaking and everything in between! I am seriously blown away. Usually I don’t have much success with sequels of any series, so I was a little apprehensive going into this read but the Book Gods above were on my side!

We basically started off where we left off ‘The Gilded Wolves’. The aftermath of Tristen's death, which still makes me tear up, and the crew attempts to find the whereabouts of The Divine Lyrics—the ancient book that holds the secret of Forging, the knowledge of how to rejoin the Babel Fragments and—in the eyes of the Fallen House—how to access the power of God. It was darker, grittier, angstier, and more emotional than the prequel. The depressing undertones were refreshing because typically once a centralized character dies in any book, they usually mourn for a few chapters before heading out of the next adventure. Our precious baby Tristan was still very much on their minds throughout the whole read and I loved how the author touched on the aftermath of his death— it was real and it was raw.

I love every second of this book and I must now suffer in silence until the next book comes out! I'm literally in a glass case of emotion and I can't get out!

I began reading this book only to discover it was book 2 of a series and it was difficult to truly understand the action without reading book 1 first. This turned out to be a gift, as I thoroughly enjoyed “The Gilded Wolves.” I wanted to be able to express the same sentiment for this book as well, but that was not to be.

"The Silvered Serpent” exhibited more of a plodding pace due to the lack of action scenes. The character studies of the first book, a definite strength in “Wolves,” was more of a weight this time around and the problems that were continually rehashed dragged the plot down to a crawl at times. This is a shame, as the originality of the world within a historical era shines, and at times could almost shoulder the entire burden of keeping the book interesting.

I was surprised and shocked that there is a solid cliffhanger ending to this book. Both “The Gilded Wolves” and “The Silvered Serpents” advertise as a two-book series and it is extremely rare for a cliffhanger to compel me to purchase the next entry. If advertised as a trilogy, I would have seen it as a Tolkienesque handling of the story. For me, a cliffhanger plus a slow plot equals no interest in book 3. Three stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this one! Roshani's prose is phenomenal!

I was provided an advanced digital copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes, all opinions are my own.

It was an interesting update on the first story. It wasn't my favorite read, but I could see how people will love this.

I had such a fun time reading The Silvered Serpents. I loved this installment even more than The Gilded Wolves. I loved the setting and the high stakes. This is such a fun fantasy series.

I don’t know, truly. I get so bogged down with this magic system that I lose the plot a lot. I’m honestly not sure what actually happened in this book until the very end. Like with the first book, the beginning is slow going and the final hundred pages or so pack a punch. But while this was forgivable in The Gilded Wolves because I was enamored with getting to know the characters, it left me disappointed this time. With the way things ended in Wolves, I expected way more plot and way more character development in Serpents. It was all just a bit of a let down to be honest. Rounding my review up because I just love these idiots so much and I do want to know how this all wraps up.

There is just something about this series that doesn't engage me. I still really like Zofia, Enrique and Hypnos - though he annoyed me more this time around. Severin is incredibly annoying the entire way through this book, he is like a sulky petulant child which really got on my nerves. The story was more engaging for me this time but it still felt a little flat and I wish I could put my finger on exactly why.

3.5 stars

A wonderful sequel to The Gilded Wolves, a heist novel featuring a diverse cast. This one was more a quest to seek an artifact that was thought to have been lost to the past. The cast is just as diverse as before and I love them. I love how they interact with the world around them and even though it stands it how it stands against them, yet they still stand up to it, and its prejudices. The ending of the first book in the series broke me. These characters have already gone through so much and the author, Roshani Chokshi, just keeps putting them THROUGH IT. There were also some twists and moments that I was not expecting. I felt so much for Severin, Laila, Enrique and Zofia. I know that they are all very flawed, but that is what makes them even better. Maybe it’s because I’m already so attached to these characters, but regardless, I can’t wait for the third book in this series. Also, THERE’S A NEURODIVERGENT CHARACTER? Like, an ACTUAL neuro-divergent character, not a caricature. This character was accepted and accommodated and it wasn’t a bother? I love to see diverse ethnicities and types of characters. Another note, I thought this was going to be a duology, but it’s a trilogy. Speaking of the ending of this? (And there are no spoilers here) but I feel like it kinda just… ended? It as a little anti-climactic and it felt like there were significantly more loose ends this time around. I’m sure these will all be answered in the last book of the trilogy. Another thing, I think the writing in this is also gorgeous. It’s not overly flowery, but it’s still gorgeous. I think the author does a really good job of conveying feelings and emotions in her prose. I know that a lot of people compare the first book to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, but it’s nothing like that. Those books are compared because they have character groups that are found family partaking in a heist. The magical system here is totally different. The characters themselves are also different. It can certainly appeal to those who like SOC, but don’t feel like it’s going to be exactly the same. I’m really happy I got the opportunity to read this.

Suggested Reader Age: Young Adult

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBT, Romance, Mystery

Rep: Algerian & French, Philippines, Polish, Indian, Black, Jewish, bisexual, autism?

Triggers: abuse, grief, loss of a loved one, manipulation, sex, self-harm, terminal illness, violence

› Séverin is searching for "the Divine Lyrics" that contain the secret for joining the world's Babel Fragments which would rebuild the Tower of Babel allowing one to access "the power of God".

› Laila wants to help him find "the Divine Lyrics" but for a different reason...

"The jaadugar had said her body - built rather than born - would not last past her twentieth birthday. She would not last, which left her with little over a month of life. Her only hope of survival was The Divine Lyrics, a book that held the secret to the power of Forging, the art of controlling mind or matter depending on one's affinity. With it, her own Forged body might find a way to hold itself together."

› I use the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 10
Like The Gilded Wolves, The Silvered Serpents is character-driven with an extremely well-developed diverse cast. Once again, Zofia is my favourite character, with the hilarious Hypnos as a close second.

“See how the symbols stretch across all three shields? They represent a god."

Hypnos frowned. "There's a God of lions and knives and wineglasses? That seems incredibly specific."

"This god is Shezmu," said Enrique, rolling his eyes. "He's seldom depicted, perhaps because he's at such odds with himself. On the other hand, he's the lord of perfumes and gracious oils, often considered something of a celebration deity."

"My kind of god," said Hypnos.

"He is also the god of slaughter, blood and dismemberment."

"I amend my original statement," said Hypnos.”


› Atmosphere: 8
I loved the mood and settings but would have liked a bit more description.

› Writing Style: 10
High quality, love the writing style.

› Plot: 7
Exciting, great beginning, lost the pacing around the middle and then it picked up at the end.

› Intrigue: 10
I want to know what's going to happen! How is this series going to end?

› Logic: 9
In The Giilded Wolves I felt confused about forging, however, in this second installment we get to learn a lot about the magic system and it made a lot more sense. There are a few parts that were confusing, but I think they'll be sorted out in the next book.

› Enjoyment: 10

Average 9.1

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★★★

› Final Thoughts
• The Silvered Serpents gave reminded me of The Diviners series by Libba Bray and Dr Who. I can't wait for the next books of this series, which is set to release in 2021.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

*Quotes taken from an ARC copy and subject to change*

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

I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!!!

I had first requested this book not knowing that it was the second in the series and decided to order the first, The Gilded Wolves, to read first. So glad that I did because you really need to read the books in order as The Silvered Serpents takes up shortly after where The Gilded Wolves ends. Once again I have been introduced to a new author through NetGalley, one that I probably would not have normally picked up. As readers we sometimes get in a rut of picking up books from familiar authors and genres that we have enjoyed in the past, afraid to venture outside of our realm of comfort in fear that we will dislike something outside of our usual fare.
The Silvered Serpent has a cast of characters that are likable, who you want to root for, whose emotions and responses are so real to the reader. The prose flows as magically as the events that transpire within the pages, building a world of colour and wonder to engage your imagination. The story ends in a cliffhanger that will have you shouting in despair for more of this wonderful story. It will have you contemplating how the rest of the story will play out, eagerly awaiting for the next installment.
Anyone who loved Harry Potter will love this more grown up tale of magic.

i never ended up downloading this, i've been reading other reviews on this and it sounds pretty good, so i might go get it~

The second book in the Gilded Wolves series, The Silvered Serpents follows our main characters on their continued search for an ancient artifact that contains secrets of forging and power.

I love this rag tag group of characters. I enjoyed learning more about some of the group members and their backgrounds. Zofia and Enrique especially developed more in this book, with some great insight into their characters. It is always interesting how their individual expertise combine in solving these mysteries. The representation of diverse characters was refreshing, as well.

The plot and mystery were gripping. I felt it was good balance of setup and action. The main thing missing for me was more information on the magic system. I was hoping for a clearer understanding of how forging and affinity work.

I think Chokshi has created a lovable cast of characters and a unique historical fantasy setting. I definitely plan to continue the series to find out what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review!

I read this right before it's release but unfortunately, haven't had the chance to type up my review. After reading The Gilded Wolves earlier this year I could not wait to read The Silvered Serpents. I may not have enjoyed this quite as much but I still devoured it and I can happily say that this does not suffer from second book syndrome! This picks up shortly after the end of book one and we find out how the characters are coping with the heartbreaking loss they experienced.

When Severin comes across a lead with the location of The Divine Lyrics, he gets the gang back together for one last heist. Laila desperately needs this book to survive but Severin has a darker purpose for it. Rumor has it that this long lost artifact has the ability to grant it's possessor the power of God.

The Silvered Serpents is filled with drama, heists, and of course, a lot of danger. It's both plot and character driven which I highly enjoy and once again the world-building and magic were FANTASTIC. There were some parts that frustrated me - including the romance or lack thereof between two specific characters - but the book was beautiful and heartbreaking. Thankfully, Hypnos is there to provide some much appreciated comic relief.

I don't want to spoil anything but...after that cliffhanger I need book 3!

Incredible follow-up to Guilderland Wolves. Gut wrenching, heart breaking and utterly brutal. The writing is fearless and holds nothing back in the aftermath of Gilded Wolves tragic ending. The fall out is devastating and long lasting. There isn't any quick recovery or moving on. Quite the opposite, the scars are deep and lashes out, unforgiving.

A good follow up to the first book in this series, The Gilded Wolves. I enjoyed spending more time with the characters and was not disappointed in the story in general.