Oh my gosh this book! Wow I can't even begin to explain how much I love this. It was so exciting being able to continue reading about my favorite characters and seeing what happened next.

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

Paris! Early 1890! Bustles are on their way out and leg-o-mutton sleeves are about to make a big comeback! Corsets are getting exponentially tighter! In Brussels, Vincent van Gogh will sell a grand total of one painting! Also, women still couldn’t vote. But enough with the historical context. It’s early 1890 and, still reeling from the events of The Gilded Wolves, the L’Eden gang returns! Only something between them has broken - they’re no longer the tight-knit group of treasure-hunting/heisting new adults that they were before. The whole crew is still reeling over the death of sweet-baby-angel-with-a-secret-dark-side Tristan, Séverin most of all, though he refuses to admit it. He’s fixated on the idea of attaining godhood for himself and his friends. That way, no one can ever hurt them. Because that is certainly a healthy way of dealing with the fear that bad things might happen to people you love!

Laila, meanwhile, is literally running out of time - she only has a handful of days before her nineteenth birthday, before the magic forging her together stops working and she literally falls apart. Though she resolved to tell no one about the whole dying thing, her resolve is starting to falter. Enrique is trying his hardest to fit in with the Illustrados, only he’s not having much by way of success. Then there’s his relationship with Hypnos, who seems more interested in being included as a fully-fledged member of the L’Eden Gang than he is in Enrique. Zofia is back in Poland, tending to her gravely ill sister Hela, and is ready to quit the gang altogether.

Basically, the L'Eden gang is on the verge of dissolution.

Until Séverin summons them all to L’Eden with the news that he’s discovered a clue that could lead them to the Fallen House’s store of hidden treasure - including the Divine Lyrics, the MacgGuffin that will solve all their problems. For Séverin, the Divine Lyrics will help him and his friends become gods. Laila needs The Divine Lyrics in order to live: she was told all she needs to do is open the book in order to find a way to live past her nineteenth birthday. Zofia desperately needs the money to send back to her sister and Enrique just got rejected by the Illustrados, so why not? And poor Hypnos, desperate to restore his friendship with Séverin and to be part of the club, will do anything to make them all happy.

From the frosted teacake buildings of St. Petersburg to the icy, windswept shores of Lake Baikal (the world’s oldest, and deepest, lake!) our heroes heist and treasure hunt their way to the Sleeping Palace while keeping their activities secret from the Order of Babel. But as much as Laila hopes that spending time with him will bring back the old Séverin, and as much as Zofia pines for Enrique who pines for Hypnos who pines for nothing else than a place to belong, the pursuit of the Divine Lyrics doesn’t seem to be bringing them together. In fact, it seems to drive them further apart. Will the gang ever be able to go back to the way they were when Tristan was alive? Will they find the Divine Lyrics and with it, a way to save Laila? Will Enrique realize that he’s more into Hypnos than Hypnos is into him? Will he then acknowledge his bisexuality and realize that he and Zofia are perfect for one another, goddamn it?

Altogether, Silvered Serpents is an excellent sequel - one of the nice things about reading a sequel is that you don’t have to deal with any of the setup: you know everyone already, you know their stories and their quirks, and now they can just run with the plot. The characters are given more room to develop and breathe while still heisting and treasure hunting to their heart’s content. Chokshi’s writing is stellar. It’s gorgeous without crossing into purple-prose territory, as well as richly detailed and descriptive without ever feeling dense or tedious. But! As is always the problem with the second book in a series, the book ends with a cliffhanger to gear you up for the next one. Only problem is Silvered Serpents doesn’t come out until next February. February! And after that? Book three won’t be out for at least another year, maybe longer depending on Chokshi’s schedule and writing process. It doesn’t even have a title! And waiting is the worst! Ugh. Why do I do this? Why do I keep insisting on getting into serieses...

I liked this book a lot but I did have some issues. I love the characters and the angst is just top notch superb. While in the first book the plot twists and puzzles kept me guessing, I thought the sequel was a little too predictable for my taste. It made me wonder if this was a response to the criticism of the first one being too complex. It was a still an enjoyable read though and I’m looking forward to the conclusion.

Oh my god- I LOVED the Gilded Wolves, and I LOVED the Silvered Serpents even more, which I definitely didn’t think would be possible. Roshani does it again with her amazing lyrical prose and great characters. I was even more invested in the story of our favorite misfit gang. The plot in this book took us in new directions and wooowwww that ending. It makes me a little annoyed that I read it so early since I have SO MUCH longer to wait until the next book comes out (but only a little annoyed, because it was so good!).

I felt like we really built on our characters this book. Severin is taking what happened in book one really hard and it’s impacted the way he comes across to his team and the way they see him. Hypnos grew into a character I really loved. All he wants it to be a part of the group! Enrique broke my heart in a few parts. Zofia is still one of my favorites and I love her. Laila is still my absolute favorite, but man, I really just wanted to shake her at points. We got a new character in this book who I wasn’t super sure of at the beginning, but as the story went on, I didn’t really like. I’m not going to say anymore about said character because I don’t want to give anything away, but when y’all read it, let me know if you know who I’m talking about and if you feel the same way as me.

All in all, the Silvered Serpents was an amazing sequel to the Gilded Wolves and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! The Silvered Serpents comes out on February 4th, so pre-order it now, and reread the Gilded Wolves in the mean time. You won’t regret it!

Wow! What a rollercoaster! This book is much darker than The Gilded Wolves and we definitely see less of Chokshi's characteristic witty dialogue, but it all serves a purpose. The characters are growing and making mistakes (painful ones!), leading up to what I believe will be an explosive book 3. The "quest" for the Sleeping Palace and the treasures inside was also delightful and deftly done. And that ending! I can't WAIT for the next book.

“I wish my love was more beautiful.”

The day I received this I was telling everyone around how lucky and happy I was to get the opportunity to read this early. I thoroughly enjoyed The Gilded Wolves, and in turn fell in love with the author’s other book series The Star-Touched Queen. This book didn’t disappoint for me, it was just what I needed to pull me out of the reading rut that I’ve been in for a couple of months now.

The Silvered Serpents follows its predecessor in being full of all the mysteries, puzzles, and wonder that I had fallen for originally. It’s also very much the “darker middle chapter” in this trilogy, as it should be. While none of the characters ever fully embrace their inner monstrousness, many of the characters explore their inner shadows and the grief that they’ve experienced. The title is very apropos for the contents of this book, and also just so gorgeous.

This book isn’t absolutely perfect, there are a few little things that could be tweaked that I want to bring up. The first is that I feel that how the last book left off was a little misleading for what “this” book actually turned out to be. This isn’t necessarily something wrong, but it did feel a little off for me when reading. The other thing is that the world building is definitely a bit lacking... Fortunately for me, I’m much more interested in the characters than in the world, so it was all okay.

The author’s love of both mythology and words is so very clear to see that it would have been difficult for me not to love this book that she so carefully and lovingly crafted. While it’s not without some flaws, I would absolutely recommend this book and am so looking forward to the finale.

The Silvered Serpents is the sequel to Chokshi's stunning Gilded Wolves and it lives up to the hype! Picking up where Gilded Wolves left off, we follow Severin deals with the aftermath of that stunning cliffhanger from book one. With fluid writing, great pacing, and endearing characters, this Y.A. novel is set to be one of the best of 2020!

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

**Review will not be posted on websites until February 3rd, 2020 (or if the publishing date changes, close to that date)** Posting only here for now!

Thank you to Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own!

MY SOUL IS IN TORMENT.

Why you may ask? Well because THAT ENDING HURT ME. It was exactly what the book called for though. Not really a cliffhanger, but feeling a desperate need to see how everything is resolved in the last book. Ohhhhh how I need the last book. If these first two books are any indication (The Gilded Wolves review here!), this finale will rock.

The ANGST I felt in this book for Laila and Severin was on another level. Oh em gee. It was the kinda of slow fire, second chance, enemies to lovers-ish vibe that I was ALL OVER. My cinnamon roll Severin who is struggling to work through some things has caused him to push people away. This hard outer shell only makes me love him more. Seeing his inner dialogue is wonderful. I love the rotating chapter POVs because I truly feel for all of these characters now. I want to be apart of this dysfunctional family too.

I liked the way the story moved. I felt there was a steady flow of action, then a lull, then back up again, all at the right times. I was never bored because things were constantly moving. If they weren’t solving a mystery, someone or another was having a tender moment. This gave me a lot of scenes that brought this installment home. The writing was beautiful with plenty of sentences I wanted to highlight and save for later.

The villains are pretty easy to spot, but are quirky and have many layers that I need to sift through. They were a bit creepy and kept me on my toes, especially in the last 20%. I flew through pages trying to figure out what was going to happen next. While my heart shattered at some point, the pieces were picked back up and put in a jar for further introspection. Everything in this book is a few shades darker. There is a lot of pain, inner turmoil, and I feel like I’m waiting on half the cast to apologize to the other half. It’s forming great characters arcs though and I am appreciating watching everyone grow.

Still, I have so many questions!! There is a vast amount of open-ended issues when it comes to everyone. Who is into who? Who is upset with who? Who is alive? Where is who? Why can who do this? I barely had questions answered before I thought of a thousand more. While sometimes too many unknowns can be a bother, I felt this really convinced me I want book three (which I don’t mind in the slightest). I think everything will be answered and while I have no idea how this well end, I am here for it all.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult fantasy + historical fiction
Language: some language
Romance: a few kisses, make-outs, a no detailed quick fade to black, but mentioned love scene (very appropriate for a true YA book)
Violence: poison, animal attacks, magic, fire, knives, murder
Trigger warnings: a person disguises themselves as someone else with intent to do sexual things, mentions of child abuse, drugging people without consent

There are no holds barred in this book. It is straight into the deep end, and the writer hopes that you can swim.

The characters are right, full blooded as it were, with rich backgrounds that you learn slowly over the course of the events of the book. The story is rich, the world it weaves through has been carefully thought out, and you can picture everything that is laid out before you.

A must read, and I have high hopes for the future stories to come.

Roshani Chokshi has managed to create a sequel more breathtaking than the original. Severin's life is in shambles after the loss of Tristan and he is on a dangerous crusade to bring his murderers to justice. This leads him to the Diving Lyrics, a mythical treasure long lost. He persuades his team to reunite, but each has their own reasons for consenting to participate. Laila has only weeks to live, Zofia's sister is dying, Enrique strives to be taken seriously, and Hypnos wants to belong. They travel to Russia with other members of the order and attempt wake the long hidden Divine Lyrics, but plans have a way of going completely array. Readers learn more about Tristan, as everyone comes to terms with his death, and his life. Each character is given ample time and description, adding to an already rich backstory. The ending will leave readers gutted, and ready for a final book.

Reading this book was like repeatedly stabbing yourself in the heart with a hot poker and I mean that with the utmost seriousness. I don’t think I’ve read quite such an angst-filled book in a while. But it was the best kind of angst in the end. I think.

This book starts painful, and just gets more so. It picks up in the aftermath of The Gilded Wolves. So, obviously, there was going to be angst there. It’s just compounded by the fact that Séverin spends most of the book being an enormous dickhead (but for reasons which will become clear and will lead to you crying more than cursing him. Although there’s plenty of cursing to be done as well). Anyway. This time, the quest is for The Divine Lyrics, an artefact thought to bestow godhood on its user (or so Séverin believes). There isn’t a lot more I can say about the plot that won’t be spoilery, so I’ll leave it at that.

As with book 1, the strength of this book is in the characters. Ultimately, not a lot happens plot-wise in The Silvered Serpents, in the sense that it is just a quest to find the artefact. But as ever with Roshani Chokshi’s books, none of it matters when the characters are just so brilliant. I loved each and every one of them with my whole heart (particularly Hypnos. Just letting you all know now that I will be fighting every person who makes him unhappy, whether that’s intentional or not). Even Séverin who I occasionally wanted to shake because he was being such a dick (I am sad).

And the writing! Let me gush about that for a while! I don’t know an author who writes so evocatively as Roshani Chokshi does. From the vivid descriptions and worldbuilding to the feelings experienced by the characters (and subsequently the reader), every part of it flows seemlessly and creates a world you can’t help but imagine. And cry over, of course.

To top it off, I don’t think there was a thing in this book I didn’t like, bar the ending (except maybe the insistence that Zofia is straight when we all know she’s a lesbian). Because wow, that ending, how am I supposed to be cope until 2021 to find out what happens. How.

So basically, do yourself a favour and a) read The Gilded Wolves if you haven’t already, and b) preorder this book.

read the Gilded Wolves recently and loved it. The twists and turns, the characters, everything. When I got my hands on this I tore into it and it was amazing. The characters are so marvellously flawed, so wonderful and human. The plot was fast paced, the world building excellent, and there were plenty of plot twists. I truly loved everything about this book and I hate that I have to wait so long for the next one now. I definitely am enjoying that a lot more authors are sharing their stories through different character’s viewpoints, I find it really enriches the story when you can read through the eyes of the different characters. I absolutely cannot wait until the third book! Now I need to go back and read her other series that I haven’t read

The Gilded Wolves was one of my favorite books of this year and I think Silvered Serpents is going to be one of my favorites for 2020. I read it in about 2 days, putting everything else I was reading on hold. There is something about the way Roshani Chokshi writes that grips your attention and doesn't let go until she's done with the story. I need so many answers after the ending of this story and I can't wait for the third installment. This will continue to be a series I recommend highly to patrons.

You can’t finish a book like that and expect me to wait for a whole year to read the next part!

For the millionth time, I want to praise Roshani Chokshi's talent! She has this special way with words that just goes to my bloodstream and spreads through my veins straight to my heart. She is a Goddess of Words, I swear!

The Silvered Serpents is more mature and intense than its predecessor. The stakes are higher and our band of misfortunate characters are changed due to the events of The Gilded Wolves. They are darker now, more burdened, and it feels in every word and thought, how desperately they are trying to come back to normal. But their obsessive pursuit for the Power of God holds them in its grip. Would it bring them absolution or would it become their ruination?

I have to say that for the whole time I was reading this book, the feeling that I am not reading a young adult book never left me. I mean, it's for sure is a good feeling, and I am happy our characters are not 16 y.o. teenagers (looks at Six of Crows). It feels that the mood became darker, and the literal and figurative cold in the story was pressing its freezing tips on my back. I felt how desperate Severin, Laila, Enrique, Sofia and Hypnos felt, how lonely despite been together.

The way Roshani builds up layers of mythology, creating one untied world of wonder, with scary creatures as well as with the marvellous ones. It's unique and fascinating to follow her genius, exploring the icy wilderness of Russia in this part. As a Russian myself, I have to say I was completely satisfied with the way Russian culture was portrayed in the book.

I don't want to give anything of the plot away because this instalment holds quite a few revelations that will make readers gasp, and I am here to entice you to dive into them but not to reveal them beforehand. Just wait and see for yourself how this giant snowball will melt, revealing its secrets. I for sure enjoyed the process and can't wait for more!

A highly enjoyable continuation of The Gilded Wolves, full of love, danger, and hope!

<I>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i >

<b>★★★★★ 5 stars! </b>

<i> ‘I know you dream what I dream, a world where people like us are not kept under foot, but restored to a place of equality’ </i>

I have been waiting for this ever since I read The Gilded Wolves and I loved The Silvered Serpents even more! It is much darker than The Gilded Wolves, and also even more enthralling, and I absolutely couldn’t put this down!

Chokshi has crafted a dark, magical, heartbreaking and dazzling tale of fantasy, presenting an abstract depiction of western colonialism, including a system of ‘forging’ (magic) set around the turn of the century, which is steeped in philosophical and mythological references (eastern and western alike), set primarily in Russia (in contrast to the Gilded Wolves' Paris setting).

This book is full of beautifully crafted characters, seem to be real, especially in terms of their emotions nd struggles, such as Séverin.’s grief, Zofia’s attempting to cope with her Aspergers, and Laila's struggles to face mortality.

<i>'What he felt now was a different kind of incredulity. The kind witty one has released a dream into the world, only to rediscover it on the ground, trampled and stained’</i>

The writing style is absolutely stunning, the words practically jump off the page, with vivid imagery, captivating dialogue and just enough witty banter.

I enjoyed the mixed backgrounds of the characters (French/Algerian, Polish, Indian, Spanish/Filipino) - it's unusual to see such a mixture of backgrounds in one book in literature, and I feel like it's very much a reflection of my own life! I also enjoyed that this series is inclusive of differing sexualities without it seeming to be just for the sake of being inclusive.

I also very much enjoyed the commentary the book offers on religion and divinity, especially concerning the quest to become ‘a god’.

This book contained none of the usual tropes and archetypes of YA and NA literature and I appreciated that very much. Especially with regards to the romances, it didn't fall into any of the usual clichés.

However THAT ENDING KILLED ME.I am not okay. I need the third book. Like yesterday.

I was so thrilled to be approved to read the Silvered Serpents as I loved The Gilded Wolves so much. Roshani Chokshi is an immensely talented author and I cannot wait to see what else she does with her future. She is able to create immensely beautiful worlds that are full of excitement and intrigue. Silvered Serpents is no different. In this sequel we travel from the heart of Paris to the streets of Russia and mingle with goddesses in abandoned mansions. Oh my gosh get ready for this book to make waves and top the charts come February 2020.

As it had been a few weeks since I read the book preceding this one, it took a little bit of time before I got into this book and really remembered details about the characters. But as soon as I was caught back up, I could not put it down. It was nonstop action, mystery solving and complex relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am anxiously awaiting the next book to find out what will happen to Laila, Severin, and the rest of the gang. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre. *This review will also be posted on Goodreads.*

I was really looking forward to this sequel of The Gilded Wolves. I'm now really looking for to the next book!

Very readable. Great characters. Great fantasy elements.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing! The treasure hunting was fascinating, the descriptions of the wonders were beautiful, and--most of all--the characters made me fall in love with them even more.

Not only did the characters make me fall more in love with them, but they broke my heart as we were shown more of their internal struggles. I'm truly invested in each of them and want to see their dreams (most of those dreams at least...) realized by the end of the series.

Roshani did a great job of dropping hints to puzzles or plot twists in such a way that they niggled at the back of your mind but didn't really reveal themselves until moments before the characters realized. It's the most fun when it isn't all too easy, but it doesn't come out of nowhere either. She set things up perfectly all the way through the book.

The author also has a lovely way of writing that feels almost like poetry. The world she's created in these books glitters and shines, broods and shocks. I can picture the fine details of the story and it feels like a rich painting. I always know Roshani's books will be enjoyable to read because of the magical way she uses words.

That cliffhanger ending though! How am I going to wait until the third book to see what happens? :( I need everyone to be okay again! Hopefully the time will fly by until I get to read the next one.

An excellent follow up to The Gilded Wolves. I was interested in seeing how the ending of The Gilded Wolves would effect the characters this time around and was pleasantly surprised by the ending! You learn some secrets about Tristan this go around as well as some other big shockers, but still no answer for how Tristan got his scar. Maybe next book? Either way, it's always great fun coming across the part where the author gleans the title and I'm already excited for book 3, because I know it's just gotta be coming or I might cry lol.