Roshani Chokshi

Laurie Catherine Winkel

P. J. Ochlan

A Novel

The Gilded Wolves

When we revise the horror and sanitize the grotesque, we risk erasing the paths that led us here.

History is a myth shaped by the tongues of conquerors. What appears good may eventually sour and curdle in our collective minds. What appears bad may later bloom and brighten. I wanted to write this trilogy not to instruct or to condemn, but to question …

He spent days sitting on the stone balcony, his feet dangling out, his whole body tipped forward as if daring the world to give him wings at the last second.

Lust taught him that a broken heart made a fine weapon, for its pieces were exceptionally sharp.

Sometimes she wondered if grief could break someone, for all of them bore fractures, new hollows.

It startled him sometimes. The audacity of the sun to rise after what had happened.

Laila didn’t greet anyone, but walked straight for him. She braced her hands on either side of his chair and leaned close. “Laugh,” she whispered, her breath hot against his skin. “Now.”

“Because the proprietor of L’Eden has never stepped foot inside the Palais, and now you’ve caused quite a stir. More than one of the dancers wants to know whether you’re spoken for, and while I love them, I don’t want them running around the hotel trying to get your attention.”

Heat zipped up his spine. She wanted it to seem like he was hers.

“Jealousy looks good on you, Laila,” he said, smiling.

Everywhere he looked, he was surrounded by gilded wolves. And for whatever reason, it made him feel perfectly at home. Wolves were everywhere. In politics, on thrones, in beds. They cut their teeth on history and grew fat on war. Not that Séverin was complaining. It was just that, like other wolves, he wanted his share.

She was reminded of all that she could not detect. All that she could not do. She could storm into a room, but she could not command its attention through charm. She could face herself in the mirror, but she could not spark imaginations with her face.

“Join us! Just change out of whatever that is you’re wearing, and we can go! Feast upon the offerings of the town! Pour out libations to life itself!”

The quote that permanently permanently altered my brain chemistry the moment I read it. I have never been and will never be the same after having read this.

I think the greatest power is belief, for what is a god without it?

Kisses were not supposed to be like this. Kisses were to be witnessed by stars, not held in the presence of stale death. But as the bones rose around them, Laila saw fractals of white. They looked like pale constellations, and she thought that, perhaps, for a kiss like this, even hell would put forth stars.

It felt like something that could level kings and twist immortality. He opened his mouth, wanting to receive it like a sacrament.

 reset the human race. A hard lump formed in his throat. Enrique thought of the people he’d met over the years. The dark and the fair, the ones whose languages sounded spiced. The ones kept in makeshift villages, commanded to entertain. The ones who watched and jeered or tamped down their horror. The ones who reached for hands they could never hold openly in the street. All of them. Stitches in a tapestry that had no horizon.

"God made us in His image. Are we not gods, then?”

I really read "enhancement, amore, et cetera."

Use them only if you wish. Cosmetics do not mean that you need them. They can be anything you desire them to be. Enhancement, armor, et cetera.

We might have been better served to call them wax wings. A reminder for those who wish to reach for that which they should not. There are Icaruses, Sampatis, Kua Fus, and Bladuds. Those who reached and failed. Their fall, the better to remind us. Their smashed bones upon the ground, a necromancer’s reading of the fate to befall those who forget.

Memories unsettled him. He hated the thought that he might have missed something, and he didn’t want time warping how he remembered things because he didn’t trust himself to remember without bias. And he needed to. Because only then, only with absolute impartiality, could he detect where he had gone wrong.

The way these innuendos went completely over my head the first time I read them.

“Zofia, if you can manipulate the size of the silver cloth, I wonder if you can play with one other thing.”

He remembered how she tensed when he touched her there, and how he’d kissed the length of it, desperate to show her he knew what it meant and it didn’t matter. Not to him.

Scars sculpted people into who they were. They were scuffs left by sorrow’s fists, and to him, at least, proof of being thoroughly human.

Greed taught him to beware of reaching too high.

Enrique, who had always dreamed about what magic might feel like, thought he had found it then: myths and palimpsests, starlight sugaring the air, and the way hope feels painful when shared equally among friends.

Paris, 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. 

Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: an engineer with a debt to pay; a historian banished from his home; a dancer with a sinister past; and a brother in arms if not blood.

Together they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history - but only if they can stay alive.

I feel like the characters could've been fleshed out a liiittle more, but it was fun to read though

matti horckmans

*AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* From New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi comes The Gilded Wolves, a novel set in Paris during a time of extraordinary change--one that is full of mystery, decadence, and dangerous desires... No one believes in them. But soon no one will forget them. It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood. Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history--but only if they can stay alive.

tristan my son i'm so sorry you were doomed by the narrative from the very start 😣

eden !

kelsey

wolves were everywhere. in politics, on thrones, in beds. they cut their teeth on history and grew fat on war.

i just finished and ive been crying since like part 4???? im so delicate rn pls be careful with me

i'm fully emotionally attached to every character, esp hypnos, omfg what an icon they are. gotta admit tho, it's hard to get into the author's writing style. i still think it's not for me, til now. sometimes it even challenged my attention span. overall, i really loved this book, so 4/5.

Krys C.

shoutout to dr jose protacio rizal mercado y alonso realonda for making a cameo in this book

akynn 

rhegan🧋

** spoiler alert **
           I love the found family trope so i loved all the characters and their relationship in this book😭 the dialogue between them was amazing. I loved the puzzles and things and laila and severins relationship/tension is amazing. i was actually so attached to the characters so when tristian died i was so sad. i’m so excited to read the second book

Tatiana

The Gilded Wolves: 3/5


  “Make yourself a myth and live within it, so that you belong to no one but yourself.”

Premise:
Taking place in 1886 Paris, we meet Séverin Montagnet-Alarie, a wealthy hotelier and treasure-hunter. The mysterious Order of Babel hires him for a mission to uncover a treasure he cannot deny: his true inheritance. To complete this mission, he reaches out to four unlikely recruits. Together, they will embark on an adventure of a lifetime, as long as they survive. 

Writing & Plot:
The Gilded Wolves had so much potential. The plot and ideas are there, and I enjoyed this book; however, the writing leaves much to be desired. Sentence to sentence, the writing is great and flows together well, but it isn't easy to piece together the order of events.

Essentially, I had no idea what was going on in this book for about 75% of it. Each scene was great on its own, but the flow of each chapter is challenging to follow. Furthermore, I struggled to understand the connections between all the characters and their relationships with each other. I'm unsure if I just missed part of the book or didn't understand what was happening initially, but I don't even understand how they all met. I believe this is partly because there are so many different POVs that you jump into, and it's difficult to keep them all straight.

I want to reiterate that I did enjoy this book despite the difficulty I had with it. Once again, I loved the premise, and the scenes on their own were great; I even liked the setting of Paris! The potential is there, and I am optimistic for the next book and the upcoming third book in the series.

Characters:
Okay, I loved all the characters. There are four main POVs, and one thing Roshani Chokshi does well is she gives them each a distinct voice. I could tell one character's perspective from another just by how she writes each of them, and I loved that.

Although I mentioned before the relationships between each character are not clear, and we don't get much backstory, I still liked each of them. I found myself rooting for each one, and I think that's testament to how well Roshani Chokshi can write. Many books that have this issue I would probably get frustrated with and DNF, but this still sparked my interest and made me want to keep reading.

Conclusion:
Is this book great? No. Does it have the potential for greatness? Absolutely. Despite the significant issues with the plot Roshani Chokshi continues to pique interest with a fantastic premise, exciting setting, and lovable characters. I can't wait to pick up the second book and see where this leads.

History is a myth shaped by the tongues of conquerors.


THIS. WAS. SUCH. AN. AMAZING. RIDE.

I didn't expected to like this book THAT much but here I am and I'm glad of it. As Asian girl myself, I can relate to almost every part of this story; especially the part about colonialism that Enrique always talking about—because like his homeland Filipina, my homeland was being colonialized too for almost more that three hundred and fifty years. That was really a nightmare and I'm glad I can look at this book and said "RELATABLE!" out loud because it is what it is.

Side review, I loveee the found family trope that this book has! Some scenes really hilarious, adorable, and some made me really emotional... I love entire L'Eden gang! Also Séverin & Laila own my heart yes I am their bitch yes all the rumor is true.

At last;

  Make yourself a myth and live within it, so that you belong to no one but yourself.

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts:An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can't yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much.Together, they'll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

Melissa Palmer

Book #9 Read in 2019
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

This is the first book in a young adult fantasy series and it was a great read. The main group of characters all have their own talents and work together to acquire treasures. There is action, magic, romance and heartbreak in this book and high school and adult readers will love it. I look forward to reading book 2 whenever that comes out. I received this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a honest review.

I did not expect this when I read it. It was giving six of crows, but in a different way? I loved the whole story, but I was confused constantly. Zofia was one of my favourite characters, and I was very surprised by the ending. I am very hyped to pick up the next book! 

Shai

OMG!!! 

I did not expect this when I read it. It was giving six of crows, but in a different way? I loved the whole story, but I was confused constantly. Zofia was one of my favourite characters, and I was very surprised by the ending. I am very hyped to pick up the next book! 

Eeeeeeee

Loved the characters, but not my kind of book

a friend of mine simply summarized this book to me as “a heist story and found family” and if you know me well enough, i suppose it’s already common knowledge that i WILL eat that shit up no matter what.

in ALL honesty? it was the characters that really made this book come alive, and i mean that in the best ways possible. i’ve admittedly become so ?? Attached ?? with everyone it’s so insane—the banters between them, their dynamics whenever they’re doing a heist and not, the way they just Care for each other—GOD i fell so Deep and i do not regret a single thing.

TLDR: this book is found family personified. be warned—or not, i guess.

eunice

a friend of mine simply summarized this book to me as “a heist story and found family” and if you know me well enough, i suppose it’s already common knowledge that i WILL eat that shit up no matter what.

in ALL honesty? it was the characters that really made this book come alive, and i mean that in the best ways possible. i’ve admittedly become so ?? Attached ?? with everyone it’s so insane—the banters between them, their dynamics whenever they’re doing a heist and not, the way they just Care for each other—GOD i fell so Deep and i do not regret a single thing.

TLDR: this book is found family personified. be warned—or not, i guess.

Nessa Luna

I'll be honest with you, one of the main reasons why I wanted to read this book was actually because people compared it to Six of Crows. I love stories that have the found family trope and I love it even more when there's a heist involved. So naturally, I wanted to read this book as well. 

Let me tell you right now - this book is anything but a rip-off of Six of Crows. Does it have similarities? Sure. But it is still so vastly different and utterly unique that I enjoyed this book with my whole heart. I loved the characters, I loved the world and I loved seeing the story unfold. 

I was immediately pulled into the story and had to force myself to put the book down at some points, I just really wanted to know what was going to happen next. (view spoiler)[One thing I do have to say, though, was that the death that happens near the end kind of came out of nowhere and the scene may have been over way too quickly. I didn't really feel anything when it happened, even though I truly loved the character. (hide spoiler)]

So yes, I really enjoyed The Gilded Wolves and I can't wait to pick up the sequel asap!

Large Print�s increased font size and wider line spacing maximizes reading legibility, and has been proven to advance comprehension, improve fluency, reduce eye fatigue, and boost engagement in young readers of all abilities, especially struggling, reluctant, and striving readers.

Teeeeeesha

Six of crows meets A darker shade of magic. In a world where people have the ability to “Forge” objects, Severin and his team will do anything to find the Horus eye to stop the fallen house.

Courtney

Well I finished this a lot sooner than I thought I would! Having the carefree and homework free summer break unleashed my school focus to completely immerse myself in this grand heist! It was glorious! I love the dynamics between the characters and the banter was spot on! I deduced one star due to a somewhat quick ending. There was a lot of build up and deliverance in the story and then the ending death (no spoilers, not gonna say who!) was kind of like, “oh and by the way here’s a death, and moving on...” like I needed a bit more time and information around it I think 🤔... Overall would recommend and am looking forward to the second one, The Silvered Serpents!

the premise / world / setting of the gilded wolves is kind of everything i've ever wanted in one package: it's got a whole world of magic, with a convincingly layered set of cultural norms and social hierarchies; it's set in a very cool period of time that takes advantage of the stunning aesthetics and exciting developments of the time without ignoring the contemporaneous injustices of the era; it's got a secret society (sorta - admittedly, the order of babel is not a secret so much as a concrete reality for our cast of characters); it's got a found family of distinct personalities, all of whom so happen to have unique skillsets that come together perfectly for heists and adventures. overall, it rocks.

a couple of criticisms that have but that still don't necessarily take away from my enjoyment of this book:

- the first half of the book is a bit hamfisted with exposition. i understand why it's necessary - there's a lot of lore and history to establish, and i do think it's helpful information to get to set up the rest of the book/the characters - but i found some of these parts to be a bit difficult to follow.

- in that vein, the way the characters are introduced also feel a bit hamfisted. it felt a bit like chokshi was trying to be like, "okay, here's enrique. he's sassy and witty and sarcastic (much to the very clearly neurodivergent zofia's chagrin) and loves history" and establish these roles in the group dynamic rather than trust the reader to pick up on them with context clues. it's like chokshi really wanted to embody "show, not tell" (which i can appreciate) but "showed" too much to the point that it was basically "telling."

- relatedly, i was very impatient with zofia's pov, particularly in the earlier chapters. it felt so obviously like "this is a NEURODIVERGENT character" that it almost detracted from the plot developments in her chapter. same note here re: so much "showing" that it just becomes "telling." there's also the matter of her not picking up on social cues or turns of phrase being used so often as comic relief. as the plot picks up, this becomes less of an issue, and chokshi does a very good job of showing zofia fight against her anxieties and come into her own.

- [SPOILER] treatment of main characters is uneven - tristan got such little screentime compared to the others that it was clear to me from the jump he would die. [END SPOILER]

there are a lot of points here lol but i really did enjoy this book enough to give it a 4 star rating - if anything, i think the amount of critiques i had just shows that it gave me a lot to think about. the good parts of the book feel almost self-evident to me, or are at least a lot less interesting to explain than the things i'm critical of. but in the interest of ending on a high note, i'll just breeze through a small snapshot of the things i liked (which are many!): the beautifully ornate and whimsical settings (if l'eden was real...); the way chokshi so compellingly shows the ways in which even the world of magic is impacted by (and also an additional frontier of) colonialism, imperialism, racism, antisemitism, and all such other -isms. i read rf kuang's babel concurrently, so i was mentally comparing their treatments of imperialism in magic/fantasy systems, and i do think chokshi holds her own, and defies the stereotype that ya can't artfully incorporate or examine these themes. in the afterword, chokshi touches on how much research she did while creating the gilded wolves, and i do think her efforts paid off in how intelligently she weaves together la belle époque-era geopolitics with her own universe of magic. overall, this is just a really beautiful book whose acknowledgment of -isms doesn't take away from the sheer joy of the narrative adventure so much as make it shine all the brighter.

the premise / world / setting of the gilded wolves is kind of everything i've ever wanted in one package: it's got a whole world of magic, with a convincingly layered set of cultural norms and social hierarchies; it's set in a very cool period of time that takes advantage of the stunning aesthetics and exciting developments of the time without ignoring the contemporaneous injustices of the era; it's got a secret society (sorta - admittedly, the order of babel is not a secret so much as a concrete reality for our cast of characters); it's got a found family of distinct personalities, all of whom so happen to have unique skillsets that come together perfectly for heists and adventures. overall, it rocks.

a couple of criticisms that have but that still don't necessarily take away from my enjoyment of this book:

- the first half of the book is a bit hamfisted with exposition. i understand why it's necessary - there's a lot of lore and history to establish, and i do think it's helpful information to get to set up the rest of the book/the characters - but i found some of these parts to be a bit difficult to follow.

- in that vein, the way the characters are introduced also feel a bit hamfisted. it felt a bit like chokshi was trying to be like, "okay, here's enrique. he's sassy and witty and sarcastic (much to the very clearly neurodivergent zofia's chagrin) and loves history" and establish these roles in the group dynamic rather than trust the reader to pick up on them with context clues. it's like chokshi really wanted to embody "show, not tell" (which i can appreciate) but "showed" too much to the point that it was basically "telling."

- relatedly, i was very impatient with zofia's pov, particularly in the earlier chapters. it felt so obviously like "this is a NEURODIVERGENT character" that it almost detracted from the plot developments in her chapter. same note here re: so much "showing" that it just becomes "telling." there's also the matter of her not picking up on social cues or turns of phrase being used so often as comic relief. as the plot picks up, this becomes less of an issue, and chokshi does a very good job of showing zofia fight against her anxieties and come into her own.

- [SPOILER] treatment of main characters is uneven - tristan got such little screentime compared to the others that it was clear to me from the jump he would die. [END SPOILER]

- chokshi has a real way with words, and a particular affinity for beautiful turns of phrase - almost mimicking the gilded and elaborate aesthetic of her chosen setting, la belle époque. but, i think a reader of a different appetite might find her style purple prose-y, or at least heavy on garnishing. i tend to like this style - it REALLY shines in emotionally charged 1:1 scenes, particularly any moment between séverin and laila - but it makes the heavy action scenes hard to follow and kind of drag.

there are a lot of points here lol but i really did enjoy this book enough to give it a 4 star rating - if anything, i think the amount of critiques i had just shows that it gave me a lot to think about. the good parts of the book feel almost self-evident to me, or are at least a lot less interesting to explain than the things i'm critical of. but in the interest of ending on a high note, i'll just breeze through a small snapshot of the things i liked (which are many!): the beautifully ornate and whimsical settings (if l'eden was real...); the way chokshi so compellingly shows the ways in which even the world of magic is impacted by (and also an additional frontier of) colonialism, imperialism, racism, antisemitism, and all such other -isms. i read rf kuang's babel concurrently, so i was mentally comparing their treatments of imperialism in magic/fantasy systems, and i do think chokshi holds her own, and defies the stereotype that ya can't artfully incorporate or examine these themes. in the afterword, chokshi touches on how much research she did while creating the gilded wolves, and i do think her efforts paid off in how intelligently she weaves together la belle époque-era geopolitics with her own universe of magic. overall, this is just a really beautiful book whose acknowledgment of -isms doesn't take away from the sheer joy of the narrative adventure so much as make it shine all the brighter.

I've decided to go with 4 stars for this one, though a hesitant 4 stars. I enjoyed a lot about this book, but there were things that didn't mesh as well with me.

In terms of the style of the book, it reminded me a bit of books like The Diviners and Six of Crows, but of course had it's own voice. The cast of characters was a group of marginalized individuals, each dealing with how 1899 Paris would have treated each of their racial identities. I actually quite enjoyed the characters. Some of the dialogue felt a little juvenile at times, but this is a YA book so that's just a personal preference thing and not something I'm gonna dock it points for.

My biggest gripe was that how different plot important elements were introduced to the story. They seemed to pop up at the last minute, sometimes with the characters knowing but you as the reader not. I enjoy trying to pick up on foreshadowing, but I felt like elements showed up a lot as deus ex machinas to solve how to get things from point A to point B. It wasn't entirely awful. I actually would much prefer this over constant info dumping to explain the world. I appreciated very much that Chokshi showed you how the world worked as opposed to constantly bombarding you with information about every type of forging there could be.

I thought the alchemy-like magic was very interesting and I look forward to seeing more ways it can be used in the next book. We really didn't get all that much in the way of forging in this book. Laila and Tristan did most of it, and Tristan did it mostly off screen - so to speak.

I wish the book had ended with the scene with the test. I feel like the next part should have been at the start of book two. Also I hope someone punches Séverin in the face because hooooo boy does he need to get out of his own head. Or maybe he'll get some much needed therapy. Lord knows he has the money for it. Maybe I'll get lucky in book two!

Kirsten Simkiss

I've decided to go with 4 stars for this one, though a hesitant 4 stars. I enjoyed a lot about this book, but there were things that didn't mesh as well with me.

In terms of the style of the book, it reminded me a bit of books like The Diviners and Six of Crows, but of course had it's own voice. The cast of characters was a group of marginalized individuals, each dealing with how 1899 Paris would have treated each of their racial identities. I actually quite enjoyed the characters. Some of the dialogue felt a little juvenile at times, but this is a YA book so that's just a personal preference thing and not something I'm gonna dock it points for.

My biggest gripe was that how different plot important elements were introduced to the story. They seemed to pop up at the last minute, sometimes with the characters knowing but you as the reader not. I enjoy trying to pick up on foreshadowing, but I felt like elements showed up a lot as deus ex machinas to solve how to get things from point A to point B. It wasn't entirely awful. I actually would much prefer this over constant info dumping to explain the world. I appreciated very much that Chokshi showed you how the world worked as opposed to constantly bombarding you with information about every type of forging there could be.

I thought the alchemy-like magic was very interesting and I look forward to seeing more ways it can be used in the next book. We really didn't get all that much in the way of forging in this book. Laila and Tristan did most of it, and Tristan did it mostly off screen - so to speak.

I wish the book had ended with the scene with the test. I feel like the next part should have been at the start of book two. Also I hope someone punches Séverin in the face because hooooo boy does he need to get out of his own head. Or maybe he'll get some much needed therapy. Lord knows he has the money for it. Maybe I'll get lucky in book two!

Set in a darkly glamorous world The Gilded Wolves is full of mystery, decadence and dangerous but thrilling adventure. Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can't yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much. Together, they'll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

Gillian Rose

To the surprise of NO ONE, I loved this book to bits and pieces.

Hypnos is my favorite character with Enrique as a close second. Then, there's Zofia and Laila, the bestest of friends. And Severin, my messy, messy boy.

mercy

i’ll be honest i only enjoyed this because of the characters specifically zofia boguska the loml <3

dija

Jamieson

He thought of the stories he'd heard growing up about the underworld. The tale of Orpheus, who looked behind him and lost everything. He wouldn't be that. He would descend and ascend, and lose nothing but a handful of time. 



reread September 2020: I love them so much your honour





I. AM. DEAD. 


Friends, I have no words to describe how much I loved this book. (But also? I have too many words please scream with me??) This was such a fun historical fantasy, and I ADORED the cast. You know when you just instantly fall in love with every single character .. like you just know you would throw yourself in front of a bus for them .. yes that. 

Also, THE OTP TO END ALL OTPS. I CANNOT even speak about how much I adored Laila and Severin as a ship! The angst! the drama! And that all the angst and drama seemed so real and not just annoyingly manufactured. URGH. I ADORE THEM. 

This is one of my favourite books of 2019, I know it already even though it's January. I have so much to say and I just don't know how to physically use my fingers to type out the words to fully encapsulate how I feel about this book ... so I'm doing a spoiler free review then a rambly I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS section at the bottom (you'll know when the spoilers are coming don't worry. 

ALRIGHT, HERE WE GO. 


  “Wolves were everywhere. In politics, on thrones, in beds. They cut their teeth on history and grew fat on war.”


The Gilded Wolves is such a high energy romp through a really intricately wrought Parisian historical-fantasy setting. The magic system and world is so fresh, and I haven't read anything much like it. (Seriously .. what is with all the Six of Crows comparisons? They're nothing alike). The world has this perfect blend of history, magic and technology which I loved. Think something like the world in Timekeeper or maybe The Diviners. Historical fantasy is quickly becoming one of my favourite genres and this book absolutely reminded me why - it is SO fun to have something magical set in a historic time period - and 1889 Paris is one I've never read from before. 

Most importantly, The Gilded Wolves features such a beautiful six person ensemble cast, who immediately won me over with their charm and hilarity. I LOVE the found family trope and this book does it so well!! I also loved the established relationships - characters who are in past relationships or have known eachother for a while. For me it was really nice to jump into the middle of a group instead of going through all that "meet up/meet cute" stuff which often feels tedious to me. And as far as found families go, this one is ADORABLE. I loved all their interactions and banter, if you live for characters literally just talking to eachother and giving eachother shit you will LOVE THIS. 


  


All in all we follow six main characters: 

➵ Séverin: my SON !!! The leader of the group. He was the head of a powerful house, but his inheritance was stolen and now he wants it back. Definitely the protective father figure of the group, I liked how messy he is at times and that he definitely isn't perfect. Looking forward to where his character goes next. 

➵ Laila: I ADORE HER. She was probably my favourite character. Laila is Indian and has the ability to read the history of objects. She is ADORABLE, I loved how she is the mum friend, but also she totally owns her sexuality and is super confident. My queen. That scene of her dancing, ended me. A hot bitch, please punch me in the face. 

➵ Tristan: Sweetie who loves his giant spider, botanist who has the ability to grow giant gardens and is Severins best friend/adopted brother. Oooh his character is SO interesting to me (cannot get into too much without spoiling!) but my thought and expectations about him get getting all twisted up and I LOVED IT. Definitely not what you expected going in. 

➵ Enrique:  Spanish-Filipino historian and probably bisexual. Absolute nerd trying his best to interact with people and doing .... okay? He didn't have as much background as some of the other characters, but I loved how he interacted with the Filipino revolutionaries and I'm excited to see where his character arc goes next. 

➵ Zofia: Okay full honest .. I don't know how to feel about her yet but I also feel like I could ADORE HER IN TIME. She is a Jewish-Polish girl who loves math and struggles with social interaction but also she just wants to be loved!! someone love her !! She has a rare magical gift and is overall pretty cool but I just didn't feel as attached to her as some of the others oop. 

➵ Hypnos: I AM KIN WITH THIS MAN. What an angel! Hypnos is my other favourite charater alongside Laila. Recommends drinking wine when things are going wrong because "it won't help, but at least you won't remember" so in fact, extremely relatable. Loves fashion and is dramatic as hell, but also just wants a pal. I would die for him, too precious too pure. He is a French aristocrat, leader of the powerful House Nyx, he is black and gay. 



  “Am I pretty?” asked Enrique, plucking at his fake beard and patting his hands over his jowls, wrinkles and age spots. “Be honest.” 
“‘Pretty’ is a stretch. Let’s call you ‘striking.’ Or ‘impossible to look away from’.” 
“Oooh. Like the sun?” 
“I was thinking more along the lines of a train wreck.”





I am gonna be real and say this is not a perfect book. At times the worldbuilding and magic system was a little confusing for me .. but overall I loved this book and loved reading it so much I don't care. I mostly rate books based on enjoyment and sometimes you enjoy a book so much you can ignore it's little faults. That is how I felt about The Gilded Wolves. It made me fall so in love with the characters, and I had such a fun fun time reading it I just honestly don't care. What I also love about this book is I KNOW I could reread it (and soon!), and books I know I can enjoy more than once always are the ones I love most. 

Quick rant: what is WITH all the soc comparisons? The only similarity is having a six person cast and heist elements both of which were ... not invented by Six of Crows?? Personally I think it does this book a disservice to compare it to Six of Crows when they're SO DIFFERENT and not even the same genre/magic system/character tropes or anything. URGH. Do better reviewers. 



  “When you are who they expect you to be, they never look too closely. If you’re furious, let it be fuel,” Séverin said, looking each of them in the eye. “Just don’t forget that enough power and influence makes anyone impossible to look away from. And then they can’t help but see you.” 





The Gilded Wolves is such a fun book! The cast is adorable, and the ending has set up book two in such a huge way, I can barely wait. This book is solid throughout, action packed, and doesn't have a single dull moment. The character relationships, angsty ship and dramatic last 100 pages really elevated this book for me and I cannot tell you how much I TRULY adored it. I think there is something for everyone here, and I really think if you enjoy books with angsty romance, found families, heist elements, or mythology based/historical fantasy elements and setting YOU NEED TO READ THIS. 


  THIS IS THE END OF THE SPOILER FREE REVIEW SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY SPOILER THOUGHTS AND READ ME SCREAM



LETS TALK ABOUT SHIP FEELINGS AND HOW IM SUFFERING

That ship ..... folks, when you know you KNOW and what I know is that if Roshani Chokshi had smashed me in the face with a spade it would have been less painful then what I just read. 

OMFG I LOVE LAILA AND SEVERIN?? First of all, how nice to have a ship with actual HISTORY. Wow that is refreshing. I was so bored of the "meet cute now they need to kiss in the next three hundred pages". it's boring and kills tension. I loved their dynamic, like omg, how everytime she comes into the room Severin is SHOOK. And that scene where she's dancing?? Wow I died. AND OM THE END. We're gonna get the shares a bed trope, I'm living. I loved how mature they seemed to, like it was nice to have a couple that had had sex and it isn't this Big Dramatic Thing. (Like ok it is, but not bc they think sex is dramatic but because of all the Other Stuff happening). Urgh, their dynamic kills me I love them. Everytime they had a scene together I was screaming. ALSO ALL OF SEVERINS THOUGHTS AND JOKES ABOUT SLEEPING WITH HER ...... LORD. 

Laila and Severin the angsty ship to end all others ??? Like, thanks Roshani for murdering me I love it??


OKAY THE END. I definitely think Severin has to be part of the Fallen House for sure, which is interesting. I wonder if there is gonna be like an anti-hero plot or something for him? I kinda hope not, but I feel it Could happen? And it may be interesting if it did. 

Also .. Tristan. I was soo shook with the bird thing at the end. Idk how to feel about him now, I think I definitely need to reread and pay more attention to him. I am definitely interested to see what else comes about him in the next books. 

FINALLY .. HYPNOS/ZOFIA/ENRIQUE? I kinda liked Hypnos and Enrique more but also I'm hoping for a polyam ship? But urgh, when Zofia saw them kissing my heart broke for her. But Hypnos is my MANS, I would really die for him so whatever makes him happy .. I'm on bored for it. And I just liked his dynamic with Enrique throughout the whole book lmao. 

OKAY IF U HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO TALK ABOUT IN THE COMMENTS .... LETS GO IM READY

** spoiler alert **
           This is most definitely going to be one of my favourite series, however I am not mentally or emotionally prepared to start the second book as the pain was just too much to endure. Like Tristan’s death was not something I expected and I felt Sevérin’s hurt when he was unable to do anything about it but I hated the way he treated Laila because of it even though his feelings were understandable, she was hurting too and she did not deserve his cruel words. 

Regardless of all of that I love them as a group and how they’ll do anything for each other and their own personal goals. 

ALSO I JUST WANT ZOFIA TO LIVE A HAPPY LIFE PLEASE AND THANKS.

Update 25/1: changed my rating to 5 stars because it was SO much better in the second read

----

WHAT WAS THAT ENDING!!!!! I WILL NOT RECOVER!!!!!

I loved all the characters SO much. They're all so well characterised and each is so special in their own way.
The banter is out of this WORLD. The book's main theme isn't romance, but that only helped make the romantic bits much more amazing. I had to close the book and squeal more than once. I loved it so much. You can not only see the impending romance between some of the characters but also the amazing friendships and companionship between different pairs, which made the ending that much more heart-wrenching. Still not over it, at all. 

I think what took me back slightly was that I was so lost at times. It's an ambitious world that sometimes can be TOO much. I wasn't expecting it to have magic systems so that was a complete surprise, but even when I got used to the idea of it, some parts were too dense on their world building. I had to reread some pages once or twice to fully understand what was going on, which is something that can happen especially in heist stories, but nonetheless it didn't make me want to drop reading, not once. 

I also had an issue with the setting. Since the story develops across "magical" settings, that wasn't the main issue, since "ordinary" Paris was rarely shown. But some of the choices made for their dialogues took me out of the 1800's vibe. It wasn't atrocious, just a tiny bit that bothered me. 

I love this little family so much. I think the author did an amazing job at showcasing all of them, something that can be tricky especially when there are so many POVs. I can't wait to read unhinged Séverin and the ANGST in severinlaila in The Silvered Serpents. 

Going down as one of my favourites for sure🥰

The Gilded Wolves A Novel

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