Early Review – The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves, Book 2) by Roshani Chokshi (4.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 416 pages
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: September 22, 2020
ISBN-13: 978-1250144577
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Gilded Wolves duology
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
“Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost ― one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God.
Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.
As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.
A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job.”
Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Gilded Wolves series which sounds like it’s going to be a trilogy. I got this as an eGalley from NetGalley.
Story (4/5): I also thought for some reason this was a duology, but given the ending there needs to be at least one more book in this series. Up until the ending this was a 5 star book for me. This story mainly sends our characters on an adventure to the north, Russia. There they hope to finally find a very special book that Severin hopes will grant him godhood and Laila hopes will buy her more time to live.
Characters (5/5): The characters pretty much make this whole book. Every single character in this book is incredibly well done and the rotating POVs work wonderfully for this book. These characters have such depth and such complex histories, they pull you in and make you love them. So well done!!!
Setting (4/5): This book is set in an alternate version of our own world, it feels like it’s set in the past. The majority of this story took part in Northern Russia. While I enjoyed the wintery setting, I didn’t feel like the world building here was truly exceptional.
Writing Style (5/5): After the characters, it’s the amazingly beautiful writing style that makes this book work so well. Chokshi writes beautifully and has such an excellent imagination. I was a bit disappointed in the ending because it felt so rushed, I left feeling kinda like “Uh, okay I guess we’re done??”
Summary (4.5/5): Overall I loved this book even more than the first book in the series. I love the characters, the adventure, and the amazing imagery here. These are very creative books and you never know what’s going to happen next. Although I enjoyed the big twist at the end, I thought it felt rushed and was disappointed in where this book left off. Part of that was because I thought this was a duology, they do say in the synopsis that “the crew risks their lives for one last job”.
