The Silvered Serpents

The Gilded Wolves #2

by Roshani Chokshi

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

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 rumoured 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.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Historical, Young Adult Fantasy, Romance, LGBT

416 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2020

About the author

Roshani Chokshi is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling series The Star-Touched Queen, The Gilded Wolves and Aru Shah and The End of Time, which Time Magazine named one of the Top 100 Fantasy Books of All Time. Her adult debut, The Last Tale of The Flower Bride, was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and often draw upon world mythology and folklore. Chokshi is a member of the National Leadership Board for the Michael C. Carlos Museum and lives in Georgia with her husband and their cat whose diabolical plans must regularly be thwarted.

Reviews

[chai ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

✧ find this review & others on my blog ✧

When it came out a year ago, The Gilded Wolves was a fresh, welcome addition to the YA Fantasy yarn. I pleasurably devoured it, and was really looking forward to reading the sequel and folding myself once again between the characters and their tragedy, lose myself in the beauty of their voices—and have many of my questions answered. Unfortunately, the burst of excitement that flamed in my heart when I picked up this book was quickly swallowed up by disappointment.

(Spoilers for book 1)

Séverin feels the loss of his brother like a limb torn away. Tristan’s death has left everyone with wounds, and Séverin chooses to tend to his by searching restlessly for the Divine Lyrics: the artifact that would make the world bend to meet his wish, that contains the secret for bridging the uncrossable gulf between mortal and divinity.

“We could be gods,” says Séverin, the words spilling out reverence, pain, and power.

Grief is a magnificently blinding force, and from the outset of the novel, Séverin stands inside its scalding beam, unable to see past that light. But Séverin is not the only one with his heart hanging open on its hinges. Layla, Hypnos, Zofia and Enrique are all filled with sadness and secrets that they would not utter, all of them like eggs, each afraid to crack the other. But a quest is set in front of them, and they are determined to see it through.

Though it is soon beginning to feel less like a quest and more like the jaws of a trap waiting for them to walk right into it.

“If there were stairs to hell, would you venture down those?”
“It depends on what was inside hell, and if I needed it.”

The Silvered Serpents has a visible case of middle-book syndrome. The thin storyline, excruciatingly slow build, and lack of major plot movement does very little of expanding our understanding of how the magic that fuels the practice of Forging works, or give a clearer look into the corruption of the institutions trying to smother Séverin and his crew, or even rattle a few more skeletons out of the characters’ closets.

The novel is also drained of that air of urgency that I liked about its predecessor, the suggestion of a trapdoor waiting under every page that kept me awake until the early hours of the morning reading The Gilded Wolves, feeling like I was going to shatter out of my skin with nerves as I tried to squint the words into focus and chase away the drowsiness that threatens to fall on me like a boulder.

As The Silvered Serpents progresses, it quickly settles into a rut:

Séverin restlessly walks the edges of his flashfire ambition like a lion in its cage. Tristan’s death has tipped him into silence and grief, something gray and deathly cold hanging in his eyes. He is still himself, but girded, made more terrible, crueler. Séverin wanted to reach the place where grief wouldn’t find him, where he wouldn’t feel, but he might have passed it, and wandered somewhere worse.

Meanwhile, Layla, Hypnos, Enrique and Zofia still drift toward him, every one of them pulled into his orbit. Layla, who plays the role of his mistress, links her arm within his, though their hearts remain at war. To Enrique and Zofia, Séverin is the bulk that is the bulwark that defends them against life’s vicissitudes, and Hypnos still hangs on Séverin’s words, as though a mere acknowledgment from him is a victory, hard won, long sought-after, each time a prize.

And as this goes around and around, like an argument that always returns to its unassailable premise, the story quickly becomes mired in too much angst and drama. The characters are all hurting, and they’re struggling to move through that, which is a challenging feeling to portray. To me it frankly all seemed more miserable than was strictly necessary. It also seemed absurd to me why the characters did not just confess their faults and sorrows and be done. Communication is always key! Instead misunderstandings abound, the dialogue becomes stiff and dry, and the clichés fall like a torrent of rain (the girl-on-girl-hate trope annoyed me to no end and quickly soured my mood).

Still, the spell never entirely dissipates in The Silvered Serpents. Chokshi is, without a doubt, a brilliant writer, imbuing her novel with luxurious language and exquisite imagery that washes over the reader in waves. The setup is splendid: Chokshi sails the characters and the story to a wintry Russia where you feel the cold all through you, quick and sharp as a stab, and clouds of breath swirl in front of you like chummy ghosts. Many of the same themes and obsessions that intrigued me in The Gilded Wolves haunt this book as well: greed for one, loss (whether it’s stolen property, a person, or a sense of self), the peril of unbelonging, of being powerless and having no way to bargain with the world, and the agony of trying to reckon with and claim the clashing parts of one’s identity. Other new themes are introduced: how inside every myth there’s a kernel of truth, how stories can rise from slumber like restless ghosts, and how forgotten people can still speak. The author also makes a point about the cost of giving someone so much power over us, and how love “[does] not always wear a face of beauty”. But not every theme winds up getting its due, and I think a bit more poison in the pen would have achieved more resonance.

The ultimate unveiling of the source of evil at the end felt unsatisfyingly hollow, and was obvious from the book’s earliest pages. Ultimately, what The Silvered Serpents unfortunately fails to do is give me enough of a reason to continue with the series. This is a very unpopular opinion though, so I wouldn’t discourage you from still picking up this book!

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[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ladies and gentlemen we have a big winner!!!! I proudly declare that I finished one of the best books of 2020 right now!

I cannot believe how much I loved this book, I gave four stars to the first one and but when I compare two of them, it’s only fair to give this one ten gazillion stars because this is so so so so sooooooooo much better. Can you hear I still slap my forehead for waiting too much to get this into my hands? BANG BANG BANG(Yes, my skull is too thick! Made by more woods than flesh!)

Our gang is back in business for another mission, both of them suffering from grief, toughened up, more serious and their bond got tightened. Severin is haunted the ghost of his great loss, building more walls around his heart not to show his feelings. He cares his teammates, especially one of them has the most special place in his heart but “love does not wear the face we wish” and he is about to learn it from the hardest way.

This book is darker and grimmer than the first one because the characters’ deep pain about their big loss following them behind like an ominous dark cloud and affecting their judgments, actions, mood swings. Of course witty dialogues and never ending sarcastic comments between Hypnos and Zofia thankfully save the most parts and makes us smile. I already admitted that I fell in love with those team members at the first book. Every one of them were developed realistically make you feel like you have friends with them in your real life and you want to hang up with them, drinking coffee, talking about last twitter trends (okay I shut my mouth before I wear straitjacket again. Did I say again? Ups! Okay I should get a drink and stop typing.)

The rising tension of the book can make you say goodbye to your nails, to your hands and maybe entire arms. Stop biting them and concentrate on the pages! And I have to say something about incredible writing of Roshani Chokshi : the first book is great start but this book gave me skyrocket effect with its fast pacing, incredible story progression, exciting development, all those twists made my head spin so much and I’m still dizzy and confused right now! With her perfectly written, magical, philosophical, intriguing book with its amazing political references, she is taking you to a journey around Russia. She definitely worked her skills to create magical journey and made her words twist and dance around the pages, captivating us with this well-crafted story that we wish it never ends.

And after last revelation, I splash a big ice bucket on my head but I am still in shock, talking nonsense. Yes, I didn’t see it coming and I cry out louder in the middle of the night. My husband is begging me to stop screaming. But I cannot! Because this is torture to wait for what’s gonna happen next.

I feel so lucky to have a chance to become one of the first readers of this book and I hope I will be also the one of first ones to read the upcoming work. (Last time I felt the same when I had to wait for two and half years for last season of GOT! Luckily I’m sure my waiting for this book will not result with full of frustration. This author is too gifted to write anything wrong.)

Special thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for sharing this amazing masterpiece’s ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

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[jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is how a sequel deserves to be done.

it builds so effortlessly upon the first book and in a way that feels more developed, better paced, and has me falling in love with the characters all over again.

because thats honestly what i loved most about this - the characters. yes, there is a lot of historical mystery and secretive adventure and fast plots, but wow. these characters are something else. i feel so invested in each and every one of them, which rarely happens for me when theres a large cast.

and dont even get me started on that ending. i need book #3 right now, please and thank you!

↠ 4.5 stars

[Teodora · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐

Full review on my Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺

“Life is cruel, and often without cake.”

I swear, I will buy some fancy opera glasses only to look at this beautiful sequel *inserts heart eyes emoji*

Well, there you go, people! The action goes on and everything that we seemed to love in the first book is twisted AF in this one and nothing is what it once was and everything is a total riot and I think I’m into that more than I’d like to accept.

You know that feeling when you spend a couple of days locked up inside the house because there is winter outside and you hate it, but then you have to get out because you ran out of food and as soon as you open the door the cold air hits you in the face and cuts off your breath for 0.5 seconds?
Well, this is the exact feeling I had while reading this book.

The funny thing is that it was not unpleasant at all. Quite the contrary. It was fresh. And it felt right. And I am so happy about that!



From the beginning, you can see that The Silvered Serpents is different from The Gilded Wolves . And I say that in a good way.

From the very beginning, I remembered how much I missed those amazing characters. They were even smarter than I remembered, ready to served facts with a cherry on top and the level of #mood some of them (*ahem* Hypnos *ahem*) reached was so true I was almost positive I should’ve taken a DNA test because I was relating so hard.

“It’s before noon. I hardly exist before noon.” - Hypnos

In this book, we even get to witness how Iceberg Zofia slowly realises that she has feelings (*gasp*) and tries to make sense of them, showing us how much she cares for the ones that are always close to her.

…she loves them...!

“Love did not always wear the face one wished it would. Sometimes it looked downright monstrous.”

The feelings department is a bit of a storm though so don’t expect that the things we wanted answers for in the first book regarding certain characters’ relationship status to be explained in this one. Oh no-no.

They get even more confusing and uncertain, so don’t say you haven’t been warned. You want them to be together like, erm, now? Yeah, me too, but you’ll have to wait…in silence and frustration…



“Knowledge was coy. It liked to hide beneath the shroud of myth, place its heart in a fairy tale, as if it were a prize at the end of the quest.”

Another big bonus about these books so far is that there is a great number of amazing facts and bits of information. Even if you want it or not, after finishing the books, you gain something precious to put into that cool, shiny box inside your brain labelled “General Knowledge”.
So good.

Something else good in there? Yes. The writing style.

The writing is so beautiful and so filled with metaphors and comparisons and all sorts of epithets that it makes the whole experience of the story one thousand times better. I simply love it when an author has such beautiful words to put on paper and let us enjoy them too. It makes my heart fly with joy.

“Gods put gold in the palm of the wicked and left that miserable currency of hope in the hearts of the good.”

I still appreciate very much the concept of the world– it’s our world, but in the past, but filled with interesting, ‘forged’ inventions that are a nice mix between magic and technology.

The world depicted seems darker and twistier than in the previous installment and as the story advances, it becomes even more so. The change of scenery is welcome too – where in the first book the action takes place in a Western society (of Paris, France), here the action mainly takes place in Russia (so, an Eastern settlement with another type of society).

The diversity of the characters still thrills me. There is a compact group of culturally diverse characters that glue together perfectly. Here we have Indian, French-Algerian, Polish, Spanish-Filipino and French-Haitian descendants. And some of them have also different sexual orientations than – you know – the ‘standard’ one. Top that with the fact that they are all some sort of brainiacs in various fields pf action and there you go – an impressive work of art.

This installment was filled with action and heartbreak and gasps and plot twists…and I was so there for that.

And secrets, secrets, secrets! Also, the ending had me like:


What was that??

I don’t even know what I read there at the ending, guys. But one thing is for sure – it was shocking and gasp-worthy and I can’t wait for the next book!

“Before you are born, you know all the secrets of the world. But an angel locked them up by pressing his thumb right above your lips.”

[Maryam Rz. · Rating 4 out of 5]

If The Gilded Wolves was a gentleman pickpocket slipping through the luxurious aristocratic parties of Paris, The Silvered Serpents is an anguished ghost dreaming of godhood, haunting the corridors of a palace of ice, hunting myths.

“I wish my love was more beautiful.”

Sometimes you read books for page-turner, grand action and fast-paced, epic twists and turns, yes, but sometimes, you read them for carefully plotted brilliance and mystical mysteries; sometimes you pick them up for delicate sleights of hand, secret recluses, and immersive writing that unveils the need in your heart. Sometimes, you seek a book that is more adverb than action—as Roshani Chokshi puts it.

This series is of the latter kind.

“Sometimes ghost stories are all that is left of history,” he said. “History is full of ghosts because it’s full of myth, all of it woven together depending on who survived to do the telling.”

With this second installment, Roshani takes a step further than science and magic forged as art, history and fiction entwined in puzzles. With The Silvered Serpents, she walks beyond history and into myth—the truths covered in cobwebs whispered and twisted and hidden behind forgotten doors, the truths that horrify and intrigue—embracing stories of all corners of the world, from Greek goddesses to Middle Eastern origins of Rapunzel. And more than myths, Roshani tells the tale of humanity, of belonging and being scorned, of murdered girls and stolen women, denied motherhood and gripped power, of malice cultivated between girls who were not allowed to dream, and of dead girls forced to guard treasure in invisible palaces.

The Silvered Serpents is in many ways the opposite of its predecessor; where TGW was light, TSS is gloomy, grief and guilt and transfixing agony bordering its edges. So it can also be said that this is a tale of pain, unflinching in its foray into darkness, of found families falling apart and loss tearing bonds into pieces, of love that does not always wear the face you seek, love that is not beautiful and peaceful and easy, love that wounds with its cruel, silent face in its desire to protect and save. This is a tale that plays with your heartstrings.

Maybe for girls made of snow, love was worth the melt. But she was made of stolen bones and sleek fur, grave dirt and strange blood—her heart wasn’t even hers to give. Her soul was all she had, and no love was worth losing it.

So put your shields up around your heart, because goodbyes are in order. For now, there is one more acquisition and five people headed their own ways who come back, each for different reasons, to complete one last treasure hunt. But “In debating the merits of pursuing hidden treasure, one must weigh the risk of whether it was never meant to be found and if so, why?” Because someone...someone wants to play god.



❆ First, Let’s Get the Criticism Out of the Way ❆

“I saw what I wanted to see,” he said, hoarse. “Only a desperate man trusts a mirage in the desert.”

In the spirit of honesty and even though I hate complaining, I will have to admit that, while I loved TSS, the writer and critic in me can’t stop thinking of all the ways this gem of anguished longing and impossible dreams could have been more than just a fave—it could have been an all-time fave! Sigh, me and my obsession with books being the best versions of themselves will one day kill me but, for now, on the matter of equally cutting the book into three to rate and proceeding to address the elephant in the room:

First ⅓ ⤑ ★★★★✯
Second ⅓ ⤑ ★★★☆☆
Third ⅓ ⤑ ★★★★✯

Here’s the thing: one reason why The Gilded Wolves had me enchanted from page one to page I-don’t-remember-how-many-pages-it-was-and-I’m-too-lazy-to-check-just-assume-I-wrote-the-number-of-the-last-page, was the lush and aristocratic, atmospheric setting which caught and trapped me in 1889 Paris so thoroughly I all but became a willing prisoner and fell in love with my captive (Stockholm syndrome right there)—the setting and the wonder and artistry of L’Eden that The Silvered Serpents does not have.

What he felt now was a different kind of incredulity. The kind where one has released a dream into the world, only to rediscover it on the ground, trampled and stained.

Don’t me wrong, Roshani’s writing is still breathtakingly immersive and I walked every path alongside my tragic gang of mischiefs, absorbed every landscape, breathed in every smell. And even as I was aware that the Parisian atmosphere would be missing in this sequel, I expected it to be replaced with a chillingly Russian one. It was not—well, it was, but for only a few chapters. What’s more, the characters spent a long time wandering around an abandoned ice palace trying to solve mysteries and taking too long to figure out what’s right in front of them. I am not saying the puzzles and clues were not clever, they always are with Roshani, what I’m saying is that so are the characters.

Knowledge was coy. It liked to hide beneath the shroud of myth, place its heart in a fairy tale, as if it were a prize at the end of the quest. Perhaps whatever knowledge was here was similar. Perhaps it wished to be wooed and coaxed forth.

What I’d have loved is for the plotting to have been entirely different, with plot points moved earlier/later in the book to bring out the full potential of this tale. What I’d have loved is for the Winter Conclave to have been a weeks-long event and for the cast to take residence in Russia (letting me drown in my requested setting vibes) and attempt to crack the mystery even as they have to navigate the politics of European Houses and soak in intrigue because oh the lost opportunity for politicking, world expansion, and dive into the dirty laundry of the greedy, imperialist Order! What I’d have loved is for the gang to then slip away with their supporters to the discovered location, the other Houses on their tail, and explore the haunted palace faster with less unnecessary procrastination. What I’d have loved is a confrontation upon the Order’s arrival and then everything that happened at the end.

I did not get what I’d have loved. I loved what I got (mostly) but while everyone declared book one to be confusing in plot (I did not) I found book two to be too simple in plot (no one else did).



❆ Now Allow Me to Fall Apart for the Characters ❆

“We need to separate Vasiliev from his bodyguards,” said Séverin. “Something that can pull men apart—”
“Money?” asked Enrique.
“Love!” said Hypnos.
“Magnets,” said Zofia.
Laila, Enrique, and Hypnos turned to stare at her.
“Powerful magnets,” Zofia amended.

Credit: Diana Dworak

✦ Séverin: Séverin Montagnet-Alarie, Paris’s most influential investor and owner of the grandest hotel in France, is an idiot. My emotions swung between wanting to hug him, punch him, kiss him, scream at him, and do more confusing things to him—I settled for Laila making him squirm.

“You always see so clearly into the darkness of men’s hearts, Monsieur Montagnet-Alarie,” she said, before adding in a softer voice, “But I remember when you used to see wonder.”
Séverin reached for his water goblet. “And now I see truth.”

This stubborn, irrational, beautiful boy filled with so much longing, this commanding, imaginative, observant boy who once saw wonder where he now sees pain, lets his grief and self hate drown him in the skeletons in Tristan’s closets and the demons beneath his bed, and refuses everyone’s hand, shunning his closest friends who have to step back lest the drowning man take them down as well. I can relate to his fear of being powerless, shutting himself away at the first sign of vulnerability. But what he does to escape his pain is seeking to escape humanity, practicing the cold, cruel tyranny of indifference because, “for the sake of what he needed to do, he had to be apart, not a part,” for the sake of gaining invincibility, he looks to leave mortality behind. “Ah, Majnun. The madman who lost himself to an impossible dream.”

He was like a cursed prince, trapped in the worst version of himself. And nothing she possessed—not her kiss freely given, nor her heart shyly offered—could break the thrall that held him because he had done it to himself.

✦ Laila: I was going to write a ballad for this empowering Indian gem of existence who would not let her death be in service to another’s character, her pain what he’d feed on to find his strength, this utter queen without a crown who reminds me of Nina Zenik after her glorious character development...but I’m too lazy so watch me pluck sentences out of the book and put them together because, truly, Roshani says it better than I ever could. “Laila was like a fairy tale plucked from the pages of a book—a girl with a curse woven into her heartbeat. A mirage glimpsed through smoke. A temptation in the desert that lulls the soul into thinking of false promises. The essence of her was walking into a room, and all eyes pinned to her, as if she were the performance of a lifetime. The essence of her was a smile full of forgiveness, the warmth in her hands, sugar in her hair.”

Laila was salvaged bones, and the snow maiden was only gathered snow. Love didn’t deserve to thaw their wits and turn their hearts to dust.

✦ Zofia: There are not many people who make me proud of my Gryffindor side, yet Zofia with her sympathies for a broken machine is one of them. She is my dangerously flammable Phoenix and favourite of the cast (next to Laila) not because of her autism (which is perfectly portrayed in her different way of processing the world, such as when the subtleties of language and art are lost on her) but because she strives to be brave even with fear of the unknown, to be independent and helpful even as she feels like a burden and knows that she needs others’ help. Zofia is a unique type of empowering female character and I relished seeing her shine in this sequel.

“If there were stairs to hell, would you venture down those?”
“It depends on what was inside hell, and if I needed it.”

✦ Enrique: This charming, adorable, biracial boy is longing incarnate. He is the longing for a home to call your own and a place to belong when both sides of who you are shun you. He is the longing to be heard and and seen for all you have done and can do when no one holds you worthy for your truth. He is longing, and how can one not relate to him, not feel for him?

“When a man cannot see a person as a person, then the devil has slipped into him and is peering out of his eyes.”

✦ Hypnos: You know that friend who wants to help but does more unintentional harm than good because he is so clueless and lonely and has no idea how to have friends? Yes, this is him. The reason him and Enrique bonded so easily was because Hypnos, too, is a biracial vision of reaching hands, wanting to belong and prove his worth. But the difference is that, in many things, Hypnos is more casual and fun-seeking and, to be honest, I cannot stop thinking of how great a drag queen he could have been. My heart bled in glee every time he contributed to the group and was recognised.

“Why isn’t he going in?” muttered Hypnos.
“Fear of dismemberment,” said Zofia. “If I were designing thief-catching mechanisms, I would have a device rigged to attack the first three people who entered.”
Hypnos stepped behind Zofia. “Ladies first.”

❆ And Then There Is the Curse That is the Relationships ❆

That was how friendship felt to her, an illumination too vast for her senses to capture. Yet she did not doubt its presence. And she held that light close to her as step by step, she ventured down the stairs.

The relationships in TSS were probably the best part for me. Because what this book gave me was layered friendships falling apart at the seams and being stitched back together. What it gave me was lovers parting peacefully with mutual understanding soaked in pain, and bonds blooming in opposites, two halves of a whole, completing one another and showing each other the side they could not see on their own. Oh what it gave me was two hearts drenched in rage-filled anguish (which I’ve found to be my fave emotion) playing at cat and mouse.

He first glimpsed her through the mirror, like a fairy tale where the hero crept upon the monster, risking only a glance at her reflection lest she turn his heart to stone. Only this was its inversion. Now the monster glanced upon the maiden, risking only a glimpse of her reflection lest she turn his stone to heart.

Credit: Gabriella Bujdoso

I ask you, is this not the most beautiful declaration of love you’ve ever read? “Perhaps, all goddesses are just beliefs draped on the scaffolding of ideas. I can’t touch what’s not real. But I can worship it all the same.” Yup, I died too. Until my next session of gushing, goodbye and try not to die.



Thank you to my superhero for providing me with an eARC through Edelweiss!

❆ Oh and the Playlist and Reviews and Whatnot ❆

Book series playlist: Spotify URL

Books in series:
⤳ The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves, #1) ★★★★✯
⤳ The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves, #2) ★★★★☆
⤳ The Bronzed Beasts (The Gilded Wolves, #3) ☆☆☆☆☆

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I didn’t love this quite as much as The Gilded Wolves but it still came very close. This is ANGSTY! We learn so much more about some of the other characters and I’m so attached to all of them. Some of the villain stuff in this one felt a bit predictable, but that was the only flaw. I’m definitely looking forward to the finale.

Review and discussion to come on my channel.

[Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥]

I’m on BookTube! =)

”I wish my love was more beautiful.”

THAT ENDING THOUGH!!!
Jeez! I started to read this book in March 2022 and finally finished it. I was procrastinating the entire year because I knew it would hurt so much and damn... did IT HURTTTTT!!!
I. am. in. pain. T_T
My babies! AKDFAKLSDFJASDLFKAJSDFÖ!
Roshani Chokshi ripped out my heart and it bled all over the pages.

Full RTC soon! I want to read the last book asap so I better hurry with this review.
For now I need to wallow in my pain.
___________________________


So THIS is finally going to happen! After procrastinating for months (maybe even years?!) I put "The Silvered Serpents" on My March TBR 2022 and I have every intention to follow through with it! I've been dying to read this ever since I read "The Gilded Wolves" and by now I even have "The Bronzed Beasts" at home!
Nothing is going to stop me to read the hell out of this series! *lol* YAY!!!
I. AM. READY!!! (or at least as ready as I'll ever be... XD)

__________________________

Update: After 3 weeks of waiting my request on NetGalley has been declined and I'm devastated! T_T
Looks like I'll just have to wait until the book hits our stores. *sighs*
__________________________

The new year barely started but for me September can't come soon enough!!
How am I supposed to survive this long wait?!!

Alright, I'll just continue to live in denial!
The ending of "The Gilded Wolves" never happened!
Everything is going to be fine!
*takes a deep breath*
*takes another deep breath*

Damn. I'm screwed! T_T

[Lia Carstairs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm okay.

She could not see her hope for what it was, nothing more than a silvered serpent.

I-I'm okay.

Love did not always wear the face one wished it would.

I-

Sometimes it looked downright monstrous.

I AM NOT OKAY.


Thank you Roshani for giving me a heart attack.
What a beautiful way to end 2020.😃

════▣◎▣════

“You might not be a true muse, but you will live on as inspiration to me.”

I don't know how to write this review without breaking into sobs and screaming at the world. I saw so many friends saying how much this book destroyed them and I believed it...but I also couldn't believe it to be that bad.
Oh how wrong I was.

ROSHANI DID EXACTLY WHAT I BEGGED HER NOT TO DO AFDSFHJDSHDASJ I WILL NEVER FORGIVE HER FOR MAKING MY HEART STOP LIKE THAT—FOR BREAKING ME IN A WAY I DIDN'T EVEN THINK WAS POSSIBLE.

so much for no screaming

I swear, it's like December 2020, was the month of heartbreaking books. sam *sobs* Like "Oh, 2020 wasn't bad enough, so let's make Lia suffer this last month." Yes, torture. How I love torture. ik, ik im being overdramatic BUT I WONT STOP

“When the devil waged war in the heavens, even angels had to fall.”

Everything is not okay. After the events in The Gilded Wolves , everything has changed.

In grief, Severin has closed off all feelings and wants to play...god.

In grief, Laila has stopped baking, dancing, and withdrawn from the others.

In grief, Enrique has busied himself with work and wants to be heard.

In grief, Zofia has left to Poland, and away from memories.

In grief, Hypnos has attempted to be someone he isn't.

════▣◎▣════

“When a man cannot see a person as a person, then the devil has slipped into him and is peering out of his eyes.”

They're all affected by death, but it is Severin whose been hit hardest. The pain he feels and the way he acts . . . I wanted to sob over the cruelty, I wanted to strangle him...with love of course, but most of all, I just wanted him to see past the darkness he holed himself up in.



As much as I despise Roshani for causing me unrelenting pain, I must applaud her for the way she wrote Severin's grief. It's so beautifully heartbreaking and realistic . Everyone deals with the death of someone they love differently, and I have to say that this is the first YA novel I've seen that's handled grief this way.

Sure, there's the typical revenge and depression, but how Roshani did it is so much more complex and I am just left in awe and pain. Thank you for doing this to me, Roshani.😭👍

════▣◎▣════

"If surviving meant cutting out her heart, then at least she could do it by her own hand."

While Severin is acting cold and cruel, Laila must struggle to deal with her mortality and savor what time she has left. And with her deal with Severin—to pretend to be his mistress on their mission to retrieve The Divine Lyrics in Russia—it broke my heart watching those two. It broke me even more every time I saw Laila lose hope and the cruel, painful words Severin would say to her . . . ohmygod I wanted to slap him senseless, but knowing the reason behind it also made me want to break down.

So as you can see...T O O M A N Y F E E L S .



════▣◎▣════

"The light the world perceived belonged to the visible spectrum, which meant there was light humans could not see.
But Zofia wondered if they could feel it all the same, the way she could sense sunshine against her closed eyelids. Because that was how friendship felt to her, an illumination too vast for her senses to capture."

I am very much in love with Zofia. Our engineer here goes through so much growth in this book, I feel like crying not surprising. She learns to be brave even while feeling fear, she learns to go beyond her comfort zone, and the result of that is just spectacular.



Picture this—Zofia riding an ice stag while holding a flaming sword...I don't know about you, but that has got to be one of the coolest scenes I've ever read and I will never get that out of my head.🥺 asdfghfdsafsgh thinking about Zofia, brings unwanted memories of the ending I CANT-

════▣◎▣════

“He wanted someone who would enter a room and look for him first, to behold him as though the secrets of the world lay somewhere in his gaze, to finish his sentences. Someone to share cake with.”

Enriqueeee, my love.😭 So much hurt and it kills me. He just wants others to listen to him, and there's only one person who truly does. I was on the fence before, but now after this, I'm soooo shipping Zorique. I see way more chemistry between the two, than Hypnos/Enrique.

Enrique has always been my favourite and here he still is. The way he grew to finally see what he truly wants . . . this charming and adorable cinnamon has my heart, and deserves the world. And those last few chapters *sobs* I will never recover.


════▣◎▣════

“I wanted to be a person I saw only in my dreams, and I named myself for that realm.”

Lastly, there's Hypnos. I have conflicted feelings towards Hypnos. He tried so hard to be someone Severin could rely on, and really wanted to fit in with the rest of the group...so watching that made my heart go out for him.

But then other things made me really dislike him like in how he used certain people. I don't forgive him for that, so it is with much regret that I say that I didn't like Hypnos in this book.😕


════▣◎▣════

In terms of the setting, I absolutely LOVED how it was set in Russia but, like how krista pointed out, we really didn't get to see much of it since of the story took place in The Sleeping Palace and them searching for clues within that area.

Still it wasn't that much of a big deal, other than it taking awhile for me to get into the story in the beginning, but after that it was so tense and amazing. Also, thankfully the plot wasn't as confusing as the first book, so that made this much more enjoyable.

OH and I'm happy to say that I actually guessed who was the villain. And I NEVER guess right so THIS IS HUGE!! So either I'm getting better, if slowly, at guessing who the culprits are, orrr it was meant to be easily guessed probably the latter...shhhhh let me bask in my glory.


Now excuse me while I go back to dying until Fall 2021.


(4.5⭐)

════▣◎▣════

Pre-read Review:

Buddy read with my buddies krista ☽✧ and LuminescentFirefly <3

Ready to suffer together :' )

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

↠ 5 stars

I am once again asking you to read a book that destroyed me emotionally. Seriously, what did I just read? I think I need to go lie down in a dark room for a few hours to contemplate it in its entirety. Maybe by then I will have processed the five stages of grief and have accepted everything that happened from start to finish.

The Silvered Serpents is the captivating follow up to first book in the series, The Gilded Wolves. In it, Roshani Chokshi builds off of the concluding events from the last book, broadening the scope of their importance in connection to more serious developments. Returning to the world of The Gilded Wolves, I was delighted to see the continued camaraderie between the group, in light of how things had left off previously. Yes, there was angst, sadness, and lines that tore my heart out, but there was also friendship and love there to maintain balance. The characters themselves were explored much more thoroughly in relation to the past and how that tied in with the development of the plot. Chokshi provides such a stark contrast between the alliances we hold and the secrets we keep inside. There are unforeseen consequences to these secrets, that can impact the very people someone had every intention to protect. It's a compelling idea that holds significant weight over every aspect of the story, and there was a kind of tragic beauty in watching it all play out from start to finish. Now I'm not sure I am ever going to emotionally recover from this, but if you need me, I'll be thinking of the line "I wish my love was more beautiful" for the rest of eternity.

Trigger warnings: antisemitism, blood, body mutilation, child abuse, poisoning, racism, violence, suicide (mentioned), kidnapping (mentioned), infertility (mentioned)

[Chelsea Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Two hours later, Severin poured sealing wax onto several envelopes-one to be sent out immediately, the others to be sent out in two days. A small part of him hesitated, but he steeled himself. He was doing this for them. For his friends. The more he cared about their feelings, the harder his task became. And so he endeavored to feel nothing at all."

After reading The Gilded Wolves last year and adoring it, I discovered a new favorite series to follow obsessively. When I turned the final page, I was full of general questions, feelings on whether a certain ship would take off, and wondering where Chokshi would take us next. The Silvered Serpents is an excellent follow-up to TGW, and this installment is much darker than the first, which will appeal to YA fantasy readers who appreciate characters grappling with their morality and sanity.

In an attempt to keep this review spoiler free, I'll be vague on the plot, but we pick up right where we left off in TGW. The cast is dealing with the loss from the previous book, along with the bombshell dropped at the end, and Severin has decided to get the gang together for one more heist, the one that will give him everything he thinks his heart desires. The main thread of the book focuses on Severin and his internal turmoil, while also furthering one of the romance plots that was set up in the end of book one. I'll be honest, my ship didn't take off, but that's ok. What matters is that we get to see one of the main characters delve into full on villain mode, which I am ALWAYS here for.

If you enjoyed The Gilded Wolves, I can't imagine you not taking a shine to The Silvered Serpents as well, and I think I speak for a few other people when I say that we'll be twiddling our thumbs wondering how to pass the time until book 3 is published. I highly recommend this series to fans of Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows, as it gives you a new setting with some of the same feels.

*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.

[✨ Helena ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

THIS BOOK WAS ABSOLUTELY MENTAL AND I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT. It wasn’t as confusing as the first instalment. The plot was faster with even higher stakes, leaving me so very worried for my precious babies. I was left an absolute mess and know I’ll have a torturous wait for the third book to release. *cries*

This was a sequel DONE RIGHT.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been so long since a book has touched me this deeply.

This is a story of grief. Severin locks his sorrow inside and hardens his face. Laila distances herself from her friends. Enrique throws himself into his work. Zofia leaves L'Eden and its tainted halls. Hypnos tries to fill a role never meant for him.

The Silvered Serpents is a recovery story. The crew comes together for one last job, but nothing is the same. It's a weak imitation of the camaraderie of before, and they all know it. Relationships are shattered and glued together. Hearts break and are mended. It's a beautiful novel, lacking the mindless fun of The Gilded Wolves, but infused with a deep feeling of melancholy and hopelessness.

I cried and laughed and cried some more. I could physically feel my heart breaking at that ending.

5 stars


And now, a Gilded Wolves character quiz. Keep track of the letters you pick.


1) On your best days, you are...
A. Patient
B. Dedicated
C. Caring
D. Charismatic
E. Clever

2) On your worst days, you are...
A. Antisocial
B. Quick-tempered
C. Stubborn
D. Shallow
E. Cold

3) Favorite subject?
A. Math
B. History
C. Music
D. I don't really pay attention in school
E. Economics

4) You hear your best friend spreading rumors about you behind your back. What do you do?
A. Stop talking to them
B. Talk to them in private
C. Continue being their friend. People make mistakes sometimes
D. Call them out in public
E. Come up with the most passive-aggressive way possible to bring them down

5) A friend of yours starts to ramble on and on about a subject you have no interest in. What do you do?
A. Listen patiently, remembering everything just in case
B. Listen eagerly, interrupting occasionally to contribute a bit of your own knowledge
C. Listen at first, but zone out eventually
D. Tell them you're not interested
E. Cleverly turn the conversation around so you're the one talking instead

6) What's your favorite food out of these choices?
A. Cookies
B. Cake
C. Pastries
D. The most luxurious option available
E. Raspberry jam

7) Are you self-conscious?
A. Awkward is a better word for me
B. Extremely
C. Not at all
D. Why should I care about what the peasants think of me?
E. Around certain people, yes


RESULTS:

If you picked mostly As, you're Zofia!

You're very intelligent, but socially awkward. Sometimes you're not able to read between the lines like others do. You're logical and sweet, and everyone loves you.




If you picked mostly Bs, you're Enrique!

You're witty and dedicated. If you start a task, your attention will be fully devoted to it. Your coping mechanism is humor. You're that person who knows a fun fact about everything.




If you picked mostly Cs, you're Laila!

You're kind to everyone, no matter how they treat you. You're graceful and poised. You sometimes crave sugar. Scratch that - you always crave sugar.




If you picked mostly Ds, you're Hypnos!

You're very charismatic and live a luxurious life. You sometimes use your riches to cover up inner insecurities. The only thing you want in life is to belong.




If you picked mostly Es, you're Séverin!

You're quick-witted and clever, but you can sometimes be cold. You're a misunderstood genius. But you care deeply for everyone around you.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

~ 4.5 stars ~

Okay, now that I have done my grieving, it's about time I get started with this review. But keep in mind, this was written by a distressed person who got too emotionally attached.

**WARNING: unmarked spoilers for both this book and The Gilded Wolves will be present in this review**


This book follows Séverin, Laila, Zofia, Enrique, and Hypnos. They are dealing with the events from the book before, including revelations like that of the Fallen Houses and the things they are after, but also grieving Tristan's death in different ways.

Séverin shuts himself off to everyone, and beocmes cold. Having turned down an opportunity to regain his "rightful" title, as Patriarch for the House of Vanth, his sole purpose is now to find The Divine Lyrics, which could give him the power of a god.

Laila, also seeks the Divine Lyrics but for a different reason. She is dying. She is forged, and her maker has told her that she won't live past 19, but the answers to surviving part that are held in the book. With mere days left, her hope is almost lost. She has left L'Eden after a dispute with Séverin, and holds an unknown future.

Zofia is in Poland, to take care of her ill sister who is near death, but has run out of money to pay for her treatments.

Enrique is trying to make a name for himself as a historian with a bit of difficulty, and is in a relationship with Hypnos, who is finding it difficult to fit in and his place amongst the others.

Séverin who has just gotten a major lead to the whereabouts of this book, reunits the gang for a journey to Russia.

I've seen that a lot of people prefer the first book, but I personally think this one is much better than The Gilded Wolves. Maybe it's because I now have a better understanding of the world and the plot, or it's because I read this one in 2 days and Gilded Wolves in 15 days (I have no idea why this is so). But my only critique for this book is that I felt once again, the villian was lackluster and predictable, and the confusion at times was great, hence the redacted .5 stars.


all the things I loved:


• ~ the characters ~

Séverin is not a character I necessarily love. He is a dumb smart person, and while I identify greatly with that, it frustrates me with him. How dare he even think of hurting my precious cinnamon rolls Zofia and Enrique? Much less kill them?? I don't care what the reason is, all I know is that I am ready to fist fight him. But regardless of his unnecessary angst, I do find his story interesting and I look forward to seeing what he does to amend his supposed betrayal.

Laila is a great character. She's fierce, determined, and really cares for those close to her. I thought her friendships with the others were so precious, and quite frankly, Séverin doesn't deserve her. But, I just want her to be happy, however that may be.

Enrique is a historian and you will probably earn braincells by listening to him talk. His struggles and just personality in general is one I love and he's tied for my favorite. He is hands down the most relatable character in this series.

Zofia, an engineer and forger, is the second contender for my favorite character. She's so precious, but very intelligent, and determined to do what is right and help her friends, while also navigating to understand things she cannot, like certain humor. She deserves the world and so much more.

Hypnos, the Patriarch for House Nyx, is still warming up to me, but his manner and just the way he carries himself is quite intruiging to say the least. I think he has a lot of depth to be explored, and I wish for a few chapters in his POV next book. I feel as if getting that would help us understand him more.


• ~ the relationships ~

The friendships and the sorta family dynamic they have is *chefs kiss*. What do I have to do to be a part of this? The banter...top tier really.


The romantic relationships aren't exactly my favorite but they aren't so focused on that it is anything that would potentially hurt his book. The Laila x Séverin thing is a bit exhausting, and Hypnos and Enrique are not really it. I don't mind it, but it isn't something I'm completely on board with, as it seems the love and deep adoration is one sided. Their breakup came to no surprise. The only relationship I am holding out for is Zofia and Enrique, but if it remains a friendship, I am also okay with that too.


• ~ the plot ~

I thought it was really fun! I had an easier time keeping up with it here, and I liked the way it connected everything and left you wanting more. I'm really curious of what is to come.


• ~ the world-building ~

It actually makes sense now, so thank goodness. Being immersed in this world and setting is something I have very much enjoyed with my read. I can tell a lot of thought and reaserch has gone into making this.


• ~the writing ~

I quite like it. I think it gives a good amount of descriptions and doesn't overdue it with the fancy. It's not too overbearing, but special in it's own way. There isn't really anything I have to say negatively about it. I really need to read more of Chokshi's works.


• The diversity and representation is great!


• It did one thing a lot of books cannot do to me. Which is feel intense feelings of sadness. My heart by the end was heavy and I just wanted to cry. I don't remember signing up for emotional torture, but that is what I got, and I don't mind it.



Final thoughts: I am...very sad. I need the next book now, which makes me both appreciate the cliffhanger and detest it. I don't know what I will do in the meantime, but I thought this book was lovely, and well done. I don't know how many books are supposed to be in the series, but however it may end, I require that the characters be happy, content, and thriving. End of story. Now excuse me while I attempt to compose myself and find the source of whoever is cutting onions in my vicinity.

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tristan!



I loved this book and hated it. I really enjoyed the Gilded Wolves and Tristan was my favorite character. I just loved how he was quiet and seemed to be the one that grounded Séverin. I enjoyed how Séverin kept thinking back on his and Tristans times with the seven different foster fathers they had. It gave a lot of insight into both of their characters and how their psyche’s were formed.

Tristan definitely had the most comical scenes, since he had Goliath as a pet. I mean how can a tarantula the size of a cat not be humorous? So the fact that Tristan was missing from this book and from our characters lives was depressing. I felt like I was missing him as much as they were. I really felt for Séverin since he was struggling with everything that happened in the last book and the things he found out about Tristan in this book.



So I didn’t like that much of the book was a bit depressing. I liked the camaraderie between Séverin’s group so much in the Gilded Wolves and that was missing in this book. There was strife between Séverin and Laila, between Hypnos and Enrique and with Zophia her struggles were within herself. However, despite the depressing overtones, I did really enjoy this book.

I like the fact that the group was searching for The Divine Lyrics which both Laila and Séverin need for their own purposes. I liked the new characters and the fact that the Matriarch, Delphine wanted to connect with Séverin so badly. Hypnos also wanted to reconnect with him and he wanted Séverin to trust him again. Hypnos is such a great character, after growing up basically alone, all he wants is to be a part of Séverin’s group because he sees Séverin as his only family.

The world building in this book was truly awesome. The ice palace (a.k.a Sleeping Palace) in Siberia especially. Everything in it was so clearly defined that I can picture it all, especially the Menagerie of animals made of ice and David (the metal Leviathan). I though Ava was a good addition to bring some jealousy into the relationship of Séverin and Laila. This book didn’t have them pining for each other so much and giving each other those looks of longing. I also enjoyed the fact that two other people were giving each other those looks in this book. I hope they get together in the next one.

Lastly I also really liked the character of Ruslan, the Patriarch of the Russian sector. I think once he got in the picture more, he sort of took Tristans place. Instead of laughs at the huge tarantula, it was his obsession with hair. I thought some of those scenes were pretty funny. All in all, this is certainly a book worth reading and I will continue to read this series to find out what happens next!

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

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[Nash (all too unwell) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When the devil waged war in the heavens, even angels had to fall.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars!!

Buddy Read with Bhavya💖

This book was painful. And beautiful.
Especially painful.

I was really scared that this book would be disappointing. Especially bcz most of the sequels are so. But this was even better than the previous one. Immense character development, a solid book, heartbreaking plot twists
PERFECTION😭💖

~i am now going to try to stop crying a write a review~


Plot

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

Silvered serpents picks off after the ending of Gilded Wolves. Now scarred by the previous events, the group is determined to get their revenge. And finally, reach their goal
But they know nothing is the same anymore. One last job. And then they'll be free to grieve on their own.

Driven by their own motives and greed and want, their search leads them to the Sleeping palace to find the Divine Lyrics which can grant them their wishes.
For Severin, it is to become god
For Laila, to finally lead her life without fear
For Zofia, it is to save her family
For Enriqueit is to achieve his goal
And for Hypnos, it is to finally belong.

History is full of ghosts because it’s full of myth. All of it woven together depending on who survived to do the telling.

But things are not simple. Old wounds reopen, new enemies are determined to stop them. They knew the cost would be high. But will the cost be their own lives and sanity?



The Plot of this book was stunning. While TGW was a tad boring in some places, TSS pulled me in from the start. I had to think for a while before i rated TGW 5 stars. But even before i was done 50% i knew it was a 5 star.
The character development, the writing = perfection


Writing

“Then again, the names we are born with can end up meaning so little. The names we give ourselves, well, perhaps that’s the truth of us.”

One word. Beautiful

I loved loved the writing in this book. It was magical and painful and relatable at the same time I haven't read anything by her before, but I'm sure this is definitely one of her best works.
The cute banter between the characters, the painful ending everything was crafted perfectly

“I’ll perish left to my own devices. Life is cruel, and often without cake.”

Cake. I love cake.





World

I lovee the world-building! It was awesomeee
Sure, I was confused af for the first part, but when I understood what was going on, I loved it even more. The concept of forging, divine lyrics.
We stan

ALSO, HOW DARE YOU
That shocking plot twists regarding the world and all that, I'm shooketh
I'm also in love




Characters

Missing : Nashita's heart
If found please return to : Anyone of the below listed characters

Severin

“Séverin Montagnet-Alarie knew there was only one difference between monsters and gods. Both inspired fear. Only one inspired worship.”

Séverin is a person you should be scared of. He will do anything to get what he wants. But inside the armour and trauma, he is just a boy who is depressed bcz of his brother's death.
Sure, im kinda angry at him for being extremely rude through the book, I kinda understand where its coming from. And the ending, I feel really bad for Severin. Because I know or rather I read how much it hurt him to do so.
I can't wait to see more of him in the next one 😭

Laila

"She was made of stolen bones and sleek fur, grave dirt and strange blood—her heart wasn’t even hers to give. Her soul was all she had, and no love was worth losing it"

I love love love Laila. She is perfection. She is clever, smart, brave and determined. She knows there is no one who will save her and she knows that she had to save herself. Living her entire life in fear, she finally wants to be free to do what she wants.
She is the kind of person you wish was real. She is such a good friend and a very loyal person.
I love her💖🤧


Zofia

“She didn’t shiver as she walked. If anything, she seemed to luxuriate in the cold, as if it ran through her blood.”

Zofia is a chemist. She is also a precious cinnamon roll.
Zofia is very clever. And socially awkward. In here, we see her making an effort to socialize more and be more friendly. What we get is her being adorable.
She is determined to do anything for the ones she loves. We also see her fighting for Laila throughout.
I loved her character😭💖

Enrique

“I’ll perish left to my own devices. Life is cruel, and often without cake.”

Enrique is a historian. He is the kinda person you might fall asleep while listening to. But if you don't, you might just become clever.
He like the others is very brave, clever and lovable. while the others have a bad side, he doesn't. I love him! HE is also very relatable
I liked this relationship with Hypnos. But I ship him and Zofia. Butt ahh whatever makes him happy, will make me tooooo ahh 💖💖

Hypnos

“I envy you, too, for enjoying such trust. For being so”—he circled his glass, frowning—“wanted.”

Hypnos. I literally have no words to describe how much I love him. Not only is he cute and adorable, he is kind and brave and clever. Being alone almost all his life, he is desperately trying to fit in with them. I felt very bad for especially bcz of Severin :|
I want lots of chps from his perspective! 💖💖

He always reminded me of this:



One other thing i loved about this book was the rep!

*Bisexual Spanish Character
*Indian Character
*Queer biracial French character
*Jewish character
*Biracial half french half algerian character


I can't wait for the next book.
Until September, Ill be internally screamingggg. So will Bhavya💖

Peace out🤞

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My rating system:
5⭐ - I loved it soo much! New favorite
4⭐ - It was really good! But something was missing
3⭐ - It was nice..but had more potential
2⭐ - I did not like it at all!... It could have been soo much better
1⭐ - Nope. Just No. I hate

[Bhavya · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I wouldn’t dismiss myths,” said Enrique quietly. “Most myths are just truths covered in cobwebs.”

~ Rating- 5 stars ~

Content/ Trigger Warnings- Ableism, Racism, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Classism, Colonialism discussed, Sex work shaming, Attempted rape by coercion, Child abuse (recounted), Self harm for magic, Suicide (mentioned), Alcohol consumption, Stillbirth & infertility mentioned, Blood & injury depiction, Grief & loss depiction, Death of a brother (recounted), Death of a friend (recounted), Murder, Poisoning, Psychological torture, Explosion, Vivisepulture (being buried alive, mentioned), Kidnapping, Animal death (mentioned)

Note- There is no guarantee that some content warnings haven't been missed.

-No Mention of these in the review-

The Silvered Serpents, by Roshani Chokshi is the sequel to The Gilded Wolves and all I can say is that THIS is how a sequel should be. The Silvered Serpents was all I could have hoped for and more. This book made me happy, it made me sad, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me feel and it blew my mind away. It is one of the best sequels and one of the best books I have read till date.

*Spoiler alert for The Gilded Wolves*

Séverin and his team have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but their victory came at a terrible cost, the death of Tristan. Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumoured to grant its possessor the power of God.

“Ah, Majnun. The madman who lost himself to an impossible dream,”

Haunted by grief and driven by their own personal motives, their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia. 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.

“Sometimes ghost stories are all that is left of history,” he said. “History is full of ghosts because it’s full of myth, all of it woven together depending on who survived to do the telling.”

The plot of The Silvered Serpents was excellent. It was intriguing and kept me hooked from the beginning to the end. There was so much thought put into everything, and I knew this book would be a 5 star when I was 50% through. There were several plot twists and the plot goes in a lot of different directions. They were foreshadowed, though I didn't predict all of them. However, I don't think the plot was the best part of the book. I felt it had potential for something more, but I was still satisfied with what we got.

“Once, this meeting room had served as a reminder that the stars themselves were within reach. Once, they could tip back their heads and dare to gaze at the heavens. Now, the stars seemed a mockery: teeth-white snarls of destiny and constellations, spun out into a celestial calligraphy that spelled unshakable fates for all mortals. That would change, thought Séverin. Soon … they would find that book.
Then, not even the stars could touch them.”

The world building of The Silvered Serpents was wonderful. We have moved from Paris to Russia, and Roshani Chokshi treats us with lush descriptions of the world. I am still uncertain on how the magic system works though, and that part is disappointing. I wish I understood the magic system better.

“I wish, in war, there were no need for casualties,” he said. “And yet, no one is truly safe. When the devil waged war in the heavens, even angels had to fall.”

The writing of The Silvered Serpents was the best part of the book. I cannot think of a single flaw regarding the writing, it was that good. We have a prefect blend of everything- humor, romance, powerful scenes and beautiful quotes. I am truly in awe.

“Speaking of cake … or rather, the opposite of cake.” He paused, frowning in thought. “What is the opposite of cake?”
“Despair,” said Laila.”

The characters all have my heart. I wasn't fully invested in everyone's arcs when I read The Gilded Wolves, but The Silvered Serpents changed my mind.

"That was how friendship felt to her, an illumination too vast for her senses to capture. Yet she did not doubt its presence. And she held that light close to her as step by step, she ventured down the stairs."

➼Séverin

“You cannot protect everyone from everything. You’re only human, Séverin.”
Séverin closed his eyes, his hand on the doorknob of the office.
“Then that must change.”

What can I say about Séverin? I will admit, I did not like him in the first book. I found him to be a bit too snobbish and full of himself. I found him a bit petty. I know he was meant to be unlikable, but grief changes people and in this book, Séverin was my favourite character.

“In The Divine Lyrics, he sensed richness. A future where the alchemy of those ancient words would gild his veins, cure him of human error, and its pages would become grounds rich enough to resurrect dead dreams.”

Séverin has let himself be ridden by grief and self hate. He's refusing everyone’s help and shunning his closest friends. He is leaving his mortality behind, erasing every sign of weakness and is becoming this cruel, unfeeling person for the sake of gaining invincibility. And I loved it.

“To be powerless was the price of mortality. And he was done with mortality.”

Of course, I was sympathetic to his suffering and one part of me really wanted things to get better for him. But the other, selfish part of me that reads for entertainment, wanted to everything to blow up in his face.

“You always see so clearly into the darkness of men’s hearts, Monsieur Montagnet-Alarie,” she said, before adding in a softer voice, “But I remember when you used to see wonder.”
Séverin reached for his water goblet. “And now I see truth.”

I won't revel what actually happens, you will have to read the book for that! But I can tell you whatever happens, it was worth it.

“What he had not considered was how a god acted, and this was his first taste—the bitter calculus of decision. Gods made choices. Gods burned cities and spared a child. Gods put gold in the palms of the wicked and left that miserable currency of hope in the hearts of the good."

➼Laila

“To him, Laila was like a fairy tale plucked from the pages of a book—a girl with a curse woven into her heartbeat. In all the time he’d known her, part of her seemed to hum with the force of her secret. Who was she? What could she do?”

If I thought Séverin arc was good, Laila's arc was even better. Or maybe everyone had such a good arc, that I can't decide who's was the best. I think its the latter. I do not know how to describe her, so I will stuff this with quotes as Roshani Chokshi does a much better job than I ever will.

“Laila was like a fairy tale plucked from the pages of a book—a girl with a curse woven into her heartbeat. A mirage glimpsed through smoke. A temptation in the desert that lulls the soul into thinking of false promises. The essence of her was walking into a room, and all eyes pinned to her, as if she were the performance of a lifetime. The essence of her was a smile full of forgiveness, the warmth in her hands, sugar in her hair.”

In simple words, Lila is a QUEEN. Her character was so beautifully written, so well thought out. It was mystifying. I felt so seen with her character, and am so happy to see Indian representation. I am also just as happy about the fact that hobbies like baking and dancing are shown though her.

“Laila thought of Snegurochka. She wished she were like her, a girl whose very heart could thaw and unmake her on the spot. Perhaps if she had been a girl made of gathered snow, she would be nothing but a puddle of water. But she was not. She was bones and pelt, and though every part of her felt broken, she wrapped her arms around her knees as if it might hold her together.”

She is definitely one of my favourite characters of all time and I am excited to read more of her.

“Maybe for girls made of snow, love was worth the melt. But she was made of stolen bones and sleek fur, grave dirt and strange blood—her heart wasn’t even hers to give. Her soul was all she had, and no love was worth losing it.”

➼Zofia

“It was the name of a fear that never had a chance to become a joy, and it filled her with shame that she had not tried to love it, and would never have the chance.”

I do not even know where to begin with Zofia. She is wonderful. I love everything about her. She isn't perfect, but she is incredible and another total QUEEN. I feel like Roshani Chokshi writes her characters, and more specifically female characters in the exact way I like to read.

“If there were stairs to hell, would you venture down those?”
“It depends on what was inside hell, and if I needed it.”

Zofia is strong, determined and empowering. She gets her moments to shine in this book, and I am very pleased about that. Her arc is excellently done.

“Only then did her mother look up and smile, before pulling her close and saying: “Be a light in this world, my Zosia, for it can be very dark.”
Zofia’s throat tightened to think of them now. The world seemed too dark to navigate, no matter what light she tried to bring to it.

➼Enrique

“I’ll perish left to my own devices. Life is cruel, and often without cake.”

Enrique is so dear to me, and my heart shattered more than once reading his perspective. He is so adorable. Enrique's greatest desire is to be heard, and I felt so bad for him when people were not listening to him. I wish the best for him.

Enrique’s chin dropped a little, and his gaze went to the ice. “I can see that. I know how much it hurts when you realize you’re not held in the same emotional regard as you thought. Or, perhaps, imagined.”

➼Hypnos

“But a shared past didn’t make a future. And Hypnos seemed to know this too.”

Hypnos was my favourite character in The Gilded Wolves, but now that I am so attached to everyone I do not know who my favourite is. I can say that Hypnos is still pretty high on the list. I love him. His arc was so bittersweet. I want to say my heart broke for him, but my heart broke for everyone here as Roshani Chokshi is a genius and no one can convince me otherwise.

“I envy you, too, for enjoying such trust. For being so”—he circled his glass, frowning—“wanted.”

Character Dynamics

All these characters have such great dynamics. The found family is so wholesome. The friendship between Liala, Enrique, Zofia, Hypnos and Séverin is one of the best friendships I have read. Nothing can top their relationship.

“Someone wants to play God.”

The Romance (and who I ship)

The romantic relationships were just as beautifully, if not more beautifully done as the character dynamics.

“We debase ourselves for the ones we love.”

➼Laila and Séverin

"Her words rang through his head.
I don’t think Laila could stand to see how much her Majnun had lost himself to the wilderness in his soul."

Laila and Séverin. I did not care for their relationship in book 1, but this entirely changed my opinion. They are such a great couple. They have so much history and chemistry. Their relationship has so much angst. I am curious to see where it goes.

“Laila’s kindness was warmth freely given—like unasked for treasure—and it overwhelmed him as if he were a beggar gifted a king’s ransom for as irrational a reason as the day of the week.”

➼Zofia, Enrique and Hypnos

I have put them collectively, as I do not want to spoil anything about the 'love triangle'. I personally ship Enrique with Zofia more, but I also like his relationship with Hypnos. I am happy as long as Enrique is happy, so I do not mind who with anyone he ends up with.

“In debating the merits of pursuing hidden treasure, one must weigh the risk of whether it was never meant to be found and if so, why?”

Overall, The Silvered Serpents was a book I am thankful to have read, as now it changed my view on what a sequel should be. While I enjoyed The Gilded Wolves, I devoured every page of The Silvered Serpents and then I was left hungry for more. It is a book I would highly recommend.

“Séverin Montagnet-Alarie knew there was only one difference between monsters and gods. Both inspired fear. Only one inspired worship.
Séverin sympathized with monsters. (....) he understood that perhaps monsters were misunderstood gods; deities with plans too grand for humans; a phantom of evil that drank from the roots of good.
He should know.
After all, he was a monster.”

Buddy read with Nashita. Thank you for reading it with me!

My ratings and reviews for other books in this series-
The Gilded Wolves -★★★★
The Bronzed Beasts -★★

Review written and uploaded on 22nd September, 2021.

DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.

How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite

...........................

Finally a 5 star read after so long. This was incredible. I’m so impressed. Review to come.

[may ➹ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much wish I did not know the context of “I wish my love were more beautiful”

—★—

3.5 stars

The Silvered Serpents is the thrilling sequel to The Gilded Wolves, where Séverin and his crew come together again to chase after another artifact at the risk of their own lives. With other troubles weighing them down, like grief and impending death, and the bond between Séverin and everyone else growing more and more tenuous, The Silvered Serpents offers another adventure that could be as exciting as it is traumatizing.

I unfortunately ended up liking The Gilded Wolves more than this one, due to feeling apathetic for most of the book, but the last 20% is something I truly will never forget. While not the best sequel I’ve read, The Silvered Serpents is still a solid addition to this series with excellent character work and an exhilarating end that promises to deliver more in the final installment.

“History is full of ghosts because it’s full of myth, all of it woven together depending on who survived to do the telling.”

First of all, Roshani Chokshi’s writing is absolutely gorgeous, and she writes with this kind of sharpness that just hits so hard. I have approximately 100 quotes highlighted, and reading back on them now makes me gasp. It really does fit the tone and time period of the book so well, with all the decadence of an era that hides more sinister, corrupt forces at play.

I didn’t have a favorite character when reading The Gilded Wolves, because they were all such strong characters that I found myself loving each of them when I was reading their POVs, but I did find myself more drawn towards Laila and Séverin. And this sequel confirmed that, unfortunately, my favorite is Séverin. His love for everyone is so deeply twisted and manifests itself in all the wrong ways and I was sickeningly fascinated with him, and the idea of gods vs humans and the temptation of attaining godhood as a result of grief explored through his character were some of my favorite parts of the book.

The other characters are no less interesting than Séverin, though (but probably a lot less messed up). I love their found family, broken apart but trying to mend itself together, holding love for each other even if it was a little rough at the edges. Chokshi’s banter is perfect as always, and each of their voices continue to feel distinct and well fleshed out.

Séverin Montagnet-Alarie knew there was only one difference between monsters and gods. Both inspired fear. Only one inspired worship.

This book, like The Gilded Wolves, was more character-focused than the typical YA fantasy. I think my being in a slight reading slump definitely affected how I felt reading this book, because I felt detached from the story most of the time. I usually appreciate character growth and a focus on characters more than action, but I think most of the deeply intriguing character scenes happened near the end, and I wish it had been interspersed throughout the story.

For a majority of the book, I felt like I was just reading for the sake of reading, and not because I felt particularly inclined to know what would happen next. When looking back on this book, I mostly remember the parts that I loved and was thrilled by, but those parts were sadly contained to only a small portion. The beginning and middle read like buildup for the ending of the book, but it was buildup that wasn’t very engaging for me.

The last 20% of the book, though, was truly unforgettable. I absolutely adored it, and if the whole book had given me as much of an adrenaline rush as the end did, my opinions of the book would be all the more positive. The end is packed with anticipation and tension as the binds of their time remaining become tighter and tighter, and I was equally stressed out and captivated by it.

Sometimes to love meant to hurt. And he would be a loving god.

While it sadly did not fully live up to my expectations, The Silvered Serpents is certainly a book I will not be forgetting any time soon, and I love these characters and the exciting—though extremely panic-inducing—adventures they go on. Chokshi’s skill with character work and stunning prose is undeniable, and I’m excited to pick up the next book and see how it all ends!

—★—

:: representation :: Algerian-French MC, South Indian MC, autistic-coded Jewish MC, Filipino-Spanish mlm MC, Haitian-French mlm MC

:: content warnings :: death, violence, colonialism, antisemitism, depictions of grief, depictions of blood

Thank you to Macmillan for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.

All quotes are from an advanced copy and may differ in final publication.

[Fanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gilded Wolves (#1) ★★★★★
The Silvered Serpents (#2) ★★★★☆

Roshani Chokshi's beautiful writing continues to create the stunning world in this sequel where the L'Eden squad are searching for an artefact mentioned in the first book, in the midst of a snow-clad Siberia and on the grounds of a Sleeping Palace where the magic, puzzles, and stakes continue to rise. With a greater focus on the emotional pain, struggle, and misunderstanding among the characters, especially after the saddening end of The Gilded Wolves , this instalment easily delivers heartbreak, dwindling relationships, and love that surpasses loss as well friendship. In terms of plot complexity, The Silvered Serpents ranks lower than the predecessor but the essence of a diverse cast and a set-up for what the dangerous combination of pain + power can bring to a table where godly purposes are thought to be the ultimate solution, continues to effortlessly impress in this character-oriented sequel and certainly makes one anticipate the conclusion of this trilogy.

↣ an early digital copy received via netgalley

August 16, 2020: I have finished reading it. While I was hoping to get a happiness-filled epilogue where all of them would be making a cake in the kitchen, what I did get was jam. The third book is needed! Full review to come.

August 8, 2020: Starting this and I'm here for the Winter Conclave, for Zofia & Enrique to make me feel dumb, for Hypnos to basically be me, and for Laila to explain the meaning of majnun to Severin while I carry all the emotional baggage that the gilded wolves left me with. A buddy read with Uma & Gargee on bookstagram!

May 28, 2020: After desperately crying for an early copy all over Twitter, my day has been MADE by the publicist for listening to my passion for the squad and getting me a digital copy. AHHHH!

August 16, 2019: Oh, so you want me to wait till Feb 2020 for this? ALRIGHT, fine, I'll just hibernate till then because what's life without this sequel to that hell cliffhanger of The Gilded Wolves!

[Lucy Tonks · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Love does not always wear the face we wish,” she said. “I wish my love had been more beautiful. I wish … I wish we had more time."

4.5
I'm honestly not okay. This book completely destroyed me. After everything that happened in book one, I did not expect this to be a happy book, but I did not expect to feel such intense emotions! I especially did not expect this pain. It took me by surprise. Why do I love painful books?


It's been months since I actually read this book and I still feel the pain like I finished it yesterday and not five months ago. I don't even know how I'm supposed to write this review. I always find it really hard to write reviews for books like this that I really loved and made me go through a roller coaster of emotions.


Severin and his friends may have been successful, but it came at a terrible cost. Now, they are all lost in grief after the events of the previous book. Desparate to righten his wrongs, Severin purses an artefact that is rumoured to possess the powers of God. Their hunt lured them to Russia and as hidden secrets come to light and the past they've been running from catches up with them, the crew will discover hidden and new dimensions of themselves. But that will bring them to a path they never thought they would walk on.


"Most myths are just truths covered in cobwebs."


The Silvered Serpents is a tale of betrayals and love, with our crew risking their lives for this new mission, that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page and when you are done with the book you will not know what to do with yourself. Every expectation that you have from this book  erase from your mind, everything you think you know, erase from your minds as Roshani Chokshi will shatter your expectations and build something new from them, that will end up hurting you.


I don't think I will ever forgive the author for what she did for me. Did she write this stunning, amazing, beautiful I'm running out of adjectives to describe how much I love the story book? Yes, but I did not give her consent to hurt me this much. My heart literally stopped more than once in the last 50 pages.


After The Gilded Wolves, everything is changed. Even the feel of the story has changed. While during the first book, we had skme more funny, light-hearted moments, this book was so much darker. It explores grief and the pain it brings in such beautiful ways through our cast of characters. I may be cursing our amazing author for the pain she caused me, but she managed to portray grief and loss in such a realistic way, and for that, I can only praise her.


"How could someone hold so much love and so many demons in one heart?

The moment that I knew this book would break me..


Severin has detached himself from everything and wants to play god to avoid his actual feelings. We see so many new sides of him that we have not seen previously. We thought we knew him, but we really didn't. There was so much more to his character that was only revealed because of his grief. Severin believes all that has happened is his fault and he doesn't know how to leave with that. Death hit him the hardest out of everyone and to punish himself, he didn't let himself see the light that is beyond all that darkness. There were times when I felt like sobbing and there were other times when I felt like strangling him so he would understand he is not alone in this experience. He has his friends who will always be by his side if he asks, but he pushes them away out of fear.


"You alwags see so clearlt into the darkness of men's hearts, Monsieur Montagnet-Alarie," she said, before adding in a softer voice, "But I remember when yiu used to see wonder."


Laila doesn't feel the joy she used to when baking. All it brings now is pain and memories she would rather forget. She is struggling a lot with the person she is and how she wants to spend the time she has left. She wants to enjoy life to the fullest, but the circumstances that she is in make it so hard for her and at this point, she doesn't know how to handle everything, all at once.


Zofia goes back to Poland, in the beginning, just to get away from her memories. She is my favourite character in this series and deserves the world. She is one of the few characters that I've read about that have autism the only other one probably being Ty from The Dark Artifices. Zofia has grown so much since the beginning. Now, she is starting to step out of her comfort zone more and more if it means she would be able to help her friends. She learns that being brave doesn't mean you have no fear. Every scene where she was present was automatically a favourite of mine. She just always managed to make every scene even better and I just love seeing her grow throughout the story.


Enrique just wants to be heard. So many people ignore him even his friends do taht at times and he doesn't know what to do in order for his ideas to be taken into consideration. Possibly, only one person was actually listening to him. Zofia was there for him for so much of the story and just tried to help him as much as possible. She cared for him and hated seeing him in the state he was in. I honestly never wanted this much to be able to hug fictional characters. He really needs all the hugs he can get.


And now we have Hypnos. I have really mixed feelings about him. For the most part, he was trying to be someone he isn't and I hate him for what he did. I understand he is going through something, but please do not lead people on just to make yourself feel better. He was just trying to get himself to fit in, but the way he did that... I would never be able to forgive him for that.


"I envy you because you can look at yourself. You can bear your own reflection, knowing you can shoulder the weight of every choice you made and regret you carry. That is a rare thing as one gets older."


The romance in this one... *deep breaths* I don't even know where to begin. The angst between Severin and Laila physically pained me. With every interaction between them that I read, it was like someone was stabbing me in the heart over and over again. Then we also have the love triangle between Hypnos, Enrique, and Zofia. Before you ask, I'm a Zorique shipper I just believe there's mkre chemestry between them rather than Hypnos and Enrique so you can guess how that went for me.


"When the devil waged war in the heavens, even angels had to fall."


I really loved the plot of the book, but I feel like it dragged at times. One of the things you need to know before going into this novel is that this is a character driven story, not plot driven. While you get an interesting and well-written plot, the emphasis has been since the beginning on the cast of characters. you could probably tell this even from my review as I focused more on talking about the characters than the plot


We finally got a better understanding of the world building and the magic system! In The Gilded Wolves, even by the end of the book, I still remained confused about how everything worked out, but The Silvered Serpents finally answered my questions and got rid of all of the confusion there was. I actually understood how their magic worked! but don't ask me to explain it as I wouldn't be able to


I do have to say, I think it's a bit weird that even tho this book took place in Russia, we didn't see that much of it.. We got so many other cool things that this isn't a real complaint about the story. It's just something that I've noticed while reading.


"--perhaps monsters were misunderstood gods; deities with plans too grand for humans; a phantom of evil that drank from the roots of good."


I thought the ending for the first book was bad, but this was so much worse. When I say that my heart stopped, I'm not joking. I was barely breathing. There was something that happened that made me so scared. I just started crying and having a panic attack. The ending of this book terrified me with all that pain. Who knew I could get a panic attack from a novel?


"That is the devil. When a man cannot see a person as a person, then the devil has slipped into him and is peering out of his eyes."


After months since first experiencing the true pain that is this book, I finally wrote this review, and I'm ready to finish the series. The blame goes entirely on my review slump and on school for that. Anyway, this has become one of my favourite trilogies of all time, there's just something so unique about it that I just love it and please don't let the bad reviews keep you away from this series. It's totally worth a try as what you really have to lose if you try it? Nothing!


"The first and the last, the beginning and the end."

[Amy Imogene Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I wish my love was more beautiful."

Just take my heart. Rip it out, grind it up, burn it all. This sequel was spectacular but it ripped me to shreds. What a beautiful, terrible, heartrending piece of fiction. Everyone should read it.

Writing: ★★★★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★★
Character development: ★★★★ 1/2
Enjoyment: ★★★★★

This book is a sequel, and so my review will have SPOILERS for the first book in the series. Please don't read if you don't want SPOILERS for The Gilded Wolves. You can read my review of The Gilded Wolves here.

*****

...Are they gone? Good!

Alright, so let's just dive right in. First off, how dare she—the author has done us dirty, folks. Roshani Chokshi has written such a beautiful world with wonderful characters, and she keeps hurting them! And now we have to wait a whole year for the next book. Brutal.

The Silvered Serpents picks up shortly after the events of The Gilded Wolves. The team is fractured beyond repair following the surprise death of Tristan, one of their own, and all of them are (not) coping.

Severin has decided that the best way to not fail his friends again is by... failing them every day with a numb, cold caricature of himself. Laila is quickly approaching her birthday and knows that her days are numbered—she needs to find the book that can keep her alive. Zofia, Enrique, and Hypnos are caught in Severin and Laila's crossfire and it's not looking pretty—and they all have dramas of their own.

And then the group gets a lead on the Fallen House's Sleeping Palace, which seems to hold the answer to all of their problems. It has The Divine Lyrics, the book Laila desperately needs. Severin is also newly interested in the book, but for different (darker) reasons. And the rest of the team just hopes that this quest will lead to a happy ending.

But the night gets darkest before the dawn...

Filled with heists, drama, intrigue, stunningly lush descriptions, and shocking betrayals—this sequel has it ALL. I could not believe the amount of character development and plot development that Chokshi was able to cram into this novel. It doesn't even feel forced—it's that well written.

Like in The Gilded Wolves, this series' focus on the grim underbelly of colonialism and Western "might is right" politics was a cutting commentary, and that increases with this novel too. I love the diverse backgrounds of the crew and how their backstories unfolded to reveal more secrets and some interesting tie-ins to the discussion of race, class, and politics.

My favorite aspects of this series continue to be its world building, the setting descriptions, and the nuanced relationships between all of the characters. (And the angsty romances? SO WELL DONE.) Each of the POVs adds an extra layer of secrets, intrigue, and motives... and in this installment in particular, it was fascinating to see the pieces of the pie assemble into the final conclusion.

Which, without giving away any spoilers..... that conclusion gutted me. And was extremely surprising. If you thought the ending of The Gilded Wolves was big, strap in. This one is bigger.

I can't wait to see what Chokshi brings us next.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

[Mango · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy Read with Rushali and Alexis!

Forgot to write this review, and I will just write a short one, not a long one. I might in the future write a long one though.

Overall, this book was extremely confusing- just like it's prequel haha. I was confused 90% of the time. But...I still enjoyed it?

The magic system still confuses me a lot, and I doubt I'll ever understand it, but from what I could understand, I enjoyed it. All of the characters have unique personalities, and I love how diverse they are.

The main problem with this book was maybe Chokshi should have taken more time to thoroughly explain the world and the magic system.

But otherwise, it was enjoyable. It's not everyday you enjoy a confusing book haha!
--------------------------------
Wait...what? I am so confused. BUT SERIOUSLY OMG, this was wayyy better than the first one. Review to come!
--------------------------------
Have high hopes for this one. Was a bit disappointed by Gilded Wolves, but I have heard it gets better in this one! :)

[krista ☽✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“perhaps monsters were misunderstood gods; deities with plans too grand for humans; a phantom of evil that drank from the roots of good.”

4,25 Stars

Ha.Those last few chapters literally where emotionall destroying and had me grasping for air and screaming because of the twist and emotions several times. I was told these last chapters where good and emotional destroying but this damn. My soul has left my body now brb [ I hope ] but honestly I cant get over how good the last chapters of this book where. Damn

Buddy readed this with The amazing Lia and Firefly loved our emotional screams troughout the entire book <3

Anyway that was my emotional screaming moment now lets share my other thoughts. The silver serpents is the sequel of the gilded wolves by Roshani Chokshi. Overall I pretty much enjoyed this the same amount as I enjoyed the gilded wolves. which is a lot. This sequel follows the charracters after the traumatic events that I wish I could pretend never happened , at the ending of the gilded wolves. They are all experiencing grief and that is a big part of this book. All the charracters deal with it a different way and the Roshani really shows us this grief , and it isn’t pretty but it is real. The character still grieving however go on a new mission to Russia to find a hidden treasure that they all want for different reasons.


So first of all the plot. the plot of this book is definitely really character focused and it really focused on them dealing with their grief but it is also about them traveling to Russia. The first part of the book is basically them being in an ice palace to find out where the treasure is that they seek. And then throughout the book slowly they discover secrets and things about this treasure and at the end we have a lot of twist and action and emotional pain yet again. Throughout the whole book I did enjoy the book especially because I am invested in all of these charracters expect Hypnos because I hated him quite a lot in this book. And because this book is character driven I enjoyed those parts of the story a lot. The plot in the first half of the book was sometimes a bit boring and dragging but because of the character I stayed invested in it. The second half was definitely really good. Secrets where thrown in , twists and more mystery and action and I really enjoyed the second half of the plot. Especially those last few chapters aaah.

The worldbuilding was okay but I did expected a little more Russia worldbuilding as the story took place there. The palace setting where almost the entire books takes place is cool but I did find myself wanting some more. Other then that it was okay and I did like the historical part that is in the fantasy and world and magic system. It is different.

charracters
As I enjoy the plot and think the worldbuilding is okay, what really made me enjoy this book so much is these wonderful emotional destroying charracters. Like in the first book they are all still struggling with things and now not only the things from the first book about them selves but also the grief that is now very much present * sobbing again *. I feel like Roshani does a wonderful job with portraying grief in this book in different ways and also the internal struggels of the charracters. Severin I still love a lot. My heart broke for him in this book. His constant self hate and grief and guilt and feeling like the thing that happened was his fault. The constant need to protect his friends , this amazing found family that he loves too much and constant thinking of failing at that task and not being able to love them because they will get hurt. Damn. It really hit me. His story is definitely an ugly story of grief pushing everyone away but this is a real struggle and I appreciated it so much. Please protect him at cost because Severian you are enough <3 then we have Laila who is amazing as in the first book. Her internal struggle with dying and being made was heartbreaking and I was rooting for her the entire book. I love how kind she is and just everything. Then we have Enrique my poor bby. Who feels looked over and felt alone and who feels like he needs to live his life to the fullest because that is the way a certain person would wanted it. He is hilarious and so brave and needs to be protected. Then Zofia who is so brave and struggels with how she fits in to the world , her realizing she is worthy and can be loved is just <3 also protect and I still love her mental struggle reps with counting things ocd and autism. Also Hypnos is ehm…. Like I get his character sometimes and sometimes I felt for him but he just ignored everyone their feelings especially Enrique his feelings. But then he brought them all food and wanted to be part of it all and then I am like aaah you are also just sad. So mixed feelings hm.

The Romance in this book still isn’t the main focus but I am cool with it even tho I am a sucker for romance as one of the main things. I liked all the angst with the romance between Severin and Laila and their struggels and tension. And I really enjoyed Zofia and Enrique who aren’t a thing yet but I sense something and I ship it. Hypnos can go lie in the trash because he isn’t the one for Enrique. So the romance is nice in this one , I liked how things went.

Spoiler section AAAH !!! I knew it !! , I freaking knew it. That Ruslan was evil , I didn’t know he was the freaking doctor and we met him in book one but I didn’t trusted him. Also Laila first being the plot twist I was like omg she can open the book and then freaking Severin twist coming in like hey kidding its me bitches. HA I was shooooook. Honestly all those twistst at the end !!!!! I screamed somuch. Also omg I knew severin didn’t actually kill them but I was so scared. And he thinks Laila knows but Laila doesn’t know that he didn’t actually do it and ugh. This is a mess. I repeat this is a mess !!!
So overall I definitely enjoyed this sequel , it isn’t perfect for me but I love it & I think everyone who enjoyed the first one will enjoy this one. Now I cant wait for the second one , I care too much about these charracters. Bye I am crying myself to sleep now.

[rachel, x · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1) The Gilded Wolves ★★★★★

➸ Trigger warnings for ableism, racism, misogyny, antisemitism, classism, colonialism discussed, sex work-shaming, sexual assault (attempted rape by coercion), child abuse recounted, self-harm (for magic), suicide mentioned, alcohol consumption, stillbirth & infertility mentioned, blood depiction, physical injury, terminal illness (mc & mc's sister), grief & loss depiction, death of a brother & friend recounted, murder, poisoning, kidnapping, psychological torture, explosion, vivisepulture (being buried alive) mentioned, kidnapping recounted, and animal death mentioned.

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[♛ may]

my memory is fleeting and so i went ahead and read a recap of book 1 and my face was stuck in :O for about 10 minutes bc wow that book was wild and somehow i forgot all of it????

anyways, buddy read with a little bean


also thanks to netgalley for coming through with this arc copy xoxo

[✨ jami ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

laila? Her weed? I roll that. Her hand? I hold that. Her back? I got that. Her girlfriend? I am that. My role? I play that. We're happy? They hate it


it didn't HIT like the gilded wolves but I still love this so much I love my babies so much review to come

[rania · Rating 5 out of 5]

I WAS DREADING THIS REVIEW OKAY.



Honestly, at this point I don't even care about the plot (though it was way better than the first one). All I care about is my POOR BABIES.

THEY'RE SO LOST. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING. IT'S BREAKING MY HEART.


Severin
I'm sorry but he was an idiot in the start. WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE A GOD? THERE ARE BETTER THINGS IN THE WORLD THAN BEING IMMORTAL. Like loving Laila. Do that please. Not become immortal. But oh my god the end. My hands are shaking. I don't know whether to be proud of Severin or spit in his face. He thinks Laila knows what he's doing but she clearly doesn't. Ugh this is torturing me. Why couldn't I wait till the next book came out?

Laila
Her bomb just dropped in the first few chapters. I've never been the same since. I..I don't know what will happen to her in the next book, but whatever I'm thinking better not happen otherwise I might never be able to write a review again.


Enrique
My poor sugar muffin. No one listened to him this whole book. My heart aches for him. He's such a strong character. He's gone through so much (everyone has), and honestly, Hypnos doesn't deserve him. GO TO ZOFIA MY LOVE. OR MARRY ME. THAT WORKS TOO.

Hypnos
I actually liked him in the first book. But now I just straight up dislike him. I don't care how big of a role he's playing in the next book, I will never forgive him for hurting Enrique like that. He was really annoying this time. But he also went through his own struggles in trying to be accepted. Maybe we'll see some awesome character development in the next book.

Zofia
My brave girl. She's changed so much and I love her so much more. I love her friendship with Laila and Enrique. I missed her so much, especially how she always takes the literal meaning of whatever anyone says. It's so heart-warming to read.

Roshani Chokshi better be sorry for what she's done to her readers this book. If anyone here dies, I'm going to crack.

Now, I'll just skedaddle out of here and try to cry somewhere my mom won't hear me.



P.S. that little betrayal? I CALLED IT. I KNEW IT.

[JustJJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review now up @ https://bookerification.com/the-silve...

4 stars!

'The Silvered Serpents' picks up months after the events of the previous book. Our band of jolly thieves are not quite as jolly as they struggle to protect their battered hearts and make the most of what life has dealt their way.

"Bravery is physically exhausting".

Overall, Roshani did not disappoint and I enjoyed this book just as much as the first. Although the pace is much slower than the previous book, 'The Silvered Serpents' still managed to make me fall in love with the characters all over again. What's more, with an ending like that I really can't wait to see how things progress in the next book!

[booksneedcaffeinetoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small part of him hesitated, but he steeled himself. He was doing this for them. For his friends. The more he cared about their feelings, the harder his task became. And so he endeavored to feel nothing at all.

Everything has been building to this book.

We have heists.
We have travel.
We have stakes that are higher than they ever were before.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

Also can I just give a shout out to Roshani who knows how to craft beautiful sentences?!?!!?! They aren’t always the type of lines to get tattooed or put on a mug, but they are oftentimes just so beautiful constructed I have to pause and go “wow, that’s amazingly written.”

This book has such a realistic portrayal of grief. I love how each character handles it differently. All of their actions make sense for who they are. You can feel their pain. Understand their motivations. itbrokeme.

I think the line "Love does not always wear the face we wish." will have me forever broken tbh. It's such a...haunting and beautiful quote.

There is less banter and lightheartedness in this book than was in the first, but that makes sense given how that book ended. But don’t worry!!! The book still has funny bits:

“Why isn’t he going in?” muttered Hypnos.
“Fear of dismemberment,” said Zofia. “If I were designing thief-catching mechanisms, I would have a device rigged to attack the first three people who entered.”
Hypnos stepped behind Zofia. “Ladies first.”

I love the character arcs. I loved the storyline. The tension. The plot twists. It was grand.

And that ending!!!!! Oof. I’m going to need a bit to recover.

Content Warnings and Trigger Warnings: infertility (prologue), mentions of suicide, mention of stillbirth (chapter five), grief, a person disguises themself as someone else to trick someone into doing sexual things, mentions of child abuse, body mutilation, self-harm for forging purposes, drugging people without their consent, violence, some gore


———————————————————

The final chapter from The Gilded Wolves had me like:

BECAUSE OF THAT DAMN REVEAL. WHAT DOES IT MEAN!?!?!

The second to last chapter from The Gilded Wolves had me like:

BECAUSE OF THAT DAMN SEXUAL TENSION. I CAN'T EVEN RIGHT NOW.

(also Séverin you need to apologize boy! grief makes people say shitty things, i know. *cries*)

I just want all of my children to be happy.

In other words:
The final two chapters have me D E A D.

I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS SEQUEL.

[Lina~Blackbird Queen]

#1. The Gilded Wolves-★★★★★

If I have to sell my soul for this, I won't hesitate. I'll do it for Enrique and Hypnos.

[Natalie ~ The Biblioholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!!

Find the full review HERE



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