Once again I judged a book by its beautiful cover and paid the price by trying to read a book that never really spoke to me. I found this book to be hard to read for several reasons. First, I felt like a lot of the backstory was missing and it seemed like, perhaps, there had been an earlier book. Then, I found the writing to be wordy and, quite often, confusing. At times, I had to go back and reread passages and even then, they didn’t always make sense. I also found the world building to be rather clunky and the characters less than appealing. Add to all this, that it’s the beginning of a series, and I would think very carefully before picking up this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for providing me an ARC.
There have been comparisons to Six of Crows because this is a fantasy heist book with a diverse group of characters, but it’s so much better!
The characters are, again, very diverse: a Jewish girl, an Indian girl, a Haitian-French man, an Algerian-French man, and a French-Filipino man. And they all have their different perspectives and point of views that get showcased. They have goals, desires, reasons to participate, and they feel so real.
The book is set in Paris right before/during the World Fair but it’s also a fantasy with magic that’s called Forging, and various factions within. The Forging is such an interesting concept, the creations mesmerizing and you wish you could be surrounded by them. Somehow this magic ties in perfectly with the setting.
And as for the plot, it keeps you on your toes! No dragging leading up to a single heist and the book be over, but various, smaller heists are pulled leading up until the final one, and even then, it’s still not over!
I believe it’s going to have another book? A series? But I will definitely read the next one.

The book takes place in Paris in 1889. Severin has his inheritance taken from him by the Order. Book goes through the trials and tribulations of Severin and his band of friends trying to win back his House. Interesting book, I'm looking forward to next in series.

“Half of winning, my dear wallet, is simply looking victorious.”

🌟 This was one of my most anticipated books for the year and given how much I love Six of Crows, I thought I would love this one! My problem is that I wanted something as awesome as SoC and not another milder copy of that book.

🌟 I have been searching and asking and reading reviews since I started this and it looks readers are divided into two groups; one group can not notice the similarity and one group can not Un-notice the similarity to SoC!! I belong to the second group.

🌟I think the book itself is good but even if we put comparisons aside, it still has some problems that I am explaining next.

🌟 The world building was good which is why I am starting with it and I know there will be many improvements and revelations in the next book.

🌟 The plot was different from SoC which was good. I haven’t read many heist books but I guess they will always have some common things in between and the author added her touch to this kind of stories!

🌟 Now the problematic part which was the writing style and characters. While Roshani has a good style and it could be captivating, it was confusing at many points and I found that I was not the only one confused by this as many of the reviews I found mentioned this!

🌟 The characters were not bad, but I felt that Séverin was like Kaz and Laila was like Inej. But they were not as well written. I have a friend who keeps telling me that Kaz is one son of a Gun but Séverin and the rest of the crew here were not as cool and relatable as the crew in SoC! I wish I liked them more because I would have enjoyed the book heaps more.

🌟 Summary: I didn’t want to compare this book to SoC but unfortunately I was doing that while reading the whole 464 pages and found many similarities. To be honest though, maybe because it is a heist story and there must be some common themes. I enjoyed some parts and I may do a re-read later before going into book 2. I was just waiting for that moment where everything clicks in but the book ended and I didn’t get it! I am sure the book will have many fans and 5 stars ratings though!

🌟 Summary: I didn’t want to compare this book to SoC but unfortunately I was doing that while reading the whole 464 pages and found many similarities. To be honest though, maybe because it is a heist story and there must be some common themes. I enjoyed some parts and I may do a re-read later before going into book 2. I was just waiting for that moment where everything clicks in but the book ended and I didn’t get it! I am sure the book will have many fans and 5 stars ratings though!

🌟 ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wish I liked this book more. If I were buying books for a public or high school library I would definitely purchase it for the representation aspects (2 mixed-race African/French characters, one of whom is also bi; one South Indian character; one Filipino/Spaniard character who is also bi; and one Jewish-and-probably-on-the-autism-spectrum character), but I personally didn't find this to be as enjoyable of a read as I wanted it to be. Somehow everything felt kind of flattened to me. I think this flatness largely comes from a significant amount of information dumping and a highly detailed puzzle/treasure hunt plot and less focus on character development. A Big Character Thing happens towards the back end of the book, and I just kind of shrugged. It didn't feel earned to me, and I didn't know enough about the character to be a shocked by the action as the rest of the characters.
When the book does (briefly) focus on the characters it shines. In the first third of the book we discover that the South Indian character, Laila, doesn't consider herself to be human for Magical Reasons, and she struggles with it. All three mixed-race characters struggle with feeling excluded from both white culture and their other ethnic culture in 1880's France, and two internally struggle with their ability to "pass" as white. The most development is given to developing Zofia's probable-autism, since it filters everything we see from her perspective. However, these character moments are very short and are essentially dropped when The Plot needs to happen and all energy is diverted to complex puzzles. It flattens the character development into almost bite sized chunks meant to give us each character's motivation for The Plot.

This book reminded me why I have a passion for reading
2018 was a bit of a slow year for me with books. There were several that I loved but overall, I sort of lost my passion. The Gilded Wolves was the perfect start to my new year. I can't remember the last time I was this excited over a book. Everything about it was wonderful. The characters, the plot, the setting, all of it.

This book had some Six of Crows vibes going on so fans of that series will LOVE The Gilded Wolves! Both involve a group of unlikely friends who break into places to steal something valuable. I am a sucker for that. This book was about a group of misfits who go on a mission to break into a vault and steal a Horus Eye. This book was so fun to read! It was filled with so much danger and suspense! I don't know how I'll survive without the next book!

What really made this book special was the characters!! The author also included different races and cultures in her story and made sure to highlight the importance of her character's cultures. The banter between them was so fun! I highlighted so many passages of these characters just talking with each other. They were all just a bunch of loveable nerds who get into trouble.

Séverin is biracial (Black on his mother's side, white on his father's.) I freaking love him so much. His chemistry with Laila was E V E R Y T H I N G!!! He was the leader of the group and the rightful Patriarch to House Vanth. His relationship with Tristan was so sweet!! The two boys were like brothers and Séverin was always looking out for Tristan and it was so adorable!

"Séverin's eyes were the precise color of sleep - sable velvet with a violet sheen, promising either nightmare or dream."

Laila is Indian and she's the mom-friend of the group. Her Indian culture and practices were very important and sacred to her. Laila was always taking care of everyone, making sure they were okay, and feeding them sweets! We all need a friend like Laila in our lives. This world would be a much better place. She and Séverin had the best sexual tension ever. I loved the way she looked after Zofia. Laila always made sure Zofia would be as prepared as possible before entering any situation that might be uncomfortable to her. She would leave lists for Zofia to help her get ready.

"'You're welcome"
'What?'
'You're welcome. For giving you a reason to kiss me.'"

Zofia was such a sweetheart. She is Jewish and it was not explicitly stated in the book but I believe she is on the autism spectrum. Socializing wasn't her strong suit, she didn't always understand jokes and sarcasm, and she was comforted by patterns and numbers. Zofia is so dear to my heart and I wish I could just give her a big hug. I loved seeing how her mind worked, how she processed things and how she used logic to get through situations that made her uncomfortable.

"'You look like an insect!'
'How rude! Zofia, am I an insect?' Zofia sook her head.
'You don't have the characteristics necessary to be an insect. You would need two pairs of wings, a body segmented into three parts and six legs to be an insect.'"

Enrique is Filipino and Spanish. He is also bisexual. Enrique loved history and symbols and dessert. He and Zofia bonded over their love of numbers and history and their friendship developed into something sweet with the (possible?) hint of something more. Enrique also developed feelings for Hypnos so it will be interesting to see where the author takes their story.

"'You're like a plague.'
'What was that? I'm all the rage?' Hypnos cupped a hand to his ear, then grinned. Enrique rolled his eyes."

Hypnos is Black and gay. He was hysterical. Hypnos was the life of the party, always had a witty comeback, and all he really wanted was friends and fun. Most of the quotes I have highlighted involve Hypnos. He pretty much forces you to love him, but it's not that hard. He is extremely loveable. He is the Patriarch of House Nyx and is pretty much the reason for the Wolves' mission.

"'What's going on here is that you care for me. We're all friends. We're friends going to save another friend! This is... amazing.'"

And last but not least there was Tristan. Sweet Tristan. Lover of plants and insects. He had a big tarantula named Goliath that he absolutely loved. Tristan was the baby of the group and everyone else was always looking out for him.

I can't wait to see what's in store for these characters! The ending of this book leaves you dying for more! This book is a top favorite for me!!! I seriously cannot get over how much I loved it!!

Not a great effort. The writing is too flowery and repetitive. I found the characters annoying and poorly drawn. Fantasy heist novels are a dime a dozen and this one adds nothing to the canon.

The Gilded Wolves! It’s a mysterious magical Gilded-age heist - which is to say it’s a ton of fun and highly enjoyable. Gilded Wolves reminded me a lot of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, in that both are heist stories and both feature multiple POV characters. End of similarities. Still, if you liked Six of Crows, then you’ll definitely enjoy Gilded Wolves. There’s a POV character for everyone - my personal favorite in Gilded Wolves is Zofia, who is very plainly meant to be autistic, though in the very stereotypical way of being super rigid and good at math. As an autistic person who, quite frankly, couldn’t calculate her way out of a paper bag, I couldn’t relate with Zofia’s love of mathematics, but I definitely related to her awkwardness, her difficulty knowing what to say in conversations, on how to act as though she were a normal girl…

There’s one quote that really stuck out to me “Zofia felt that familiar tightness again … that sensation of reaching for a step on a staircase that wasn’t there.” - keep in mind I lifted this from an ARC so the final quote might be different or not in the final book at all, but holy shit is that accurate. That feeling, where you get something while socializing wrong, it feels exactly like that. Chokshi really does hit the nail on the head when it comes to what it’s like to be a girl with autism. I related to Zofia so hard…though I suck at engineering. I mean, I can barely construct a paper airplane…

I had a hard time getting into the book at the beginning, because I was constantly being distracted by other things. It was only when I got about a quarter of the way in when I was finally able to focus and actually get into the story. And then by the time I really got into it, it ended and now I have to wait for the sequel. And I hate waiting. Waiting is hard. Waiting is the worst. It’s like, the second I fall in love with all the characters, human and arachnid, the book is over and I’m left hanging until the sequel. Bah, I says. Bah..

Eh, I’ll wait. I can do it. Gives me more books to look forward to. MORE BOOKS!

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this young adult fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

the gilded wolves (Roshani Chokshi)

Title: the gilded wolves

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Publication Date: TODAY! (hardback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-1250144546

Source: NetGalley

I really wanted to like this young adult fantasy novel.  But this one just did not float me boat.  Instead I had to abandon ship and watch it sink to the watery depths never to be seen again.  I picked this one because of the following reasons:

- set in 1889 Paris;
- a heist story (Arrr!)
- has a diverse cast
- has magic

I read about 100 pages of these before calling it quits for the following reasons:

- The book did not feel like it was set in 1889 Paris.  The world-building really felt like it could be in any time or place.  In addition I couldn't really figure out what was really going on in the beginning.  It was just confusing.  The politics, geography, and how the magic society functioned seemed vague.

- The first mini heist was lackluster and confusing.  Ye are thrown into the very last part of the job.  There is an artifact to be stolen and no idea of how the thieves even located it.  How the thieves work around the magic guards of the artifact room is so poorly written that I read it three times and still didn't understand exactly how they managed to escape the traps.

- I individually liked the core group of characters - particularly Zofia.  But their banter felt too silly and childish for their ages.  There was also some cheesy romantic angst going on.  There was definitely a diverse group.  But the dialogue was mostly painful and the dynamics between the characters were odd.

- The magic was just plain incomprehensible.  There were some cool concepts.  I liked how all things could be marked by the owners with a ring.  I liked how one character could read an item's past.  I liked the idea of the mirrors.  I have no idea how or why the babel items work the way they do or even where they came from.  Magic rules were very unclear and seemed to change on a whim.

After that many pages, I should have been hanging on every word.  Instead I was befuddled and tired of trying to make sense of what I was readin'.  I felt like this is a bad version of six of crows or the lies of locke lamora.

Some of me crew members are highly enjoying this one but the little bit that I read was less than stellar.  Check it out and see if ye be on the side of yer Captain or with the crew.

So lastly . . .

Thank you St. Martin's Press!

Goodreads has this to say about the novel:

Set in a darkly glamorous world, The Gilded Wolves is full of mystery, decadence, and dangerous but thrilling adventure.

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can't yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much.

Together, they'll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

To visit the author’s website go to:

 Roshani Chokshi- Author

To buy the novel please visit:

the gilded wolves - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Paris? ✔
1800s? ✔
Diverse characters? ✔
Did I love this book? ✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔

The Gilded Wolves kind of started off slow for me. Thankfully, it definitely picked up and I got a heck of lot more interesting in these characters and the story that was unfolding. While reading, this gave me so many other vibes of others books - like, six of crows.

In it, you will meet Laila, Hypnos, Zofia, Enrique, Tristan, and Severin. Each character was unique in their own way. I definitely kind of see-sawed with them because I would sometimes trust them and the next moment my trust went out the window! Out of all of them, Tristan was freaking adorable, lovable, and my absolute favorite.

Besides the characters, the adventure was what kept me on my toes. The food described in this book made me freaking hungry ALL THE TIME. I feel like I devoured this book so freaking quickly that I can't wait for it to actually come out. I need the physical because the cover is beautiful and the entire story is fascinating. I want and need the next book ASAP!

Overall, this book did have some cons as well. Whether it was the slow-pacing in the beginning or not enough world-building (in my eyes). However, the pros definitely outweighed the cons and I ended up enjoying this book. It's definitely bittersweet now that the book is done and over with.. but I will be counting down the days till I can go buy this bad boy!

Let me start off by saying the writing in the book is beautiful and atmospheric. I don’t normally pick up fantasy books but I had to read this after seeing it everywhere online. The story is full of characters you will become instantly attached to and who will make you laugh out loud a few times (looking at you Enrique). Since the story takes place in an alternate world I was a little confused at first about what exactly was going on. Then I reminded myself that as the characters moved through the world I would learn about the world, which is exactly what happened! The romance in this novel was something I was not prepared for. The writing was so beautiful and the connections so deep it wasn’t like anything I’ve read lately. Much different than your typical romance novel where some of the love connections make me cringe. I’m so invested in this gang of smart, unique, and diverse friends I can’t wait for the next book to come out! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A group of teen thieves attempt to steal to regain their leader's lost inheritance.

Well, that's one way to put this synopsis.

Another way is: very clever children figure out very clever riddles and tasks and are very clever and very special.

Which is not to say that I didn't enjoy it. I did. I loved the magic system, the concept of Forging and the descriptions of Forged objects. I also loved that the book was Six of Crows set in an 1889 alternative history France that addressed the impacts colonialism and imperialism, and featured heavy themes of inequality, systematic racism, prejudice and privilege. The scope of history and the emerging concepts of globalism were very well done, and I loved that various revolutions and rebellions were incorporated into the story line.

What bored me were the characters. I liked each of them, but their voices were all very, very similar despite their vast differences in personalities and likes and dislikes and quirks. At times they act like suave thirty-year-olds trapped in teenage bodies.

Laila was a brilliant dancer and courtesan who moonlights as a baker and sometimes dangles over volcanoes trying to acquire artifacts. She is the best at both things.

Zofia is a brilliant engineer who loves cookies and fire and is possibly autistic.

Tristan is a brilliant gardener and his work is sought out all over Paris.

Enrique is a brilliant mathematician (or engineer, not super sure, can't remember) who brilliantly solves riddles.

Severin is a brilliant schemer and also a prodigy hotelier with the most ritziest and upscale hotel in Paris and he just wants to get his House back.

Did I mention that all of these people were brilliant?

Yes, their brilliance is illuminating. They are the best of the best of the best...at eighteenish.

It's...really annoying.

Plus, the sheer logistics of their accomplishments don't really make sense. I mean, how does Severin find the time to run a 12-star hotel (out of five stars) (did I mention he founded and made his hotel famous in like, two years??) plus travel around the globe acquiring very hard things to acquire. Volcanoes. I'm not even going to talk about the ridiculousness of Laila and her jobs.

These kids either have the best time management on the planet, or I'm supposed to suspend my disbelief.

Aside from that major detail, I felt like their interactions with each other were all super forced. I felt very little connection to them, and it felt like their reactions to things (like pain) were very disconnected. In the first couple minutes, Severin gets his hand brutally mauled and is just standing there calmly going, "okay let's figure out a way to take this out," and it's like, I get the calmness but at least let's have some symptoms of pain or a yell or something.

It didn't help because there were a lot of filter phrases for the characters, like, "Enrique watched as the skeletons ran towards him," which...diminished the scary factor and immediateness of the danger considerably. Unlike the fantastic showing of the Forging and the magic, when it came to what the characters were doing and feeling there was a whole heaping amount of telling going on.

Overall, to sum up. Five stars because THIS WORLD IS AMAZINGLY DETAILED AND REALIZED, I liked the plotline, the diversity rep is off the charts (oh, and there's some lgbt rep too!), minus 2 stars because the characters were a little too precocious for me.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

My first book by Roshani Chokshi and it did NOT disappoint! This book was everything I look for in a book: racial diversity, sexual diversity, fast pacing, puzzles, mystery, flirting, humor, a fictional squad that I'm ready to witch-brew to life, and great writing.

The Gilded Wolves is a story about a group of acquaintances turned friends who are ready to walk toward the same goal through their personal motivations and are ready with their individualistic personalities and talents to tackle anything that comes in between. It's as easy to fall in love with the characters as it is to breathe. The fast pacing will be keeping you on your toes because the answers to "what's gonna happen next?!" will excite you and once you do get to know what happens, you'll either be all the more excited or bawling--and both in a good sense.

A ton of research must have gone into this because the puzzles are indecipherable but totally understandable, and the fusion of history with mystery is stunningly executed. Each character has their own set of strengths and weaknesses that collectively make the story only stronger with every witty dialogue, funny conversation, and flirty exchanges. The writing is one of the bestest aspects from the long list of best aspects and the simplicity in the narration while it also intrigues the reader is pleasing.

The book is a great execution of diversity: Laila is Indian; Zofia is Jewish, Polish, and autistic; Enrique is Filipino, Spanish, and bisexual; Hypnos is black and gay; and the other two, Severin and Tristan are just as amazing as the other squad members if not more. The romance is impeccable with the precise amount of tension and non-acceptance of love for each other.

I would recommend this to everyone looking for a squad to love until your last breath while the squad takes on the most exciting tasks that will also propel their character arcs to be defined, that will also make you laugh, cry, and swoon, that will also make you want to pick up the next book in the series instantly.

"I don't want to be their equals. I don't want them to look us in the eye. I want them to look away, to blink harshly, like they've stared at the sun itself. I don't want them standing across from us. I want them kneeling."


Set in a darkly glamorous world and is full of mystery, decadence, and dangerous but thrilling adventure.
Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But Severin doesn't work alone, he has a crew that features five misfits who happen to be excellent in their fields.


But after one acquisition--- it's what they call their thievery slash treasure-hunting --- they found themselves owning a dangerous information that might kill them when their only goal was to acquire an artifact that would be a bargaining chip to the Order of Babel so that Séverin takes back his inheritance that the Order denied him ten years ago.




If there's one thing the reader can expect from the characters, it is that they're not stupid. They're genuinely smart. They calculate things before doing something that even if they make mistakes, it won't be annoying because you know they're honest mistakes and not out of stupidity. They also know their goals.

That being said, let me start with the characters:

Séverin Montagnet-Alarie - French-Algerian wealthy hotelier and part-time treasure hunter. Supposedly an heir to House Vanth (one of the 4 houses of France) His goal is to take back his inheritance and is the leader of the gang.

Laila - Indian. Dancer. I love her character arc, she has a past that makes who she is today and what she is aiming for. She has this ability that lets her know things about the object just by touching it. And oh she's a baker and almost serves as everyone's mom who reminds me of my close friends in high school. I was the youngest in our whole batch. :) :)

Zofia - Jewish and Polish. Autistic. She's a mathematician. I found her funny in some ways and I really enjoy her sorta competition with Enrique.

Enrique - Queer and Biracial - Spanish and Filipino. As you all know I'm a Filipina so this makes me so happy. He's a historian and struggles with racism because of how he looks like. You all, Enrique's funny and adorable but his internal monologues pinched my heart more than few times.

Tristan - Séverin considers him his little brother and swore from when they were younger that he'll protect Tristan. They grew up together in foster care. He's a botanist and loves his pet tarantula Goliath. I love him the most out of all the characters. He's just 💖💖 and it is impossible not to love him.

Hypnos - Black, queer and heir to House Nyx. He and Séverin were childhood friends coz they're both heirs. He's funny and will steal your heart the moment you meet him.

You all should be ready to be captivated BY these characters. They're everything we ever wanted in Literature. They embodied all we requested from authors, the answers to our protests due to their absences in the books we've read so far. And I'm not even exaggerating.

As for the PLOT and WORLD-BUILDING:

The world and the plot are as genius as its characters but I have a minor issue. First, the pacing is good. The good bits started right away and just kept getting more intense. The plot is also fine, not really the most extraordinary I've ever read but thanks to the characters, the plot seems grand. And then there's the world. It was intricate but carefully woven but you have to pay attention, really give your best to understand everything in the world the author created. The magic system is a bit complicated and you won't understand it without reading the explanations carefully. And that's not really a bad thing because the author really did a good job at explaining it to the reader and not in an info-dumping style. And I LIKED It and want to revisit this world.

“But the greatest thief of all was the Order of Babel, for they stole more than just objects . . . they stole histories”

By the way the world has this org called Order of Babel and they possess/protect/collect/wield? Babel fragments. And yeah if you're thinking this has something to do with the Tower of Babel, you're right. In this book, it says that FORGING, the magic in this book, originates from that time when people tried creating a tower to reach God and equal His power but God stopped it and let people speak different languages. So how genius Roshani Chokshi is? She picked a notable event from the Bible, forge an amazing ensemble of characters, tackle some serious and timely issues with so much care and research and use a writing style that's magic itself. You all, if you haven't read any of this woman's work then you're missing a lot. She really writes beautifully and creates such amazing worlds.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to every fantasy lovers. This is really Diverse and I will surely recommend this to my book club, "Diverse Divers" We read only diverse books there. :) Before I forgot, this books reminds me of Six of Crows a lot but I'm rating this one less star. I think it's because with Six of Crows I'm already familiarized with the world and magic system, so my main focus is the plot and characters while in this book, I still have to learn everything and deal with the intricacy.

Roshani Chokshi has written a book that leaves the reader wanting the next one, to know what happens next, and what is going on. I will be one reader who is impatiently waiting for the sequel and will be recommending this story to fans of The Last Magician and The Mortal Instruments. The Gilded Wolves brings the reader into Paris 1889 and into a world of secret societies and a historical scavenger hunt. A family of circumstance and hope is forged together on a journey that captures the reader and never lets them go until the last page. Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for a chance to read this for review.

On the eve of the Exposition Universelle in 19th century Paris, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie, a French-Algerian treasure hunter and hotel owner, is on the cusp of gaining back his family’s fortune. All he has to do is recover an ancient artifact sought by the Order of Babel. This is the story in The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi.

The world of The Gilded Wolves is Paris’s secret magical underbelly. The members of the Order of Babel have the ability to Forge, to twist the mind and alter matter as they see fit. Four houses of the Order reside in Paris, but Séverin, the heir of House Vanth, was disinherited after his parents’ deaths. He spends his time “acquiring” Forged artifacts, but when he attempts to lift an artifact from Hypnos, head of House Nyx, he is blackmailed into helping Hypnos locate a Horus Eye from one of the other houses.

Chokshi has a beautiful writing style. It’s poetic and lyrical, but it may be difficult for people to get through. In The Gilded Wolves, she has toned down the metaphors while keeping the same sense of poetry in her words. It’s clear she has done her research for this story set in 1889 Paris and featuring a plethora of diverse characters. It reminded me strongly of Six of Crows, primarily because it features a crew of teens executing a daring heist, but also because it has a similar wit and energy. That said, this has its own mythology and atmosphere, and there is a much different dynamic among the team.

The characters are all deeply flawed and painfully real, and their group has coalesced because they all believe that they’re broken. The plot is complex but not overly so, although it certainly helps to like math. You won’t be bogged down in ridiculous twists every five pages, but every character has reasons to keep secrets, so you can’t necessarily trust the information you’re being given. The action is nicely paced right up until the end, where it screeches to a halt and then skips ahead several weeks and then several months at a time in order to set up the next book in the series. I will say that it started a bit slow, but once the plot starts in earnest, I couldn’t put it down.

My only real complaint is with the world-building. Chokshi has imagined a captivating world of magic and done a fabulous job painting a portrait of 1880s Paris, but the mythology of Forging could have used more development. It feels as though you’re dropped in the middle of the action and you’re scrambling to catch up. Eventually you’re given enough information to understand the world, but a primer before jumping into the main plot would have helped immensely.

The diversity of the cast makes this book worth a read regardless of any failings. Some of the characters aren’t as developed as the others, but those that are get a very rich backstory, although their motivations are sometimes confusing.

3.5 stars - This is a perfectly enjoyable YA fantasy that is a welcome break from many of the worn out aspects of the genre (and even the subgenre). I really liked the characters, thought the world building was interesting (always excited for fantasy worlds that aren't just what I call "basic bitch medieval") & liked being in an alternative history Europe in the gilded age, and I'm always down for the heist-y type tropes in fantasy. This is a good fantasy novel that should work for the intended audience & adult appreciators of YA alike.

A word of warning however... I've seen a lot of hype for this book. I would advise people to manage expectations. This is a very enjoyable book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. But I wouldn't say this is something ground breaking or wholly unique. So long as you don't go into this thinking it will be the best or most innovative YA fantasy of 2019 (which was kind of what I was expecting based on the early reviews, so that probably colored my experience), I think you'll have a really fun time reading this

I'm giving this three stars, but I have to be honest - it's only because I know Roshani Chokshi is a great writer and many people will like this book. I am just not one of them. Immediately upon starting to read it, I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of a book, not the beginning of one. I was so lost, and I could not get back on track despite multiple attempts to do so. I must have done the "put down-pickup" cycle three or four times before giving up. I kept thinking maybe it was just me, and I would wait a day, only to find that I was just as confused as the day before.

I think the main issue, for me, is that there were way too many characters introduced all at once. I prefer a more gradual introduction when there are so many important characters. I couldn't keep track of who was who, what their background was, or what their abilities were. I usually highlight important info so I can refer back to it for a review, and by the time I stopped reading, practically everything was highlighted. It was information overload, and yet, there wasn't enough background information to help the story be understandable. Too many characters and not enough history, and I found that I couldn't enjoy the story. It was just too confusing.

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars!


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

Six Of Crows meets National Treasure in this new YA historical fantasy novel set in an alternative 18th century Paris. This was my second book by Roshani Chokshi and I really liked it but sadly I can't say it was as epic as Six Of Crows. I don't want to compare this  book with another but there're some similarities that I couldn't ignore. And also I had a hard time connecting with the characters and story in the beginning. It felt like I was reading a second book in a novel. It would've been great if the story started before the group was formed. This book is full of solving puzzles. Although it lacked in some aspects, it's still worth a read and I'll look forward to the next book.

In this alternative world of 18th century Paris magic exists. There is a powerful society named Order of Babel which safeguards magical babel fragments around the world. In France, there are four houses that safeguards the west's babel fragment. One house was already fallen and another house's line died without a heir which left only two houses House Nyx and House Kore. Séverin Montagnet-Alarie is a treasure hunter, wealthy hotelier and last heir to House Vanth. Ten Years ago, the Order had declared the line of House Vanth dead even though he was alive. When a powerful aristocrat from the order of babel seeks his help in exchange for restoring the house Vanth and declaring him as the heir, Séverin couldn't resist. He agrees to the deal. In order to find the lost artifact, he needs a band of experts- An engineer named Zofia who has a debt to pay,  A biracial historian Enrique who can't yet go home, an Indian dancer Laila who has a dark past, and finally the Gardner Tristan whom  Séverin considers as his little brother. Together they all use their skills and knowledge to find the lost artifact.

This book has an interesting set of diverse characters who has their own individual agendas. Séverin was the mastermind behind the team whose only goal was to restore his family house and his status as the heir. He's very protective of his group but I didn't liked the way he treated Laila sometimes. He desires her but he don't want to give into his feelings because he's afraid that she might become a distraction from his goal. I really liked Laila! She's a skilled dancer from India who has her own agenda. She's looking for an ancient book which holds all her answers but she needs Séverin's help. I almost forgot to mention that she loves baking. Laila and Séverin has some history and they try to deny each others feelings and there's a lot of sexual tension between them. Their relationship reminded me so much of Kaz and Inej from SOC. Zofia is a jewish and Polish. She has a bit OCD and anxiety problem. Numbers are her only coping mechanism. She  loves her little sister Hela whom she left behind. She wants to earn enough money so that she could get her into a medical school. Enrique, another biracial character who's half Spanish and half Filipino. He also seems to be bisexual because he was attracted to both male and female. He's pretty funny and one of my favorite characters in this series. His dream was to become a part of the Ilustrados inner circle but he was rejected because of his face color.  Hypnos is a black guy with charming personality. He's another queer character who has the hots for Enrique. I totally ship them both! Tristan was totally sweet and fun. He loves his Pet Tarantula named Goliath. He likes Gardening plants and making strange poisons. He and Tristan consider each other as brothers. They're very protective of each other.

The plot was pretty good but the execution could've been a little bit better. The first half seemed a bit confusing and it took some time for me to connect to the story, the characters and the world. I loved the diverse aspect. This book is not really an action packed novel as SOC but it still makes an enjoyable read filled with mystery, danger, and adventure. The pacing was even throughout.  It's mostly focused on solving puzzles and finding lost artifacts. If you're not into that, then this might bore you. For me, the characters were the major highlights of this book. The writing was beautiful and not too flowery. The book was written in multiple POV's. The world building seems to be great, but honestly I didn't paid much attention to it.

Overall, this was a good start to a new series. Despite issues, I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. There's not heavy cliffhanger at the end but the last surprising twist will sure give the readers anticipation for the next book.

The Gilded Wolves is part Six of Crows heist (cast of adorable misfits included) and part The Da Vinci Code. I loved every minute! The writing is evocative but doesn't take away from the plot. The characters are lovable and each has such a unique personality. And the diversity! There's Indian, Asian, Jewish, and Autistic rep-all done extremely well and with care. I am almost upset that I read this early as now I'll have to wait even longer for the next installment. Educators: if you have students looking for a fast-faced heist novel that will also make them think and feel, look no further! This novel will be very appealing to teens!