At first I was like ZzZzZzZzZzZ...and then I was like PLOT TWIST! While this took me a while to get into (several attempts), the ending did NOT disappoint. The characters were lovable, charming, and broken just enough for my liking.
While it did remind me several times of my beloved Six of Crows, it wasn't. Six of crows was definitely better in my eyes as I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down. I almost gave it two stars but that ending bumped it up to a solid 3. I hope the next installment is better than this because we all know I don't typically tap out of a series unless it's real bad and I can see the potential this could have.

The Gilded Wolves was almost like Indiana Jones in Paris, with magic. It was a very viscous story and there were a lot of characters to keep track of. Once I started understanding the world, though, the book became exciting and captivating with the twists and turns. I am excited for book two, to see where Chokshi takes this tale!

A thrilling tale of diverse characters on an exciting journey through Paris. But will they find what they are looking for? Roshni has a way with words that makes you want to keep reading and find out what comes next.

I loved the characters and the different cultures/languages as well as the wonderful imagery provided by the very descriptive words.

As a fan of Roshani Chokshi’s The Star-Touched Queen books, I was excited to see she had a new series on the way and the description for the first book, The Gilded Wolves had me intrigued. The new series promises to be an ambitious project, less reliant on mythology and folktales for its basis and involving a wide and diverse cast of characters, but it fell a bit flat for me where The Star-Touched Queen stories soared. It’s far too early for a release date for the next book in the series but though this first installment ends with many questions up in the air, I’m not sure this first leg of the journey left me invested enough or intrigued enough to bother with more.

Séverin was supposed to be the heir of one of the four family houses of the Order, bearers of great power and entrusted with using that power to protect several crucial artifacts—supposed to be from God Himself. But Séverin’s illegitimate birth was used as an excuse to exclude him and end his family’s house, leaving only two remaining houses and the larger Order to divvy up his inheritance. Having built a team of fellow misfits with unique gifts of their own, Séverin enjoys a bit of revenge in the form of stealing from the Order. Then Hypnos, the Patriarch of another house, comes to him with a proposition—the Order needs a certain artifact secured and if Séverin and his team help, Hypnos will re-administer the test to have Séverin’s inheritance and house restored.

I think the biggest issue The Gilded Wolves has is that it tries to do too much at once. It drops the reader right into the midst of a heist sequence, which wouldn’t be too much except that the reader is also trying to fill in the blanks of the magical-realistic world in which it’s set… and the narrative switches perspective between a wide range of characters. It means the story begins on a disorienting note and, for me at least, it never really found its footing. I did enjoy Séverin and his team as characters, but their interactions—especially early in the novel—fell flat more often than not. There are the characters’ individual backstories and motivations, there’s the larger world building trying to unfold, there’s a multilayered plot that involves a lot of puzzles, heists, and deceptions—and the initial plans for what’s supposed to happen on each of the missions isn’t always completely laid out so when a wrench gets thrown into the mix, it’s almost impossible to tell if something’s actually amiss or if it was actually part of the plan and it zaps a lot of the tension from the whole thing.

I feel like the pieces were all there but it was presented in a way that was just too chaotic to hold and maintain my interest. Sprinkling Séverin’s personal backstory throughout the book and playing on the themes of his foster fathers’ as the Seven Deadly Sins was clever but it was more interested in being clever than in establishing a foundation for Séverin’s character. The world building unfolded so slowly and amidst so much other chaos that I’m still unsure half the time how certain key elements—like Forging—come into play. The characters are wonderfully diverse and the dynamics between them work better and better as the novel progresses and telling gives way to more showing but it took a long while to get to that point. The deeper lines of antagonism that eventually emerge and build toward the series’ longer plot would have been more compelling if the world building had been clearer earlier.

It would have been incredibly difficult to put so much exposition at the beginning of the novel but getting off to a running start on something so complex meant I felt like I was constantly playing catchup instead of being swept along in the natural flow. I found it exhausting more than entertaining or engaging and the last several chapters were incredibly awkward in their pacing and action as the novel’s immediate plot struggled to wrap while setting up the series’ larger plot.

The Gilded Wolves will be available for purchase January 15, 2019.

The Gilded Wolves is one of those books that I've been anticipating for so long now and have been seeing so many wonderful things about that my expectations were pretty high. I always try not to let the hype influence my expectations too much, but I still had high hopes and honestly, they weren't quite met with this one.

This book follows a diverse group of characters who regularly embark upon a variety of 'acquisitions' (aka heists), in which the leader's main goal at the end of everything is the reinstatement of his inheritance. The Gilded Wolves is a lot of a fun and makes for a highly entertaining story, but it's also one that felt oddly paced and a little difficult to get through at times. I found the beginning of the book in particular to be exceptionally slow and difficult to get into. It wasn't until at least a hundred or so pages in that I really started to be able to enjoy the story more and follow along with the world. The magic and world felt rather confusing to me at many times, almost as if we'd been dropped into a sequel or part of an already-established world.

One of the strongest points of this book, however, is the cast of characters. Chokshi truly did a remarkable job of including well-developed, vastly diverse characters, from race to sexuality to religion and more--and all with fantastic personalities and great humor. There are racist elements discussed in productive manners, sexist elements (this is 1889 Paris, after all), and many people consider one of the characters to be on the autism spectrum (I don't feel knowledgeable enough to fully comment on that, but I feel it is important to note that that seems to be a common thought). All of this really made for interesting and authentic experiences. My only struggle with the characters was that it seemed like some (not all!) of the witty dialogue and banter was a little forced, as if Chokshi wanted her group of characters to be so amusing that she ended up trying too hard and was left with some unnatural dialogue and interactions.

Our main character group consists of Severin, Laila, Zofia, Enrique, and Tristan. Severin is basically the leader of the group and is a very determined, passionate person. He likes to act as though he's tough and hard-hearted, but he's also pretty vulnerable as well; he also makes a lot of extremely frustrating decisions that annoyed me quite a bit throughout the book. Laila is a lovely person who is exceptionally considerate of others and always feeding them, and I particularly loved the close attention she paid to Zofia's preferences and how she always did her best to always accommodate them. A+ as a good friend and person! Zofia is a character I really liked. I think her personality was expertly done and I found it interesting to see her experiences with all of the different characters, especially in regards to her intelligence and struggle to understand some types of humor. Enrique is the wittiest of the bunch and is the type that is always around to make jokes and make things more light-hearted--or complain about things. Lastly is Tristan, the more serious brooding one of the bunch at times, but who also has a soft spot for animals, particularly large spiders, and who can easily turn up his charm and big eyes to win people over.

If you like solving different puzzles and riddles (especially ones including math), then you are going to love this book. If you don't, well, there might be a lot of places you'll want to skim. I unfortunately happen to be in the latter half. I love a good puzzle, but I don't love reading about people solving them and doing math so much, so those extensive sections tended to be a bit much for me.

Overall, I'm really unsure what to rate this book. Part of me thinks of this book with fondness for how entertaining and imaginative it was, but part of me is also bored and frustrated with a lot of it as well. The characters and diversity inclusions were awesome, the sheer imagination in this world and magic system was fascinating, but the execution was all a little unimpressive. I do still highly recommend this to you if it sounds interesting because so many people seem to be adoring it and I wouldn't want you to miss out on that potential!

This is a sublime cover and I could not help but take the novel. Besides the synopsis is also very attractive so how to resist it? Well, it’s not possible!

I loved the fact that the novel takes place during the Universal Exhibition and better still that in Paris. It’s a fascinating setting in a changing era. This is where we discover several characters who will evolve together and ally to find an ancient artifact.

As I said I loved the author’s ideas and I found it very nice to follow the characters in this universe. However, what was a bit more difficult for me is to really get into the story, but it’s very personal because I see the potential of the novel perfectly. I think it may be the moment that was not perfect or the fact that we have several points of view, something with which I always have a little trouble. But it’s true that these are details and I loved the mix of references, hidden surveys. In any case, writing and fluid and engaging and I must say that it is a novel that changes from what I usually have.

I got this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

To be honest, I went into this book without knowing much about it. I'd read a synopsis long before I started it, and basically the only thing that had stuck with me was that this book was by Roshani Chokshi (haven't read anything else by her, but I know she's quite loved in the YA community) and that it was a fantasy. Had I remembered this was a heist book, I don't know if I would've read it, since the heist part of Six of crows was kind of disappointing for me (comparing books with similar themes is awful but that's honestly the only other heist YA story I've read). But The gilded wolves surprised me.

First, it makes you fall in love with its main characters slowly, but surely. You get to know them in the beginning of the story, maybe a bit slowly compared to the rest of the book. You get a glimpse of what they like, their powers, who they are within the group and their goals. And then you jump head first into the heist and oh. my. god. This had some of the best heist tropes ever. Like, I'm talking about "kissing to pass an object from mouth to mouth" level.

I don't think I have the words to describe some aspects of this book, tbh. How it kept me at the edge of my seat with every single sentence, even though my brain was tired and didn't feel like reading anything in English. How it weaved together the plot and the characters, and it ended up feeling like there couldn't be any other characters telling this story, and there couldn't be any other story meant for these characters. The sense of family, squad, support group that these characters had with each other, and the unmistakable feel of emptiness where each of them longed for something. Hypnos slowly getting to be a part of the group!!! Not only through his love interest (my OTP honestly), but through everyone else, too.

This said, I don't think the worldbuilding was explained enough. I wouldn't have minded the info dump if it told me what all these excerpts at the beginning of each "part" were, and who the people writing them were, and why there's houses but also Russia is mentioned as importante but the patriarch + matriarch of the two houses are in France like ???? I needed some footnotes there.

Anyway, read this book if you want a good AND cool heist story.

An interesting magic system (magic of the mind and magic of matter), historical setting and artifacts, multiple points of view, a group of outsiders trying to shift the power structure, identity exploration, and aristocracy; the components of The Gilded Wolves are full of shine and layers and intrigue. Which is why it’s so disappointing that all of these components are not effectively and satisfactorily fleshed out.

Roshani Chokshi wastes no time in putting her readers in the middle of the action, beginning the book with an exciting heist and aristocratic dangers. This built so much anticipation for finding out how the world works and learning about the relationships between characters; unfortunately, the story continued to speed on with barely time to take a breath and sort out the previous, current, and planned events. There are in-between chapters that pose as flashbacks and historical snippets, through which we get a little deeper into the characters’ lives. Please read that again with more emphasis on “a little.” But there needed to be more pages dedicated to building the people in this story. Dialogue is great for creating a surface image of a character, but without more than witty banter or serious reactions, characters fall flat, and that is the case in The Gilded Wolves.

Séverin is the character we learn the most history about, because his flashbacks are related to his tumultuous upbringing. Another protagonist, Laila, is someone whose history is also sort of told, and yet, compared to the other three or four protagonists, by the end of the book they both still feel flat. Could it be that every time we encounter them, no matter the situation, their thoughts somehow (and often ridiculously) wind up back to a passionate night they shared, a night they both try to push out of their minds even though it’s obvious they care about each other in the way of lovers and not just friends? Yes. Their sexual tension was enticing at first, but by the middle of the book our privy to their constant “secret” desire is distracting and obnoxious. It almost made me put this book at DNF status, but I didn’t, because thankfully Zofia, Enrique, and Hypnos uphold the plot.

Zofia is such a strong, complex, and dynamic character. Although her decision in one of the end scenes disappointed me, it was understandable, and showed that even with the progress she made through the book, she was still subject to setbacks – like all people are. Enrique is an entertaining character, and I liked how Roshani Chokshi wrote him to be fun-loving and still not entirely bashful to show emotion, and sometimes not able to understand or work through that emotion without help. And Hypnos definitely showed the most growth, which turned him from an unlikable character to the whimsical addition this group of friends and companions needed. We don’t get a lot of history of these characters, and yet they are the ones I felt closest to when reading.

The author has a superb plot idea, and her writing is equally pleasing. But often there are places where more detail would have been helpful in moving the plot forward and understanding what was going on. There is at least one page that is almost entirely dedicated to the contents of a feast (which is exceptionally mouthwatering), but I wish that same attention to detail was placed on spacial perception and the settings throughout the book. And with such emphasis on mathematics and calculations (an interesting incorporation, even for this non-mathematician), I thought that time would be paid much more attention, and instead, it was too easy to get lost in the timeline, even with the flashback chapters marked and easy identifiable.

The final climactic scene was definitely close to being worth finishing the book, but it still could have used more description. And down to the final pages of the book, Séverin and Laila are still their same tense old selves, and with the setup of the next novel, it looks like we are in for more suffocating tension. Hopefully the sequel will slow down and provide more details for the settings, characters, and world, and be as enthralling as those settings, characters, and world deserve to be (and as a final aside, don’t ignore the Author’s Note at the end).

Mini review:

DNF

Trigger warning: Murder and physical violence.

I received this E-ARC via St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't give much thought to this book. Simply heard about it and requested it. It didn't work for me.

The beginning was not interesting. I didn't understand anything nor did I care too. When we got to the main characters I didn't care about any of them.

This is a personal thing. Still recommend.

I was not convinced by the first novel of Roshani Chokshi, but when I saw that the story was happening in Paris the place where I live, I immediately ask for the e-arc on NetGalley.

The story takes place in Paris in 1889, two weeks before the Exposition Universelle, and of course the city is in turmoil. We are in a world where some people have the ability to forge objects, that is to say they can give specific functions to the objects or created some that only work under certain conditions or with certain people. Moreover, there are large families who belong to the secret order of Babel and collect and manufacture the rarest objects. They have a monopoly and that does not suit everyone. It's a world that I really appreciated as a French and a Parisian, I love to see how foreign authors manage to create a story around Paris and it history and here it is very magical and fun. Roshani Chokshi manages to create something new and captivating.

The book follows Séverin, he must have been the heir of one of the large family, but he was denied his inheritance. Today, he tries to have it back and he surrounded himself with people with diverse and varied gifts. He will embark all his entourage when he has the opportunity to finally get his inheritance and title. The author has built a very dynamic and diverse group. I have a preference for Zofia and Séverin that I find more complex, but the author has perfectly given life to each of them and they are all distinct from each other, something very significant when you read a multiple point of view book.

For the plot, the book is a bit like Indiana Jones for teens, with secret societies, riddles, lots of action and very little downtime. I really liked the immersive side of the novel and my reading was very fast. The characters are very well constructed and touching which is a plus. Overall, I find that the novel was a pleasant surprise, because I was moderately convinced by the first series of the Roshani Chokshi and I think she has grown since then and I am really excited for the sequel.

Thank you, Macmillan, for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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

This is probably my last book of the year, and I'm glad to say that it's one of the best. Since the author is a fellow Filipino, some of my opinions might seem biased, especially those regarding cultural representation. Truth be told, I can't think of anything negative to say about this novel because practically everything about it—the cover, the writing, and the plot—screams wonderful. Nonetheless, since no product of human imagination is perfect, I'm sure that other readers will detect a flaw or two.

The Gilded Wolves significantly gleans from the book of Genesis. It features a world where each continent possesses a Babel Fragment, a mysterious object that gives humans the power to manipulate matter. Supposedly, one could attain god-like powers by combining each artifact. Yearning to prevent another instance of Divine Intervention (like what happened to the Tower of Babel), people thought of an innovative way to isolate the Fragments. The protagonists aren't privy to such information, but they eventually learn of an object that can turn the tides. As they hunt through the glittering heart of Paris, dark forces rise from the ashes of the past.

I was extremely pleased to discover that one of the main characters was a Filipino who wanted to join the ranks of Jose Rizal. The story took place during the Colonial Period, and Enrique inevitably became my favorite protagonist because I resonated with his desire to free the Philippines from the not-so-benevolent Spaniards. Also, like Rizal, he planned to do so without resorting to violence. Enrique was undoubtedly a remarkable character, so I was always excited when the story was told from his point of view. Despite his rich knowledge in history, he was anything but boring.

The same could be said of Zofia, my second favorite character. She was a blue-eyed and silver-haired nerd who excelled in mathematics. She could solve tons of problems in seconds/minutes and find patterns everywhere. For me, her most endearing trait was her lack of social skills, which made her seem standoffish among her peers. In reality, she wanted to connect with Enrique and the others; she just wasn't good at verbal communication. As an introvert, I related to her talent for unconventional bonding. Even though Zofia barely conversed with her peers, she managed to form meaningful relationships with them. Of course, this was also possible since they were sensitive enough to genuinely understood her standpoint.

The other characters (Severin, Laila, Tristan, and Hypnos) were intriguing in their own ways. For example, Severin and Tristan were foster brothers who named their dads according to the seven deadly sins. Their childhood was reminiscent of A Series of Unfortunate Events since they kept on changing parents. Hypnos gave me another reason for intertextual analysis because his flirty behavior was cunningly similar to Magnus Bane of The Mortal Instruments. As for Laila, she was unique because of Indian heritage and existential crisis (which was mysterious as heck).

The pace of the heist narrative did not falter at any point. Severin and his team were always on the move, cracking codes and infiltrating enemy headquarters. I've never been a fan of spy movies. However, reading this book felt like watching a particularly engaging one. The banter and pure camaraderie between the characters also helped maintain the speed of the plot. Strangely, Roshani's writing style seemed toned down (less flowery) in this book. This was probably a good thing because it encouraged me to focus on the characters instead of dwelling on the beauty of the author's literary devices.

Ironically, I have to be subjective to increase the objectivity of my review. The only "issue" that I had was the interpretation/modification of Biblical text. Although it's in the context of fiction, some readers who are unfamiliar with the book of Genesis might see the new narrative as truth. With that in mind, if you want to read this book, I encourage you to do some research first. I'm not entirely comfortable with retelling Biblical truths, but I won't lower my rating since the latter argument is predominantly biased.

All in all, I genuinely enjoyed The Gilded Wolves. In light of its Filipino roots, this book is a rare gem in the YA community. If I could visit the USA right now, I would love to give Roshani a high five (and ask for her manuscript of the sequel).

This was a great book. The characters were interesting and the story itself was very compelling. While we got to know all of the characters, I would love to spend even more time delving into their backstories and motivations. I look forward to continuing this series and I think it is a great novel for young adults and adults.

Roshani Chokshi’s books are always atmospheric, and this one was no exception. Loved the six main characters and the dynamic between them, too. I have some niggling questions about the Fallen House’s symbol and Zofia—with all the other connections made, I was expecting an acknowledgement that never materialized. Next book maybe?

I was really drawn to the characters, especially Hypnos! The setting was fresh and really cool. There was a scene that really hurt my heart. I loved Goliath and I look forward to more from L’Eden!!

I have read most of Roshani Chokshi's works and loved all of them but this might be my new favorite. The setting was opulent, the characters were well developed and diverse, and the plot of the novel was so well thought out. The dialogue has the hints of humor and snark that I have come to associate with the author. This is for sure going to be the book I suggest to everyone over the next year -- and how soon until book 2 comes out because I need it now!

If you’re looking for a historical heist, this is the novel for you! Séverin Montagnet-Alarie has been exiled from a powerful order and spends his time taking back what’s his: the items of his inheritance that were taken form him upon exile. A job gone south forces him to take a commissioned job: stealing a Forged (magical) item from The Order he was kicked out of! Séverin and his talented crew get into higher stakes than ever before as relationships form and break under the pressure.

Set in 1889 Paris, the environment of the book and the outfits of the characters are absolutely fabulous- I’m sure so much research went into this book! The best part for me was that we were given a group of 6 characters, and they were equally given screen-time and were all well developed with personal histories and motivations. That’s hard to do in one initial book and I was blown away. I didn’t realize how attached I was to the character’s plots until I started rooting for [certain things] to occur. Our exiled hotel owner, a biracial friend from the past (a current Order-member), a biracial bisexual historian, an Indian dancer with a powerful touch, a genius engineer with a debt to pay, and our exile’s brother with the ability to Forge flowers.

The bisexual representation in particular was done quite tastefully, showing the character’s interest in multiple people and their past struggles with religion and family. As someone who identifies as bisexual, I was shocked and pleased to see this realistic experience in this novel, especially since the novel has only been marked as Historical Fiction and Fantasy so far. It’s nice to see an LGBT+ character in a book that doesn’t revolve around their sexuality. Going further, this character’s commitment to a person was just that, choosing a person to be with and not ‘choosing a gender’. Unfortunately, the latter happens too often, so I am over the moon about this character!!

Of course, this book ends with prophesized action ahead, and a big twist- I can’t wait for Séverin and the crew’s next adventure!

It was a first time I read a book by Roshani Chokshi and I was eager to read it, because I heard amazing things about her writing style. However, you can see from my rating, I was disappointed. But let's start from the things, that I did enjoyed.

The thing, that kept me reading was a diversity of characters in this book. We definitely have some
LGBTQ+ characters, we have a character in a autism spectrum (but to be honest I don't know if it is represented correctly) and there are also different ethnicities, witch is great.

And here are things, that I didn't enjoyed. Firstly, from the beginning of the book I was so confused. I have no idea what was going on and how their abilities worked. To be honest, I checked several times is this really a first book in the series, because it looked like a second or even a third one. The writing for me was too messy and over the place.

Also there is no much explanation about the characters. I finished a book and I still don't even know how old are they except Laila, she is obviously younger than 18, because of...reasons. And there comes another problem. If they are that young, in my eyes just kids, they are portrayed too mature. For example Enrique and his history knowledge, it takes years of learning and studying. But maybe I'm wrong, because of the lacking information in the book.

The other thing was that it reminded me too much of Robert Langdon adventures in Robert Langdon sieries by Dan Brown. From the beginning of the book I couldn't stop seeing some similarities. It was just messier version of Langdon series for younger readers.

I don't think I will invest my time in reading other books in this series.

Severin was set to take his father’s place in the Order, after his death, but was cheated out of his inheritance. Now Severin and his group of friends are working together to find the magical artifacts that will restore his true place in society. After completing his latest heist, Severin uncovers long dead secrets and is tasked by members of the order to solve the mystery.

The characters were well developed. The writing was excellent. The plot included mysteries and had lots of action. I never found myself intrigued by the plot and never seemed to care what happened. The best part of the book was the romantic intrigues, though those were few and far between.

This was a really confusing book for me! As is with just about all novels with fantasy elements, but for this book in particular I was incredibly lost for the vast majority of it. I just could not grasp the secret society or how it even worked, particularly in the nineteenth century French setting, and I'm still unsure as to if I could try and explain that to someone. Which is really a bummer because I love Roshani Chokshi's mystically flowing prose.

However, using Goodreads's star system, I did rate it three stars, meaning that I "liked it."

I think what really made this book was the characters for me. I loved reading from the different perspectives of the members of the elite squad, as all the characters just had something unique to bring to the story in terms of their personalities, talents, and roles within the group. Was originally kind of skeptical about one of the main ships because of how it started out during the introduction of the characters, and I'm still fairly uncertain as to where the other main(?) ship will be going through the next book.

As for general wishes, I definitely would've liked to see more of the setting throughout the book, particularly as the whole thing is set in a really fascinating time period and place, but if the author didn't mention the time period at all, it could pass for a modern-day story with the magical elements overlaid. Perhaps I just didn't notice the detailing, though even if it was something I may have glossed over, I think it would be great if the historical setting had even greater ties to the story (which I absolutely loved, by the way).

Lots of thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a definite winner!

YESSS! This was actually my first Roshani Chokshi book. I own some of her others, and I have been meaning to get to them for ages… but this is her first that I have actually read. AND I WILL DEFINITELY BE PICKING UP EVERYTHING ELSE ROSHANI HAS WRITTEN IN THE NEW YEAR!

This was an absolutely beautiful book! The historical fiction Paris setting and fantasy world building were woven together flawlessly! In this alternate France setting, children develop one of two types of magic, magic of the mind or magic of matter, by the age of thirteen. In this wonderfully action packed story about adventure and friendship, we follow Séverin and his group of chosen-family/friends as they perform heists and tackle riddles as well as endure larger issues such as betrayal, loss, heartbreak, prejudice, and colonization. Each of our band of broken and beautiful characters has their own set of struggles and strengths and I so enjoyed reading them grow individually and together as a group!

This book has POC rep, LGBTQ+ rep, mental illness/health (anxiety, grief, autism) rep, and you will absolutely fall in love with this eccentric group of misfit characters and their complex friendships! I highly suggest it to any Fantasy fan, as I strongly believe there is something in this story for everyone to enjoy!!

(Note – there is a preorder incentive giveaway going on for this book over at the Macmillan website.)