Wow! Wow! Wow! This book is so action packed and way more exciting than book 1. We know the characters now and Roshani had no qualms about throwing them right into the fire. I love them all so much now. Surprise, the book ends with a cliffhanger and I CANNOT wait to see what happens in the next book. However, parts of this did drag a little for me and was a little predictable, but still immensely enjoyable.

This book was a great sequel to The Gilded Wolves. Everyone is still feeling the aftermath from the last book’s events, but a new treasure hunt has the group back together again onto their next journey, and there is no time to waste! The stakes are high in this one, leaving it impossible to down, I loved the mystery that this new hunt brings, and how it unfolded throughout the book. The characters are my favourite, I’m a huge fan of the dialogue between them all them and to see where their minds are during this hunt.
This book is great and the set up for the next book in this series!

The Silvered Serpents, the second in The Gilded Wolves series, continues the story of Severin, Laila, Enrique, Zofia, and Co. as they embark upon an even bigger heist than before, with much higher stakes. This series about found families, magic, and the experiences that forge us together is just perfect--YA fantasy with a hefty amount of adventure.

I actually liked The Silvered Serpents more than The Gilded Wolves. I already knew the characters, so it was nice to just drop back into the story and commence with the action. There wasn’t the same amount of world-building required, which allowed Chokshi to focus on the individual characters’ arcs in greater detail.

The bonds between the friends are strong; despite Severin’s decision to turn off his emotions, he is determined to protect his found family at all costs--even if it means wearing the face of a monster.

This would be the perfect for readers who loved A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Briged Kemmerer or the Grishaverse books by Leigh Bardugo.

this is my second book of hers i have read, aside from the gilded wolves which was a bang and that's why i was so hyped for this one and definitely this book lived up to my expectations! every emotions you can muster from being invested and loving a book, here you go. representations, tropes, lines, the writing, she does it so well words are actually escaping me. check out the gilded wolves and jump to this one and be ready for a ride !!!

Yes! She does it again. I don't know how Chokshi builds such believable puzzles and riddles for the reader to have to dissect, or how she so deftly knits mythology from around the world mixed with subtle (but potent) cultural commentary, but this YA fantasy series hits all my favorite escapist notes.
Starting from where we left off in GILDED WOLVES, (no, it wasn't all a dream), Chokshi weaves a new caper for the much-less-cheerful crew to go down. The first fifty pages I wasn't sure if I would be dragged in-- but oof, yep. High drama, high feelings, high puzzles, and approachable fantasy. My only complaint is I have to wait another few years for the next one.

First of all, if you haven’t checked out The Gilded Wolves you should probably read taht first because this review WILL spoil TGW (Here‘s my review for TGW).

I’m still not over Tristan’s death… and neither is the crew (Speaking of which, is there like a group names for this dysfunctional found family?). All of them are dealing with their grief and they’ve all separated which was so sad to see because IT HURT.

Let’s just start off with how much I wanted to punch Severin in the face. Like right from the beginning to near the end?! He was just doing dumb thing after dumb thing all in the name of protecting his friends but he really wasn’t being a good friend?! UGH. The THINGS HE DID. I love a book that can give me every emotion, even anger haha

I personally wasn’t a huge fan of the Laila/Severin dynamic this time specifically because of the dumb things Severin kept doing. I was really excited about the possibility of the “fake dating” trope but it was definitely utilized in a different way than I was expecting here. The angst in this one really leveled up for this one but it was a bit too frustrating for me. Especially in Laila POV when Eva was introduced I was easily frustrated with the “love triangle” trope that was being presented. Of course, it just added to the amount of emotions and chaos so while I didn’t completely enjoy it, it didn’t knock off any points for me.

You know what I DID really enjoy? More friendship scenes with Laila and Zofia. I LOVE THEM. Also the dynamics between Hypnos and Enrique and Zofia?! I LITERALLY LOVE THEM. Enrique was basically my favorite character in TGW and I was so happy that he continued to be number 1 on my list along with Zofia. Their dynamic is just *chef’s kiss*. I really wanted to just give them hugs throughout the book. *EVERYBODY JUST NEEDS TO LISTEN TO ENRIQUE WHEN HE TALKS, OKAY?!*

I also just really understood Hypnos so much in this book. Like he made me sad and angry but I also just really related to him which was a LOT of emotions to deal with.

I really loved that the character’s were just expanded a lot in this book. I’m a sucker for great character development and getting to see each perspective and their dynamics (the amount of wholesome and also frustrating moments I have highlighted is amazing).

I was really proud of myself for actually being able to wrap my head around the magic and world building a little more this time while reading especially after re-reading TGW. I don’t know why I felt that it was confusing the first time around but this time it was more expanded and easier for my weak brain to handle.

The only reason it’s not a five star read is because the ending happened. I think in the beginning of the year when I requested the book I was pretty positive it was a duology but I think it got expanded (which is totally awesome and great) later so when I read this and it just ENDED LIKE THAT my head just couldn’t wrap around it. On top of that, it took me a good twenty minutes to understand what exactly happened at the end and I’m not usually a fan of confusing endings (for example, City of Brass). This is my personal thing because my brain has limited capacity of understanding when reading. BUT anyway, overall this was still a fantastic ride. The last 30% I read all in one sitting because I was so engrossed in the story and it was fantastic!

If you love an amazing squad with great dynamics, the feeling of wanting to punch a character for being so incredibly frustrating but also understanding them, just absolutely amazing characters that deserve hugs, a really intriguing magical system, a really angsty couple, and of course, a little bit of mystery and a bunch of heist you should definitely pick up this incredible sequel!

3.75 STARS

Even though it took quite a bit longer for me to read this than The Gilded Wolves, I definitely preferred it. It begins in the months following the events that took place at the end of the first book, and the characters are still grappling with its ramifications. Our gang must put this aside to embark on a treasure hunt. Fortunately, there isn't too much build-up, and we get into the action pretty quickly ( something that wasn't the case with TGW ). I found the middle portion a little slow and more difficult to read, but the end was quite intense. The very final chapters (the last 2 specifically), however, should not have been included. Any real impact the ending had was ruined for me. Normally, when I finish a good book, it's all I'm constantly thinking about for a couple of days, and I'm desperately anticipating reading a sequel...but with this, I'm ready to move on (I still am excited to see what happens though).

The plot itself was a lot less confusing this time around, which probably also contributed to why I liked it more. I still don't have a full understanding of certain aspects of the worldbuilding, but I did not feel as out of the loop as I did with the first one. I must admit that some of the reveals/twists were quite disappointing. The fact that my 5 brain cells were able to figure things out before these intelligent characters did was a little concerning.

The real reason why I enjoyed this more than the first is because of the characters. I already liked them, but I felt that, this time around, I had truly became attached to them. From the instant they began interacting again, it was as if I suddenly realised, "Wow, I actually really like this. Can I get more of this please?". Similarly to the world building, I feel like a lot of the groundwork had been set up in the first book, so it was easier to become engaged. Both as individuals and in their relationships with others, the characters became a lot more interesting, and I was truly invested in their struggles and story...well, that is, except for Séverin...all this book did is solidify my hatred . I also believe the writing has improved since the first. The banter was more enjoyable and felt a lot more natural. It was also just easier to read in general.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this and definitely have high hopes for the finale.

Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Roshani Chokshi’s The Silvered Serpents in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, September 22, 2020.

***PROCEED WITH CAUTION: SPOILERS FROM BOOK ONE, THE GILDED WOLVES, APPEAR.

Roshani Chokshi’s The Silvered Serpents focuses again on the crew of Séverin as they come back together for another heist. After being driven apart by the loss of one of their own in book one, their trust has been fractured. Séverin is desperate to find The Divine Lyrics, a book that can make him a god, able both to protect his friends and to become impervious to being hurt by them or by their loss. Laila, too, wants to find the book--she believes it’s the only thing that can keep her alive. Enrique is desperate once again to prove himself: he has lost confidence since separating from his friends, unable to make his mark as an academic. And Zofia is ready to quit so she can be with her dying sister . . . until Séverin convinces her otherwise.

As in The Gilded Wolves, the strengths here for me are the diversity of the group, who each come from different races, different countries, different classes, and different religions. Their disparate talents and ways of thinking mean that they can each contribute a unique strength to the group--and, of course, their magical talents are different, as well. The world here is one of a series of magical houses, unified in asserting their own superiority but also in competing against each other for new treasures and wealth and prominence, and each of the protagonists wants (or needs) something from the ruling class who runs the houses.

There’s a cinematic quality to so many scenes within the novel--I love the different locations that Choskhi imagines so beautifully--and I like each of the characters and the personal challenges each is undergoing, as well. Shifting between the four points of view works well for me. I did wish for more from Séverin’s sections. I empathized with his grief, which has made it difficult for him to interact with his friends the way he used to, but I didn’t completely believe the personality change he underwent, and I wanted more from his chapters, which were my least favorite. I found Laila, Enrique, and Zofia each to be more believable and more nuanced.

Overall, Roshani Chokshi’s The Silvered Serpents is a compelling story, a worthy sequel to The Gilded Wolves.

This book is a masterpiece! A literal rollercoaster of emotions! So much angst! So much longing!

Being a Roshani Chokshi book, I was expecting nothing less, but The Silvered Serpents hurt me in ways that I never deemed imaginable.

The Silvered Serpents is a book that truly defies the laws of "Second-Book Syndrome". Every single expectation that Chokshi created with The Gilded Wolves, was completely obliterated in this book, (in a good way, obviously) and I can't believe that I was scared to start this book! Given, my nerves were more about how much Chokshi would play with my heartstrings, and those nerves were 100% valid because, by the end of the book, I felt way too much to ever sum up in one review!

While the first book was more a heist and this one is more a treasure hunt, every aspect that was touched upon in the first book was revisited here, including *that* death, and the issues of colorism, colonialism, and racism. And I specifically loved how no part seemed like it was pushed aside for another. The balancing of light-hearted banter and darker, more pressing matters was impeccable, and I don't think that I was bored at all.

Unlike The Gilded Wolves, however, the majority of The Silvered Serpents takes place in Russia, during the Winter Conclave. Now with maintaining the setting, all while making sure that the history of the time or place isn't compromised is a really difficult job, but The Silvered Serpents is brilliant at avoiding info-dumps, which are really common in Historical Fiction/Fantasy. In continuation of the Historical aspect, anachronisms are unnoticeable, which goes to say, there may be none at all. While the races of the characters may not have been given as much freedom in that time period as is shown, that is not a viable basis to make a claim upon, especially since Chokshi merely does that to give minorities some representation. All in all, this book is a magical read and raised the roof on my expectations. Dare I say, I think it's even better than the first!

At its core, The Silvered Serpents is an epic journey toward discovering the very definition of what makes us human and the importance of love, acceptance, and hope within that definition.

What I loved

I love the depth of the main characters whose very flaws make them endearing and life-like. I particularly find Laila intriguing with the mystery of how she came to be. Even her proper name is unknown. Was she born or created? Does that even matter? She is the real enigma that her stage name implies, but what I enjoy about her the most is her heart. None of the other main characters have a heart as big as Laila's, and she shows it through her loyalty, determination, and ability to notice the small details that other people tend to overlook. She is the very essence of humanity, and her life is on the line as foretold that she would die by her 20th birthday.

The other characters are also brilliant and deserve mention. Severin is the leader of the group of adventurers. He lost his mother and the man he knew as his father at a young age and was raised, in turn, by the seven deadly sins. I'm not sure if this is actual or metaphorical, but the impact is the same. Severin has deep, deep scars that have not fully healed and may never fully heal. His determination to find the salve that will fix leads him on the adventures that make up this trilogy.

Enrique is a man who is desperate to find his place in academia or just in the world. He knows the cold hard hand of racism being half Filipino in a time when 'human zoos" held Filipinos for viewing.

And last but not least, Zophia. She is Jewish in a time when antisemitism has taken hold and faces bigotry as a result. She demonstrates many symptoms seen in people with autism. She is brilliant at science with a forge ability in metals, but she does not understand emotion or subtle social cues. This rounds out the cast of characters who are the main protagonist, but the support characters don't disappoint.

I love the setting of The Silvered Serpent – The Sleeping Palace, which is a beautiful hidden palace in snowy Siberia owned by the Fallen House. Full of past horrors and forged objects, the setting is both beautiful and dangerous. The perfect backdrop for the adventure to find The Divine Lyrics – an item that Severin believes will make him a god, and Laila believes will allow her to live beyond the age of 20.

I loved the magic that is not magic. Fragments from the Tower of Babel were buried all over the world, and they give certain people Forging abilities that look like magic from the perspective of this world, but in the world of the novel, "magic is a science that people cannot fathom." Portals, the ability to look and sound like someone else, weapons created from everyday objects is just a small sampling of the magic that's not magic but is fascinating.

I also love the smaller aspects that have a significant impact. The puzzles that must be solved in figuring out how to find the object they seek; they are a fun diversion keeping the story from getting weighed down by the seriousness of the overall journey the characters are on. And the use of the Tower of Babel, which is at the heart of the trilogy. I find the symbolism delightfully original, and it fits perfectly in all aspects of the story.

To Read or Not to Read

Yes – read it and enjoy the unique world where magic is a science, and the Tower of Babel has even a more significant impact than giving creating a variety of world languages.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Going into this book, I didn't expect to like it more than Gilded Wolves. I liked Gilded Wolves, but it wasn't nearly as good as this book. Roshani takes the foundation of book 1, wrapped them in pixie dust, and put it together into an even better story for book 2. I'm honestly shocked.

For starters, I love Severin's development. Not the beginning, because he was definitely going through a lot of grief, but later on. By the end of the book, he reflected the person we see in Gilded Wolves more and it reminded me of how much I missed him. We also have more Enrique and Zofia in this book which makes me SO HAPPY. They're my two favorite characters and getting more time with them made this book for me.

I loved the plot progression too and while there was a drag in the middle a little bit, Roshani always knows how to spice things up and keep it interesting. Enter Eva - I don't like her, but she made the middle parts way more interesting and fun to read.

I'm getting off topic - basically, I loved this book. There wasn't much I disliked and I'm so excited for the third book! I need to know what happens next.

This book is the second book in the Gilded Wolves series.

I think people should give this series a chance because so many people have tried to compare this book with another and they are not the same at all and this series is just so good.

The Silvered Serpents was amazing and I was so excited to see my favorite gang back again on a new mission. They are dealing with their own trauma and the bond of this group has gotten even closer. This book is also a lot darker than the first book as they are dealing with loss and grief and so much more but it only makes this book intense and makes you not want to put it down.

I love how fast pace this book was, how it had me stressed out and wanting more and wanting the best for my faves. I seriously could go on with how much i loved this book and so worth the read.

Thanks Netgalley and Wednesday books for letting me read and review this book early!

The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi was the second book in this treasure hunting series, The Gilded Wolves, that tackles also social issues. The first book concentrated mostly on world building but here the character development really shines. I loved how much growth was displayed by all. There were some shocking discoveries and the build up for the next in the series is insane!

This is the second book in the Gilded Wolves series. I completely thought this was a duology and was VERY shocked at the cliffhanger ended I ran right into!

The story picks up shortly after the end of the last book where the team is trying to move forward with the new state of the world after Tristan’s death. This book takes a much darker turn than the first, and while it moved slower and had less action I found I still enjoyed it. It was pretty typical of a second book in a series where we have met the main characters and the world and now we are building up to a finale.

Chokshi created beautiful imagery and very unique places and things that I cant say I have read in any other books. I would love to go into more details but it would totally spoil it and trust me you want to read it through! I will say that some of the “reveals” were predictable but the setting and the characters still made for a good read. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series to see what happens next and if I will ever be put out of my misery on some of the romance storylines I want to happen so bad!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of Silvered Serpents in Exchange for my honest opinion.

It’s been over two weeks since I finished The Silvered Serpents and I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. This book is breathtaking. The setting, the mood, the characters — my heart aches for Séverin! — everything is woven together beautifully. Even if The Gilded Wolves wasn’t your favourite, The Silvered Serpents is well worth your time. Eagerly awaiting the next book!

First of all, thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Net Galley for an eARC of The Silvered Serpents!

I read Gilded Wolves thanks to receiving it in a book box last January, and absolutely loved it! I've been looking forward to Silvered Serpents for some time, now!

Unfortunately, I kind of struggled through this one. Now, I should mention that with the nature of this book, it's probably best to reread Gilded Wolves before diving in, or to read it immediately after! I struggled through bits, and we really don't get sort of recap (which I don't normally like, but it might have been nice for this!)

The beginning was intriguing, but I really got lost in the middle. There was so much going on, I seriously struggled through it. I ended up really enjoying the ending, but now I have to wonder if it was worth it! I think I've going to give the audiobook a go once it's out, to try to figure out how I feel about this one. It was just kind of disappointing, and I've really been looking forward to this one for some time!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC, this one was available under the Read Now section. Dare I say, I loved this more than the first book. The Silvered Serpents is packed with Roshani’s lush worldbuilding, rich mythologies, history, cultural identity, and characters that you will root for. Enrique and Laila have all my heart. Our band of misfits have to deal with grief and betrayal for their “one last job”.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.

After the tragic loss suffered by Séverin and the team at the end of The Gilded Wolves, it’s no surprise that at the beginning of this book they are fractured - even more broken than previously.

However, they regroup and head to Russia in search of an artifact that grants it’s possessor God-like powers, but it’s a dangerous mission and they’re not the only ones seeking the artifact.

Love, friendship and trust are precious, what would you be willing to give up?

PS if you don’t do well with thrilling, cliff hanger endings, oh forget it, you know you need to read this book and are prepared to wait for the next one! Enjoy.

I wasn't blown away by "The Gilded Wolves," the first in this YA fantasy trilogy. But as I liked it more than Chokshi's other books I've read and the cast of characters was compelling, I decided to keep going with the series. Well, I have, and...I don't think I liked this one any better? Maybe worse? And yet I still will probably read the third? I'm not sure what this says about me as a reader or about the trilogy itself. Me, probably a completionist. The trilogy, something about it must be intriguing enough to keep me invested. 

Things have kind of fallen apart for our crew after the dramatic events at the end of "The Gilded Wolves." Each on their own, each has been trying to make their own way in the world, feeling cut-off from the rest. But when a lead on "The Divine Lyrics," the magical book at the heart of Severin's (and Laila's) quest, finally comes to light, Severin brings them back together for one last adventure. Into the heart of the north and through mysteries new and astounding, the crew must once again bring each of their unique skill sets to hand in order to pull of this last job. But, of course, nothing goes as planned and a darker price is waiting than any of them could have imagined. 

So, a lot of the problems I had with the first book (and with this author in general) were still present here, unfortunately. There's something about her style of writing that I struggle with. On one hand, there's the turns of phrase that seem to be written more because they sound beautiful and poetic rather than the fact they convey any actual image. The titles, for example, of both of these books doesn't seem to really connect directly to much in the story. But they sure sound pretty! Most of the time it didn't bother me too much, but there were definitely other times when I would re-read a sentence and be like "Sure...sounds nice...but...what?" And that confusion carries over to my second struggle with the writing. 

While the author does a good job with characterization for the most part and clearly has a bunch of unique fantasy ideas. She's not lacking in imagination on either front. But when it comes to the actual description of locations, objects, and how they interact with each other...it's just not good. There were entire locations (where the book spent a significant amount of time) that I couldn't describe to you. There was an entire action scene that was a blur of movement, and by the end, again, I couldn't tell you what exactly had happened. The writing looks pretty on the front of things, but it too often failed at its most basic requirement: conveying ideas clearly. 

I also struggled with the plot itself. The mystery was both at times not clear at all (Severin and his cohort would jump through leaps of logic that were either impossible to follow or just totally unbelievable that anyone would connect those dots). And at other times so bizarrely obvious that I couldn't be less impressed when AHA! the reveal finally came and Severin and his crew were just oh, so clever for putting it together. 

And, sadly, on top of all of this, my favorite part of the first book, the characters, was a let-down here as well. They're all still interesting enough, but man, this was a glum book. Severin was practically unrecognizable, and his decisions were, again, hard to buy at times. As for the rest, they all seemed to become more and more caught up with unnecessary secret keeping that served no other purpose than to stir up more drama. It was just all kind of sad and tiring. 

And yet...I'm probably going to finish out the story. For one thing, this book mostly felt like a place hold and necessary vehicle for the author to get from point A to point B. So while this middle portion of the trip was a let down, I can still be hopeful that it was all to the purpose of getting us somewhere more interesting. I'm not really holding out much hope for the writing to clear up and suddenly become my cup of tea, but I do have hopes that the characters themselves will go interesting places and resolve their own story lines in compelling ways. Fans of the first book are sure to like this one. But if you were on the fence there, you'll probably have similar feelings here. I leave it to you whether it's worth going through it based on only the hope of a well-executed landing. 

Rating 6: Fairly glum and mired in its own "middle-ness" in the trilogy. 

Link will go live 9/30

I loved this book so much! It was the perfect sequel to TGW. My full review is yet to come, but I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone!