This was SO GOOD. I was totally obsessed with The Gilded Wolves as soon as I read it, and I was so happy to have this ARC so that I could dive right in! Although now, the wait for book three is going to be even longer, and after that ending, I don't know how I'm going to make it. There's so much that needs to happen!

It took me a little while to figure out what was going on in this book, mostly because it starts out at a slightly different place than you might expect given the ending of the first book. But once I figured out what had happened in the gap between the books, I was hooked right back into the story again!

Once again, the strength of this series is the characters. I care about them all individually so much, and I absolutely love the group dynamic. It was notably different this book, for, uh, spoiler-y reasons, but it was so interesting to see how everyone was affected. And once again, my favorite is Zofia. I love her so much, and I want to read about her forever. We also got some new really interesting characters in this book! (Slightly spoiler-y note ahead relating to new characters, which I'm not putting in a spoiler tag because I think it could be really important for readers to know going in: I wasn't super thrilled about how the only physically disabled character is kind of more on the villain-ish side. I'm actually really not super sure what she was doing by the end, and I believe that having a disabled character as a villain isn't necessarily bad, but when that's your only physically disabled character...didn't super sit right with me. I'll want to see what happens in book three.)

The plot kept me guessing the entire time. I should have guessed how twisty this would be based on book one, but things still totally caught me off guard. And now book three is so far away! I'm really excited to see how everything is wrapped up, and I can definitely see this becoming one of my all-time favorite series.

"Returning to the dark and glamorous 19th century world of her New York Times instant bestseller, The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi dazzles us with another riveting tale as full of mystery and danger as ever in The Silvered Serpents.

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

Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost - one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God.

Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.

As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.

A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job."

I really still want to read the first book it's got to be around here somewhere, I think I got it in an OwlCrate...

Suffers quite a bit from second book in a trilogy syndrome, in that the plot is not even kind of resolved at the end of the book even with a big reveal at the end. The twists and reveals of the villains were rather obvious, but it's tough to introduce new characters, so I guess it's done well enough, and there's room enough for redemption of one of them if desired. Otherwise, if you enjoyed the first, you'll enjoy the second. The diversity and themes of colonialism are just as strong here.

Best read of 2020.
I can't even say anything more.
The story arc and the ending. I really want to what happens next but got wait.
Also the character development was so phenomenal.
I loved how the author crafted this wonderful story.

This book picks up right where we left off and it is a ride. The book is faster and has bigger events than the first book making it much easier to read. If you love villains -like I do- you will probably enjoy this book. Would recommend this for fans of Six of Crows.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I love this series. There are SO many things about this series that work for me. I like the puzzles, the history, the setting, the characters!!! Ah! They are wonderful! The characters are diverse and robust. Their personalities and motives are so refreshing. They feel real and tangible and just so lovable. The characters are what make this book great. The overall storyline is also really enchanting.

I must say that the cliffhanger ending gutted me, but it was done in a way that I’m not mad. The last time I read a cliffhanger I was really irritated because I felt like it didn’t resolve well. This novel, however, I feel like I can accept the suspense.

This one hurt me physically because at the last few chapters I was screeching, so now my voice needs rest.
Basically, in the silvered serpents, we follow the characters as they move on to their next quest of finding The Divine Lyrics. Each one of them wants to find it to achieve some goal they have their eyes on.
Like the first book in this series, Roshani's writing did not disappoint. Her descriptions of the mesmerizing sights in this book were clear and vivid. The way she portrayed the character's emotions gets to you, even for characters you didn't care about at first. But I love these characters with all my heart and frankly, I'm scared. Because unlike the first book, this one is darker and heavier and I can't help but feel like that will only increase in the third book.
Now, there was a period where I thought that the characters felt dumb compared to their problem-solving in The Gilded Wolves. Turns out they were just doing their best. There were some things that were obvious, they shone as bright as a dome under the sun [if you know you know] but that ending is unforgettable.
I'm fully invested in this series and I believe it deserves better recognition from YA readers.

I had such a good time coming back to this world with The Silvered Serpent. I loved the characters and it was lovely to read their POVs again. The writing flowed rather smoothly and it was wonderful to be introduced to this new story through different perspectives. The novel did have a rather heavy atmosphere, though, as it did not shy away from dealing with what happened in the previous book. Basically, everyone was sad and miserable all the time \o/

The way the mystery was presented and approached made it so I didn’t mind the sadness? The stakes were much higher this time than in the first book. It was really interesting to read about the characters working together and combining their strengths while being sort of at odds with each other due to grief they were all feeling.

My problem here was that, aside from the main group, we only really had 2-3 fully developed and relevant characters throughout the story? So all of the twists during the final half were incredibly obvious. There was no suspense because there simply weren’t enough people around to reveal themselves to be the villain. You could guess who they were from a mile away.

I also really really majorly disliked the ending. It was a huge cliffhanger and left the main plot conflict without any sort of resolution whatsoever. I could have given this a pass if at least one subplot was resolved, but that didn’t happen at all. It only added more issues and twists without bothering to close any of the plot points developed throughout the novel. It made me so angry that I’m not sure if I’ll pick up the next book despite really liking 80% of this one.

A satisfying sequel to one of my favorite reads last year! The Silvered Serpents delivers on all the elements I love in young adult fantasy. An intriguing plot, interesting characters with a dash of romance, mystery, action and adventure this book is not to be missed. Roshani Chokshi has written a sequel just as engaging and entertaining as it’s predecessor.

This highly satisfying sequel to The Gilded Wolves finds the crew of L'Eden still reeling from the death of one of their own. Scattered across Paris, it seems unlikely that the group will ever come together again as they once did. That is, until they are contracted to recover the lost treasure of the Fallen House, which is rumored to contain a magical book that might just be the answer to all their problems.

Chokshi's flawless world-building will delight readers as it extends all the way to Siberia. Loss has forced her characters to evolve, and not always for the better. They'll have to deal with dissension and heartbreak within their own ranks, while new foes try to tear them apart.

My only complaint is that I have to wait until next year for the third book!

4 Stars and a bottle of jam (Original Rating - for the story)
3 Stars (after much contemplation- for the south Indian rep) - August 22, 2020

Reasons for why I reduced the rating - While I love the characters, Laila's representation confuses me to no end. Full disclosure, I live in Chennai which is a little over 3 hours from Pondicherry where Laila is said to be from. Both places are in the state of Tamil Nadu and while Chennai is the capital, Pondicherry is an Union territory. Also let's remember this is a historical fiction fantasy set in 1889.

Laila is said to be a native of Pondicherry but literally the only thing that nods towards this is the fact that she knows Bharatanatyam, a classical dance indigenous to Tamil Nadu. Everything else about Laila makes her seem like someone from the northern or northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent.

The native tongue she slips into every now and then is Hindi (she uses words such as jaadugar which means magician in Hindi) and she knows the story of Laila and Majnun which is a Persian story. The story came to India through the Mughals but a person living in South India wouldn't know about the story in 1889. As a South Indian, my mother even today doesn't know who Laila and Majnun are. I know only because of popular culture. There are multiple other instances but these were the ones that stood out to me

In TGW I was giving the whole thing the benefit of the doubt because to me it wasn't very clear if Laila was from Pondicherry. One could assume she only went to Pondicherry but with TSS, I was sure Pondicherry is her native.

I do really like this trilogy and can't wait for the third book. I like the plot and all the character dynamics and I adore the writing style. Plus I have huge respect for Roshani Chokshi for being a pioneer is bringing Indian mythology to mainstream YA. But as an Indian, especially a South Indian I wouldn't recommend the book as having a good or accurate South Indian rep. (I can't speak for the accuracy of other reps in the book though.)

We once again join Severin and his crew on a dangerous mission. They’re all handling the loss in different ways and it’s fractured the bond between them. This time they’re in pursuit of a book that promises to solve all their problems.

Severin has decided that he cares so much about the others that he’s going to treat them terribly, especially Laila. Laila remains a tragic figure as her death date is rapidly approaching and her only hope is the book she’s been searching for forever. Of course Severin doesn’t know this and she refuses to tell him when he’s decided to be an ass. Severin is overall hard to like in this one. We get a lot more detail about his past and find out why they really moved around so much. Which might make him sympathetic if he wasn’t being miserable. I understand grief is a terrible thing but it’s still frustrating to read his reaction. His friends don’t deserve the treatment. The side sort of love triangle also continues to be frustrating.

Overall I did enjoy it. The ending makes up for some of the frustrating middle. The history woven in is once again fantastic. If you enjoyed the first book I don’t think this will be a disappointment. This review was written in exchange for an ARC on NetGalley.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday book.

This book took everything I loved about the first one and made it so much more epic. The stakes feel so much higher in this one and yet somehow my appreciation is even more deepened for the things set up in the first book.

So basically our dude Sev gets the gang back together to look for a book that will basically set them up for life.

They all have their reasons for wanting it and that's great and all but a lot of the book is also colonialism and grief and while that may not sound intriguing to a lot of folks, the way it's weaved so easily into the soul of this series it really really is.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC of The Silvered Serpents in exchange for an honest review.

I've been sitting on reading The Silvered Serpents for a while now. According to NetGalley, I downloaded my copy in August of last year. I honestly had every intention of reading it right away. I loved The Gilded Wolves and the ending had me desperate to find out what happened to these beloved characters next. However, when the release date for Silvered Serpents was pushed back I didn't want to read it too early and forget everything by the time the final installment comes out. Then suddenly it was a month before it was due to release so I had to get reading!

I had just as much fun reading this book as I did the first! In this book, we trade out the heist novel of The Gilded Wolves for a gripping treasure hunt where the cost of failure could be Laila's very life! One of my favorite parts of Chokshi's writing is how unbelievably beautiful she makes everything. Everything is always described in such haunting detail that I can place myself in a scene easily. Her imagination creates the most intriguing settings and every time we enter a new one I lose my breath all over again. I still love the magic system of Forging and I loved that we got to see some more types of Forging in this installment.

I don't want to get too into the plot details of this book for spoilers but I felt like we got some good development for our main characters (though some of them were incredibly frustrating the whole book!) I also loved uncovering some secrets and learning the answers to a few of the questions I've had since the first book. There were a few not quite twists but reveals that felt like they were supposed to be more shocking than they actually were but the clues for them were quite obvious from the get-go. That said I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the final installment!

I unfortunately had to dnf this book about 100 pgs in, the story and characters werent sticking with me. I felt like I was forcing myself to continue reading it and not really enjoying it.

A fabulous sequel to The Gilded Wolves. I loved book 1 and book 2 was every bit as good. I wish there would be a book 3.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review may contain spoilers so read at your own risk.

The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi is phenomenal. Infinitely better than the first one and I devoured it in three days. I fell in love with almost all the characters (it took me a long time to love Severin with his whole I need to be a god to protect people phase and I could not stand Laila still because she is always whining about something).

Enrique and Zofia are my two new favourite characters because the way they interact is priceless and I wanted to wrap them in bubblewrap and place them high on a shelf so the author could not hurt them. Enrique had me at the going into a volcano and coming out wanting chocolate and marshmallows (a boy after my own heart) and when he struggled to protect Zofia because he was all "not her" I was dying and in a puddle wanting to hug and stash them away somewhere. Hypnos is still a favourite because he is unabashedly himself in a world where people frown upon who he is.

Kudos to the author for having such a diverse group of characters and I never saw the twists coming. Not with the Muses or the Doctor.

This book hurt but it was magical and it immersed me wholeheartedly into the story. There were still a couple of inconsistencies but nothing that took away from the story. It was better than the first book because in the first one I forgot so many times that we were supposed to be in Paris, but with this one it was hard to forget because the author added details and reminded you of where you were. It was also a lot more diverse in settings, which I adored and now I need to read the third book. I need to know what happens.

500 out of 5 stars.

Highly recommend.

It's rare that a second book outpaces the first- this one did. I love The Gilded Wolves and wasn't sure where the story would love us this time. I was not disappointed at all. The imagery, fast-paced plot, and the characters all kept me riveted. I wish I could use it for our teen book club, but we don't do sequels.

I read book one of this series, The Gilded Wolves, last year and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to have a chance to read book two a bit early. And I’m so happy to say that The Silvered Serpents is one of those books that will stick with me for quite a while and for good reasons.

As a fan of serial stories, I know that the second book in a series is sometimes a bit of a letdown, just a filler between the book that sucks you in and the ultimate climax of the storyline. For me, that was so not the case here. I actually liked The Silvered Serpents even more than The Gilded Wolves.

The feels in this book are fairly severe. I really liked the characters in book one, but I grew to love them (even though I wanted to smack Séverin) in book two. Chokshi did a magnificent job of fleshing them out and giving them heart. I even liked some of the “bad” guys, which shows how intricately they are all crafted.

If I want to read a book again or if I’m desperate to know what will happen in the next book in a series, I will give the book five stars, and The Silvered Serpents absolutely fits that bill. I hope that book three comes out soon, because I need to know!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
The Silvered Serpents is set to be released into the wild on September 22, 2020. Be sure to read The Gilded Wolves first, however, or you’ll probably be lost in the narrative (which is so wonderfully done, that might not be a bad thing…), and preorder your copy today!

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this novel for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own!

Mixed feelings about this one. I'm going to include a disclaimer that I listened to the first in the series on audio and then had this as an ebook, and sometimes it's difficult for me to follow a story when I make that shift.

If you like a lot of angst in your stories, then you're really going to enjoy this. I, personally, like angst as part of a dish, but not the dominant flavor across a whole meal. In The Silvered Serpents, it is unrelenting. Everyone is totally torn up all the time, and nothing ever looks better. That made this a bit challenging for me to get through.

Zofia and Enrique kept me reading. Their POVs, while still angsty, kept their heads above the waters enough that I could enjoy being inside their heads -- and I find them both utterly charming, particularly Enrique. Laila and Severin in this book were a slog. It is a perhaps realistic depiction of what grief can do to someone's functioning, but that doesn't always lend itself to an engaging story.

I enjoyed the magic and mystery quite a bit, but it leaves off in a rather maddening place. Not even a cliffhanger so much as an unspooled thread that's been left untidy.

(Also, I know this is a nitpick but — Lake Baikal is next to the Baikal Mountains. The Urals are over two thousand miles away. The error would be less glaring if it weren’t frequently repeated throughout the book. Where was the editor on that one?)