After beating the remnants of the Fallen House, the entire team is reeling. Haunted by his brother’s death, Severin finds himself follow clues to find The Divine Lyrics, a legendary book that is rumored to be able to rebuild The Tower of Babel. If such a book were to fall into the wrong hands, suffering, pain, and guilt would vanish and godhood would take over. The clues bring him to the doorstep of the Fallen House’s Sleeping Palace in Russia. Could someone be planning on using the book? Is Fallen House really gone? Has someone picked up where they left off? Complex characterizations draw the readers easily into the story. The plot is well-developed and complex. Full of grief betrayal, adventure, and monsters create an intrigue set of twists and turns that keep the reader turning the page. Readers who like fantasy adventure will enjoy reading this book. However, they will need to read the first book to understand what is going on.

Please note: This was a complementary review copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

Severin misses his brother Tristan despite his flaws. Severin is looking for the sleeping palace where treasures of great power are hidden. Severin wants to become a god and feel no pain which I found wrong on so many levels. Laila is dying and needs the book of divine lyrics in order to live. I love the name Laila. I read the first book and really liked it and wanted to love this one. I tryed to get interested but I was bored by the dialogue and descriptions

There are very few authors that write sequels who know their characters. Roshani Chokshi is one of those writers. While The Silvered Serpents does not pick up right after the ending of The Gilded Wolves the character development that happened is at the forefront of this story. We learn exactly how each of the characters is dealing with their personal loss and this sets up the stage for the choices and events moving forward. Each of the characters makes decisions that are in line with how they all react individually to their grief. I was on the edge of my seat reading waiting to see how everything was going to unfold, I made assumptions, some correct, that had me re-reading certain passages or chapters because I was so invested and could not believe that something had happened. This story pulls you in, eats your heart, and still has you begging for more.

well, this story was so good! i loved how this story was more darker and raw. the characters were all really put through the wringer. this story really showed how all of the characters are "each others' fiercest love."

i don't really want to spoil the plot but this story was so frickin good. i loved that the treasure hunt was more expansive and there was a lot more at stake. we met a few new characters and got to know the previous characters better. the gang is back for an intense heist with the bar set higher than before.

this book left off on a cliffhanger that has me needing book 3 now. i can't wait for the next installment to see what will happen for this group of friends.

↠ 5 stars

a big thanks to netgalley and wednesday books for the ARC!

I rated this book five stars, so as usual this review is more me gushing than me actually saying anything constructive. But I'll do my best to get a little technical anyway.

Our favorite crew is still feeling the aftermath of Tristan's death, and the story starts three weeks before the Winter Conclave takes place. Like the blurb says, the crew has to follow a lead to the mythical Divine Lyrics, a book that would grant the reader God-like powers. If there's anyone who needs this object most, it's Laila, who will die if she doesn't find a solution to her forging problem.

But first, let's talk a little about Séverin. Have y'all read Queen of Air and Darkness? Remember when Julian went full emotionless? So Séverin is kind of like that here, except for some reason it's worse. He's just so darn cold, and he wants to protect his crew so bad, but he doesn't see that the way he's doing it is never going to work.

We see a lot more from the other characters, too. We learn more about the fears and their dreams, and I honestly felt for all of them. All the main characters have their own POV chapters, and never once did I dread reading about a certain character. What this means is that all characters are so well-developed, I like reading about all of them in equal measure. There area also two new important side characters, who are.... interesting, to say the least.

Let's talk a little about world and pace. I think Chokshi has a genuine talent for making scenes come to life in my head, because I could perfectly see everything that happened in this book. Additionally, the pacing of this book was really good. It's medium to fast paced, and never slows down. To hammer down on that point a little more, I read this book nearly in one sitting. I just had to find out more, and know what would happen next.

Lastly, I honestly can't think of anything technical that I didn't like in this book. I didn't like certain side characters, but that's not enough to dock points over. The only thing I can say is that since this is an e-Arc, there were still some mistakes. Tiny errors, but still noticeable. Obviously I won't dock points over that either, since the book still has to go through final edits, but I do hope all the mistakes will be resolved in the final version.

Final thoughts: I seriously loved this book. It flowed so well, and I love where all the character arcs are going. I'm definitely looking forward to the third book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netglley for a free digital ARC.
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After reading book 1 in Juanuary of 2019, I knew I would love these characters for books to come. Book 2 did not disappoint.
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Loved: So much story for all of our characters. Each character shines in their chapters-- minus Severin. The new characters added to the story and did not take away. The overall plot of this book was fantastic and Chokshi's writing is stellar. She is a beautiful story teller. I loved all that we learned at the end, clearly setting up for a book 3.
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Didn't Love: I felt the pacing of the story was off. I am not against a book being over 400 pages, but there were a few times when I felt it dragged a bit. Severin's gloominess was almost too much, which is what slowed this down for me.
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Overall this follow up to The Gilded Wolves was fantastic and I unfortunately now have to wait for book 3...

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

This beautiful, cruel, enchanting book is making me cry. It's breaking my heart and I'm happy and sad and heartbroken and in utter disbelief. How can something so magical and broken and beautiful and terrifying all at once exist? The Silvered Serpents is a masterful creation and I just want this book in my hands so I can read it again.

The Silvered Serpents is a powerful and satisfying sequel that is so, so much more amazing than its predecessor. Which is saying a lot considering the The Gilded Wolves is already a whole lot of amazing. I loved the first book but I have an unhealthy obsession and love for this one. I don't know how Roshani Chokshi does it but her writing is pure magic and brilliance and I LOVE IT.

If I could wrap all my babies Laila, Severin, Tristan, Enrique, Zofia and Hypnos is one big bubble of safety and warm hugs, I would. They all went through so much and I AM FREAKIN' HEARTBROKEN. What the heck am I supposed to do now?!?

Read this in one sitting and my only regret is that I DON'T HAVE BOOK THREE IN MY HANDS. Can we all just skip 2020 and get on to 2021?!

I received an e-arc via Netgalley to read and review.

In The Silvered Serpents, our favorite treasure hunters are set on another heist, taking them away from their home in Paris. Roshani continues to improve as a writer, enticing the reader with luscious details, historical context and anti-colonialism commentary. There's a mythological and fairy tale aspect threaded throughout the story that sets the thematics of the heist and character journeys.

It was wonderful to see these beloved characters again. The interactions with one another allow them to become more emotionally connected, which strengthened the found family dynamic and their development set the stakes higher. Their love for each other ranges from humorous banter to being ride or die.

Not many sequels come back stronger than its predecessor but this book does and it makes the wait for the final book all the more excruciating.

Was not a fan of the first book because of the writing style and the romance, so I won't be reading and reviewing the second book since I most likely won't enjoy it either.

An excellent sequel that sticks the landing. These characters are so wonderfully diverse in many ways, and their love (and sometimes hate) for each other feels real. Loved the historical facts and details that helped solve the central mystery as well.

Lovely follow up to The Gilded Wolves! The story was fast paced and kept me up well into the night! I can’t wait for the 3rd book!

4.5/5 Stars

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for a review!

Pros:
THE YEARNING

Cons:
the yearning

Plot: 4/5

I think TSS was brilliant don’t get me wrong, but it fell slightly victim to the second book a series slump, not much, it just didn’t quite hit the way the first one did.

Pacing: 3/5

It took me ages to finish this book, and as someone who finishes very quickly, it was a struggle to take a long time. That being said though, I think this was more of a product of my own wandering mind at the times I sat down to read this than it was a pacing problem, though the pacing wasn’t enough to keep me engaged and locked in for hours at a time

Worldbuilding: 5/5
Chokshi did an excellent job of expanding on the lore and the world from the first book. Moving the setting from Paris to Russia was a really smart move and also felt totally natural in a way that other books that try similar setting changes don't. The expansion on the pasts of various characters and on the Order itself was all expertly done.

Characters: 5/5
These characters are actually phenomenal. Severin was just... so sad in this one, and the way Laila reads the people around her allows for us as readers to feel like we share a secret with her because we know she’s right about somethings even though she just thinks she's guessing. And the YEARNING between Laila and Severin I actually thought might kill me. Enrique, Hypnos and Zofia I would literally do anything for. I also really liked the expansion on Delphine's character, I always appreciate when who seems like a villain or a side character gets expansion into a fully dimensional person. Likewise I felt the additions of Eva and Ruslan really added to the Russia plot, and the tension between Eva and Laila didn’t feel at all forced the way those antagonistic girl vs girl rivalries sometimes do.

I’d recommend for:
Anyone who liked the gilded wolves, and fans of six of crows as well.

*4.5 stars*
I do like the first one a little bit better but WOW did this deliver on revelations, more mythology, great moments of Zofia, Enrique and Hypnos! Plus the Sleeping Palace had such gorgeous descriptions. I don't like some of Severin's behavior towards Laila though, despite I know he has good intentions for protecting his friends. But he could've tried better with Laila in my opinion. But now I have to wait for book 3 after that ENDING. This author is brilliant and I fully trust the finale will be a great one.

I Adored this book. It had me hooked from page one. Drawing me in and making me feel as if i was there living it myself. It is one of my top reads for this year by far

not surprised at how wonderfully written this books is. im not going to give details on why i did not rate five stars but it mostly have to do with certain characters. other than those characters i loved the book and i thought it was a pretty solid sequel. i can not wait for the final book i know roshani will end it on a satisfying note.

First, how is Roshani Chokshi going to do us like that with the ending?

Second, MY POOR BABIES! All I want to do is to take them away and protect them from all the evil things Roshani is doing to them.

It's no secret that sequels stress me out (especially if there are more books to come in a series) and I usually procrastinate reading them. Let me tell you, The Silvered Serpents lived up to its predecessor and even surpassed it. There was so much action, plot-twists, and angst that I was pulled along until the last page.

What I love most about these books is how much Roshani makes her characters so endearing. Even with Séverin being a lovable idiot for most of the book, I couldn't stop wanting to protect him. I love seeing how much these characters care and fight for each other. They are truly one incredibly complicated family!

Throughout the book, our little gang of misfits is trying to find the elusive Divine Lyrics. For Laila this could mean life or death. With her birthday getting closer and closer, her time is running short to find out if the story is true that she will not live to see past her 19th birthday. For Séverin, this is about avenging Tristan but also preventing anyone else from getting hurt. He wants to use The Divine Lyrics to become a god no matter the consequences. Zofia needs more money to take care of her sick sister Hela and Séverin promises her that he will take care of Hela and that the sisters won't have anything else to worry about as long as Zofia helps in this last heist. Enrique has just faced the embarrassment of the Ilustrados not showing up to his talk and needs to find The Divine Lyrics to prove his worth.

What could go wrong?

Thank you so much to Roshani Chokshi, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Silvered Serpents early. The Gilded Wolves was one of my favorite books of 2019 and I was so excited to receive this arc. Here's to waiting for the third book!

I reread the Gilded Wolves just before reading this one as it had been a while and I'm glad I did. The first thing I noticed about the Silvered Serpents is that it is bleak. The setting - the ice and snow of Russia - was the perfect bleak, harsh backdrop for this story. None of Severin's circle are coping well with Tristan's death - least of all Severin.

Severin was really hard to like in this one. He's so preoccupied with amassing power to protect those he loves that he loses track of what he loves about them in the first place. Laila and Enrique and Zofia and Hypnos are all estranged and wounded too, and the book as a whole showcases a loss of the hope and warmth of friendship and family from the first book.

There are some intriguing new characters - and a mindblowing reveal at the end. The Fallen House's Sleeping Palace is beautiful and dangerous and the treasure hunt has higher stakes than the heist in the previous book. And after that ending, I'm anticipating even higher stakes in the final book.

I loved the descriptions and detail and the well-paced unrolling of events. Chokshi's writing keeps getting better with every book of hers I read. I can't wait for the next book!

[CW: dismemberment, torture, blood Forging, off-screen killings, emotional abuse, alcohol, (possible) panic attacks, antisemitism, racism, suicide of a very minor character, bombing, manipulation]

I love the tagline, "They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope." Upon finishing, I realized just how true it is.

To avoid spoilers for The Gilded Wolves, I am only lightly touching on the plot of this second installment. Séverin is now colder and more distant because of the events in the first book. With the group disbanded at the beginning of the story, Séverin calls Laila, Enrique, Zofia, and Hypnos back together for their newest heist of retrieving The Divine Lyrics. Laila, being Forged, needs the book to stay alive past her nineteenth birthday, but Séverin does not know that. He wants it to make the group powerful.

Again, I am amazed by Chokshi's storytelling and incorporation of multiple cultures as well as identities. Though some world-building aspects were very random, I am hoping to see everything come together in the next book.

There are a lot of secret yearnings going on for one another within the group, and it was somewhat sad to read. Though I cannot seem to care much about some of the characters, I am rooting for Zofia and Enrique. I love their quirkinesses as I share their love for patterns, mathematics, languages, and literatures. I also adore Laila for her softness and resilience.

Being a trilogy, the story arc is very long, and in The Silvered Serpents, the character growths are minimum. All of the mains are extremely stubborn and at times seem to have one-track minds. I internally groan for their lack of communication and repeating careless actions, but they are only human after all.

One thing I find especially intriguing was Laila's making, aka the Forging of her body. Zofia had thought, "Anatomically, the body was a machine whether it was born or built. What lay inside was no different," and I find this as a trans allegory. There was also one mention that Laila wasn't born with the name, but rather chose it for herself. Her father had looked at her with disgust and I see it as a parallel to transphobia and familial rejection. Maybe it is just me, but I think this is something worth considering.

If you enjoy fantasy books with thrilling plot and a group of ethnically diverse friends on a mission, this series is just for you. Though I had expressed that the ending of The Gilded Wolves was painful, nothing has prepared me for the ultimate cliffhanger in The Silvered Serpents. If unresolved main plot makes you anxious, maybe reading the whole series once it has concluded will be better for your heart and your head. I am going to worry about everyone, especially Laila, until the third book is out.

I'm going to keep this review somewhat vague as it's a sequel and you really need to read the first one or else this book will make no sense to you.  I had a really good time with the first book.  Lots of people said it was confusing, but personally I didn't think it was.  I thought the world was really interesting, and I loved the development of the characters and each of their unique voices.  So I was really excited when I was approved for the sequel.

All the things that I loved about the first book were present in the second.  I absolutely loved the characters still, and the multiple points of view included are a real highlight.  I love each and every character that you get a point of view for.  Zofia and Laila are my particular favourites, but I also really enjoyed reading from Severin and Enrique's points of view.

I also still loved the setting.  The historical setting is a really interesting aspect, and I love the juxtaposition of the history and the magical elements.  This book didn't take place in Paris for the most part, except for the set up, but the Russian setting was still really interesting and fun to explore as well.

The overall story took some time to build up, but there was a good sense of suspense as it built to the climax.  There were certain time constraints that put added pressure on our protagonists, which really added to suspense.  It also kept me guessing with who I should be trusting and who was the bad guy.  

I absolutely loved the cliffhanger ending, and all I can say is that I need the next one as soon as possible!

I highly recommend that you check out The Gilded Wolves if you haven't already, and if you have, please pick up The Silvered Serpents when it publishes on September 22nd.

The Silvered Serpents is Roshani Chokshi's sequel to The Gilded Wolves, and while I didn't love The Gilded Wolves I still wanted to give the sequel a try and I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed it. It was both fun and heart-wrenching, with a ending that leaves you wanting the next installment.