*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of The Silvered Serpents in exchange for this review!

I love some of the characters in this series. After finishing this second book, Zofia is definitely my favorite and Enrique comes in as a close second favorite. Both of these characters were so great (and relatable in some ways) that most of the highlighting I did was in the chapters with their point of views. While all of the characters and settings were written very well and with so much detail, the plot and the puzzle solving/adventure aspect of the story fell a bit short. Some things were a bit obvious to me. While that doesn't always take away from a story for me, this one felt a little drawn out in some places because of the lack of thinking or puzzle solving that myself as a reader needed to do.

C.M. Karys Rating: 5 Stars

Hello As The Book Ends readers! You may be wondering why there was a change of regime for this review. Allow us to explain. We are Chiara and Maria, two sisters from Italy with a passion for books. Reading them, writing them—you name it. We both run Bookstagram accounts (_ckarys and _mkarys on Instagram for those of you who are curious), and we’re currently in the copyedits phase of our first to-be-published New Adult fantasy book, Ilahara (which we write with the author name of C.M. Karys).

A few months ago, we read The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi and fell head over heels in love, which is why when our good pal Erin asked us to guest review an earc of the sequel, The Silvered Serpents, our answer was a very calm “yes”. *insert sounds of lie detectors going haywire*

Our opinions sometimes differ, but not with The Silvered Serpents, so this is going to be an easy review to write.

The story picks up shortly after the events of The Gilded Wolves, with all the pain, heartbreak and angst that entails. Tristan is dead, Laila is dying, Enrique and Hypnos are in a relationship that may or may not be destined for doom, Zofia struggles with some complicated feelings. Through it all, a grieving Séverin is being an absolute prick (somehow making Chiara love him even more.)

It was interesting to step into a world that was extremely familiar and yet so much darker. Conflict ruled the narrative, both within the individual characters and in the relationships. Love, friendship, loyalty—everything was strained to a breaking point. The character development was incredibly done, and every member of the L’Eden group comes of out this book with new secrets, new revelations, new layers, making them incredibly real, relatable and just overall lovable.

A weaker book would have suffered our busy schedule and editing exhaustion, but Roshani Chokshi’s incredibly lush writing carried us through and kept us on the edge of our seats through every discovery, twist and turn. We will be honest, we thought the story was headed in a certain direction, but come the end of the book, everything we believed was turned against us and delivered one hell of a shocking finale. If you thought The Gilded Wolves was heartbreaking…this is worse. So much worse.

Naturally, this sequel could get no less than 5 glorious stars from both of us. We’re anxiously waiting for the book’s release in September to devour it again and we’re already counting down the days until the third book. Or at least an arc because the pain is real.

Hello darkness, my old friend...What am I supposed to do with myself now? Ooof, this book scarred me. This book is looking back upon the first book and saying, "Oh, my sweet summer child!" Or maybe I am just saying that to the past me who read the first book. I loved the first book. I love this one too. I was just not emotionally prepared for the turmoil this second book would put me through.

You know I really thought I had this book all figured out and, let's say, congratulations to me for guessing 25% of this correctly! I know, super impressive. Of course it all ends on a cliffhanger as well so now I will just be agonizing over all that happened until the final book in this series. I need to go do some yoga, drink some tea and go relax because this read has wrecked me. Have I emphasized this enough? If you care about these characters, prepare to be wrecked.

If you loved the first, I am fairly sure you will love this one too. If you just liked or thought the first was ok, give this one a try because I think it might just surprise you. When you finish you can then join me in the anxious wait for the next book!

So, where to begin?! I have so many emotions and thoughts right now after completing this book!

First off I should say that every issue I had with The Gilded Wolves was fixed with The Silvered Serpents. I much preferred the cohesive information, and more linear plot in this sequel. I felt that the story was given more room to breathe and to unfold more naturally this time around. The background history was not overdone, nor confusingly presented. The tidbits of information aided to the story, and gave a nice historical element to enhance the treasure hunting plot. My inner Indiana Jones was so happy!

My favorite, and most redeeming thing, about The Gilded Wolves are the characters. Here, they are given even more room to shine, and for the reader to adore them more. Zofia’s chapters really were exceptional, and I think her POV really shows the reader how the mind of a brilliant, kind, and interesting person on the spectrum operates. I love how her character depicts so many who are under represented in YA Adventure, and in rare first person POV nonetheless.

Chokshi successfully created a different mood with this book after the loss that occurred at the end of the last. From Paris to Russia, the new cold location echoed the loss and bitterness of the story, which begins right after The Gilded Wolves leaves off. One last treasure hunt, one last chance for redemption.

I loved the ending, and the questions it left for the reader. I’m very excited to see where the plot and characters go from here. I also have to comment about the writing because my copy was so excellent and it was uncorrected!

The gang is back at it again! After the devastating loss that the first book leaves you with, The Silvered Serpents picks up right away in the midst of the upheaval that has broken our poor little family apart. With more action, puzzles, and villainous mischief, Roshani has stepped up the intrigue.
I loved the history wound with the mythology throughout the story. There is just enough to keep your brain working as you try and solve the clues laid out right along with Séverin and the other.
I do wish that there was more character development involved. A couple more snippets are shared about each ones past, but overall I did not feel much growth from The Gilded Wolves.
The plot was a tad slow for me a in few spots, but overall another fun adventure to be a part of, with a tantalizing cliffhanger.

This book is simply marvellous! I really enjoyed reading this book because I literally felt immersed in the story. This book is about Séverin and his teammates who have successfully and courageously stopped the Fallen House. However, triumph came in an exchange for their inner peace. Séverin has been desperate to make amends so he searches for a dangerous lead to find a long lost artefact that is said to awards its owner the power of God. And so, their hunt begins, attracting them far from Paris and into the icy heart of Russia. The place where crystalline ice animals hunt misremembered mansions, broken goddesses that carry lethal secrets and a string of unsolved homicides makes them doubt whether an antique myth is a myth after all. It was a fun read, I loved Séverin's determination to find this artefact. The author made me feel the chill of Russia and the excitement of the adventures of Séverin. I am sure this book will definitely be a success because it keeps the reader with the excitement from page one. I thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me a copy of this incredible book in exchange for my honest review.

Oh boy…! This was a rollercoaster of emotions! I was basically a mess after I finished. I needed the next book, like yesterday! The writing and prose were as beautiful as always and I had such a fun time reading this.

The Silvered Serpents starts straight where The Gilded Wolves left off, with the crew devastated and still grieving. Until Severin decides to unite the group with one more heist. Dun dun dun…

I loved the new setting of this book, instead of Paris, we are transported to Russia. The landscapes and descriptions were so lush and vivid. The sequel was a lot more eerie and darker than the first and I enjoyed the direction Chokshi took.

The characters were amazing, as always. Chokshi touched further on the crew’s backstories and their inner turmoil and feelings. She does a great job at this because I felt for every single character and they all hold a special place in my heart. Along with the initial crew, I liked the introduction of new characters. They were complex and you don’t know what to make of them.

In terms of the plot, it was fast-paced and gripping. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, fearing for all my beloved characters. However, I did find that the pacing lagged a bit towards the middle but it picked up really quickly!

Overall, I enjoyed this sequel so much! It was so heartbreaking and heartfelt - I was an emotional mess. I can’t recommend this series enough!

I know I will be in the minority of readers and I really, really tried with The Silvered Serpents, I did, but...I just did not love it. It was a surprise to me too, as I loved The Gilded Wolves and went to GREAT lengths to procure a advance reader copy of TSS. I really became invested in the characters in TGW and was highly engaged in the story from beginning to end.

The Silvered Serpents find Severin, Laila, Enrique, Hypnos and Zofia off to Russia to follow the clues that will help them find The Divine Lyrics. They find a hidden ice palace full of statues of girls with their hands cut off, ice sculpted animals guarding the rooms, a metal leviathan that appears and disappears daily, all beckoning them to come unlock their many secrets.

The tone of The Silvered Serpents was much darker, which based on the final events of TGW was somewhat inevitable, but I felt there was too much disconnection between the characters, each locked in their own grief and unable to truly come together to help each other manage it. I felt a lot of the characters dilemmas were continually rehashed or retold in a different way, but still ultimately only incrementally moving the narrative forward. And poor Hypnos, does no one see the pain they cause this poor young man as they continually shun and exclude him from truly being part of their inner circle.

I KNOW second books are hard. The author can only give so much away as they have to save all the big reveals for the final installment. I finally became re-engaged in the final chapters and will definitely finish this series. Chokshi is a gifted writer, I look forward to more of her work. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review.

4.5 stars

This was an excellent sequel to the gilded wolves, Roshani Chokshi continues to amaze with her gorgeous prose and loveable characters. One of my favourite things about this book was the atmosphere/setting - in the book we are travelling to russia/siberia and wintery enviroments are just my favourite thing to read about especially with Chokshi magical lyrical writing really adding to the atmosphere.

The characters are also a big highlight of this book for me, each POV character we follow has their own struggles to work through in this book, as well as working together for the over-arching plot. Our 5 mains are working together to try and hunt down a magical book called the divine lyrics which will grant them various wishes, all wanting it for different reasons. Their journey is filled with various twists and turns and some mysterious new characters who we are not sure whether to trust or not.

Severin - is struggling with grief in this book and you can really see the consequences it is having on him, he has become very distant and refuses to get close to anyone, while still caring about his friends he thinks the best thing for them is to maintain distance. I do think sometimes Severin is overly angsty/moody, but this didnt take away from the story for me.

Laila - I love Laila's character and how she mothers the other by bringing them food and such, in this book she is trying to come to terms with the new severin and the old one she new as well as keeping various secrets including the real reason she wants the divine lyrics.

Zofia - Zofia is one of my favourites characters and in this books she is struggling with wanting to do things for herself/not relying on others, it was really nice to see her arc in this book as she becomes more confident in herself.

Enrique - Is my favourite character (I just love his general bookworminess and how much he loves food) and in this book we really see him wanting to be heard but feel like no one is listening, leading to some tension with the other characters. I also really liked all of his and zofia interactions, their banter and how much they care about each other is adorable.

Hypnos - while we don't get his POV we see through the other characters eyes how much he wants to fit in/belong and how his exeruberant exterior hides a lot of insecurities, i loved finding out more about his character in this book, even if he did treat my baby enrique badly.

I also really enjoyed the themes explored in this book including the many different faces love can take/the different ways people have of expressing their affection, how on the surface it may not look like love but the characters actually have the best of intentions at heart. This lead to a very stressful ending and needless to say i'm highly anticipting book 3!!!

The Silvered Serpents is the stunning sequel to the Gilded Wolves! Changed by the events of their last adventure, all of the characters now struggle to carry on as they once did. When the group is forced to work together again, nothing is the same as it once was. Unbeknownst to all, this mission is more than it seems. It’s a joy to re-visit the group as they tackle one last job. The Silvered Serpents is spellbinding, a story with a darker shift in tone compared to book one. This makes sense since the characters have lost friends, broken hearts, and possess compelling secrets that weigh heavily on them.

The descriptions are beautiful and absolutely transported me to another world. The story is gripping, with intricate details, plenty of laughs, and new characters with hidden motivations. The writing will make you laugh aloud and simultaneously marvel at the way certain sentences are composed like a beautiful symphony. I love the fantastic representation and portrayal of complex characters. Laila remains my favorite! I couldn’t put this down and already can’t wait for book three after that ending!! The Silvered Serpents releases September 22, 2020. Thank you to Roshani Chokshi, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As decadent and thrilling as the first volume. The team reassembles for a deadly artifact hunt of the book called The Divine Lyrics. But time is running out for one of their friends and so many truths are about to be unmade.

Expect another adventure in book 3.

Spoiler free opinions: I absolutely adore this ensemble cast and I can’t help but wish for them to succeed. One character in the last book did something that I felt was unforgivable and this book they continue to disappoint. I’m not sure I buy that sometimes love wears the face of a monster. I didn’t like how they injured their friends in the most personal and painful of ways. I’m sure book 3 will be their redemption arc, but as a reader, I don’t know if I can forgive them for treating their friends so badly (even for a dubiously “good” reason). Still, the story is so fun and the rest of the cast such a delight that I’m excited to keep reading.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reader's copy.

I went into The Silvered Serpents directly after reading the first book in this trilogy; The Gilded Wolves. While I enjoyed The Gilded Wolves, I somehow managed to love The Silvered Serpents even more. Roshani Chokshi did a fantastic job on this sequel.

The development of the characters in this book was delightful, I loved how Chokshi showed each of our main characters dealing with grief in their own way, it added an extra layer of humanity to them. I found myself equally invested in each of the main characters which can be owed to the multiple character povs. A lot of times for me personally multiple povs don't work for me, but that clearly was not the case here. I wasn't dreading a certain character chapter coming up or counting the chapters until it was time for my favourite character's chapter.

The pacing was well thought out and executed very well. I did however find the ending to feel slightly rushed, I would have loved for the last 10/15% of the book to have been spaced out a bit more. With saying that I still loved the ending and can't wait for the next book.

The group is at it again. After the heartbreak of Tristan, Séverin gathers the others to find the Divine Lyrics. He believes this will bring Tristan back. Each goes, for their own reasons, on this treasure hunt into Russia. Along the way, they pick up Ruslan and the mother Séverin wished had stayed.
Once they find the Silent Palace, they search to find the elusive book. What they find instead is completely different.

This book ends on a cliffhanger. Book three does have a date for publication.

Opinion
What a ride! Emotions run high in just about every aspect of this book. I feel that this book may be better than the first book, if that’s possible. I truly enjoyed the way Ms. Chokshi used language to convey her thoughts. The way she does it is truly an art form.
If you like treasure hunts, intrigue, love or friendship, you will want to pick this book up,
Fair warning though, this is the second book. You will need to read The Gilded Wolves first.
Many thanks to netgalley.com for providing me with an ARC of this book.

My most anticipated sequel of 2020!! Almost cried when I got this arc and now that I've read it, I'm really going to cry. Can't believe I'll have to wait a year for the third book. The Silvered Serpents did justice as a sequel, even if things got more messy. Chokshi's writing is beautiful as always and I loved looking into the team's minds and grasp their emotions after the events in the first book. Thank you for this eARC and I wish the author success with this and future books!!

The Silvered Serpents upped the ante quite a bit from The Gilded Wolves! There was a lot going on - even more secrets, a lot of danger, and some twists I did not see coming.
The characters continued to grow, but their little band was fractured after Tristan's death, and Séverin was too busy with other things to try to glue them back together.
I loved the mystery, and especially the sense of true urgency as the story unfolded. Definite recommendation from me.

"Severin had seven fathers, but only one brother."

I can't even possibly express the thrill I felt when I started reading this book, and finishing it made me wish I already had the third book in my hands. It was that good! After reading The Gilded Wolves last year, and loving it to the point that it became one of my all-time favorite books, I wondered what would the sequel have in store for the characters. And now that I've read it, I can say that Roshani Chokshi didn't disappoint in the slightest. In fast, in my opinion, The Silvered Serpents, by far, suppressed The Gilded Wolves.

In this book the story continues two months after the events of The Gilded Wolves, and the stakes are higher than ever. Severin gathers his team in hopes of finding an artifact that is believed to grant its possessor the power of God. All of them need the hunt to be successful, though all of them have very different reasons for it.

This book was a lot darker than the first, and it explored more about the past of each character, adding a new layer to them, making them seem even more like real people to the reader. The way the tragedy that occurred in The Gilded Wolves fractured the relationships in the group and affected their motivations and actions, was so well executed that there are not enough words of praise for the Author's writing. And I loved how they didn't just brush off the grief that followed them to their hunt in Russia, but instead held it close, letting it creep along the edges of their thoughts and decisions.

Each and every twist and turn that occurred in the story made me gasp out loud. I never once saw any of them coming. All i can say is that it was utterly brilliant.

Something that I also loved about this book were the myths and legends of many cultures that were woven so flawlessly into the story. It had tales of Snegurochka, and of the nine Muses of Greek mythology, among many others. And it all fit perfectly withing the world of The Silvered Serpents.

The ending to the book was frustratingly bitter-sweet, making me beg the gods of publishing for the third book to arrive soon. But like everybody else, I am doomed to wait in agony as I wonder what the third book will have in store.

I would like to say thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for gracing me with an ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

Does contain spoilers for Gilded Wolves!
4.5 stars
I enjoyed this more than the first book. I listened to the first book on audio and the male narrator was horrible. It honestly ruined the male chapters for me even though I enjoyed the book overall. I am so glad I decided to read this one as a physical copy. I was much more invested in the storyline and the characters.
In the first book, I felt like the main character was Severin and the others were kind of side characters even though they had their own POVs. I felt the opposite in this one. It felt like all the other characters were more main and Severin was more side. In the first book I felt Enrique was forgettable, but he was one of my favorite characters in this one. We saw much more of his personality. My other favorite character was Zofia. We got to see so much of her past and her present and she definitely became a new favorite.
This book also deals a lot with the grief people go through after a loved on dies. Tristan's death at the end of the first book pulls this group apart. I think that is an accurate way to show grief. Everyone deals with their grief differently and people end up not as close as they once were because they can't deal with remembering the happier times before that person died.
Even through all this grief, there is so much humor. Several times I found myself laughing out loud at something one of the characters said and that doesn't happen often. Zofia would unknowingly say something funny, Hypnos was hilarious just like in the first book, Ruslan made bald jokes about himself. It was a great way to break up the overlying theme of grief over Tristan.
The plot was so intriguing. The first one gave me definite National Treasure vibes and this one did as well. Finding the Divine Lyrics to said Laila's life, finding the Sleeping Palace, finding the treasure, it was just such an adventure. All the mishaps and mistakes and successes.
The ending has such a twist, just like the first book. Something I wasn't expecting, and also something I had figured out early on. I wonder why I read this early, because now I have to wait even longer for the third book! It ended on SUCH a cliffhanger!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time!! Roshani has such a beautiful writing style that kept a vivid image of each page in my head as I was reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday books for allowing me to receive an ARC of this book!

It picks up right where The Gilded Wolves left off after tragedy strikes the group and they must figure out how to cope. Severin gathers the group for one more heist in Russia in an effort to find a book called the Divine Lyrics that will help him always keep his group of friends safe. While in Russia they encounter hidden palaces, the Order of Babel who hired them to find the book, and crystalline animals.

I absolutely loved this book and it kept me wanting more throughout the whole book! This was everything that a sequel should be and it deals with darker themes and each of the characters are trying to find themselves and reflect on their lives after the loss in the first book. Severin's journey and how he interacts with the other members of his team are the main focus of the book and I thought that the author depicted their issues and struggles perfectly.

This has to be one of my favorite reads so far of 2020 and I can't believe I have to wait another year for the third book to see how their journey concludes!

The Silvered Serpents is a must-read for anyone that was a fan of The Gilded Wolves and enjoys YA fantasies that have themes of adventure, action, love, family and loss.

“Love does not always wear the face we wish...I wish my love had been more beautiful."
While "The Silvered Serpents" took a hard turn from the humorous and heist-filled feel of the first book in the series, the elements that made "The Gilded Wolves" such a pleasurable read are still seen and felt throughout this sequel. The characters just as vivid and strong, more so because we get to see each one deal with their grief surrounding the events of the last book. The new characters were compelling, my only critique being that their motives were fairly easy to predict. The setting is immersive - the ice palace is so vivid at times I felt chilled reading about it. The plot moves along a fast clip keeping you engaged throughout, especially as the puzzle pieces beginning to fall into place. Speaking of puzzles, if you enjoyed that aspect of the first book, you will be pleased to know the sequel is not lacking for more curiosities for the team to figure out along the way. All in all, the elements come together to make a fairly irresistible sequel that does not disappoint.

Picking up almost immediately where "The Gilded Wolves" left off, the L'Eden crew is traveling to Russia in hopes of finding the Divine Lyrics before the Fallen House and under the Order of Babel's noses. Though still working together to achieve their joint goals, in many ways the team is fracturing. They are still reeling from the events which transpired at the end of the first book and each member is coping in their own - sometimes very unhealthy - way. They encounter potential allies and foes along the way and soon everything they thought they new about each other and their quarry is challenged.

The third book in this series cannot come soon enough; I am eager to see how Chokshi wraps up all the loose ends she left us with at the end of this book. I received a galley of this title from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.