I LOOOOOVE when a sequel is even better than the original book. I devour everything by Chokshi, and this book was no different. I actually read through the night and then had to teach and write a response for one of my classes the next morning. Was it a good decision? No. Was it one heck of a thrill ride? You bet. If given the opportunity, I wish I could read this one for the first time all over again. So, so, so good!

St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley are the source of all my joy in this time of unknown.

While Gilded Wolves is a warm sensual adventure in the land of Paris. Silvered Serpents is the chilling and thrilling follow up in the ice covered land of Russia. And let me tell you it shattered my heart like a icicle falling to an unforgiving ground. (Read: GREAT AMAZING IM DYING. ITS FINE)

Picking up a short time after the devastating conclusion of Gilded Wolves, the beginning of the book takes us on a painful journey of healing. Nothing is forgotten and moving forward seems near impossible. There is a hollowness and desperation from all the characters that makes you as the reader feel your heart squeeze.

But what I absolutely love about Roshani Chokshi is that she blends action adventure heartbreak and humor like a forged item that only she can control.

You will be in the middle of a tense moment and a character will have a perfect one liner that will make you laugh aloud and then worry for their safety in the next breathe. Because I love all of them, and no one is ever safe.

There is something so scientific and poetic about the writing too. Many times words were used that I had never heard and then when I realized their meaning saw that they fit perfectly in a tale of this world. A world we’re magic, science and the divine are a tethered chord.

I just finished it and I am uncertain if my blood pressure will ever be the same until the next installment comes into my life.

5/5

The Silvered Serpents is a fitting sequel to the excellent The Gilded Wolves. I enjoyed spending time with all the characters again, and the plot was entertaining and held my attention from start to finish. This is a darker work overall than the first book in the series, but there are still moments of wit and humour along the way. I liked the introduction of some new figures, especially Ruslan, and I turned the final page eager to know what would happen next and how things would conclude. Guess I'll just have to hold on for the release of book three! Highly recommended series for readers who like YA fantasy with the occasional darker twist. A solid 4.5 stars from me.

When I chose this book as an ARC, I did not know that it was book 2 in a series. There are parts that I felt lost in, but the author did a phenomenal job of filling the gaps.
This story was well written, with minimal use of unknown words (there are some). The intertwining of characters and stories was seamless.
I do look forward to the next book!

This book was fantastic!! I couldn’t put it down! It was so intense. So full of mystery and intrigue! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time while reading it

I didn’t much care for this book. Maybe I should have read the Guilded Wolves before picking this one up. I think I will try that and then reread it. I’m having a hard time staying focused on heavier reading. I’ll visit the first book soon.

If you loved the first one, I recommend picking this up. I enjoyed the setting, characters, and action sequences but I found the plot pretty obvious. None of the big reveals grabbed me. However, even with the predicable plot twists (looking at you main villain), I still really want to revel in the world. Everything is darkly beautiful. Opulence and mechanics and a bit of adventure a la Indiana Jones. Chokshi is a wordsmith rarely found.

I have to say I was disappointed with The Silvered Serpents. The first book in the series, The Gilded Wolves, was enjoyable enough and ended at a point where I wanted to see what would happen next. The Gilded Wolves already felt like an annoying sibling to Six of Crows and Silvered Serpents ended up being its ugly stepsister.

I ended up skimming most of the book because all I really cared about were Laila and Severin’s “will they or won’t they.” Except even Severin annoyed me most of the time. I constantly felt like he was making himself a martyr and that drives me crazy. Hypnos was actually the only character that made me laugh or smile. I just didn’t enjoy the book.

Digital copy received from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

I didn't particularly enjoy the first book, but I really liked this second one. It built on top of what we already knew of the characters and made them more complex. My main gripe with the first book was that I wasn't on board with the characters. This book really made them shine for me, and I found myself starting to really enjoy all of them.

#netgalley #thesilveredserpents

This was a good second novel. I would strongly suggest reading the Gilded Wolves first. The diversity of the characters and the unique world and powerful themes combines to make a wonderful story.

Oh man. Thank you, thank you, thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of the Silvered Serpents for an honest review.
The journey in TSS was tough but thrilling. You could feel the way the characters evolved since the TGW and I loved the new adventures. There was so much tension, cool forging, and I’m so proud of how far the characters have come. The journey is not over! And I know the best is yet to come.

I fear this series just isn’t for me 🤷‍♀️ so much description and so little plot development. Nothing makes sense to me, so many plot elements seemed illogical. And the relationship between Severin and Laila is downright toxic. Neither of the characters feels fully fleshed out to me when compared to Leigh Bardugo’s books. And I still don’t get what Forging is and what the Babel fragments and the Order actually do. But it seems I’m the only one struggling with this concept. Maybe some teenagers may find this book entertaining, I wouldn’t recommend it, though. What I also hated: The title has nothing to do with the content. The author tried hard though to squeeze the phrase in towards the end of the book, but one does get the impression that she wanted the title to be connected to a precious metal – which, again, does not make any sense whatsoever. I presume the next installment will feature bronze or platinum or damn kryptonite in the title. Anyway, I don’t care, I’m done with the series. I can’t even continue reading this in the light of being up to date on teen literature for the sake of my students as really cannot recommend it.

Nevertheless, thanks to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC!

I wanted to like this book. I truly did.
There is just something about the writing style that doesn’t flow for me. It has nothing to do with the plot or anything like that, I just didn’t really WANT to know what all was going on.

It might just have not been a book I enjoyed overall.
I do commend Chokshi on the bold subplots and I like the idea of the book.

-Stone

Chokshi is back with her amazing characters and gorgeous writing that make it so hard for me to put her books down. The Silvered Serpents is a perfect follow up to The Gilded Wolves. Picking up a few months from where we left off, we join the characters as they're all grieving the death of their friend in their own way. We explore each character more fully while they work together to solve the mystery of The Divine Lyrics. But everyone has secrets and those secrets are creating cracks and fissures within the group. I loved every aching, heart-breaking moment of this book and can't wait for the finale. Chokshi is at the top of her game with this sequel!

This winter fairy tale is unlike any other I’ve ever experienced. Brimming with fascinating, yet terrifying mythology and dazzling magic, Chokshi’s band of treasure hunters continue their adventure in this next installment of The Gilded Wolves trilogy.

Cecelia Beckman, Sheaf & Ink

My Thoughts
Revenge. A dish best served cold. And the mastermind Séverin Montagnet-Alarie plans to be an artisan when it comes to extracting vengeance. With his team scattered, he pulls them all together. One by one, he convinces them to join him for one last heist. Sweetening the deal with rewards beyond their imagining.

Roshani Chokshi has a magical way of creating landscapes that snare readers into vividly imagined worlds. The details she uses are captivating, holding us tightly in its enchanting grip, never letting go as we move from one alluring place to the next. We travel from the loud, gaudy, and bustling streets of Paris to the steely ice design of Russia. Although this new setting is a stark contrast from The Gilded Wolves, it is equally depicted in a magical and striking way.

Even though The Silvered Serpent isn’t as fast paced as The Gilded Wolves, Chokshi delves deeper into her characters psyche. She pulls back their many layers, exposing them to the cold and brilliant light, allowing the readers to connect with each of these characters on a more personal level. As she offers these glimpses of their past, certain characters are drawn closer together as they reveal more and more of themselves to each other. Allowing their vulnerabilities and insecurities to propel them forward to the inescapable ending of this story.

Betrayal, romance, and a terrifying legend that shapes the fabric of this installment, readers will feel the ice cold brilliance from beginning to end and an unyielding ache for the final book.

I love the world building, and the amazing depth of the characters. They are an unlikely crew, but they balance each other and bring a sense of family to the group. In this book, the death of one of their own hangs over everyone, especially Severin who considered Tristian a brother and who he had promised to protect only to feel responsible for Tristian’s death. Severin is the leader; Laila is a dancer from India, and has a secret skill – she can touch an object and read its past; Enrique is a historian and has studied symbolism; Zofia is an engineer and a mathematical genius. And then there is Hypnos who has latched on to the group. He is the Patriarch of House Nyx, lonely for friendship, and has found a fellowship with the others. The story is told by the point of view of each character, one chapter at a time. It added so much, to see the inner thoughts and feelings of everyone.

There are some very strong emotions and dangers, this is not a light hearted story. But it is well worth reading. I hadn’t read the first book, The Guilded Wolves, but I was so impressed with Silvered Serpents that I bought the first book to get the back stories.

What I liked most was the way the characters worked to keep their friendship, even when they felt hurt, misunderstood, or even betrayed. And the way they worked through problems, each person bringing their own strength to the table to make the total greater than the sum.

I am thankful for the chance to review this book. I received an ARK from Netgalley and Wednesday Books and this is my honest review.

“When things fell apart Séverin put them together. When they did’t know hoe to see what was in front of them, Séverin adjusted their focus. He would fix this. He had to fix this because no matter how much he’d changed…he was still their Séverin.”

The story starts right where The Gilded Wolves left us and the storyline focuses a lot on Séverin and his own internal struggle. Though the whole group is back together to pull off another heist…you can tell that they are all still hurting from the events of the previous book. The Silvered Serpent is just as action packed and full of surprises! Also excuse me but how am I going to wait for the next book with that ending…GAH?! I don’t want to give too much away since it is the second book.

I really enjoyed this book! Most of the time sequels/middle books kinda fall flat but not this one! So so good! I have to say it was much easier to follow the story. The Gilded Wolves took me about a 100 pages to understand what was going on but now that I have a better understanding it made The Silvered Serpents easier to enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

*I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a honest review*

Massive thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi. This is my Charms selection for the Magical Readathon 2020 and Intro: Persona selection for the 2020 Bangtanathon. Full disclosure, this probably deserves a lower rating but I’m big on character development and family dynamics within friend groups. I also loved The Gilded Wolves so much so I didn’t have the heart to rate this lower than a three.

Since I established that I’m being nice here, I’m going to get right into it. The Silvered Serpents starts immediately after the events of The Gilded Wolves. I believe there has been a couple of months or so since the first novel and as expected, the team is still reeling at the loss of Tristan. Séverin, Laila, Enrique, Zofia, and Hypnos go from Paris to St. Petersburg to find The Sleeping Palace of the Fallen House in order to obtain their treasure and the Divine Lyrics which gives one the power of a god. While there, they meet Ruslan and Eva of House Dazbog which is part of the Russian faction of the Order of Babel.

To put it simply, I just didn’t connect with this book as much as I did the first one. The story never hooked my attention and I found myself skimming most of the pages. I enjoyed the setting more than the story. Imperial Ballet, icy landscapes, the culture, the treasures, and everything aesthetically pleasing makes this a lovely book to read. I still have a soft spot for the characters too but the chemistry between everyone was off. I know that they experienced a major loss in The Gilded Wolves but a lot of the family dynamic was absent in this. The ending cliffhanger and the character development for Delphine, the matriarch of House Kore were also high moments as well as looking into Séverin’s past with his mother.

Séverin: he was depressed, cold, aloof, and angry throughout most of the book. His ambition is still there but since he’s the leader and the one who brings everyone together, his lack of presence was missed. However, I was fascinated by how much he cared about Zofia and it made me… feel things. I missed his banter with Hypnos and Enrique. Despite this, he is still one of my favorite characters and I’m rooting for him.

Laila: I love her as an individual character but I find Roshani Chokshi’s obsession with Laila’s sex life and perceived image as a whore to be redundant and annoying. Laila is clearly the glue and she has a lot of positive attributes and skills but this book hits us over the head with her being Séverin’s mistress, prostitute, whore… whatever. Their angst and Laila’s refusal to pull from him was exhausting. I’ll get into that more in a bit.

Enrique: Another one of my favorite characters who does nothing wrong. I don’t know if it’s because I skimmed this book or what but I felt like his presence wasn’t all there either. He seemed to be going through the motions here and he dropped everything he was hoping to accomplish to come with Séverin. We didn’t get much development with him besides his thing with Hypnos and Zofia.

Zofia: She’s adorable and I love her so much. Protect her at all costs, please.

Hypnos: Someone give him a hug. The angst with Enrique was a little annoying. I wish their relationship was explored more. It was just like one moment they were cutesy and then the next they’re breaking up. He’s trying his best though. Honestly Enrique, Zofia, and Hypnos kept me invested.

The villains: completely obvious and I refuse to believe anyone in this group didn’t see it coming.

Anyway, back to Séverin and Laila. I love them as individual characters but the angst was too much here. I said this on Twitter but I’ll say it here. I don’t get why exactly there is an issue between them when they’re in private. I get the racial constructs back then but with so many other modern advancements in this series, I don’t get why the author is playing into this trope so hard. I also don’t get the choice to make them fake date/have Laila pretend to be his mistress. We already have a solid foundation in their relationship, it felt like an unnecessary plot choice to have this sort of dynamic in an already jam-packed plot. I know I’m outside of the target audience here, I just didn’t care for it.

The Silvered Serpents, Chokshi's follow-up to The Gilded Wolves, picks up a few months after the end of the first novel. They have been months of mourning and separation. After the death of Tristan, one of the group of thieve's cohorts and brother to leader Severin, they all dispersed to half-heartedly pursue their own angles.

With Laila's impending death approaching and new facts coming to light, Severin reconvenes the group, and the kind of mischief and mayhem that one expects from this series ensues.. It is fast-paced, colorful, and littered with memorable characters. The characters are a bit darker in this book, which provides a touch of realism that the hints of romance might otherwise have withered.

Unfortunately, the thing with which I mosts struggled in the The Gilded Wolves--namely, that there is so much going on that was clearly vivid in the mind of the writer but did not necessarily present cohesively on paper--is just as bad, if not more evident, in The Silvered Serpents. I am still dying to know what happens next, but I am well aware that I may very well not understand the paths that led there.

I'll be hanging on for sure, but The Silvered Serpents was not the glorious revelation that I had hoped for.

Once again, Roshani Chokshi has built a book with some of the best characters, seeping with history and myths and legends and intrigue. From the beginning to the end, this one was a ride--one of character development and inner struggles right alongside some great action and puzzles that kept the plot moving in so many directions. The ending was definitely one that will have me sitting here, empty, waiting for the final book in the trilogy to come out.

I absolutely recommend this trilogy to everyone who loves some complicated fantasy worlds, heist-type novels, books with fully fleshed out and complicated characters, and who enjoy a bit of history and puzzles thrown in there. It is an absolute masterpiece.