It took me longer than usual to get through this book, because I wanted to take my time and actually give it a fair chance.

I will be honest and say that I was extremely excited about the Gilded Wolves when I first heard of it and read the description, but ended up struggling through actually reading it. Mostly because the writing style and me just do not go together. I had a very hard time focusing, and unfortunately it was the same with the sequel. Which is not to say that any of this is "bad"; I actually really, really appreciate the author's vivid world and the intricacies they describe in both books. Atmosphere-wise, both are a win. I just found myself unable to fully immerse myself in it.

One thing that got a little easier with the sequel was following the characters. The first book throws you into this already existing group of .. friends, for lack of a better word. And everything essential is already established between them. That for me as the reader caused a severe disconnect. Same with the magic system. It's really not that hard to comprehend, but I feel it would have been more fun to learn about it if we'd had a charcter to follow who also sees all this for the very first time. As it stands, it was just confusing.

Now of course, it's a little easier to get into the story of the sequel, because this time we are familiar with the key points of it before going in.
Thus, even though it is probably just a bit of a "not for me" series (which I'm actually slightly grumpy about, because the idea of it IS great and is absolutely up my alley; just not the execution of it), I would recommend The Silvered Serpents to anyone who's either already a fan of The Gilded Wolves, but also to those who were kind of on the fence about the first book. I think it's worth it to give this one a shot and follow Severin and the others for a little bit longer to see if the world manages to pull you in or not.

This book grabs you and takes you on a trip to a world you could never imagine. In the 2nd book in the series Roshani Chokshi doesn’t disappoint. Hang on for the ride because you will feel like you are on a roller coaster. You will need to read the first book or else you will be a bit lost. I loved how she describes everything. It makes you feel like you are standing there in the middle of it all. The last book ended you go what no! This one will have you wondering what is going to happen next.
Severn has changed after they lost one of their own. Now he plans to pursue an artifact to have been said to whoever has it give the power of god. If he has that maybe things will be different. There hunt takes them to ice cold Russia and be careful who you trust as not everyone is what they seem. Secrets will come to light and betrayal is around the corner. Will the team survive this last job? I don’t blame to tell you so pick the book.
It will start out slow as she weaves her tale and before you know it she has you in her web. Enjoy the trip. I loved this book and can’t wait for the next one. If you have never a book by Roshani Chokshi do yourself a favor and pick one up.

While the premise was intriguing, the execution was abysmally subpar. The first thing I noticed was the prose (or lack thereof). The writing style is so choppy and coarse that despite the low complexity of the story itself I struggled to focus on what I was reading. There was almost no flow to the progression of the story and while I am no means a reader who requires the writing to be flowery and poetic I at least expect the writing to hold some semblance of structure. I got lost in the pointless, repetitive, and cringe-worthy dialogue and descriptors to the point that I wonder if this was ever proofread.

Ladies and gentlemen we have a big winner!!!! I proudly declare that I finished one of the best books of 2020 right now!

I cannot believe how much I loved this book, I gave four stars to the first one and but when I compare two of them, it’s only fair to give this one ten gazillion stars because this is so so so so sooooooooo much better. Can you hear I still slap my forehead for waiting too much to get this into my hands? BANG BANG BAN (Yes, my skull is too thick! Made by more woods than flesh!)

Our gang is back in business for another mission, both of them suffering from grief, toughened up, more serious and their bond got tightened. Severin is haunted the ghost of his great loss, building more walls around his heart not to show his feelings. He cares his teammates, especially one of them has the most special place in his heart but “love does not wear the face we wish” and he is about to learn it from the hardest way.

This book is darker and grimmer than the first one because the characters’ deep pain about their big loss following them behind like an ominous dark cloud and affecting their judgments, actions, mood swings. Of course witty dialogues and never ending sarcastic comments between Hypnos and Zofia thankfully save the most parts and makes us smile. I already admitted that I fell in love with those team members at the first book.
Every one of them were developed realistically make you feel like you have friends with them in your real life and you want to hang up with them, drinking coffee, talking about last twitter trends (okay I shut my mouth before I wear straitjacket again. Did I say again? Ups! Okay I should get a drink and stop typing.)

The rising tension of the book can make you say goodbye to your nails, to your hands and maybe entire arms. Stop biting them and concentrate on the pages! And I have to say something about incredible writing of Roshani Chokshi : the first book is great start but this book gave me skyrocket effect with its fast pacing, incredible story progression, exciting development, all those twists made my head spin so much and I’m still dizzy and confused right now! With her perfectly written, magical, philosophical, intriguing book with its amazing political references, she is taking you to a journey around Russia. She definitely worked her skills to create magical journey and made her words twist and dance around the pages, captivating us with this well-crafted story that we wish it never ends.

And after last revelation, I splash a big ice bucket on my head but I am still in shock, talking nonsense. Yes, I didn’t see it coming and I cry out louder in the middle of the night. My husband is begging me to stop screaming. But I cannot! Because this is torture to wait for what’s gonna happen next.
I
feel so lucky to have a chance to become one of the first readers of this book and I hope I will be also the one of first ones to read the upcoming work. (Last time I felt the same when I had to wait for two and half years for last season of GOT! Luckily I’m sure my waiting for this book will not result with full of frustration. This author is too gifted to write anything wrong.)

Special thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for sharing this amazing masterpiece’s ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

he Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi is book two in her The Gilded Wolves Series.
The Silvered Serpents can be read as a stand alone. For best reading experience I recommend to read the books in order.
This is Severin and Laila's unique story.
I started redaing and at first I was a bit lost. I didn't know the world of them and it took me a minute to get into the story. But then oh boy what a storyline and what a wolrd.
Great read with great characters and a fantstic storyline. 4,5 Stars.

~~ I received an ARC copy of The Silvered Serpents by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review~~

The minute that I saw that The Silvered Serpents was already available for ARC, I squealed at the chance to get my hands on a copy. I remember the twists and turns and the way that The Gilded Wolves (the first book of this series) had sucked me in. It had been way too long since I'd read the first book and I couldn't wait to delve back in. My deep respect to Rokshani Chokshi who definitely did not hit a sophomore slump with this book. Each of the characters in this tale is changing, and growing and learning and I love that she gives the space for each character to evolve. The plot remains gripping as we follow the team in their search for The Divine Lyrics and to undo some of the things that happened in the first novel.

I love love loved this book and can't believe I have to wait who knows how long for the next one. This is one of the series that has definitely been worth the wait and Ms. Chokshi's masterful storytelling made it hard for me to put down. i can't wait to see what's next.

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Recommend: Definitely!
Review:

Oh sweet diggity-dog, this book took me for a ride and I am now angry that I have to wait over a year for the third book after that ending! I can't believe Roshani would write an ending like that and leave me crying in bed at 5 a.m. So rude!
Okay, so this book takes places a little while after The Gilded Wolves, with the team all still reeling and trying to cope with the loss of Tristan. Enrique is diving into his work and becoming an Illustrado, Laila is living as much as she can and being L'Enigme, Zofia is trying to figure out how to take care of her sister, Hypnos is being Hypnos, and Sevein is blaming himself and shutting everyone out.
This book starts with a serious bang and doesn't let up, not even on the last page. I adore the different POV, since it lets me really get to know all the characters, but also I get different perspective on events. There are plot twists on top of plot twists, the imagery is absolutely incredible, and that ending is going to throw some people into really deep bookhangovers.
Roshani absolutely blows me away with her world-building, this time taking us into the frozen heart of Russia, with creatures and palaces one can't even begin to fathom. The characters are all struggling in some way, have to deal with a betrayal, and an ending that is devastating.
I absolutely adored reading this book and I can't believe Roshani wrote down these beautiful words for me to devour. My only regret is how long I will have to wait for the third book.

oh wow my poor poor heart.

I was incredibly lucky to win an arc of this book in a giveaway, and I'm so glad I did.

So I feel like sequels tend to be a little slower, especially in a trilogy. I was worried that the Silvered Serpents was going to be this way, especially when it started out a little slow. But it certainly picked up. And ripped my heart in two. And sent tears streaming down my face.

This book is lovely. It brings you all the excitement and adventure the Gilded Wolves did, but with a slightly new twist and higher stakes. Roshani Chokshi has created a beautiful, tragic world, and I really can't wait to see what the last book brings.

Everyone read this series. it's so much fun.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5 stars!

Oh my goodness, this was a spectacular read. It’s almost 2am and I’m unable to organize my thoughts into coherent sentences. So, I’ll have to come back and do that later. But I just had to take a few seconds before sleep to sing this book’s praises! It’s going to be a looooooong wait for the next (last?) book.

* Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

I got way more into this one than I did with the first book, which is rare for me to say. This one felt significantly darker, which is something I am a sucker for. The character development was well done.

3 stars. This one fell a little flat of my expectations. That's not to say I did not enjoy it, because I did. I just was hoping for things in this book that I did not get, and that's tainting my review a little bit. Let's start with what I did enjoy.

The world of Forging is as beautiful as ever. That ice palace was absolutely stunning. I loved all the descriptions, and the plot within it was very fascinating, even though I saw that plot twist coming from a mile away. It still baffles me that our band of literal geniuses had no inkling of it happening until the enemies were already upon them. But I digress. The search for the Divine Lyrics was really fun. There were mysteries and chases just as we expect from this series. The fallout from the death at the end of the Gilded Wolves made for some nice emotional moments. And, as usual, the characters were wonderful.

I loved all the conflict with Laila posing as Séverin's mistress. Laila herself is as wonderful as she always has been. She became my favorite in The Gilded Wolves, along with Hypnos, and remains so in this installment. Her character has so much HEART. She is utterly warm, and utterly confident and I really love being in her head. But I don't particularly love her WITH Séverin, as I don't think he deserves her. Séverin's journey in this book was fraught with angst and bad decisions. I hope he can find some healing in the finale.

As for our final three, Hypnos, Enrique, and Zofia, I thought some potential was lost there. I was really hoping for a polyamorous relationship between the three of them, but that is not to be. I love all three of the characters as individuals. Hypnos is hilarious, constantly makes me laugh, and I can see so much hidden complexity in him. I love Zofia's adorable, neuro-divergent genius perspective. I like Enrique's knowledge and passion for history. I thought the alchemy between the three of them could have been something wonderful.

As for the end, as I stated earlier, I saw the plot twist, and the villain a mile away. The last plot twist regarding a certain character, however, was the only part I didn't see, and I think that journey is going to be fun to read. I hope our characters get what they deserve in the finale.

3.5 Stars
I don't know exactly how I feel about this sequel. I loved The Gilded Wolves with the characters and the atmosphere, and the food....it was wonderful. Naturally I was a little worried going into the second book to this series because of standard "second book issues". Some of those issues are here, including some pacing problems, a little rehashing of the first story, and a very large cliffhanger, but I think the main issue I had was with the characters. I felt like they were a little flat this time. I didn't get quite what I wanted from them and it really bummed me out, I hate that I have any issues with this book because I wanted to love it as much as the first one. That being said, overall, I did enjoy reading this book, I just really wanted a lot more out of this installment but you can bet I will be reading the next book, in what, two years or something.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

This sequel to "The Gilded Wolves" picks up a few months after the first novel's events that saw Séverin's brother dead. The crew comes together once more for one last heist --- the treasure might save Laila's life while Séverin, driven by guilt, hopes to become a god and change everything for the better. But things have changed and working together is no longer as easy, fun, and unburdened as before.

While the world building and the magic system still make no real sense (forging is nothing and everything???), story-wise the novel was quite enjoyable. Yes, all the characters are so overly intelligent or good looking or dramatic or witty, but I have grown fond of them. I enjoyed their journey to Russia / Siberia and I still absolutely enjoy the mythologies hidden everywhere. Still I had hoped for more character development and more explanations concerning world building or magic system. Well.

4 Stars because it was entertaining

This is an incredible follow up to The Gilded Wolves. I enjoyed this a lot more than the first book in the series and am dying to get my hands on the next book already!

Full review to come!

The Silvered Serpents is the sequel to The Gilded Wolves. If you haven't read The Gilded Wolves, you can see my review here. Spoilers ahead for The Gilded Wolves - proceed with caution!

We pick up shortly after the events of the last book, which left one of our characters dead. Pretty soon, though, there's a new artifact to find in remote Russia. Most of the team's very lives, or the lives of their loved ones, depend on the team's ability to find the object so the stakes and high and the banter is quick.

This is pretty easy to review, because if you liked the first book, you'll love this one. Aside from Severin being really annoying/a total idiot, its an improvement on the first book! I enjoyed the first book, but the second one was twice as fun, largely because of the puzzles they had to solve and the trappings of those puzzles. Basically, they end up in an ice palace with critters and traps that attempt to murder them in various ways. It's so creative and fun to read - minus the whole you-could-die-at-any-time thing, I wanted to go to there. That and the characters (aside from the aforementioned Severin, who I'll get to in a minute) continue to be likable and their developments make sense and drive their individual storylines forward in a cohesive, fun way.

Ok, let's talk about Severin, shall we? Je does the thing where he assumes total responsibility for Tristan's death and then tries to protect the other characters from a similar fate by not communicating with them and making decisions on their behalf. It's all very Aelin/Celaena of him and was increasingly frustrating to read.

TLDR: If you liked the first one, you'll love the second one! It's got that same Six of Crows meets Indiana Jones vibe, but manages to improve upon the first book. 4 stars - I really liked it.

The Gilded Wolves had me hooked, so of course I was dying to read this, and the sequel was amazing as well! Roshani Chokshi is a damned artist with words, I love her work. This story had a lot of great action, just like the first, and each character still has so much personality, all unique and lovable in their own ways. They still trade a lot of witty banter, but there is a heavy focus on the group's grief. And the way it ends! Holy crap, this series is just so good!

The Silvered Serpents is the follow up to the amazing The Gilded Wolves. Unfortunately, this installment doesn’t live up to the wonder of the first book.
After losing the closest thing he has to a brother, Severin has focused his life on one thing: finding The Divine Lyrics. No longer will he dally in human emotions and the tragedies of life. Meanwhile, the rest of the group have broken away dealing with their own pursuits and then are only brought back together when Severin finally finds a lead to the item that will change everyone’s life. The team’s heads to Russia and must once again face The Fallen House.
The issues with this book are that it is typical bridge novel for a trilogy. The plot is drawn out to span a whole book so the ending sets up for the finale. I was left unfulfilled especially after the amazing start. The novel doesn't feel self-contained with a plot with beginning middle and an end. It stops after middle promising and ending in the last book.
I hate the idea of not liking this book. There were some aspects that are great. The characters other than Serving still shine and they are what propel the h novel in its slow passed plot. I wanted more for each of them than just a frosty prison and the ghost of Tristian hovering over their heads.
When there is action, the author echoes the fantasy world of the original. The places are amazingly described taking you away from your daily life. It's these expansive places that really shine.
Whatever I thought of this book, the characters and the climax of the book pushes me towards the the next novel. I'm ready to see what happens and how it affects the characters I have come to love.

The Silvered Serpents was one of the best books I have read so far this year. The group is broken after the events of last year. Severin, more so, because of his deep bond with Tristan. Severin is also trying to come to terms with what Tristan was doing. Meanwhile, Enrique, Zofia, Hypnos, and Laila are struggling also. Each has their own burden to bear. So well written. The angst came off the pages.

Let's talk about the end. I was NOT prepared for what happened. I should have been, looking back. I was left almost crying and saying "Why!! Why!!" And the cliffhanger!! All I have to say is HOLY CRAP!!!

The Silvered Serpents is currently available for preorder. Its expected publication date is September 22, 2020.

I wasn't sure I could like the sequel anymore than I liked The Gilded Wolves. I got the Gilded Wolves in an OwlCrate earlier in the year and it took getting an ARC of The Silvered Serpents from Netgalley to get me to dive in, once I did I was hooked! The second book picks up with a new magical quest but is so much more than that.

The change of venue to wintry Russia provides beautiful imagery for the story to develop. The team has to deal with the repercussions of what happened to them at the end of the last heist and the way Chokshi addresses this with each of the characters is masterful. The characters are so deep and in this story they go from people trying to pull off a mission to characters I really love and empathize with. It's rare I read a multi-POV story and I'm not racing through one to get back to a POV I prefer, but in this series, I truly enjoy each of the characters in their own right. Each character faces their emotions and finds strengths they didn't believe they had. I particularly love the interplay between Severin and Laila and how their story develops and what is revealed.

The story is action-packed with the same intricate historical and magical details from the first novel and plenty of mystery and intrigue and even a few twists I didn't see coming! The ending was sooo good, I can't wait for the next book.

This is on pace to be one of my favorite series of all time.

I loved Gilded Wolves and imo Silvered Serpents is even better. Heists, highjinks, complicated relationships and schemes. Everything has been building to this. Since it’s not out until September 2020, I’ll hold off posting my full review until nearer the time but rest assured the wait will be worth it. Highly recommend for all YA fantasy heist fans and those looking to scratch their Six of Crows itch.