**I received an eARC of 'The Silvered Serpents' through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review**

Roshani Chokshi's 'The Silvered Serpents' was such a great read, and it left me wanting soo much more!

This is the sequel to 'The Gilded Wolves', which takes Severin and his crew into Russia in order to find an object that is said to have the power of the gods. This story takes place a couple months after the events of the first book, and the group are still mourning over the tragedy that took place at the end of 'The Gilded Wolves'. Everyone is struggling to move forward. Relationships are severely strained, making the task of working together very complicated. However, they face any struggles encountered in Russia seamlessly, placing the goal of seeking the object ahead of personal conflicts.

I already enjoyed the personalities Severin, Laila, and the crew expressed, but I feel that she added a whole new dimension to their characters in 'The Silvered Serpents'. Each person's conflict was displayed and described beautifully. We dive more into each character's personal struggle with racism and social complications, and how they persevere in spite of said complications. Each person carries their own internal 'flaw', and they grow even closer as the story progresses, building up to quite a huge cliffhanger!

'The Silvered Serpents' is an excellent follow up to 'The Gilded Wolves'! I can't wait to purchase this book when it's released...and anxiously awaiting book 3 of the trilogy!

--Cathleen (Woven From Words)
https://wovenwords.com (I will post my blog review on August 2020)

The Silvered Serpents is a story about sacrifice, grief, love, and obsession. Still in the midst of their grief from The Gilded Wolves, Séverin, Laila, Enrique, Zofia, and Hypnos are still reeling from that unexpected death. Even though they may have reunited for one last job, there are ghosts and gulfs of silence between them. Remnants of sweeter memories, tinged with ignorance, and regret. Faced with the ache of loss, our intrepid adventurers have to figure out if they will let their grief turn them bitter, or if they will allow themselves to treasure each moment.

And what better adventure is there than a treasure hunt? The Silvered Serpents brings a story full of ghost stories that inspire legends, mysterious iconography that stretches back centuries, and a dangerous power that could unravel the world. A plot full of treacherous and familiar conspiracies, betrayal coming in ice tipped daggers, and secrets that could be our undoing, The Silvered Serpents is a fierce adventure story anchored by characters who will tug your heartstrings.

*Thank you Netgalley/St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This is a great continuation of Gilded Wolves. The characters are struggling with the end of the 1st novel and head from Paris to snowy Russia to find an artifact that is rumoured to give the power of the Gods to the holders. I don't want to give too much away, since it is a sequel.

To be entirely honest, I hated the first one and was just frustrated with it. I felt like it was generic, the characters were forgettable, a rip off of Six of Crows and the characters talked like they were smart for the sake of being smart.

But since I had the e-Arc and had requested it before reading Gilded Wolves (it was really anticipated for me) I knew I was going to give it a go. I'm also a completionist and feel a need to finish series. This series took all my complaints, fixed them in a satisfying way and gave me a fantastic story though. The characters didn't feel as generic and the writing was a lot better. We didn't get long segments of characters talking smart for the sake of it, they actually just felt like they were supposed to be that way as they figured it out. I had way more fun reading this book, and I read it a lot quicker than the first novel. The travel and the heist were perfect for me. The darker tone, the character arches. Honestly, I just really loved this novel.

This book is a lot like The Wicked King to me, in that the first is forgettable but still totally worth reading to get to the second book that is way better than the original. The writing was also the perfect amount of purple for me.

4/5 stars.
If you like YA Fantasy and heist novels I really recommend this. Even if you didn't like the first or decided not to read it because of what you heard about it, give it a try. This novel is definitely worth the read. It's perfect for fans of Six of Crows or if you want to read a YA version of The Lies of Locke Lamora.

Hmmm... Review? Not so much. Rants and illogical thoughts? Most definitely.

This book doesn't release until September 2020, but I just finished reading The Gilded Wolves and I had to know what was next for Séverin and his team! I'm new to Chokshi's work, but this series has me HOOKED!! This author's words are inspired, reverent and relevant. I love history, especially mythological or religious history, and the way she filled this story with so much color, I was enthralled.

✳ A huge part of me sympathized and understood Séverin's actions and behavior. He had suffered such an unbelievable loss. A loss that even I was still coming to grips with. So him bowing out on things that humanize him or exploit his vulnerabilities made sense in a sad sort of way. However, another part of me wanted to shake him and yell in his face. I wanted him to lean on his friends because they were hurting too. Well, maybe don't lean on Laila. She was still all too selfish IMO. I just think he needed their support and comfort more than anything else.

✳ My bae was so busy trying to protect his heart from more pain and to protect those he cared about, he did just about everything he could to hurt them and push them away. It may not have been his intention, and I may have wanted to punch him in his back for some of his negligent words and deeds, but the end result was the same.

She couldn't live with his pity, and she would die at his apathy. All that remained was his silence. Laila wondered if that was the truest death - being slowly rendered invisible so that all she inspired was indifference.


✳ I was determined to understand Séverin's urgent need to find the book of the Divine Lyrics aside from the obvious. His lofty goals didn't seem to align with everything I had already learned about him. Was his grief warping his values? While his ambitions shared a marked similarity to what The Fallen House was seeking, maybe he felt that he was on the side of righteousness because his intentions were pure?

✳ I've been shipping Enrique and Zofia for a minute now. At first I wondered if there would be a polyamorous relationship between the two of them with Hypnos as a content top, but now I'm not so sure.

✳ I kind of guessed the huge plot twist almost from the beginning. It was weird that my mind already went there when there wasn't any real evidence to steer me that way, but when weird ish happens, I start figuring out the why and I was so freaking right!!

✳ Why didn't these so-called friends ever simply trust in Séverin. I get it. Truly I do. He wasn't acting as the man they had all come to know and love. I get it. However... wasn't he the one who plucked each of them from obscurity? Didn't he encourage, support and believe in them? He deserved better and I kept waiting for someone to speak up, confront him, and treat him the way he had always treated them. Imagine it was Hypnos, the newcomer, who was the one to have his back!

✳ Dear author... that scene at the end... Bittersweet. All of the answers, everything my bae did was right there at their fingertips. Please tell me that they actually see it!! Until I get some reassurance (the next book can't come soon enough!) I'm going to be over here crossing my fingers, my toes, and even my nose hairs hoping you gently coax me from this edge. Honestly, I need to find out the next book's release date STAT!!

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A lot of the issues I had with this book were the ones that I had with the first. Some issues are new.
We don’t really know how old anyone is (except for like, two characters). The extremely repetitive physical description of the characters (Zofia’s hair and eyes were described as “candle bright” or “blue as candle hearts” way too many times.)

To me some characters also seemed so inconsistent. I feel like the Hypnos in TSS is not the same person I read about in TGW. Séverin is utterly unrecognizable; even when faced in the events of the last book, I couldn’t connect or sympathize with him in this state – but if the goal was to alienate the reader, than it was a job well done.

I still struggle with the Zofia as a Jew. The only way you know she is Jewish is because it is stated multiple times. It’s like she was assigned this as a nationality, not a faith, and it’s only mentioned when talking about pogroms or racism. It is such a wasted opportunity to add something unique to this story like Cassandra Clare’s Simon Lewis of the Shadowhunter Chronicles or Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver.

I don’t want to say much about the ending until this is out, but it was predictable (but only kind of in a bad way) and some of the details were a bit of a stretch.

Now for the good:

There were noticeably less descriptions of food, to which I was very very grateful.

There’s definitely a lot more action in this one, and we get more glimpses of the promised heist aspect that sparked the comparison to Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows but turned out to be non-existent in the first book.

I really enjoyed Laila and Zofia’s friendship, as well as Enrique's character growth.

At the end of the day, I admire the world Chokshi built. Some characters I learned more about and love even more and they are the reason I will come back for Book 3.

I’ve been questioning whether to do this review since the release date was moved to September 2020 and that is a LOOOOOOONG time from now, but if I don’t do it now, I’ll have forgotten everything about it by then. So here we are.

It’s very difficult for a sequel to live up to the first book but The Silvered Serpents is just as good as, if not better than, The Gilded Wolves. Roshani Chokshi is able to be explore the characters much more since she doesn’t have to introduce the reader to them. And the shit that happens to Severin, Sofia, Enrique, Hypnos, and Laila is incredible. Like…book twitter might explode. Let’s get to the review!

Everyone is back for this story (except Tristan because…RIP), but that doesn’t mean everything is the same. After what they went through together in The Gilded Wolves, nothing can be the same again. They lost Tristan and they’re all feeling the after effects of that.

Severin has closed everyone out. He blames himself for Tristan’s death and is not willing to let anyone close in case he loses them. And yes, this goes for Laila too. Their relationship has completely crumbled.

Laila is still working at a dancer but is no longer living at Severin’s hotel. It’s too difficult to stay there and bake for everyone when Tristan isn’t there. It also doesn’t help that Severin has completely shut down any kind of emotion so when Laila sees him, he barely looks at her. She’s also still trying to find the book that will help keep her alive. But with no clues in sight, her days seem to be numbered. That’s when Severin comes to her with his plan.

Sofia has been away visiting her sister who’s been sick. She’s worried about how she’s going to pay for her care but when Severin calls her back to the hotel, that problem seems to be solved. He’s going to send money to her sister in exchange for Sofia coming on a mission with the team. But Sofia still worries when she’s away from her for too long. What if she gets worse? What if she doesn’t make it?

She also might be a little sad when she sees Enrique and Hypnos together (But she’ll never admit that!)

Enrique is getting ready for the presentation of his life. The one that will get him everything he’s ever wanted. Recognition and people really listening to him when he speaks. Well that and to be loved for who he really is.

The presentation…does not go as expected (I’m really trying for no spoilers but with this book, it’s difficult!). As for the love part… Enrique is loving Hypnos’s attention but he wonders if Hypnos wants the same kind of commitment/relationship that he wants.

And Hypnos. My poor dude. He is as flamboyant as ever, but also doing everything he can to be a permanent member of the group. Severin is still not treating him like a member of the team and it’s killing him, but the others are trying their best to make him feel welcome.

But what’s the adventure?

This time they’re off to Russia (Siberia technically) in search of an icy palace where Severin believes The Divine Lyrics aka the ancient book that holds the secret to Forging, the knowledge of how to join the Babel fragments, and…and this is important (especially to Severin) will give the one who has it access to the power of God.

WTF?

But this book isn’t just a book of great knowledge, it’s also a way to prolong Laila’s life. But that’s not why Severin wants it…SPOILER ALERT!! I don’t know how to say this without it sounding totally bizarre but it also kind of is totally bizarre. Severin want the book so he can make him and all his friends into gods so that none of them can ever die and he’ll never lose them. SPOILER ALERT!!

The boy has taken grief to the next level.

But does he tell his friends what he plans? Of course not.

Together, they go along to search for The Divine Lyrics and make their way to Siberia. But they don’t go alone. The Matriarch of House Kore (Severin’s aunt) is along for the ride as well and as you can probably guess, Severin is pisssssed about it.

And so the adventure begins. I don’t want to give anything away here because it’s magical beyond belief and it’s better if you read it for yourself. It’s filled with goddesses, murder, magic, mechanical monsters, portals, secrets, twists and turns, secret rooms, things not being what they seem, and relationships tested and brought to the brink.

Also…be prepared for a cliffhanger (I KNOW. I ALMOST DIED!)

The Silvered Serpents is an epic adventure with the characters we’ve come to know and love. Sofia will always be my favorite character, but (and I can’t believe this) this book made me actually like Severin a little bit!

But all the characters have their own unique parts and the development of the different relationships and personalities is incredible to read. I’m giving The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi 4 out of 5 stars. If you loved the first book or thought it needed a little more oomph, read this one. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

I was amazed by the first books ability to have so many characters and yet make them all so memorable. This book does that and more. All I can say is…get ready for the ride of your life.

The Silvered Serpents comes out September 22, 2020 (I know! It’s a long time from now. I’m waiting for the cover reveal at this point lol)

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press - Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read a lot of Roshani's books including the Gilded Wolves so having that little bit of background going into the Silvered Serpents did help a lot and with that said I was expecting just as much excitement just as The Glided Wolves gave us and I must say it did not disappoint. Having a victory that was short lived and that came at a price I believed left a chip on Séverin and his team's shoulders and now with the risk of obtaining an ancient relic that possesses the power of God most definitely comes at a price. While reading this book, I definitely got an Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark vibe to it which allowed me to read on and have my interest stay peaked. The book was filled with suspense and conflict like no book I have ever read.

We will consider adding this title to our YFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

I was a tad nervous going into the second book in this series because I had head so many good things about the first and it was kind of a flop for me, but this one made up for it . We had mystery, growth, treasure and just everything. You get to see why things played out the way they did and had a bit of a twist in who certain people were. I was so blown away. BUT THE. CLIFFHANGER!! I NEED TO KNOW NOW!!!

There are about a million things I love about 'The Silvered Serpents,' the latest in the Gilded Wolves series by Roshani Chokshi, and one thing, I absolutely detest. We'll save that for last though, because in no way do I want to allow it to overshadow the rest.

Though the series seems to be billed as Young Adult, the themes are actually very mature and fully developed, as are many of the scenarios the group of characters find themselves in. The relationships don't lack depth or physical contact, the author simply.. easily manages to convey it without getting down into the 'smutty details.'

Her prose is elegant and she deftly swings between intimate emotional sequences and moments of fast-paced action, without interrupting the flow of the story. The pace is constantly in flux, yet not disjointing. This is a genuinely talented writer and I loved the references to the legend of Laila and Majnun.

Severin, the focal point in much of the story, is absolutely sexy. He's the perfect mixture of beautiful, brooding, self-loathing behavior. The darkness and conflict in him, only serving to draw those around him (as well as the reader, in my case), closer and closer with every glimpse. Truly, he breaks my heart, and not just when he's good.

Laila.. is a lovely combination of strength and vulnerability. She has weaknesses, as we all do, but she's a tough girl. Not physically imposing or annoyingly overbearing. She doesn't overcompensate by trying to intimidate or insult (as a rule).. no. She's just tough enough to build those walls out of pride and the self-awareness that sometimes letting things through, might break her.

I often struggle to like more than a character or two in a story.. finding the others to be grating or insubstantial, but that's really not the case with any of Chokshi's characters. I am just as drawn to Hypnos' understated neediness, as Enrique's desperation for recognition, and Zofia's struggle to see things in the same ways as those around her. Even the antagonists and supporting characters are likable in their ways. Good, bad, or neutral, they're all vivid characters that I won't soon forget.. and.. don't wish to.

Now, remember that thing I said I hated? It's a cliffhanger. An utterly unnecessary.. mistake.. in my opinion. If this were some short, weekly serial a la the original release of Stephen King's 'The Green Mile?' Acceptable. If the writer/story were weak.. and the author needed something to capture the reader and bring them back for the next book.. at least understandable. But it's a tactic and nothing more.. and in this case.. it cheapens the work.

The cliffhanger takes a stunning story, filled with rich characters, creative mechanical and magical/alchemical elements, and gorgeous scenic imagery.. and rather than trusting in what it has to offer to draw the reader back.. it forces the issue. I understand that there's a continuing arc here that will carry throughout the books, but there's no reason to double down on that and give us an incomplete Act either. And that's how this feels.

All that being said, I highly recommend this novel. I'm going to go out and buy the first in the series, and I'll buy this one too when it releases in physical formats. I'll eagerly wait for news of a third. I didn't want to put 'The Silvered Serpents' down.. and I'm willing to bet.. you won't either..

Of course, Roshani Chokshi does it again. I mean, truly iconic following The Gilded Wolves. I didn't know what to expect and how she was going to follow that up but I loved it and think this is truly the next big YA series.

A great continuation of the series! I love the versatility and diversity of the characters. It was fun reading as they developed from book 1 to book 2.

Roshani Chokshi’s The Silvered Serpents did not disappoint with this fantastic sequel to The Gilded Wolves. All the action, romance, and absolutely gorgeous prose are present. Although, there seems to be a more serious vibe to TSS - there are some really heart-wrenching scenes - Ms. Chokshi’s clever wit remains ever-present in some LOL moments. The story line, the twists and the progression of each character are all fantastic.

Well done, Roshani, well done! Now to wait …..

More detailed review closer to publication date.

A big thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books and Ms. Chokshi for providing this e-book for my honest review!

This was even better than Gilded Wolves! Roshani Chokshi tore my heart out with this one. The character development was far superior in this installment, and I cared about our little group of misfits every step of the way. This was a dark, yet beautiful book. The ending still has me in its grip - I can't stop thinking about it. There is just so much depth and meaning in the whole story, it is a breath of fresh air in the YA scene.

The Silvered Serpents is a decadent adventure filled with action, intrigue, and just enough crazy to keep you on the edge of your seat. Now don’t get me wrong, this book gets dark, and fast. But after the ending of The Gilded Wolves this really felt like a natural progression. In the wake of a traumatic and unexpected death, our core group of characters grapple with the effects that this loss has on their lives while simultaneously trying to prevent the death of another. Chokshi tackles grief and trauma head on, inviting the reader into a world of complex and challenging emotions. It might not be all action and wit the whole way through, but the details and exploration of the characters are both deep and realistic. A patient reader will be rewarded with nuance, so don’t rush through the ‘slow’ bits – it’s all good stuff!

And the world building, my word! Transporting the setting from France to Russia was simply divine, as it allowed for layer upon layer of mythology to be built up over time without ever feeling onerous. I was in love with the ice palaces, mechanical leviathans, enchanted winter animals and stories of long dead goddesses. It is magical, steeped in folklore, and the perfect setting for a tale that is darker and more turbulent. The parties were spectacular and opulent, the challenges imaginative, and the villains not at all what I expected. Everything came together into another perfect cliffhanger ending, and I simply can’t wait for the third book to come out.

I loved how much time we got to spend with Sofia and Hypnos, gaining greater insight into their personalities and the effect that they have on the group dynamic. Sofia remains one of my favourite characters, and I can’t wait to see how she will develop in the next instalment. For someone that is often seen as weaker than the others, she has some truly spectacular moments, and the real beauty was seeing her recognize that she’s not just a sidekick. Laila and Severin too, were particularly show-stopping, with their raw feelings and excessive tension. We are all fools for love, and it seems these two are fond of playing games with higher stakes than most.

This delectably dark tale is wrapped up in Chokshi’s spellbinding prose. It evokes the heartstrings, the imagination, and offers a veritable cornucopia of diversity without going the line of tokenism. Through it all she highlights the value of all life, and addresses through subtle undertones the issues arising from colonialism and cultural destruction. It is a testament to the intelligence of a younger reading audience, but I know that many of the issues and undertones addressed will not be appreciated by all.

I can't even deal with the way this book ended right now! Talk about a cliffhanger. Although the beginning of the book was a little slow for me, the amount of twists and turns in the final third more than made up for it! It's going to take me a while to fully process everything that happened. Just WOW.

This sequel was AMAZING! I totally feel back in love with the world and characters, and the end left me in shock and in desperate need for the next!! I will be rating this one high and recommending it to everyone as series whole!

I found this book really boring and the only reason I read it so fast was because I just wanted to be done with it. I didn't feel anything for any of the characters and the plot didn't really interest me at all.

Everything was just a bit too easy. The characters just somehow knew the answers to all the problems they encountered and there was no mystery or thrill. The villain in this installment was also very lack luster. I guess he was also supposed to be the comic relief and it was just sad and cringey.

The romantic relationships in this book felt so forced. It's like Chokshi made a list of what characters were going to end up together and wrote all the scenes to match that idea. The Zofia and Enrique just don't really connect for me and instead of showing us that they have feeling for each other, Chokshi tells us how they feel with cheesey lines.

I was really disappointed because I did enjoy the first book. Now I'm not sure if I want to continue on and read the final book in this trilogy.

I wasn’t in love with this book when I read it, but it was very well written and was still a nice story. I’d consider reading more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank You to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange or my honest opinions!

6/10

UUUGGGGGHHHH! I feel so conflicted about this review. On one hand, I absolutely adore Roshani Chokshi's work, and I was so looking forward to being able to review a piece of her's. On the other hand, this is not her best piece by a long stretch. I appreciate a lot about her writing and yet, so much fell flat in this book. Yes, I enjoyed the character's and I enjoyed the setting and I adored the way that she utilized tension between the two lead characters, but it wasn't enough to salvage the undeserved, rushed ending and the plot confusion. As much as I wanted to follow the character's I must admit that she lost me for a bit in the middle. And the ending reveal comes out of the left field with no indicators and left me largely at a loss. In addition, she tries to humanize her character's oten in their insanity and a lot of it feels undeserved. I am hoping against hope that this is just a sequel slump because I love a lot of things about this series and I think it's incredibly salvagable. I look forward to the next book and anything else she writes in the future