*AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*First in a “wildly inventive and wildly representative” (The New York Times Book Review) historical fantasy series, Roshani Chokshi’s The Gilded Wolves follows the exploits of a found family—six societal outcasts tasked with stealing a powerful artifact that can alter their lives for the better, but at the cost of breaking the world.All eyes are on Paris … breaking the world.
All eyes are on Paris where the Exposition Universelle World Fair is to be held. Hidden among the technological marvels and artistic creations on display is an item of unimaginable power—a Babel fragment that would enable those who wield it with magical Forging abilities over nature’s elements.
Séverin Montagnet-Alarie’s birthright was stolen from him. Now, to reclaim his rightful place among France’s elite, he must obtain the Babel fragment for the Order. It is a heist that will require the ingenuity and skills of those with nothing to lose and everything to gain: Enrique, a gifted historian and wordsmith, caught between two worlds; Zofia, a brilliant Forging artist and engineer, separated from her family; Hypnos, a rival aristocrat who needs an ally among the Order; Tristan, an extraordinary Forger raised at Séverin’s side, loyal to his adopted brother’s quest; and Laila, the mysterious dancer and espionage artist who stole Séverin’s heart in a moment of vulnerability he couldn’t afford.
But as the dangerous risks of their escapade surge, Séverin finds himself torn between his desire for revenge against all those who wronged him and the people he’s deliberately placing in harm’s way—including the woman he loves and fears to lose…
“A masterpiece of imagination.” —New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Garber
“Part political misadventure, part puzzle and thoroughly charming, with a band of rapscallions and a string of surprises.” —New York Times bestselling author Holly Black
“[A] smart, dark adventure.” —New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young
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The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Choksi was not as good as I was hoping for at all. Early into the book, I found myself being reminded strongly of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and that gives any book a lot to live up too. There were also multiple inconsistencies such as a pendant being smashed in one chapter only to be perfectly fine a few chapters later and used again. It ended with a cliffhanger that makes me wonder if its the author’s intention is to create a sequel, which may redeem the book a little bit. Even after finishing the book the concept of Forging was still a bit confusing, and with it being such a major part of the book that is not good news.
Séverin was stripped of his title as heir to a House in the Order of Babel for an unknown reason after his parents died in a fire. Séverin was approached by Hypnos after stealing an artifact from him. Hypnos blackmails Séverin to agree to steal a different item from House Kore. In order to do this Séverin enlists the help of his friends Zofia, Laila, and Enrique. His adopted brother Tristan also helps out but openly shows his distrust of Hypnos.
After successfully retrieving the item in question from House Kore the friends are shocked to discover that they are not quite done. The Fallen House has risen and is trying to awaken a Babel Fragment. The Fallen House needs a few things that the friends have in order to achieve their goal, but the friends cannot allow the Fallen House to succeed. Now the friends must try to stop this awakening
or civilization as they know it might be changed forever.
What I liked best was how all the characters teamed up together with Hypnos to achieve their goals. At times the Da Vinci Code feeling of the book while the friends solve puzzles was enjoyable. What I liked least was that it felt like more detail in the back story was needed. Forging for example, why can only some people do it? The idea that Babel Fragments somehow allow people to use God’s power to manipulate objects was not explained very well. Plus there is the fact that I could not decide on the age range of the main characters. Sometimes they appear to be adults and at other times they were more like children, barely even teens.
For the target readers of this book, anyone could read it. Middle school students with a high reading level would be able to handle this book with very few problems. The book is even about average size so I don’t think that would even be an issue for someone who likes reading. I give this
book a 2 out of 4 with the hope that a second book will be released. If there is no second book in the works than this book only deserves a 1. I would not call it a complete waste of time, but it was close.
Upon finishing the book there were too many concepts important to the background of the story that did not get enough attention. I do not enjoy it or recommend books that still have me questioning aspects that build the foundation of the story by the time it ends.
There was so much hype surrounding the release of The Gilded Wolves! Every Instagram photo had a picture of the book along with a review of super high praise. Every person on Goodreads just absolutely loved it! I got an advanced copy of The Gilded Wolves, but I did not have time to read it right away. I sat the book aside, and forgot about it. Then, all the crazy it’s the greatest story ever happened. I thought I should probably go ahead and read this book so that I could write my own review about it. So, I did read it. I read about fifty or so pages and that is all. I did not like this book at all. I tried, but I found it too boring! It didn’t hold my attention. Is it just me not liking this book?
Séverin Montagnet-Alarie lost everything when he was a child and now he has a chance to get it all back. He has the chance to win back his inheritance, but it means having to help the Order of Babel, the society that took his inheritance from him. Séverin needs help to find the ancient artifact the Order is looking for, so he is joined by his 4 closest friends. The 5 of them most work together to find the artifact hidden somewhere in Paris.
This story takes place in Paris in 1889 and the author did an excellent job staying in the timeline. The reader does not forget what year they are in. The story starts off somewhat slow and I did find myself getting bored. Séverin is adopted many times and I found the names of his adopted fathers a bit ridiculous. I understand that they each taught Séverin something very important in life, but I did not feel like their names needed to reflect that. Each chapter is told by a different character which helps the story move along. The story does pick up and I found myself not wanting to put it down.
My favorite aspect of the whole story was the friendship between Séverin and his friends. Although they are all very different they use it to their advantage. No one acts better than the other and you can feel the love they all have for each other. There is a devastating event at the end of the book that I hope gets justice in book 2, which I am very much looking forward to.
The plot of THE GILDED WOLVES made me pick up the book in the first place but the group camaraderie among the main characters kept me turning the pages. You get likable characters with banter set on an adventure in Paris and magic and heists, different points of view, and twists in the story but not predictable ones.
DNF at about 50%.
I tried so hard to love this book. Because it’s so unique, has a really great and unusual voice but I just couldn’t connect to the characters, to the story. It was tad bit slow, I think. And sometimes all over the place. I just don’t really have the patience right now.
“Wolves were everywhere. In politics, on thrones, in beds. They cut their teeth on history and grew fat on war.”
What have you read lately that mangled your soul, twisting the knife even as it ignited a fire of exuberance in your veins, in your heart?
The Gilded Wolves by @roshanichokshi has left me bereft and broken even as it simultaneously filled my senses with love and wonder that one can only experience through the treasure that is exquisite literature. With characters so utterly enchanting in their stunning representation of inner strength found in baring a weakness that being human guarantees. With a setting so decadent and rich, and dare I say succulent? As I believe anyone who wishes to read it, will feast upon the pages with a ferocity born of a yearning to devour every detail, to find out what indeed lies ahead for this ensemble of delightfully enthralling characters. The magic and mayhem found within cannot be matched with splendidly unique plot, it’s intricately woven bits and pieces that are absolutely divine. I am crestfallen. I am downtrodden. The wait for the following installment will be treacherous in length indeed.
I adored each and every character in this story. The plot was unnecessarily convoluted at times, and some of the ‘stage managing’ had me very confused (who was walking behind whom?), but still an enjoyable journey. I’d be happy enough if the entire next book was just about Zofia, although I loved them all.
This was an entertaining read, if you’re looking for a book that reminds you of six of crows and has riddles and intrigue, then you should give it a try.
In this book there’s a group of outcasts, Severin, Zofia, Layla, Tristan and Enrique, each one with different talents.
They take an almost impossible mission in order to achieve their goals, but they shall pay dearly for it.
I also loved Hypnos, he was so fun and full of resources for different tasks.
The Gilded Wolves has it all: magical Belle Époque Paris, dark and glittering prose, a cast of characters that will steal your heart inside their other heists. This is a book I wish I’d written.
This is one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. 1889, Paris. Fantasy & Sci-Fi. Not my usually genre, but I’m expanding and so glad I am. Severin, who wants to gain back his Patriarch title for House Vanth, Enrique, the revolutionary & historian, Zofia, the Forger with a whole lot of social awkwardness, Laila, the dancer & Baker, and Tristan, the Forger of plants & Severin’s Family.
I’d call this a mix of The DaVinci Code & Harry Potter. It kept me guessing and kept the pages turning. The love, and hate, and sexual tension between the characters was phenomenal.
I felt like this was not YA, much more adult to me. I wish there had been a vocabulary page, at least, and at most a history lesson on this word at the beginning of the book. When I finish a book, I want basic questions answered and for me, they were not. I do not know if I will continue to read the series.
This book should be made into a movie ASAP. I think it would be magical.
I recommend this book with some buts…but it is difficult to understand with the terminology and you are kind of left to make up a history yourself and I wish those basic questions had been answered.
I have a complicated relationship with Roshani Chokshi’s books. I like her stories but I am not particularly fond of her writing style, I find it too flowery and too whimsical. Overall I enjoyed The Gilded Wolves but it wasn’t a five star read for me because once again I didn’t necessary connect with the writing style. There was a lot that I really liked about the book though.
I loved how different myths from different cultures were woven together with the myth of Babel at the center. I find the story of Babel to be one of the more interesting Biblical stories, so I was happy to see it in this book. Other elements that I liked were the Order, a secret society with different Houses or families, each with their own secrets and agendas; a hunt for ancient artifacts; and a number of compelling and diverse characters that Severin’s crew was comprised of. Out of all the characters Laila was definitely my favorite, her origins story was so fascinating!
I found the worldbuilding to be intriguing but overly complex. It took me awhile to wrap my head around the Forging (magic?) system. Because I struggled a bit with the writing style I found some parts of the book slow-paced. For a heist story it wasn’t as action-packed as I would’ve liked. But the ending was interesting and I definitely want to read the next book, especially since I really want to follow Laila’s story arc.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley
This is a fast-paced book. You get sucked right into the story and don’t want to stop reading. I like how we switch people telling the story throughout the book. It is at times to hard to remember that all the people in this story are under the age of 20 because they act and talk well beyond their years. This story takes place in Paris near the turn of the century but with magic. I’m not really sure how to describe Forge but to call it magic. This is a fun adventure that had a lot intellectual writing and I’m really looking forward to the next book.
*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*