Reviews

So... Ms. Chokshi is really gonna leave me so unsatisfied by a certain plot line, huh?

Okay, no, seriously--I highly enjoyed myself in this sequel. I've already seen talk about it having second-book-syndrome where it's slower and lacks urgency (but the urgency is definitely there btw). And I totally see that, but I think that I would read a whole book of these characters just interacting, bickering, being angsty, staring at each other, etc--that the slowness didn't bother me.

Zofia is *officially* one of my favorite characters of all time. She's a breath of fresh air in the YA fantasy genre and pushes the boundaries of many female characters I've read. Her neurodivergence is a part of her but not a plot point/device, and I appreciate that so much.

I had to take a star off for the reveal of the villain. Like...duh. I understand that the villain wasn't really the main driving force behind the conflict in this book, but I felt like it could've been crafted better and been less obvious.

And back to my first line in this (spoiler?)... I just want to see some cute, awkward twenty-year-olds realize they love each other.

paintsandreads's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

noorawinters's review against another edition

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1.0

this book took years out of my life. i'm exausted.

cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition

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4.0

I do like this series, all characters dynamics and writing style, but liked first one more because characters are more consistent there.
Main problem was Séverin making martyr of himself at first I was understanding because of events in first book but WHOLE book it got annoying really fast.
I do like him with Laila but this will they/ won't they got me not caring, especially when I think they won't get happy ending.
Now the best part of book for me was Zofia, Enrique and Hypnos I especially like we got his POV at end.
Overall I enjoyed being in Chokshi world and can't wait for next book.

tencutepuppies's review against another edition

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5.0

(5/5) I am NOT okay. Nobody talk to me for the next 3-5 business days.

Everything—the constant action, the setting in the Russian palace, the puzzles, the character development and interactions—was phenomenal. Hypnos and Enrique (and Zofia toward the end) were cute, but Severen and Laila had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was sO angsty in that way I like.

Also can we talk about this whole passage?

““How do you know I’m not a mirage … how do you know I’m real this time, Séverin?” asked Laila. “You said so yourself I wasn’t.”

As she spoke, she straddled him, her hips above his. Séverin’s mouth twisted up, dark and lupine.

“Perhaps,” he said, his voice low. He trailed his hand up her thigh. “All goddesses are just beliefs draped on the scaffolding of ideas. I can’t touch what’s not real.” Séverin looked up at her. His pupils were blown out. “But I can worship it all the same.””

Shut the fUck up!!!!!!! I will forever be angry I didn’t write that passage myself.

aneges's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Sadly I did not like this book as much as the previous one. Partly this might be because of the mood I was in while I read this but most of the blame I think is because of the slower pacing and the character arc of Severin which I didn't love (it could have been interesting but I didn't agree fully with the execution).
The ending was abrupt but it made me very curious to know how it ends and I think I will try to pick it up soon.

jess_mango's review against another edition

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4.0

The Silvered Serpents is the second book in The Gilded Wolves series. We return to the 19th century and the group of young adults we met in the first book. Each of the team members has their own special gift and are once again on a quest to find a long lost artifact. This quest is initiated by Severin who is looking to make amends after the death of one of their team members. This quest takes them to Russia in the middle of the winter (I mean, is their any other time to go to Russia?). While surrounded by snow and ice, the team follows a series of clues that lead them to old mansions that are filled with secrets and connected with unsolved disappearances and murders.

I haven't read many books in this particular corner of fantasy but this series does remind me in a way of the Indiana Jones movies. There team solves lots of puzzles and go on adventures to retrieve treasure. Of course, this has more of a fantasy element than the Indy movies do in that this group of characters each have a mystical talent. The read is a fun escapist frolic through mansions and forests of the 19th century.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

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