Scan barcode
literarypenguin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am dead!
The Silvered Serpents is the sequel and second book of The Gilded Wolves series. This book has taken everything I loved from The Gilded Wolves and ramped it up tenfold. The characters, the writing and the plot were all bumped up majorly from the first book. This has truly cemented my love for this series and made this series one of my favorite series of all time.
Plot/Writing
The plot has our crew dealing with a tremendous and devastating loss from the last book. Everyone is dealing with grief in very different ways but also working to find out more about The Fallen House and what their plans are. They team up for what most of them think will be their last acquisition together, unfortunately fate has different plans for them as they make their way to the cold landscape of Russia.
The way grief was written in this book was so well done and very beautiful. It showed the different ways people show grief and what they choose to do with that emotion. Also Roshani's descriptions of a scene was so engaging and made me even more immersed in this book. She also showed the damage that can be done by grief and what it can do to that person and the people they love the most. The emotions just oozed off the pages and you could feel characters anger or disappointment at each other without them having to say a word. I loved the underlining message of how objects of our history are very important and should not be destroyed or sold for profit but us humans cant help our greed sometimes or our need for power. The humor was spot on as well, several moments made me laugh and was a very welcome presence among the sorrow that made up the majority of the book.
Atmosphere/Setting
The setting was a bit lackluster then the beauty and splendor of the first but the descriptions were still very detailed and I could picture the harsh landscape of Russia in my head. I wish we could have had more locations instead of being in The Sleeping Palace the whole book. The Palace itself sounded like a once beautiful and lovely home but overtime it has become cold and uninviting. I could feel the freezing temperatures coming off the pages and there were times that I thought the characters were in grave danger and would not be able to escape.
Characters
Severin, The Leader- Severin goes through so much in this book! He became lost after Tristan's death and put most of the blame for what happened on himself and his failure to listen. He was so stricken with grief that he locked his emotions tight within himself and refused to let them show. He even pushed his team away, especially Laila. His motive for wanting The Divine Lyrics was to become a god so that he could grant his team what they desired and not have to feel emotions ever again. Over time though his cold exterior started to melt away and in the end he realized what it truly meant to be a god and discovered his true purpose. It was very surprising to discover that he had the bloodline needed to use the Divine Lyrics and I hope that he will use this power for the right reasons and not to destroy the world. I hope that he can start coping with Tristan's death and understand that it wasnt his fault. That he did protect him and he continues to protect people.
Laila, L'Enigme- Laila has dealt with Tristan's death by trying to distance herself from the crew and Severin as much as she possibly can. Her feelings for Severin are still very strong but they are also changing as she sees Severin change for the worst. She deals with her potential death by trying to make every moment she has left count and she even gathers up the courage to tell Zofia and Enrique. She thinks about her past alot, from the undying love of her mother to her disconnected and cold father. She even thinks that she is the one to use the Divine Lyrics to hopefully extend her life but finds out it will kill her if she even gets near it.
Enrique, The Historian- All he wants is to be listened to. Enrique has buried himself into his work and his ever growing need to impress The Illustrados. When a rejection letter, that he later learns was set up by Severin so that he might stay at L'Eden, crushes his self esteem he tries to show people that there is more to him then just a man who knows alot about history. He does learn the value of his worth as he saves the team and accepts his growing feelings for Zofia.
Zofia, The Phoenix- Zofia leaves L'Eden to go back home to care for her ill sister Hela. Zofia struggles with trying to find out where she fits in a world not equipped for someone like her. She tries to avoid becoming a burden to people and even comes out of her comfort zone to help her friends. She does everything in her power to help Laila and slowly comes to realize that she has feelings for Enrique. She does not want anyone else to die and doesn't know if she can handle another loss.
Hypnos, The Patriarch- We got to know Hypnos a bit more in this book but I still hope in the third book we get a couple of chapters in his pov. He is such a funny, charming but complex character. He tries desperately to fit in to the group and tries to fit into a role that is not his to fit into. He does nothing but kind things for the group but continues to be shunned especially by Severin. I think he is very lonely and has not had very many friends of his choosing growing up. I think he also tries to put on a act to impress people so that they may like him. It is very clear that he would do anything for the group and loves them like family.
The Relationships
Severin/Laila- OMG! This romance is so good! These two clearly love each other but dont want to pursue anything for fear of losing what they have. Severin doesn't want to be close to Laila because in his own way he puts blame on her. He wishes he wouldnt have jumped in front of her when he needed to jump in front of Tristan. He is scared to love her but finds himself giving into her more and more. Laila pushes Severin away for fear of her death breaking his already fragile heart. The addition of Eva built up the tension even more and added more depth to the already detailed romance. What Severin does to save Laila shows me just how much he loves her and how much he always will.
Hypnos/Enrique, Enrique/ Zofia- I love the romance blossoming between Zofia and Enrique. It is so cute and adorable. They both understand each other so well and work together beautifully. It was such a joy to read both of them coming to the realization of their feelings. I hope they admit this to each other in the next book. Enrique also realizes that Hypnos and him both need someone to love them and unfortunately breaks up with Hypnos. Hypnos saw Enrique as a casual affair more then a serious relationship when Enrique wanted something more. I hope this relationship teaches Hypnos more about love and how to love someone. I hope he finds his special someone.
This was a superb sequel to a great trilogy and I can not wait to read the next book. I am both sad to see this series end but excited to see where are team ends up and what trouble they get into next!
The Silvered Serpents is the sequel and second book of The Gilded Wolves series. This book has taken everything I loved from The Gilded Wolves and ramped it up tenfold. The characters, the writing and the plot were all bumped up majorly from the first book. This has truly cemented my love for this series and made this series one of my favorite series of all time.
Plot/Writing
The plot has our crew dealing with a tremendous and devastating loss from the last book. Everyone is dealing with grief in very different ways but also working to find out more about The Fallen House and what their plans are. They team up for what most of them think will be their last acquisition together, unfortunately fate has different plans for them as they make their way to the cold landscape of Russia.
The way grief was written in this book was so well done and very beautiful. It showed the different ways people show grief and what they choose to do with that emotion. Also Roshani's descriptions of a scene was so engaging and made me even more immersed in this book. She also showed the damage that can be done by grief and what it can do to that person and the people they love the most. The emotions just oozed off the pages and you could feel characters anger or disappointment at each other without them having to say a word. I loved the underlining message of how objects of our history are very important and should not be destroyed or sold for profit but us humans cant help our greed sometimes or our need for power. The humor was spot on as well, several moments made me laugh and was a very welcome presence among the sorrow that made up the majority of the book.
Atmosphere/Setting
The setting was a bit lackluster then the beauty and splendor of the first but the descriptions were still very detailed and I could picture the harsh landscape of Russia in my head. I wish we could have had more locations instead of being in The Sleeping Palace the whole book. The Palace itself sounded like a once beautiful and lovely home but overtime it has become cold and uninviting. I could feel the freezing temperatures coming off the pages and there were times that I thought the characters were in grave danger and would not be able to escape.
Characters
Severin, The Leader- Severin goes through so much in this book! He became lost after Tristan's death and put most of the blame for what happened on himself and his failure to listen. He was so stricken with grief that he locked his emotions tight within himself and refused to let them show. He even pushed his team away, especially Laila. His motive for wanting The Divine Lyrics was to become a god so that he could grant his team what they desired and not have to feel emotions ever again. Over time though his cold exterior started to melt away and in the end he realized what it truly meant to be a god and discovered his true purpose. It was very surprising to discover that he had the bloodline needed to use the Divine Lyrics and I hope that he will use this power for the right reasons and not to destroy the world. I hope that he can start coping with Tristan's death and understand that it wasnt his fault. That he did protect him and he continues to protect people.
Laila, L'Enigme- Laila has dealt with Tristan's death by trying to distance herself from the crew and Severin as much as she possibly can. Her feelings for Severin are still very strong but they are also changing as she sees Severin change for the worst. She deals with her potential death by trying to make every moment she has left count and she even gathers up the courage to tell Zofia and Enrique. She thinks about her past alot, from the undying love of her mother to her disconnected and cold father. She even thinks that she is the one to use the Divine Lyrics to hopefully extend her life but finds out it will kill her if she even gets near it.
Enrique, The Historian- All he wants is to be listened to. Enrique has buried himself into his work and his ever growing need to impress The Illustrados. When a rejection letter, that he later learns was set up by Severin so that he might stay at L'Eden, crushes his self esteem he tries to show people that there is more to him then just a man who knows alot about history. He does learn the value of his worth as he saves the team and accepts his growing feelings for Zofia.
Zofia, The Phoenix- Zofia leaves L'Eden to go back home to care for her ill sister Hela. Zofia struggles with trying to find out where she fits in a world not equipped for someone like her. She tries to avoid becoming a burden to people and even comes out of her comfort zone to help her friends. She does everything in her power to help Laila and slowly comes to realize that she has feelings for Enrique. She does not want anyone else to die and doesn't know if she can handle another loss.
Hypnos, The Patriarch- We got to know Hypnos a bit more in this book but I still hope in the third book we get a couple of chapters in his pov. He is such a funny, charming but complex character. He tries desperately to fit in to the group and tries to fit into a role that is not his to fit into. He does nothing but kind things for the group but continues to be shunned especially by Severin. I think he is very lonely and has not had very many friends of his choosing growing up. I think he also tries to put on a act to impress people so that they may like him. It is very clear that he would do anything for the group and loves them like family.
The Relationships
Severin/Laila- OMG! This romance is so good! These two clearly love each other but dont want to pursue anything for fear of losing what they have. Severin doesn't want to be close to Laila because in his own way he puts blame on her. He wishes he wouldnt have jumped in front of her when he needed to jump in front of Tristan. He is scared to love her but finds himself giving into her more and more. Laila pushes Severin away for fear of her death breaking his already fragile heart. The addition of Eva built up the tension even more and added more depth to the already detailed romance. What Severin does to save Laila shows me just how much he loves her and how much he always will.
Hypnos/Enrique, Enrique/ Zofia- I love the romance blossoming between Zofia and Enrique. It is so cute and adorable. They both understand each other so well and work together beautifully. It was such a joy to read both of them coming to the realization of their feelings. I hope they admit this to each other in the next book. Enrique also realizes that Hypnos and him both need someone to love them and unfortunately breaks up with Hypnos. Hypnos saw Enrique as a casual affair more then a serious relationship when Enrique wanted something more. I hope this relationship teaches Hypnos more about love and how to love someone. I hope he finds his special someone.
This was a superb sequel to a great trilogy and I can not wait to read the next book. I am both sad to see this series end but excited to see where are team ends up and what trouble they get into next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, and Child abuse
Moderate: Antisemitism and Chronic illness
Minor: Miscarriage and Infertility
amanda_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Love did not always wear the face one wished it would.
Sometimes it looked downright monstrous.
- p.399
The above quote perfectly encapsulates what this series is. This book, it tore my heart to pieces!! I love the world, I love the characters, and I'm so happy I re-read it so I can finally finish the trilogy!!! Bonus that I don't have to wait months for the book to come out, I can just grab it from my bookshelf this time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Murder, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Gore, Body horror, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
More...