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thelittleoddling's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
While overall I found the diversity done quite well. Though as an autistic reader I was quite disappointed with how stereotypical the autistic representation felt. The best part was the way the others accommodated her needs but otherwise it fell flat.
The magic system is very interesting and unique if a bit confusing, though being the first in a trilogy we have time to dig into it more later, loved the visuals for some of the puzzles, though I wish there were more. Some scenes I struggled to imagine layouts of rooms.
I think this is a good book that is fun if you’re into found family and heist narratives.
It also includes some YA age appropriate discussions of the racism found in 1800s Europe which I think are done well.
The magic system is very interesting and unique if a bit confusing, though being the first in a trilogy we have time to dig into it more later, loved the visuals for some of the puzzles, though I wish there were more. Some scenes I struggled to imagine layouts of rooms.
I think this is a good book that is fun if you’re into found family and heist narratives.
It also includes some YA age appropriate discussions of the racism found in 1800s Europe which I think are done well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death, Murder, Racism, and Colonisation
Minor: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
A character has a pet tarantula, though as someone severely afraid of spiders it was never described in enough detail to trigger me.graceicle's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.5
Didn’t love it as much as I thought I might, not super keen to read the sequel but I might if I can at some point borrow it from the library!
This book is often compared to six of crows, and honestly doesn’t have the same vibes. It’s got a lot of the same tropes, and a similar setting, but it didn’t give me the same feeling. While I like and find the characters interesting, the world building clever, the magic system interesting; the story itself was tricky to follow at times and I struggled to keep focus. I listened to the audible version and LOVED the narration, it was so fun to actually have what felt at least to me (Aussie) like legitimate attempts at French accents for the (largely) French characters-so often everything is delivered in a flat American accent regardless of the characters backgrounds, and I’m so used to that that I really noticed the effort out in here to make that not happen and I think it really helped with the immersion, and definitely made it much easier to tell when the characters are speaking rather than narration, which is sometimes hard to determine in audiobook form!
Overall it’s a good and solid book with some really great elements, but it just didn’t grab me by the throat the way I was hoping.
I enjoyed how explicitly autistic Zofia was, and the way the characters -especially Laila - looked out for her needs and preferences, as well as not enforcing neurotypical responses onto her.
Loved the chaotic love triangle vibes-that’s not usually my thing but that might actually be the thing that tips me over into reading the sequel-to see how they explore that.
This book is often compared to six of crows, and honestly doesn’t have the same vibes. It’s got a lot of the same tropes, and a similar setting, but it didn’t give me the same feeling. While I like and find the characters interesting, the world building clever, the magic system interesting; the story itself was tricky to follow at times and I struggled to keep focus. I listened to the audible version and LOVED the narration, it was so fun to actually have what felt at least to me (Aussie) like legitimate attempts at French accents for the (largely) French characters-so often everything is delivered in a flat American accent regardless of the characters backgrounds, and I’m so used to that that I really noticed the effort out in here to make that not happen and I think it really helped with the immersion, and definitely made it much easier to tell when the characters are speaking rather than narration, which is sometimes hard to determine in audiobook form!
Overall it’s a good and solid book with some really great elements, but it just didn’t grab me by the throat the way I was hoping.
I enjoyed how explicitly autistic Zofia was, and the way the characters -especially Laila - looked out for her needs and preferences, as well as not enforcing neurotypical responses onto her.
Loved the chaotic love triangle vibes-that’s not usually my thing but that might actually be the thing that tips me over into reading the sequel-to see how they explore that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Racism, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse
bergha1998's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
3.75
If you liked Six of Crows I would wager you would enjoy this book. I did, though Séverin pissed me the fuck off in the end. I loved the diversity of this book, plus all the LGBTQIA+ characters. A book where everyone felt bisexual.
Found Family, LGBTQIA+, Romance Subplots
“He wished he didn’t know what he had lost. Maybe then every day wouldn’t feel like this. As if he had once known how to fly, but the skies had shaken him loose and left him with nothing but the memory of wings.”
“Fear grew in places unlit by knowledge.”
Found Family, LGBTQIA+, Romance Subplots
“He wished he didn’t know what he had lost. Maybe then every day wouldn’t feel like this. As if he had once known how to fly, but the skies had shaken him loose and left him with nothing but the memory of wings.”
“Fear grew in places unlit by knowledge.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
florecita_lectora's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, Child abuse, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal death
girlgetsbook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It took me a while to read this book, because even though the premise is amazing and well executed, I think the pacing and the writing were a bit off and I struggled to find my way to the book again, even though it absolutely got my attention once I picked it up.
I loved the idea behind this book, I had no idea it was going to tackle these kind of issues and was pleasantly surprised by that. I love when the fantasy element of a book serves as a tool to further enhance the themes the author wants to portray, and it's done beautifully and tragically here with the Order representing the hold Europe has on other continents it invaded and the magical artifacts being symbols of pieces of culture, history and lives stolen from said places, and the representation of the real-life racism, xenophobia and exploration that people of color suffered at the time, especially, as the author mentioned represented by the gross Exhibition that is the scenary for a big part of the plot, that is inspired by events that actually happened.
The magic system was very ingenious, a mix of mythology, religion and science and the worldbuilding was incredible even if it took a while to be fully explained which dragged the pacing a little bit. I think the action scenes and the heists should've been planned out better because a lot of it was told and not shown and some things came super easily to the characters and some aspects of the mission were never fully explored to create a better rhythm to the action.
I love that most characters were BIPOC and I loved the discussion around the biracial characters and the angst some of them feel for being a mixture between invader and invaded, I relate to that as a white latina myself. In this aspect the characters really stood on their own, their history, their struggles and how this systemically racist and unfair society impacted their lives and their goals for the future, it was all really important and full of impact to read about. The characters were amazing and their representation well done but I think the problem for me was when they came together, especially during the action. Some of them, really had their places and were able to shine during key moments, like Zophia and Enrique. I LOVED Zophia and I loved the neurodivergent representation, I absolutely relate to her struggles fitting in and one scene in particular hurt me personally because of how real it was, besides that she was brilliant and basically did most of the work, I want her to be happy forever. Enrique also shines amongst the others, I feel like more than anyone else we get to understand who he is, where he's been, his stregnths and weaknesses, for me he was the main character of this book, and I'm not complaining, I love my queer historian to pieces. Now to the others: Séverin was the leader, yes, but sometimes I felt something was missing, it didn't feel like there were any stakes for him when it came to his goals until much later in the story, he had his revenge plot but nothing felt precisely urgent, driving him to his goal at that precise time (what I meant to say was that he was successful and financially stable enough to continue not having what he wanted for a long time, maybe if something financial drove him, his plot would be more engaging to follow). Aside from Séverin, there was Laila, I loved her, and like I said she stands on her own, to the point where I would read a book about her adventures chasing what she wants and her haunting background and interesting magic, however I felt like the author herself didn't know her, when it came to interacting with other characters she felt like a caregiver most of the time, never really living for herself, and during the action it never felt like she was in synch with the rest of the characters, like the author just used her because she needed someone to do something, she has amazing powers but it was mostly used before the action. Tristan and Hypnos were very much supporting characters in this book so I don't have a lot to say about them, except that I like Hypnos and am confused by Tristan, nothing was really well explained about him.
When it came to the characters' dynamics I also felt like they were a bit weird, and after thinking about it I came to the conclusion that it just feels like they already know each other for too long, there isn't for most of the time any conflict of interest or anything for them to discover about one another that is important for the plot, I feel like their relationships are book three level and we didn't see most of the developments between them. The ones that do have conflict are exactly the ones I'm the most invested in, like Séverin and Hypnos and Enrique and Zophia, all these characters feel like they have something to learn from one another and that makes for more interesting dynamics, aside from them, though I appreciate the warmth that surrounds the group, it just didn't feel earned enough, with one character in particular retreating to a worse version of himself by the end of the book.
Because of how everything happened off-page I also struggled to root for Séverin and Laila, it felt like they already had resolved this a long time ago but somehow they still acted like hormonal teenagers around each other, it felt like they were only physically attracted to each other because the author wanted to create that tension every time, which gave less space for me to believe in their partnership as thieves and even as friends really.
The love triangle was unnecessary, I think the author had the idea for the first relationship and as she wrote the book realized the chemistry of the other couple but decided to maintain both anyway, I don't want to see any of them suffer.
The villain paled in comparison to the actual threat of the systems surrounding the country and the systemically racist and invader institutions running the country, it felt very villain of the week and not an actual problem to be faced, the villain was very mustache-twirling to my liking.
Overall this was an okay book with an interesting worldbuilding and premise but that lacked a bit in terms of plotting and pacing. I will continue reading the series and maybe my opinion will change.
About the end
what the fuck was that? I'm not even talking about Tristan's death, it was kind of obvious he was going to either die or be used somehow by the Fallen House again, what I don't get is the bird scene? What does that prove or represent? Why was it just thrown in there when he isn't even alive to defend himself (which makes me think he might come back again but evil maybe? Which is worse than death honestly, but I'm thinking he might be the true heir for the house so yeah maybe he will be back). Séverin was gross, I understand pushing someone away but then being offensive while at it? He just was mean for no reason, really hard to ship this couple rn.
I loved the idea behind this book, I had no idea it was going to tackle these kind of issues and was pleasantly surprised by that. I love when the fantasy element of a book serves as a tool to further enhance the themes the author wants to portray, and it's done beautifully and tragically here with the Order representing the hold Europe has on other continents it invaded and the magical artifacts being symbols of pieces of culture, history and lives stolen from said places, and the representation of the real-life racism, xenophobia and exploration that people of color suffered at the time, especially, as the author mentioned represented by the gross Exhibition that is the scenary for a big part of the plot, that is inspired by events that actually happened.
The magic system was very ingenious, a mix of mythology, religion and science and the worldbuilding was incredible even if it took a while to be fully explained which dragged the pacing a little bit. I think the action scenes and the heists should've been planned out better because a lot of it was told and not shown and some things came super easily to the characters and some aspects of the mission were never fully explored to create a better rhythm to the action.
I love that most characters were BIPOC and I loved the discussion around the biracial characters and the angst some of them feel for being a mixture between invader and invaded, I relate to that as a white latina myself. In this aspect the characters really stood on their own, their history, their struggles and how this systemically racist and unfair society impacted their lives and their goals for the future, it was all really important and full of impact to read about. The characters were amazing and their representation well done but I think the problem for me was when they came together, especially during the action. Some of them, really had their places and were able to shine during key moments, like Zophia and Enrique. I LOVED Zophia and I loved the neurodivergent representation, I absolutely relate to her struggles fitting in and one scene in particular hurt me personally because of how real it was, besides that she was brilliant and basically did most of the work, I want her to be happy forever. Enrique also shines amongst the others, I feel like more than anyone else we get to understand who he is, where he's been, his stregnths and weaknesses, for me he was the main character of this book, and I'm not complaining, I love my queer historian to pieces. Now to the others: Séverin was the leader, yes, but sometimes I felt something was missing, it didn't feel like there were any stakes for him when it came to his goals until much later in the story, he had his revenge plot but nothing felt precisely urgent, driving him to his goal at that precise time (what I meant to say was that he was successful and financially stable enough to continue not having what he wanted for a long time, maybe if something financial drove him, his plot would be more engaging to follow). Aside from Séverin, there was Laila, I loved her, and like I said she stands on her own, to the point where I would read a book about her adventures chasing what she wants and her haunting background and interesting magic, however I felt like the author herself didn't know her, when it came to interacting with other characters she felt like a caregiver most of the time, never really living for herself, and during the action it never felt like she was in synch with the rest of the characters, like the author just used her because she needed someone to do something, she has amazing powers but it was mostly used before the action. Tristan and Hypnos were very much supporting characters in this book so I don't have a lot to say about them, except that I like Hypnos and am confused by Tristan, nothing was really well explained about him.
When it came to the characters' dynamics I also felt like they were a bit weird, and after thinking about it I came to the conclusion that it just feels like they already know each other for too long, there isn't for most of the time any conflict of interest or anything for them to discover about one another that is important for the plot, I feel like their relationships are book three level and we didn't see most of the developments between them. The ones that do have conflict are exactly the ones I'm the most invested in, like Séverin and Hypnos and Enrique and Zophia, all these characters feel like they have something to learn from one another and that makes for more interesting dynamics, aside from them, though I appreciate the warmth that surrounds the group, it just didn't feel earned enough, with one character in particular retreating to a worse version of himself by the end of the book.
Because of how everything happened off-page I also struggled to root for Séverin and Laila, it felt like they already had resolved this a long time ago but somehow they still acted like hormonal teenagers around each other, it felt like they were only physically attracted to each other because the author wanted to create that tension every time, which gave less space for me to believe in their partnership as thieves and even as friends really.
The love triangle was unnecessary, I think the author had the idea for the first relationship and as she wrote the book realized the chemistry of the other couple but decided to maintain both anyway, I don't want to see any of them suffer.
The villain paled in comparison to the actual threat of the systems surrounding the country and the systemically racist and invader institutions running the country, it felt very villain of the week and not an actual problem to be faced, the villain was very mustache-twirling to my liking.
Overall this was an okay book with an interesting worldbuilding and premise but that lacked a bit in terms of plotting and pacing. I will continue reading the series and maybe my opinion will change.
About the end
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Violence, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Torture, Biphobia, and Child abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Biphobia
deerlybeloved's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A thrilling and perfectly set-up heist movie in a book format, with more likeable characters and a plot that goes beyond, 'watch people go through lasers'. The cast is beautiful and interesting, the magic system is something to behold, and from the beginning you find yourself desperately hoping the best for the characters you meet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, Xenophobia, Violence, Gun violence, Death of parent, Classism, Animal cruelty, Racism, Colonisation, Child abuse, Torture, Cultural appropriation, Animal death, and Misogyny
friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The vibes. I loved reading it and wanted to come back every time. It isnt 5/5 just because I didnt understand where we were in the space sometimes and I did not understand their age. When I started the book i thout that they were adults but they're like 18. Overall love love highly reccomand will definitly be continuing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, Antisemitism, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, and Xenophobia
Minor: Self harm and Suicide
hobbithopeful's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you like Six of Crows you're going to love this book! My deepest regret in life will be not reading this sooner.
A historical fantasy set in an alternate history in France The Gilded Wolves follows a found family of lovable and diverse characters. Their primary goal is to help Séverin regain his place as a Patriarch, a title stolen from him when he was younger, and a way to guarantee everyone gets what they most deeply desire. Along the way they plot, heist, and use magically forged objects to achieve their goals. This story follows 6 different characters, all unique with their own backgrounds and complex personalities. It is a testament to the writing talents of Roshani Chokshi that the narrative was easy to follow. I never felt confused or lost, or had the urge to construct a string map to keep track of the plot.
I adored the magic system in this book! All the imagery and inventions were so intricate and beautiful, I felt like I could see all the descriptions around me. It was so cool watching the characters figure out the puzzles, I liked how there were illustrations on the pages so the reader could also try to solve them as well. (Not me though, it is over my head!) I really liked Zofia, it is so great to read books with autism representation. I saw a few reviews not liking how she was written, but I thought it was very accurate. (Especially how sensory adverse she is!) I think it is important to remember there is no right way to be "autistic" and everyone has such a wildly different experience it's impossible to compare.
Favorite Moments: Hypnos being extra, Laila laying a cookie trail, all the clues and puzzles, and Séverin's parental figures depicted as the 7 sins
Least Favorite: The ending *ugly cries*
This book follows strong themes of colonialism, racism, and trying to find your place in a world that only sees you by your race. I highly recommend it, and can't wait till the next book comes in from the library so I can find out what happens next! (Oh yeah, it ends on a bit of a big reveal/cliffhanger, fair warning)
A historical fantasy set in an alternate history in France The Gilded Wolves follows a found family of lovable and diverse characters. Their primary goal is to help Séverin regain his place as a Patriarch, a title stolen from him when he was younger, and a way to guarantee everyone gets what they most deeply desire. Along the way they plot, heist, and use magically forged objects to achieve their goals. This story follows 6 different characters, all unique with their own backgrounds and complex personalities. It is a testament to the writing talents of Roshani Chokshi that the narrative was easy to follow. I never felt confused or lost, or had the urge to construct a string map to keep track of the plot.
I adored the magic system in this book! All the imagery and inventions were so intricate and beautiful, I felt like I could see all the descriptions around me. It was so cool watching the characters figure out the puzzles, I liked how there were illustrations on the pages so the reader could also try to solve them as well. (Not me though, it is over my head!) I really liked Zofia, it is so great to read books with autism representation. I saw a few reviews not liking how she was written, but I thought it was very accurate. (Especially how sensory adverse she is!) I think it is important to remember there is no right way to be "autistic" and everyone has such a wildly different experience it's impossible to compare.
Favorite Moments: Hypnos being extra, Laila laying a cookie trail, all the clues and puzzles, and Séverin's parental figures depicted as the 7 sins
Least Favorite: The ending *ugly cries*
This book follows strong themes of colonialism, racism, and trying to find your place in a world that only sees you by your race. I highly recommend it, and can't wait till the next book comes in from the library so I can find out what happens next! (Oh yeah, it ends on a bit of a big reveal/cliffhanger, fair warning)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Torture, Child abuse, Racism, and Death
Minor: Animal cruelty, Slavery, Animal death, and Death of parent
antonique_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Blood, Colonisation, Racism, and Racial slurs
carolined314's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Team heist/romp in fantastical world. A bit of Indiana Jones puzzle thrown in. Felt a little rushed, chaotic, deus ex for me, but certainly fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence