Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - The Gilded Wolves

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

10 reviews

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.”

Content Warnings

leahcanread's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful mysterious tense fast-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

Content Warnings

nicoleterego's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-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? No

3.75

Right off the bat, yes, it's a discount 'Six of Crows,' but I don't mind the similarities. In fact, I really want the book to work. The magic system is unique, the characters have potential, and I like the heist plot and the found family trope. However, it just lacks something.

There's too much telling and not enough showing. Severin frustrates me because he's supposed to be the leader of the group, but the book doesn't demonstrate it. In every POV he gets, he just thirsts over Laila and thinks about his worries for the team, revenge, etc., but I did not see him actually doing something about it.

If anything, his actions are always questionable (examples: not being able to recognize a trap twice, ignoring Tristan, rejecting Laila at the end when the book built up their romance repeatedly throughout the whole book; that was so annoying). There were also throw-away scenes like when he went to feed Goliat but ended up, once again, pining for Laila. We didn't even get to know what happened to Tristan's pet. I know it's just a pet, but it could've been nice if the characters eventually learned to like the spider just because of Tristan.

On the other hand, Laila, Enrique, Hypnos, and Sofia are okay; I like them as characters. I love their dynamic and quirks. I just wish we could've seen how they grew close to each other. I felt like the readers were thrown into their dynamic without any backstory on what they went through together to become a solid group.

That's why even if Tristan died at the end, I didn't really feel much. I never got to see how the characters grew to love him and what I should be sad about regarding his death. The dead birds also confused me. I think it should've been a big revelation, but then I don't know him that much, so it didn't have the impact the author expected to have on the readers (or maybe that's just me). There was no setup to his betrayal. Sophia has the greatest potential, but I don't understand what the author wants to achieve with her love triangle with Enrique and Hypnos. Why did she revert back to her old self just because she saw them kiss? Like??? Her infatuation for Enrique shouldn't be the only reason for her to grow as a character. Also, am I the only one who thinks she has neurodivergent traits?

There was so much going on, yet nothing at all. Their plans are told and already in place instead of us being let in on the process of them finding their way to achieve something. That's why the stakes didn't feel real.

The magic system. I finished the book and I still can't understand how Forging works. 😭 LMAO. There are so many words thrown around that the author expects the readers to just understand. The names of the devices and substances just fly around without being explained. I couldn't connect with the world and the magic. It also didn't help that I just finished the Mistborn trilogy, and I kept comparing the way Brandon Sanderson wrote the magic system there.

On the bright side, I really love the Filipino representation. It's refreshing to see my own nationality being represented. Add to the fact that I love Enrique's character (him and Sophia were my faves). I like what the author wants to convey, what they dream of writing about, and I'm so on board with it.

Overall, an ambitious plot and great ideas but lacking proper execution. I hope the next book is better.

Content Warnings

mitzee's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

Really liked the story and the cast of characters. Into the idea of an beautiful Indian lead, someone who is neurodivergent, and queer characters. Interested to see where it goes next. (Had a hard time with one of the narrators voices and it made it challenging to get into the story at first.)

Content Warnings

lisa_m's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark funny inspiring mysterious tense medium-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

4.75

I usually don't like comparing books to other books because most times they can't live up to the expectations.
This book however reminded me so much of some of my favourite books:

It has:
- a found family that reminded me a lot of Six of Crows (especially Kaz & Séverin!)
- a magical Order reminding me a lot of the Shadowhunters
- tattooed vows that reminded me of ACOTAR
- great unique gifts that reminded me of Raybearer

and somehow while reminding me of so many other books and series this book managed to stay unique.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait for the sequel. The only reason I'm not quite giving it 5 stars is the ending & Séverins behaviour in the end.. Careful: BIG SPOILERS AHEAD!

I get that he is hurt and grieving but what he said to Laila is in my opinion pretty unforgivable.. He knew how insecure she was about that and still he said it and didn't even apologise.. so so shitty!! The are both hurt but she did they right thing and overcame her fears while he was just an asshole.
I generally really liked Séverin throughout the book but this just didn't stick right with me..

Also what happened to Tristan was so unexpected and super sad. I usually get emotional very easily while reading but I didn't cry this time. I was sad but not THAT sad. That is also one of the reasons I decided to not give the book 5 stars. It didn't manage to ruin me..

I guess I did like the characters but I wasn't really attached to any of them. I do like though that the other is not afraid of killing of her main characters.

Also I really liked Laila and I think her POV was also always the most interesting to me. I really hope she will stay kind even after what happened because in one of the last chapters we get to see the new her and I have to say I don't like it. She carries her hurt around like a blade and that is so unlike her.

What I probably enjoyed most about this book was the scenery. Paris 1889 but with magic and secret societies.
I still have a lot of questions about the magic system and general world building but I hope that will all be clearer to me when I read the sequels.

I also really enjoyed the Authors Note at the end. What the author said about the Exposition Universelle and "La Belle Epoque" was really interesting. I like that she said you cannot just take the good and ignore the bad and I think you can definitely see that in the book as well. It has the glamour but also the seriousness which you already know I love in my books :)

Content Warnings

rebeccaxpaige's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

oliverreeds's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional tense medium-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

3.75

i liked it. i just felt like the book lacked that extra step of vibrancy that really brings books to life. i felt as if something important- some greater substance was necessary for me to truly love this book

Content Warnings

maryjames's review

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious fast-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? No

4.0

Content Warnings

starlessnights's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

Content Warnings

brookey8888's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.5 I am so happy I loved this. Those last 40 pages killed me.

Reread
The ending just hurts my feelings.
The representation in this is *chefs kiss*.
Do I understand the world and magic when I’m reading this? Yes. Can I explain any of it? nope.
I honestly just love this for the characters and the relationships. The world is interesting and I love how the author incorporated some lesser know historical events in this(Human zoos tf is that???).

Content Warnings

More...