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ineffablebob's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Since the first book was decent, if not great, I decided to go ahead and finish out Roshani Chokshi's [url=https://app.thestorygraph.com/series/138]Gilded Wolves[/url] young adult historical fantasy romance trilogy. And I'm glad I did because books two and three were much better, in my opinion. Severin pursuing deranged power and divinity is a lot more interesting than him being patron and heist leader. And the other characters that were introduced in the first book are fleshed out considerably in the remainder of the trilogy, particularly Zofia. There's lots of uncovering of secrets and exploring of ancient ruins, villains to thwart and riddles to solve. It's worth finishing the trilogy if you read the first book and liked the characters at all.
mi040409's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.25
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
This final installment in the series are always hardest to write. Readers dive in with so many expectations, hopes and fears, and let's not forget the ships. So much happened in this book it feels like ages since I have read the first page.
This series has taken me on a remarkable journey, capturing my heart and and melting my emotions in one fell swoop.
I am fiercely in love with all things Severin, Laila, Enrique, Zofia and Hypnos. They have such heartwarming deep connection, it just feels so real.
I would recommend everyone to read it as you will experience literary sensation at its finest. I will certainly reread this whole series to relive every single moment again. Though the torturous emotions will pained me but it is worth it.
This final installment in the series are always hardest to write. Readers dive in with so many expectations, hopes and fears, and let's not forget the ships. So much happened in this book it feels like ages since I have read the first page.
This series has taken me on a remarkable journey, capturing my heart and and melting my emotions in one fell swoop.
I am fiercely in love with all things Severin, Laila, Enrique, Zofia and Hypnos. They have such heartwarming deep connection, it just feels so real.
I would recommend everyone to read it as you will experience literary sensation at its finest. I will certainly reread this whole series to relive every single moment again. Though the torturous emotions will pained me but it is worth it.
kayceh's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
isawaphoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
This was incredible! I laughed, I cried, I loved, I mourned. Masterful work!
asreadbykat's review against another edition
4.0
True Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
An excellent conclusion to a trilogy that I've grown to love. After I finished "The Silvered Serpents" I immediately dove into and devoured this one because I just had to know how the trilogy ended.
One thing in this trilogy's favor is the author's writing. Roshani Chokshi has some of the most beautiful writing and the most amazing turns of phrase I've seen in a while. I tabbed and underlined so many sections it surprised me. I love how Chokshi can go from a poetically philosophical scene to a dryly sarcastic comedic one without it being jarring. Every sentence feels purposeful, and every seen is set exactly where it should be.
In this book in particular, my favorite parts was seeing the growth of Hypnos, Enrique, and Zofia. Much as Severin is usually the character-type I love, those three just captured my heart and got me so invested in them that I couldn't stop thinking about them. Hypnos learning to be more open and himself, Enrique finding himself, and Zofia learning how to accept her flaws and keep going -it was beautiful and stunning, and I was rooting for all three of them. Especially Zofia, who is officially my favorite Phoenix ever.
Just like with the other two books, however, my least favorite part was the "main" romance. While I didn't hate it, I just honestly couldn't get behind Severin and Laila as much as I wanted to after the first half or so of the first book. It's a lot of secrets and miscommunication, willful mistrust, and misunderstandings. I like the two of them together more as friends than lovers, and I still firmly believe the ending could have been achieved even with platonic, and not romantic, love. Again, the romance isn't TERRIBLE, it's just not my cup of tea.
Overall, I absolutely adored this trilogy and I'm so glad I read it. I'll definitely be recommending it and going back to this world again and again.
An excellent conclusion to a trilogy that I've grown to love. After I finished "The Silvered Serpents" I immediately dove into and devoured this one because I just had to know how the trilogy ended.
One thing in this trilogy's favor is the author's writing. Roshani Chokshi has some of the most beautiful writing and the most amazing turns of phrase I've seen in a while. I tabbed and underlined so many sections it surprised me. I love how Chokshi can go from a poetically philosophical scene to a dryly sarcastic comedic one without it being jarring. Every sentence feels purposeful, and every seen is set exactly where it should be.
In this book in particular, my favorite parts was seeing the growth of Hypnos, Enrique, and Zofia. Much as Severin is usually the character-type I love, those three just captured my heart and got me so invested in them that I couldn't stop thinking about them. Hypnos learning to be more open and himself, Enrique finding himself, and Zofia learning how to accept her flaws and keep going -it was beautiful and stunning, and I was rooting for all three of them. Especially Zofia, who is officially my favorite Phoenix ever.
Just like with the other two books, however, my least favorite part was the "main" romance. While I didn't hate it, I just honestly couldn't get behind Severin and Laila as much as I wanted to after the first half or so of the first book. It's a lot of secrets and miscommunication, willful mistrust, and misunderstandings. I like the two of them together more as friends than lovers, and I still firmly believe the ending could have been achieved even with platonic, and not romantic, love. Again, the romance isn't TERRIBLE, it's just not my cup of tea.
Overall, I absolutely adored this trilogy and I'm so glad I read it. I'll definitely be recommending it and going back to this world again and again.
foolishdahlia's review against another edition
5.0
wowowowowowowow !!!!!! I. AM. SAD. AND. CONTENT.
so, this was a rollercoaster of emotions. i absolutely adore everything about this series; the writing, the characters, the plot, the world-building…the list is endless. so, going into this book, i was mainly super excited! i did not even allow myself to think about the fact that it’s the last book in the series because it would hurt too much, but right from the start, this book was perfect !!
things i loved:
1. the pacing
a lot of fantasy books tend to seem dragged out and long, ultimately making them boring, but this was at a fast pace from the beginning to end. every end of a new chapter made me want to read more and i curse school for prolonging this read as much as it did.
2. THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
this book was just filled with phenomenal development. roshani chokshi really knows how to develop her characters properly, and in a way that makes sense with the timeline and storyline, especially with séverin. i love him with my whole heart, and his growth just made me the happiest.
3. the familial bond
the found-family trope always gets me. obviously, with how the second book ended, there was tension; but underneath it all was a love so strong, that it can withstand and get through anything. i loved the cute little friendship moments we got between them all, and i loved reading about how everyone handled the silvered serpents cliffhanger in their own way, how it was not just brushed off, but actually talked about and dealt with through healthy development :)
4. the ending
though i was crying pretty hard, this was the most ideal and perfect way to end the series. i annotated the shit out of the last part of the novel because it was just so beautifully done. every single one of the characters had an ending that made my heart burst with happiness and sadness and a whole bunch of other stuff that’s too spoiler-y to say.
- séverin and laila killed me
- the love confessions !!!!
- the quotes
- the “we’re connected” line
- the kiss
- the development
- the ENDING
- the nickname
- enrique and zofia confessing their feelings and being together, yes ma’am
- enrique figuring out what he wants to do and teaching kids about history
- every time tristan was mentioned
- séverin adopting the kid he gave apples to and his brother
- séverin probably thinking about him and tristan as he raised them; giving his kids a better upbringing
- séverin smiling and laughing
- hypnos’ singing saving the day
- enrique, hypnos, and zofia getting a house and living together
- the perfume being a mind Forged map
- ruslan dying
- zofia not being as anxious anymore, believing that she will always be the light
- the dreams all of them had with laila after the situation in the temple
- the banter and chemistry between the group
- the entirety of the 400 pages
anyway, ms. Roshani Chokshi delivered a beautiful ending to a series that i hold very close to my heart. read this series now or zofia will not hesitate to burn you.
rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
so, this was a rollercoaster of emotions. i absolutely adore everything about this series; the writing, the characters, the plot, the world-building…the list is endless. so, going into this book, i was mainly super excited! i did not even allow myself to think about the fact that it’s the last book in the series because it would hurt too much, but right from the start, this book was perfect !!
things i loved:
1. the pacing
a lot of fantasy books tend to seem dragged out and long, ultimately making them boring, but this was at a fast pace from the beginning to end. every end of a new chapter made me want to read more and i curse school for prolonging this read as much as it did.
2. THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
this book was just filled with phenomenal development. roshani chokshi really knows how to develop her characters properly, and in a way that makes sense with the timeline and storyline, especially with séverin. i love him with my whole heart, and his growth just made me the happiest.
3. the familial bond
the found-family trope always gets me. obviously, with how the second book ended, there was tension; but underneath it all was a love so strong, that it can withstand and get through anything. i loved the cute little friendship moments we got between them all, and i loved reading about how everyone handled the silvered serpents cliffhanger in their own way, how it was not just brushed off, but actually talked about and dealt with through healthy development :)
4. the ending
though i was crying pretty hard, this was the most ideal and perfect way to end the series. i annotated the shit out of the last part of the novel because it was just so beautifully done. every single one of the characters had an ending that made my heart burst with happiness and sadness and a whole bunch of other stuff that’s too spoiler-y to say.
Spoiler
i’m trying so hard not to spoil anything in what i’m writing, but its difficult, so here are other things that i loved in more detail if you read the book :)- séverin and laila killed me
- the love confessions !!!!
- the quotes
- the “we’re connected” line
- the kiss
- the development
- the ENDING
- the nickname
- enrique and zofia confessing their feelings and being together, yes ma’am
- enrique figuring out what he wants to do and teaching kids about history
- every time tristan was mentioned
- séverin adopting the kid he gave apples to and his brother
- séverin probably thinking about him and tristan as he raised them; giving his kids a better upbringing
- séverin smiling and laughing
- hypnos’ singing saving the day
- enrique, hypnos, and zofia getting a house and living together
- the perfume being a mind Forged map
- ruslan dying
- zofia not being as anxious anymore, believing that she will always be the light
- the dreams all of them had with laila after the situation in the temple
- the banter and chemistry between the group
- the entirety of the 400 pages
anyway, ms. Roshani Chokshi delivered a beautiful ending to a series that i hold very close to my heart. read this series now or zofia will not hesitate to burn you.
rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️