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A review by labunnywtf
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
2.0
If you get in the way of a woman’s battle, you’ll get in the way of her sword.
I want to make this a kind review. I genuinely do. I mean, look at that quote. I loved that quote so much, I social media'd it. It's a great quote.
This is a heist tale. This is a heist tale set in 1800's Paris, with a group of racially and sexually diverse teenagers fighting against The Man. The Man, in this scenario, being centuries old Magical Houses that Control Everything and Steal Inheritances. There's legitimate history woven throughout, including biblical references.
Doesn't. that. sound. awesome?
It. is. not.
In the back of my mind, I keep thinking, "Maybe she's waiting for book 2. Maybe this is laying the really confusing and badly explained groundwork here, and then in book 2, she actually explains how things work."
I mean, that's not unheard of. It's terrible storytelling, but it's not out of the question.
And I keep reminding myself that [b: Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459349344s/23437156.jpg|42077459] left me textually frustrated, but once I read Crooked Kingdom, everything clicked into place and now it's a beloved duology to me.
Six of Crows, this is not.
We have Big Fat Magic in this book, all circling around the good ol' Tower of Babel. People have "affinities" and with those "affinities", they "forge" magical items that can be used for everything from coating your enemy in ink to making sure only the intended recipient of a letter can read it.
How do these affinities work, you might ask?
Yep, you might ask that.
You won't actually get an explanation, but it's really great that you thought to ask that.
How are magical items forged, you might ask? Are there certain items that work better than others?
Beats the shit out of me.
Hey, what about that zoo made up of actual human beings that became a tourist spot for rich white people?
Why would you want to know about that? We referenced it, didn't we? The author's note says that was the whole basis for the idea of this book, because INJUSTICE, but all we're going to do is mention it and move along. What a silly question.
How didKaz Séverin meet this merry band of mischievous miscreants?
You ask excellent questions, and should be applauded for your efforts.
What the hell is wrong with this book how dare you give me such an amazing premise and not actually explain a goddamned thing that is the exact opposite of a good idea why would you do this why was this published why was someone not more heavy handed with the fucking editing of this.
And the biggest blue balls inducing aspect of this book is that the characters are FUN. The dialogue is fun. I laughed aloud several times while reading this, because the humor is on point. So, this is a book of characters with absolutely no pay out from the plot. That only works with contemporaries, and I HATE contemporaries.
I don't know who gave the finished product a green light, but I'd like a word.
I want to make this a kind review. I genuinely do. I mean, look at that quote. I loved that quote so much, I social media'd it. It's a great quote.
This is a heist tale. This is a heist tale set in 1800's Paris, with a group of racially and sexually diverse teenagers fighting against The Man. The Man, in this scenario, being centuries old Magical Houses that Control Everything and Steal Inheritances. There's legitimate history woven throughout, including biblical references.
Doesn't. that. sound. awesome?
It. is. not.
In the back of my mind, I keep thinking, "Maybe she's waiting for book 2. Maybe this is laying the really confusing and badly explained groundwork here, and then in book 2, she actually explains how things work."
I mean, that's not unheard of. It's terrible storytelling, but it's not out of the question.
And I keep reminding myself that [b: Six of Crows|23437156|Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459349344s/23437156.jpg|42077459] left me textually frustrated, but once I read Crooked Kingdom, everything clicked into place and now it's a beloved duology to me.
Six of Crows, this is not.
We have Big Fat Magic in this book, all circling around the good ol' Tower of Babel. People have "affinities" and with those "affinities", they "forge" magical items that can be used for everything from coating your enemy in ink to making sure only the intended recipient of a letter can read it.
How do these affinities work, you might ask?
Yep, you might ask that.
You won't actually get an explanation, but it's really great that you thought to ask that.
How are magical items forged, you might ask? Are there certain items that work better than others?
Beats the shit out of me.
Hey, what about that zoo made up of actual human beings that became a tourist spot for rich white people?
Why would you want to know about that? We referenced it, didn't we? The author's note says that was the whole basis for the idea of this book, because INJUSTICE, but all we're going to do is mention it and move along. What a silly question.
How did
You ask excellent questions, and should be applauded for your efforts.
What the hell is wrong with this book how dare you give me such an amazing premise and not actually explain a goddamned thing that is the exact opposite of a good idea why would you do this why was this published why was someone not more heavy handed with the fucking editing of this.
And the biggest blue balls inducing aspect of this book is that the characters are FUN. The dialogue is fun. I laughed aloud several times while reading this, because the humor is on point. So, this is a book of characters with absolutely no pay out from the plot. That only works with contemporaries, and I HATE contemporaries.
I don't know who gave the finished product a green light, but I'd like a word.