The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves #2) by Roshani Chokshi ★★★★★

“Returning to the dark and glamorous 19th century world of her New York Times instant bestseller, The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi dazzles us with another riveting tale as full of mystery and danger as ever in The Silvered Serpents.“

About The Book 📚

Title: The Silvered Serpents

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Publication Date: Sept 22, 2020

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Suggested Reader Age: Young Adult

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBT, Romance, Mystery

Rep: Algerian & French, Philippines, Polish, Indian, Black, Jewish, bisexual, autism?

Triggers: abuse, grief, loss of a loved one, manipulation, sex, self-harm, terminal illness, violence

Synopsis

“Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost — one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God.

Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.

As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.

A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job.”

About The Author

“Roshani Chokshi is the author of commercial and critically acclaimed books for middle grade and young adult readers that draws on world mythology and folklore. Her work has been nominated for the Locus and Nebula awards, and has frequently appeared on Best of The Year lists from Barnes and Noble, Forbes, Buzzfeed and more. Her New York Times bestselling series includes The Star-Touched Queen duology, The Gilded Wolves, and Aru Shah and The End of Time, which was recently optioned for film by Paramount Pictures.” https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13695109.Roshani_Chokshi

https://www.roshanichokshi.com/

My Review

› Séverin is searching for “the Divine Lyrics” that contain the secret for joining the world’s Babel Fragments which would rebuild the Tower of Babel allowing one to access “the power of God”.

› Laila wants to help him find “the Divine Lyrics” but for a different reason…

“The jaadugar had said her body – built rather than born – would not last past her twentieth birthday. She would not last, which left her with little over a month of life. Her only hope of survival was The Divine Lyrics, a book that held the secret to the power of Forging, the art of controlling mind or matter depending on one’s affinity. With it, her own Forged body might find a way to hold itself together.”

› I use the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 10
Like The Gilded Wolves, The Silvered Serpents is character-driven with an extremely well-developed diverse cast. Once again, Zofia is my favourite character, with the hilarious Hypnos as a close second.

“See how the symbols stretch across all three shields? They represent a god.”
Hypnos frowned. “There’s a God of lions and knives and wineglasses? That seems incredibly specific.”
“This god is Shezmu,” said Enrique, rolling his eyes. “He’s seldom depicted, perhaps because he’s at such odds with himself. On the other hand, he’s the lord of perfumes and gracious oils, often considered something of a celebration deity.”
“My kind of god,” said Hypnos.
“He is also the god of slaughter, blood and dismemberment.”
“I amend my original statement,” said Hypnos.”

› Atmosphere: 8
I loved the mood and settings but would have liked a bit more description.

› Writing Style: 10
High quality, love the writing style.

› Plot: 7
Exciting, great beginning, lost the pacing around the middle and then it picked up at the end.

› Intrigue: 10
I want to know what’s going to happen! How is this series going to end?

› Logic: 9
In The Giilded Wolves I felt confused about forging, however, in this second installment we get to learn a lot about the magic system and it made a lot more sense. There are a few parts that were confusing, but I think they’ll be sorted out in the next book.

› Enjoyment: 10

Average 9.1

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★★★

› Final Thoughts
• The Silvered Serpents gave reminded me of The Diviners series by Libba Bray and Dr Who. I can’t wait for the next books of this series, which is set to release in 2021.