Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collections
Publication
Wednesday Books (2019), 400 pages
Description
Set in a darkly glamorous world The Gilded Wolves is full of mystery, decadence and dangerous but thrilling adventure. Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can't yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much. Together, they'll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member krau0098
I got this through the Amazon Vine program to review. This is the first book in the Gilded Wolves series. There was a lot I liked in this book and some things I didn’t like; overall though it was a creative and intriguing read that I enjoyed.
The book is set in Paris in the 1880’s. The book
This book has a bit of an Ocean’s Eleven feel to it; the characters are all scheming together to “acquire” various relics and artifacts. The characters are all very interesting individuals and I enjoyed them all. I also really enjoyed this historical Paris setting where items can be magically Forged. The writing is very imaginative and I loved some of the imagery and things that were in this story.
Now on to my issues with it. The constant POV changing drew out the story at points; it works okay for this book but not great. Additionally, sometimes the descriptions of things were so outlandish it was hard to picture them. Lastly, I felt like there was a lot about Forging early on in the book and then this was somewhat dropped. The Forging was very intriguing and I wish it had been explained a bit better and had been more consistent throughout the story.
There is a lot of intrigue and some romance in this story. There is also a lot of “magic” and an interesting history built around the Tower of Babel.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and plan on continuing the series. I would recommend to those who enjoy YA historical fantasies with a lot of intrigue, mystery, and a bit of romance. I plan on continuing the series.
The book is set in Paris in the 1880’s. The book
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jumps between 4 POVs. The first is that of Severen, a noble who is determined to get back his House status. The second is Laila who is a chef and also a performer. The third is Enrique, a historian who is visiting from a foreign land and the fourth is that of Zofia, a female engineer who lacks social skills and was barred from University. Together this group of characters tries to help Severin get his House ring back; even though each of them have their own goals and ambitions.This book has a bit of an Ocean’s Eleven feel to it; the characters are all scheming together to “acquire” various relics and artifacts. The characters are all very interesting individuals and I enjoyed them all. I also really enjoyed this historical Paris setting where items can be magically Forged. The writing is very imaginative and I loved some of the imagery and things that were in this story.
Now on to my issues with it. The constant POV changing drew out the story at points; it works okay for this book but not great. Additionally, sometimes the descriptions of things were so outlandish it was hard to picture them. Lastly, I felt like there was a lot about Forging early on in the book and then this was somewhat dropped. The Forging was very intriguing and I wish it had been explained a bit better and had been more consistent throughout the story.
There is a lot of intrigue and some romance in this story. There is also a lot of “magic” and an interesting history built around the Tower of Babel.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and plan on continuing the series. I would recommend to those who enjoy YA historical fantasies with a lot of intrigue, mystery, and a bit of romance. I plan on continuing the series.
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LibraryThing member oddandbookish
I received this book for free from BookSparks as part of their YA Winter Reading Challenge.
I just want to preface this review by saying that I haven’t read Six of Crows, which everyone has been comparing this book to. Since I haven’t read it, I can’t speak as to how similar this book is to
I have to admit that I was pretty confused at the beginning of this book. There was a lot going on and I didn’t quite understand the forging and the dynamic of the houses. But after about 50 pages I slowly started to get it and from then on I really enjoyed the book.
The best part of this book is the diverse cast of characters. There is so much diversity and the author highlights it so well. She showcases the struggles each of the characters face in a nuanced way. I also loved the interactions between the characters and their friendship and blooming romances. So. Cute.
My favorite character is of course, Enrique, the bisexual biracial (half Filipino, half Spanish) historian. As a half Filipino myself, I’m always thrilled to see any Filipino representation and I loved that there was even some Tagalog words. There was one line in particular that I loved: “Enrique muttered something in Tagalog that would have made his grandmother smack him with her slipper” (65). I read this line and thought it was such an accurate Filipino response.
As for the storyline, it is your typical YA book so no surprises there. There wasn’t anything that I haven’t seen before but that’s not a bad thing. I liked that it was historical, as opposed to being a straight up fantasy novel. By adding that historical touch, it allowed the author to comment on the time period and the reality of the “La Belle Epoque” era which I think is super important.
Overall, I enjoyed this diverse fantasy take on historical France and am looking forward to the next book in the series!
I just want to preface this review by saying that I haven’t read Six of Crows, which everyone has been comparing this book to. Since I haven’t read it, I can’t speak as to how similar this book is to
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SOC. Personally, I got a tiny bit of an ACOTAR inner circle vibe. I have to admit that I was pretty confused at the beginning of this book. There was a lot going on and I didn’t quite understand the forging and the dynamic of the houses. But after about 50 pages I slowly started to get it and from then on I really enjoyed the book.
The best part of this book is the diverse cast of characters. There is so much diversity and the author highlights it so well. She showcases the struggles each of the characters face in a nuanced way. I also loved the interactions between the characters and their friendship and blooming romances. So. Cute.
My favorite character is of course, Enrique, the bisexual biracial (half Filipino, half Spanish) historian. As a half Filipino myself, I’m always thrilled to see any Filipino representation and I loved that there was even some Tagalog words. There was one line in particular that I loved: “Enrique muttered something in Tagalog that would have made his grandmother smack him with her slipper” (65). I read this line and thought it was such an accurate Filipino response.
As for the storyline, it is your typical YA book so no surprises there. There wasn’t anything that I haven’t seen before but that’s not a bad thing. I liked that it was historical, as opposed to being a straight up fantasy novel. By adding that historical touch, it allowed the author to comment on the time period and the reality of the “La Belle Epoque” era which I think is super important.
Overall, I enjoyed this diverse fantasy take on historical France and am looking forward to the next book in the series!
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LibraryThing member acciohaley
i literally can't even put my thoughts together enough to give a full fledged review on this but just know i thoroughly enjoyed it and it completely wrecked me
LibraryThing member grandpahobo
There isn't anything about this book that makes your jaw drop. It's just a good magic/steampunkish story, with interesting characters, set in a time and place when those things would have seemed quite probable. The only drawback (for me anyway) was the romantic sub plot that, at times, became a
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significant distraction. Fortunately, the author never it overwhelm the main story. Show Less
LibraryThing member Shahnareads
I'm frustrated I didn't like this.
I wanted to like this.
It's boring.
I like Hypnos.
I wanted to like this.
It's boring.
I like Hypnos.
LibraryThing member JennyNau10
This was a miss for me. I was totally confused at the start and just never caught up.
LibraryThing member MrNattania72
Among the greats, such as, Six of Crows, The Last Magician and Throne of Glass, this story was great in it's description and excitement of the con. The story kept me enthralled and glued to it's pages night after night. I had to get the audio version, because I could t wait to hear what happened
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next. I really loved this story! Show Less
LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
I feel like I should have enjoyed this book more - maybe because I listened to it as an audiobook instead of reading the print book? I don't know, but it's got all the right elements: magic, interesting characters, a heist, an ending with questions, etc. Maybe there was something about the world
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that I missed, but I spent much of this book confused and waiting for the pieces to come together in a way that never happened. Still, that might just be me, so other YA fantasy fans might get a lot more out of this world. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
A good fantasy novel for me is one that not only has strong characters with great chemistry, it also has a unique approach to the fantasy element. Whether the fantasy element is magic, creatures, or other special powers, the author’s approach must satisfy some semblance of possibility and offer
Any novel is only as good as its characters. In this, The Gilded Wolves succeeds. Séverin’s little troupe not only has a fantastic set of talents, but they have that important chemistry that makes their interactions so enjoyable. In particular, the ongoing simmer between Laila and Séverin is enough to keep the plot at smoldering levels. However, Ms. Chokshi does not stop there. She develops each member of the group to hold the plot together on his or her own. With a group with as varied a set of backgrounds and personalities, every point of view is a pleasure.
More importantly, I adore the magical element of the story. Ms. Chokshi’s use of biblical artifacts as the cornerstone for all magic in her world is unusual, unexpected, and very creative. In particular, the fact that magic has its origins in very real objects and is, in some aspect, very tangible, makes the entire story more plausible. Anything that gives me hope that magic actually exists is a winner in my mind.
The Gilded Wolves is everything I love about a fantasy story, but it doesn’t stop there. With its slow-burning romance, scientific approach to magic, and family drama, there is enough within its pages to entice a variety of readers. Fin-de-siècle Paris and The Gilded Wolves is escapist fiction at its finest.
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something new about it. In The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi offers all this and more.Any novel is only as good as its characters. In this, The Gilded Wolves succeeds. Séverin’s little troupe not only has a fantastic set of talents, but they have that important chemistry that makes their interactions so enjoyable. In particular, the ongoing simmer between Laila and Séverin is enough to keep the plot at smoldering levels. However, Ms. Chokshi does not stop there. She develops each member of the group to hold the plot together on his or her own. With a group with as varied a set of backgrounds and personalities, every point of view is a pleasure.
More importantly, I adore the magical element of the story. Ms. Chokshi’s use of biblical artifacts as the cornerstone for all magic in her world is unusual, unexpected, and very creative. In particular, the fact that magic has its origins in very real objects and is, in some aspect, very tangible, makes the entire story more plausible. Anything that gives me hope that magic actually exists is a winner in my mind.
The Gilded Wolves is everything I love about a fantasy story, but it doesn’t stop there. With its slow-burning romance, scientific approach to magic, and family drama, there is enough within its pages to entice a variety of readers. Fin-de-siècle Paris and The Gilded Wolves is escapist fiction at its finest.
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LibraryThing member Dairyqueen84
I liked a lot about this book such as the characters and the plot but I found it so confusing. The back stories of each of the characters - severin, Laila, Enrique, Zofia and Tristan -weren’t as fully developed as Severin’s. What’s Laila’s story? What’s with the scar down her back and
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Severin’s cruel comment, “It’s impossible to be hurt by someone who’s not even real.” Huh? The setting is Belle Epoch France but with a steam punk or a fantasy aspect to it where each of the characters have special powers. I may read the next installment to see if their stories are filled out. Show Less
LibraryThing member purpledog
I made it to the halfway point and decided to call it quits. It took me a month of trying to get as far as I did. I didn't connect with the story or characters.
LibraryThing member ewyatt
A crew, led by Severin, lives and owns a posh hotel in France. There's magic in the world and privileged houses with access to power. Severin, denied his place at the head of one of the houses, steals artifacts with the help of Zofia (fabricator), Enrique (historian), Tristan (brother'like to
I didn't always follow the social order and the powers.
I dig like the allusions and use of connections to the Tower of Babel, ancient Egypt, seven deadly sins. An ambitious project that book club members chose to read. Cast of characters have heritage from all over the world and discuss colonialism, colorism throughout.
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Severin), Laila (care taker), and Hypnos (head of a rival house). I didn't always follow the social order and the powers.
I dig like the allusions and use of connections to the Tower of Babel, ancient Egypt, seven deadly sins. An ambitious project that book club members chose to read. Cast of characters have heritage from all over the world and discuss colonialism, colorism throughout.
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LibraryThing member brittaniethekid
Unfortunately, my opinion of this is tainted by the poor quality of the audiobook and most of my review is based on that.
They have two different narrators (one male, one female) and neither are in the right profession. The male reads this like it's a textbook, even when doing ridiculous accents.
As far as the story, I was unimpressed. It reminded me a bit of Bardugo's Six of Crows duology in plot/idea but with a much poorer execution [edit: looking at other reviews, I'm far from the only one though I didn't read any reviews before starting]. If I had read this first, I might be more impressed, but the whole multi-ethnic spy ring with magic is now not a new idea.
Overall, it was fine, but not worth the hype it got and definitely didn't make me want to seek out the author's other work.
They have two different narrators (one male, one female) and neither are in the right profession. The male reads this like it's a textbook, even when doing ridiculous accents.
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The female was a bit better, with actual inflection and a better attempt at accents, but still Not Good. The different ethnic accents were a poor choice on the director and/or actor's part and it was difficult and painful trying to get through this.As far as the story, I was unimpressed. It reminded me a bit of Bardugo's Six of Crows duology in plot/idea but with a much poorer execution [edit: looking at other reviews, I'm far from the only one though I didn't read any reviews before starting]. If I had read this first, I might be more impressed, but the whole multi-ethnic spy ring with magic is now not a new idea.
Overall, it was fine, but not worth the hype it got and definitely didn't make me want to seek out the author's other work.
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LibraryThing member decaturmamaof2
Wow! Want more now.
LibraryThing member Belbo713
I really enjoyed the characters, the worldbuilding, the backstory. It was super well-written and I think I'll attempt to finish the series.
I think ultimately heist-style plots aren't really for me, and this book is definitely that.
I think ultimately heist-style plots aren't really for me, and this book is definitely that.
Awards
Southern Book Prize (Winner — Children's — 2020)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Teens (Fiction — 2019)
Language
Original publication date
2019-01-15
ISBN
9781250144560
Local notes
Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.