Title : The Silvered Serpents
Author : Roshani Chokshi
Series : The Gilded Wolves #2
Genre : YA fantasy, historical fiction
Release Date : September 22nd, 2020
Publisher : Wednesday Books
They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope.
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.
*This review contains some spoilers from The Gilded Wolves. Check out my review of the first book here.
When I pick up The Silvered Serpents, I was expecting something similar to the first book. Instead, I got more–more thrill, more dark, and more pain. Even the heist and the riddles featured in this book are more complex, and personally, I found it more interesting. Compared to the first book, I definitely like this one more.
The Silvered Serpents follows Séverin and the rest of the team as they now try to find The Divine Lyrics, a book rumored to contain the knowledge to achieve God’s power. Unbeknownst to Laila, Zofia, Enrique, and Hypnos, Séverin actually has his own purpose to find the book. This journey takes them deep into the heart of Russia, where they meet old enemies and allies, and face the truth about their past.
Just like in The Gilded Wolves, what I love the most from this book is the characters. Still reeling from the loss of one of their own, we now see each one of them grieve in different ways. It’s really heartbreaking to read about it since I miss their dynamics from book one, but it made this book feels more real and I appreciate it. I’m especially intrigued with Séverin’s darker turn in this book, since I didn’t expect it at all. But at the same time, it’s not unrealistic, as grief could tear people apart.
“Love did not always wear a face of beauty”
As mentioned above, the heist and the riddles are also more interesting for me. Once again I’m in awe with Roshani’s geniuses–how she incorporated myths and legends into this book. I also love how she tackles the colonialism issue that’s practically rampant in that era. My main issue with the world-building in book 1 is also resolved, eventhough not fully. There were some things I still didn’t understand, but overall it didn’t hinder my enjoyment toward this book.
In conclusion, The Silvered Serpents is a great and solid sequel. If you haven’t start this series yet, I highly recommend it! Almost forgot, beware of the cliffhanger in this book 😏
I receive an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. Thank you Wednesday Books for the book!
String of Pages 
lovely review as always! i loved this arc too! cannot WAIT for the next book! ahhh that cliffhanger….
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