From New York Times bestselling author
ROSHANI CHOKSHI comes a decadent tale of heist and adventure set in Belle Époque Paris, filled with opulent balls, succulent sights, and a brazen group of teens.
Publication date: January 15th, 2019
Genre: YA fantasy
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Series: The Gilded Wolves #1
Synopsis:
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.
PRAISE FOR THE GILDED WOLVES
“Chokshi has created an inclusive and authentic cast with obvious chemistry and affection for one another and infuses the tale with witty banter and twists. A delectably intriguing adventure for all teen shelves.” — School Library Journal, Starred Review
“Evocative writing, sumptuous set pieces, and vividly sketched, authentically flawed characters distinguish this immersive tale of found family and star-crossed romance. Kaleidoscopic narration complements the intricate, high-stakes plot and allows Chokshi to showcase numerous aspects of her richly imagined universe all the way to the closing cliff-hanger.” — Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code converge in this dazzling new fantasy… An opulent heist adventure that will leave readers voracious for more.” — Kirkus, Starred Review
“Chokshi delivers a thrilling, gritty new fantasy set in an alternate nineteenth century Paris… Chokshi shines as a master storyteller in her newest novel; the setting, world building, plot, and conflict are all staggering. However, the elements that perhaps shine the most are the history, riddles, mysteries, and science, woven together in a world brimming with power and magic.”
— Booklist, Starred Review
Purchase:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2CDaL4x
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2S1l1gO
iBooks: https://apple.co/2MopUva
ROSHANI CHOKSHI is the New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen, A Crown of Wishes, and Aru Shah and the End of Time. Her work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Shimmer, and Book Smugglers. Her short story, "The Star Maiden," was longlisted for the British Fantasy Science Award.
REVIEW
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani ChokshiMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wolves were everywhere. In politics, on thrones, in beds. They cut their teeth on history and grew fat on war. Not that Séverin was complaining. It was just that, like other wolves, he wanted his share.
I wanted to read this book because it was giving me a Six of Crows vibe and I'm always here for that. I've tried other stories that I thought would be similar, but they always fell far short of the magnificence of Bardugo's world building and pacing. This is the first time where I can say that I've found a YA fantasy/adventure that actually comes close. The detail and layers to the world building were incredibly well done. The magic system is complex, and there is an information dump in this book that took me a bit to work my way through. But once I situated myself with the characters and setting, it was smooth reading.
The story centers around a group of five friends in late 19th century Paris: Séverin, Laila, Tristan, Zofia, and Enrique. They're a band of thieves who work together against a powerful society called The Order of Babel. All of them feel like an outsider in Parisian society for their own reasons, but together they are all treated as equals. Séverin is a wealthy hotel owner who leads them, but also takes on a protective role. They're not just friends, they've become more like family. The dynamic between this group was loving, teasing, and above all accepting. I really enjoyed the humor and witty dialogue between the group. It had a sarcastic, snarky edge that really entertained me.
As part of the Montagnet-Alarie line, Séverin should have been the patriarch of the House of Vanth with a place of power and untouchable influence in the city. The greed of others has stripped him of his inheritance, and he's bound and determined to forcibly take back what's rightfully his by whatever means necessary. As treasure hunters, they all use their personal gifts and skill sets to pull off their heists. Abilities in engineering, mathematics, forging, history, and reading an object for information help them plan and make their acquisitions. In the beginning of the book, you're thrown right into one of their schemes that doesn't go quite as planned. They've been made, and a deal must be struck in order to extricate themselves. It could either win them everything they've been fighting for, or destroy them. Their whole future hinges on the outcome.
I don’t want them to look us in the eye. I want them to look away, to blink harshly, like they’ve stared at the sun itself. I don’t want them standing across from us. I want them kneeling."
I had a soft spot for Zofia. While she was a genius at engineering and solving mathematical puzzles, when it came to social cues and interactions she had difficulty. She exhibited many of the signs of being on the autism spectrum, but her condition wouldn't have been understood or accepted during that time period. My heart went out to her because she was so hard on herself for not understanding people, or how to behave in a way that everyone else did effortlessly. Often people would misinterpret her as cold, because she distanced herself to prevent her inevitable social mistakes. I loved how Laila befriended her, and took the time to know her quirks so well that she could make her feel at ease.
Laila was probably the most intriguing character for me. She's a famous cabaret dancer known as L’Enigme. The public sees only what she wants them to see: sultry, exotic, and captivating. There's much, much more to her and it goes well beyond her surface looks. Laila is hiding a dark history, and it may kill her one day soon if she isn't able to uncover the secrets of her unorthodox birth. She's a loner who feels she can't afford to allow anyone to see who she really is. Séverin is the one person who seems to know her better than anyone else. Their one night stand was a weak moment that got through her defenses, and now she's in denial over her deeper feelings for him. Their attraction to each other was the kind of slow burn, taut sexual tension that I love to read in fantasy. It was glaringly clear that they both couldn't let go of how attracted they were, and their feelings would not be tamped down no matter how hard they pushed.
It seemed the world couldn’t help but want to be near her . . . every beam of light, pair of eyes, atom of air. Maybe that’s why sometimes he couldn’t breathe around her.
The main conflict regarding the Babel fragment and the Fallen House was one that I can genuinely see taking a full trilogy to resolve. This faction of The Order that was ruthlessly cut out was really creep-tastic. Harnessing the power of the dead, and aiming to become God-like creatures to "purify" humanity, they were disturbing to say the least. Sometimes I think plots are too thinned out to stretch over a three book arc, but this one has so many strings left dangling. This was a promising start to the series that fans of fantasy with an intricately drawn, diverse cast of characters will love.
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