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Oh dear readers, I have the best reading buddy ever!  She’s reading through my 2019 fiction favorites!  And, let’s be real, I’ve got hers on my TBR list too!  So, you read that right, we don’t always buddy read, but we do talk with each other about almost all the books that either of us reads.  The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi is no different.  As I shared way back at the new year, this book hit so, SO many boxes of interest for me.  It’s set in Paris during the hustle and bustle of the World’s Fair and focuses on a group of friends who are found family, with a backdrop of magic, a dash of family saga for each of them, and a dose of social justice, as only two of our four (five?) main characters are white, and one of those is Jewish and potentially has autism spectrum disorder.  I wish I knew how this ended up in my holds because I’d go back and ask for more.  There’s mystery, romance (only a smidge), and sass with a friend group who are in their late teens, so there’s some growing up to do too.  I could visualize myself walking down the streets of Paris with the characters, or attending a lavish estate party. This was my first Chokshi and the rest are now on my TBR, all of them.  Yes, I know some are middle grade, but I need ALL OF THEM (especially the ones that are not waiting in my holds, yes friends, some of them are).  

I first read The Gilded Wolves in September 2019, after it came out in January.  Then in November, I received an ARC of The Silvered Serpents from a Goodreads giveaway.  Y’all, this book has stared at me since November.  I knew I wanted to reread The Gilded Wolves before digging in, and I knew Ashley needed to read it too.  Also, I had no deadline, so I waited…mostly patiently, until I could sneak it into the blog schedule, and I’m SO excited to read what Ashley thinks about it (she’s only shared a little during her read, and I won’t spoil it).  I noticed several things that I didn’t recall noticing before, like the I Ching (remember that from The Man in the High Castle?), and I always love the opportunity to revisit the landmarks of Paris (L’Opera Garnier anyone?).  I have some new theories about some of the history that takes place before this book, but I’m going to hold onto those for now so nothing is spoiled for you darlings.  

The Gilded Wolves is YA, and all the things I love about reading YA (and Happy YA week to all the Goodreads members!).  There are definitely heavy themes (we have a diverse friend group in Paris in 1889, so of course there are heavy themes) and some violence (but it’s not gory).  These young adults (late teens, but they are wise beyond their years) go on adventures and make mistakes.  We see them struggle with family of origin issues, and attempt to learn what it means to be a family together, complete with stumbles.  These are probably my favorite parts about YA books, and I feel like YA books do adventure and magic really well, or perhaps I just haven’t found the right adult books on this (I welcome your suggestions).  One thing I do not enjoy about YA magical/fantasy books: the spider trope.  Y’all, it’s always there.  Please prove me wrong, PLEASE!  Tortall has spidrens, The Throne of Glass series has Stygian Spiders, or kharankui, and even “The Witcher” has one in the opening sequence (no I haven’t read the book, yet).  Maybe I just find them all, but I do. not. like. them. and The Gilded Wolves is no different, but at least Goliath (yes, like the giant) is a pet.  

I wanted to share with you some of the quotes I adore most from these amazing characters Chokshi has created, but there were many, and her words from the author’s note, are just as powerful. 

“I wanted to explore beauty and horror through the eyes of the people on the sidelines.  And ultimately, I wanted to go on an adventure. … While I took many liberties with time and truth, it never felt right to untangle the beauty from the horror of the 19th century.  When we revise the horror and sanitize the grotesque, we risk erasing the paths that led us here.”

Endings are a big deal to me.  The ending of this first installment was solid.  The book has an arc that’s settled, yet there is clearly a lot more in need of resolving during the books to come, and we know where the next book will take us.  What we don’t know is just what sort of adventure we’ll find there or how each of the characters will respond to the events of the last section of this book.  It’s intense y’all, be warned.  

And another warning is warranted:  Readers beware, this is a trilogy.  I’m always skeptical of a trilogy because of George Lucas.  Yes, the creator of Star Wars.  He said in an interview that the formula of a dramatic trilogy is to introduce the characters in the first installment (check), put them in the worst possible position by the end of second (ugh, I’m like 60 pages in as of now), and then resolve the issues by the end of the third (which isn’t due out until 202, and there were 21 months in between the first two titles).  I’m hoping I don’t want to throw The Silvered Serpents at the end like I did Empire of Storms.  (I do not approve of cliffhangers in general.  I approve much, much less when the next book hasn’t been published.)

What’s your favorite YA book?  Does it have spiders in it?

~Nikki 

Paris is always a good idea. Either in real life or in armchair travel. I might have asked Adam to take me to Paris last night (Nikki here: Adam might be planning a trip to Paris for my 40th birthday), and no I did NOT mean Paris, Tennessee. I meant the City of Lights. The first foreign place upon whose ground I placed my little feetsies. I was 19. It was 8 days of awesomeness, and my camera skills SUCKED. I have about 2 dozen photos that are actually printable quality, one of which is of the street-view of Palais Garnier above. It’s the place where I taught myself the art of pigeon kicking, and therefore take photos of pigeons in every destination.There’s a facebook photo album of pigeon photos I have taken… Istanbul, Turkey, pigeon photos. Charleston, South Carolina, pigeon photos. Immigration interview in Montreal, pigeon photos. Chichen Itza in Mexico, who needs pigeons when you have IGUANAS? But, I digress.

Roshani Chokshi is the mistress of mythological and folklore young adult and middle grade authors. I know this only after having read one book of hers. Her three New York Times Bestselling series are The Star-Touched Queen duology, The Gilded Wolves trilogy, and Aru Shah and the End of Time middle grade quartet. She has been nominated for Locus and Nebula awards. The Gilded Wolves is the 2020 Southern Book Prize Winner in Children’s and Aru Shah and the End of Time has been optioned for film by Paramount Pictures. Y’all, if you’re not reading the websites of your favorite authors you’re missing out on gems like this about Chokshi’s music muse for The Gilded Wolves:  “I listened to the new Tomb Raider score and the score from Prince of Persia.” Guess who is adding this to her Spotify downloads right meow… Guess who loves that Chokshi writes everywhere, but mentions her desk anchored by a cat as the first place. Same girl; that girl’s me. Check out the FAQ page on www.roshanichokshi.com for more lolz.

I. Love. An. Ensemble. Cast. I love the relationship of the group as a whole, the subtle or not so subtle enmity,  the friendship,  the romantical ships. I love ships. Call me the sea. You know what else I love? Mythology. You know what else I love? History. What else? Symbology. Diversity. Strong female characters. Cookies. Sass. The Gilded Wolves HAS ALL THE THINGS I LOVE. (Oh, yeah and it’s set in Paris, did I mention that enough before?) I also highlighted mention of the I,Ching as I was reading since it has been on my radar more since The Man in the High Castle. Also, this mythology student TOTALLY KNEW what the weird broken symbol was because she once bought a pendant necklace at the Tutankhamen exhibit she saw in Chicago. (NERD ALERT.)

I also have the best book buddy because Nikki suggests that I read excellent books with her. I am dying of antici….pation for her to finish The Silvered Serpents, and I hope that I can have a whole day alone with it in silence (or maybe with a soundtrack) to devour it.

~Ashley

P.S. If you like the way The Gilded Wolves sounds, then check out our next Virtual Book Club title, Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin. It’s YA fantasy, but magic + francophone + witches = YES PLEASE and then join us to discuss it on Friday, September 18 at 7:30 CST. Registration is open HERE.