{ARC} Review: The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi ||ARE WE SURPRISED?

The Gilded Wolves 

The Gilded Wolves #1

Roshani Chokshi

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.

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication Date: January 15th 2019 

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Colonialism, Cultural Erasure, Racism (challenged), Blood, Mention of Suicide, Death, Murder, Mention of Bullying, Abandonment, Anxiety Attacks, Depictions of Grief, Torture

It’s no secret that Roshani Chokshi is one of my favorite authors. It’s also known that this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I’d read this knowing I’d love this. It’s just wild how much I loved this. 

We’re in an alternate version of Paris in 1889 we have a heist and a secret occult and magical manifestations at 13. Science and magic blur and through it all there’s a group of people each with their own motives but are working together and manage to create a found family.

Now, there’s a lot of math and puzzles in this book— from someone who despises math with a passion, it didn’t bother me. My brain didn’t hurt, other when I thought about how much research Chokshi did… I could never.

But there’s also the topics that are handled here: colonialism, erasure— the plot is big baddies planning on erasing cultures from history to become more powerful; it was handled with so much care and didn’t some off as forced into the narrative— I appreciated it.

And though the beginning was a bit info-dumpy, that didn’t affect the pacing at all. When we weren’t thieving about, we were with the characters who were the best. 

❥ Séverin – The leader of the group who is set on getting his inheritance back, but cares deeply for this found family of his. He’s biracial— Algerian & French, charmingly closed off with a soft inside and I couldn’t help but love him.

❥ Laila – Indian and basically the mom of the group who cooks and makes sure everyone is eating their Wheaties and cupcakes. She has the ability to read an objects past and is on a mission to find an artifact for personal reasons. And of course I loved her too, her past, her drive and her kindness.

❥ Tristan – Séverin’s brother in everything but blood, the soft cinamon botanist of the group with a monster spider he loves dearly who honestly broke my heart because we need to protect him at all cost.

❥ Zofia – The engineer of the group, Jewish, neuroatypical and my actual favorite of the bunch. She isn’t great with social cues, but is great with mathematical equations and number and has magical forging abilities of the mind. She also blows things up and I just loved this girl so much. 

❥ Hypnos – Our black, queer comedic relief of the group. He’s not really in the group, but he knew Séverin when they were children and is desperate for friends. I didn’t trust him at first, but he is also pure, just give him some friends and a cookie.

❥ Enrique – Biracial-  (Filipino (ownvoices) & Spanish, bisexual and the historian of the group. Much of his narrative is on his white passing looks and it’s honestly something that was handled with such care. You can see how much it affects him and how people see him was such an important commentary.

The characters 100% made this book. If you put the found family trope in a book, I am sold. And the banter, the loyalty and love between them all made me warm… and then broke my heart in the end.

Because Chokshi doesn’t hold back. People get hurt, people die and my heart breaks. She went all out on this one; it’s been a while since I was fully invested in a book and everything in it— I am 100% here for the sequel.