REVIEW: The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
The Gilded Wolves:
When going into this book, I heard constant reviews saying that it was so like Six of Crows so I decided to pick it up. I was already in love with Roshani Chokshi’s writing because I had read her other books but this one sounded so up my street.
The Gilded Wolves is set in an alternate universe in 1889. In this universe that Roshani created, there is a magical power that some people have called Forging. This began at the Tower of Babel. When God destroyed the tower, he left behind a gift for humanity. He left fragments of the tower, which bestow this power upon themselves. These fragments were hidden and safeguarded by the order of babel, a select group entrusted with their keeping. In France, there were once four such houses, but one house fell and one is said to have died out without heirs. Enter our protagonist, Severin. He is a mongrel according to the other houses but he is the true heir of the house of Vanth.
We then join Severin years later as the is the leader of a team of burglars, hence the six of crows vibe. There are four other members of his team, his best friend Enrique, Zofia a forger with the power of chemistry, and Tristan, a forger with the power of botany and Laila, a baker and cabaret dancer. They find out that one of the people that supposedly stopped Severin becoming the heir to the house of Vanth has lost her ring of babel. They go on a mission to find the stolen artefact each hoping to gain something from this ring and by finding it, some kind of reward. This mission is filled with mystery and clues that need to be decoded. This story is jam-packed with twists and turns.
The characters in this book would do anything for each other and would protect each other from anything that they face. This is what makes their bond so special and integral to the story as Severin has sworn an oath to protect them and does not rat them out or leave them behind, and they for Severin. These characters are bonded like family and would die for each other. That takes true risk and these characters show us how much friendship and family really mean.
As I previously stated, I have read Roshani’s work before and the writing style stays true to what I have read before. It is elegant and she paints with her words what I can imagine to be a gorgeous setting locked in with some misery. You have got to give it to her, she pulled this off. However, I do think that people comparing this to six of crows have therefore expected it to be so much like six and as such, they believe that it did not come through for them. I however, think that because it is it’s own entity, it should be viewed as much and I still think it’s a great read.
3 out of 5 Stars.