The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi



Synopsis: It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.
To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.

Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history—but only if they can stay alive.


Review: The Gilded Wolves has been compared a lot to Six of Crows, and there are some similarities. Let's go ahead and talk about those. This is a heist book with a crew of diverse characters. For me, that is really where the similarities end. I didn't feel particularly connected with any characters from Six of Crows, but I loved Zofia in The Gilded Wolves. She's funny and smart. She's determined. She's everything I could ever want in a character. The other characters were interesting, but none of the grabbed my love like Zofia.


As far as the heist goes, I enjoyed it a lot. Roshani includes puzzles in the text so readers can feel like they are a part of the adventure. The Gilded Wolves is also a history based heist instead of a fantasy based one. I prefer fantasy to history a lot, so that's why this didn't quite hit the 5 star mark for me. It was cool seeing how Roshani shared the elegance of Paris. This is another interesting difference between The Gilded Wolves and Six of Crows. Six of Crows has a crew from the lower class running a con. The Gilded Wolves allows for conversations of privilege and Roshani makes her characters use their privilege to achieve their goals. I liked the idea of Forging, and it seemed interesting in concept, but I honestly forgot it was an aspect halfway through the book. It's a pity, and it might have been the headspace I was in when I was reading. Regardless, I'm excited to give this a re-read when the second book comes out.


Rich, historical heist novel with enjoyable characters.


4 howls

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