The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
First Line: Severin glanced at the clock: two minutes left.
Summary: In this YA Historical Fantasy set in 1889 Paris, when Severin is offered his true inheritance in exchange for stealing a precious artifact, he and four recruited experts work to hunt it down while staying ahead of a dark mystery.
My Thoughts: I didn’t want The Gilded Wolves to end.
I loved each of the characters. They were all fully developed and each had their own quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. My favorite part was how they all interacted with each other, complete with witty banter and genuine love. Chokshi pulls off an ensemble cast exceedingly well. The characters are also richly diverse, with the main characters being people of color, two fitting in the LGBTQ community, and one reading as neurodivergent. I enjoyed reading each of the four point-of-view characters’ chapters.
The plot is ripe with tension and twists. Each moment is suspenseful, intriguing, and replete with mystery as the characters go through their mission. The puzzles and codes the characters have to solve are so interesting, incorporating bits of world building, history, and math. I especially loved how each character’s interests and backgrounds help them solve the codes.
The re-imagined history is also intriguing, with the fantasy elements skillfully woven into the story. Chokshi writes incredibly lush descriptions, and though dense, the writing never feel tedious to read through and adds to the smart and sophisticated story, world, and cast of characters. This book also addresses colonialism, repatriation, and greed, which makes for an interesting and relevant read.
I found the end slightly disappointing, but The Gilded Wolves as a whole is a beautiful and stunning, filled with twists and turns, a delightful ensemble cast, and plenty of mystery.