Returning to the dark and glamorous 19th century world of her New York Times instant bestseller, The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi dazzles us with the final riveting tale as full of mystery and danger as ever.
Expected Publication: February 22nd 2022 by Berkley
Buddy Read with Marie 💕
💫 You Might Also Like 💫
- Review: The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi 🐺 Paris, Magic, and Banter
- Arc Review: The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi 🐍 A heavy sequel full of grief and thorned love
In love they breathed. In destiny they believed. In the end, will divinity be their demise?
After Séverin’s seeming betrayal, the crew is fractured. Armed with only a handful of hints, Enrique, Laila, Hypnos and Zofia must find their way through the snarled, haunted waterways of Venice, Italy to locate Séverin.
Meanwhile, Séverin must balance the deranged whims of the Patriarch of the Fallen House and discover the location of a temple beneath a plague island where the Divine Lyre can be played and all that he desires will come to pass.
With only ten days until Laila expires, the crew will face plague pits and deadly masquerades, unearthly songs and the shining steps of a temple whose powers might offer divinity itself… but at a price they may not be willing to pay.
CW’s: Grief & Death, Trauma, Violence
Representation 🌷 Indian MC, Black Queer MC, Biracial (Filipino & Spanish) Queer MC, Jewish MC who has Anxiety (+ is autistic-coded), Biracial (Algerian & French) MC
“Laila was a fulcrum, the point around which all things in their group seemed to pivot. Séverin was mass, the weight that changed their direction. Enrique gave them depth. Zofia hoped she offered light. She was not sure what Hypnos contributed to the group, but she could not imagine it without him. Perhaps that made him perspective.”
The Characters are still the beating heart of the story. I love them all so much and it was great seeing them and their relationships grow. Laila is dealing with her own mortality, she only has a couple of days left before her life is unwound, so she is grieving her own life in a way. I liked her resilience, strength and determination to have the end of her life on her own terms, but the book also showed her fears and vulnerability. Zofia is also trying to face her fears, from the declining health of her sister to the uncertainty of the future. She wants to protect the ones she loves and be a light for others, no matter if many people tend to overlook her. Enrique still longs to be heard and be a person people look to for advice. Him trying to find his own confidence and strength was done so well, especially as he finally has the chance to be out of Séverin’s shadow. Lastly, Hypnos is desperately trying to belong and hopes to find a family with the people he has meet. I still think he should have had his own POV, as his humor and charm are always a delight 🥰
A slow smile curved Laila’s lips. “Then I’m lucky you’re my engineer.” “Luck is—” “Zofia,” said Laila, leaning forward. “I am glad you’re my friend.”
I was the most invested in Enrique, Zofia and Hypnos dynamic! I thought Laila’s and Séverin’s complicated history and the hurt that is now between them was very well done, but they never gripped me that much as a couple. I much prefer Laila and Zofia’s friendship and sisterhood that also came through in this book, as they both care so much about each other ❤️ I also much enjoyed Enrique and Zofia’s slow burn romance, it was super sweet and tender 🥺 Hypnos and Enrique have kind of parted romantic ways as they had such different expectations, but are still close in a way. The banter between the three of them and Zofia’s level head and logic made for a great dynamic! 🥰
“Say nothing if you agree that I am the most handsome man alive,” said Hypnos quietly. Enrique, who was preoccupied with his research notes, said nothing. “Hurrah!” said Hypnos.
“Now, Laila felt no horror. If anything, it was pride that moved through her. By all accounts, she should not be alive. “And yet,” said Laila fiercely. “Here I am.””
I did like how Séverin’s character Arc was handled here. I was frustrated with his behavior in the previous book, but after everything that happened he finally became self-aware about how he had treated his friends. In the beginning they are separated so he’s got some time to reflect on his own actions and I liked that he finally seemed to regret or at least question them. Even with his mission to godhood still on the horizon, there are consequences for Séverin alienating the others and doubting how their dynamic looks like now. His beginning redemption was much needed for me and I like that the others were initially wary and open about how much he had hurt them. He is respectful of their feelings now and is trying to rebuild their trust in him.
Hypnos’s eyebrows shot up. “How could you believe Séverin wanted us all dead?” “Because he lost his mind and his current plan is to turn into a god?” said Enrique.
This was overall a great and satisfying finale. I liked it a lot better than the second book, because The Silvered Serpents had a big shift in tone (from mostly fun and adventurous to heartbreaking and grim) that I needed to get used to. The Bronzed Beasts deals with the remaining trauma of the characters, but also offers a lot of hope and growth for them. They face their demons and last big mission head on in Venice, which I liked as a setting. In the end, I felt like everything was wrapped up in a way that felt realistic but also hopeful, so I’m content and satisfied with this end to the series 💕
“Hope, Zofia realized, was the only protection she had left.”
IN CONCLUSION. ➽ The Bronzed Beasts was a great finale to the Gilded Wolves Trilogy and wrapped up all the loose ends. I liked how Séverin was finally trying to redeem himself and try to rebuild his found family. The characters are definitely at the heart of the story and what makes it so good 🥰
Have you read The Gilded Wolves Trilogy? What did you think of the ending of The Bronzed Beasts? 💘
The Bookcheshire Cat 