I was THRILLED to get a copy of The Gilded Wolves as part of being a @BookSparks ambassador for the YA Winter Reading Challenge #YAWRC2019 and my eagerness to get my hands on this book was very much justified!
The Gilded Wolves is a fantastical, mystical treasure hunt – like a magical Da Vinci Code full of conspiracy and puzzles, but also romance and culture, with an infinitely interesting cast of characters who all bring something enchanting and unusual to the table. The art of forging is an extremely interesting and clever type of “magic” that allows the manipulation of objects and also minds … each individual has a very unique set of skills described so beautifully and graphically, that the reader’s mind is filled with intensely vivid conjurings of these peculiar talents.
The time is 1889, the place is Paris. A literal treasure trove of long pent up secrets is beginning to emerge and hotelier Séverin – a professional in the art of the heist – is determined to find what rightfully belongs to him. The Order is requesting Séverin’s help to find a very specific artifact and he may finally once and for all, be righted of his true inheritance if he succeeds.
With the help of his “brother” Tristan, lover of all things nature, and the young, beautiful historian Enrique, they team up with socially awkward gadget genius Zofia, and Laila, a mysterious dancer, and baker extraordinaire. Along with House Nyx patriarch Hypnos, arrogant and pretentious but clouded in loneliness, they set of on a hunt throughout the glimmering streets of Paris, and must pool every bit of wit, skill and knowledge they possess in between them, following clues and stepping most directly, right into danger.
The story is so chock full of history, I cannot help but admire Chokshi’s impressive research and her ability to weave such exquisite fantasy through cultural and factual events. It’s a delight to read and and an even more dazzling heist adventure.
Go get it now at Amozon here —> The Gilded Wolves
- Age Range: 12 – 18 years
- Grade Level: 7 – 9
(Just recommended! I am WAY older than this and LOVED this book!)
- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Wednesday Books (January 15, 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 125014454X
- ISBN-13: 978-1250144546
From Goodreads:
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.
About Roshani Chokshi
Roshani Chokshi is the New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen and A CROWN OF WISHES. Her middle grade debut, ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME, released April 3, 2018 from Disney/Rick Riordan Presents. The sequel, ARU SHAH AND THE SONG OF DEATH is slated to release April 30, 2019. Her next young adult novel, THE GILDED WOLVES, is slated for January 15, 2019. Chokshi’s work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Shimmer, and Book Smugglers. She was a finalist in the 2016 Andre Norton Award and the Locus Top Ten for Best First Novel. Her short story, “The Star Maiden,” was longlisted for the British Fantasy Science Award.
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