The Silvered Serpents is a complex and messy Gilded Wolves sequel

The Silvered Serpents, the highly anticipated sequel to Roshani Chokshi’s The Gilded Wolves, is dark, messy, and occasionally frustrating – but difficult to put down.

The world of Roshani Chokshi’s The Gilded Wolves is lush and rich, set in a version of nineteenth-century Paris in which society is run by a centuries-old order of magical Houses and members are gifted with specific affinities. And while the first novel in the series is a generally entertaining heist story, but the second, The Silvered Serpents, is something much darker and more difficult.

Yes, on paper this is also a heist story, as the bulk of the tale follows Severin and his former partners as they journey to Russia to search for the fabled Sleeping House, the rumored home to a mystical book known as the Divine Lyrics, But this is a very different adventure from the one the group undertakes in the series’ first book.

For one, the group is haunted by Tristan’s death at the end of The Gilded Wolves and the series’ of shattering revelations that came along with it. His loss has largely fractured the group’s relationship, and everyone is reeling. They’re all angry, vulnerable, and hurting in different ways. While their trip to Russia introduces some intriguing new characters and takes us to a gorgeously depicted winter landscape, complete with an ice palace that’s stocked with living sculptures, there’s not a lot of fun to be had on this journey.

Instead, everyone’s suffering in various ways. Severin has decided that the loss of his brother means he needs to harden his heart against those he once cared for, as he chases oblivion rather than healing. Laila suffers in silence, as a countdown begins ticking toward her doom. Zofia doesn’t know how to ask for the help she so clearly needs. And Hypnos and Enrique’s relationship remains in limbo – a connection without a name.

The plot of this sequel is complicated and messy, and in order for it to work, Severin must become a character we don’t necessarily like very much. His near-complete transformation from the previous book is deeply understandable, given that he’s still wrestling with his guilt and grief over his brother’s death. But just because it’s a choice that makes sense doesn’t mean that it’s an enjoyable one. In The Silvered Serpents, Severin’s anger – whether it’s toward the Fallen House, his friends, or himsel – is honestly exhausting. And its end result is that he becomes a huge jerk.

Severin, once the glue that held his little band of misfit marauders together, now treats them all like garbage, manipulating and shutting them out in the name of protecting them. He lies to everyone constantly, but it’s his pointed and deliberate cruelty to Laila, the woman he supposedly loves, that’s the most offputting aspect of his behavior. The Silvered Serpents doesn’t entirely sell the necessity of Severin’s obsession with the Divine Lyrics, or why he suddenly believes that becoming a literal god is the solution to all his problems.

On the plus side, since Severin becomes such a disaster of a character in this novel, the supporting characters are all given more to do than ever before. Laila is a particular standout, burdened with the constant knowledge of her own potential unmaking, but refusing to let the threat of her own impending death make her hard. She loves Severin even when he doesn’t deserve it and her very palpable pain in the face of the many belittling ways he treats her (their journey requires them to pretend to be lovers) is heartbreaking. Zofia, the group’s explosives expert, gets something of a backstory of her own, and her growth into a hero in her own right – as well as the heart of this ragtag team –  is immensely satisfying.

On the whole, however, The Silvered Serpents is a much more difficult read than its predecessor, dealing with dark themes, multiple betrayals, and more mature subject matter. The story wrestles with everything from sexuality to how to prioritize relationships and what it means to be a family, and it doesn’t entirely find satisfactory answers to all the questions it raises by its final pages.

That said, it’s certainly set things up for a wild finale to this story, whenever we get to read it.

The Silvered Serpents is available now. Will you be adding it to your to-read list?