Review 'The Silvered Serpents' by Roshani Chokshi

"The difference between a diamond necklace and a diamond dog collar depends on the bitch. And they both have teeth, Monsieur."

"Remember our roles?" asked Enrique

"You're playing an eccentric and easily distracted human—"

"—A writer, yes."

I'm shaking. I'm reeling. I'm completely and utterly breathless. The Silvered Serpents was a hurricane of pain, desperation, and knowledge. And it changed my life.

Having just finished reading this formidable book, I'm still trying to organize my thoughts. I'm awed. I'm completely and utterly awed by this series. Its literary, mathematical, and chemical complexity dazzles me. I love how these books challenge me to think and learn in these sciences. It gives me the feeling of being small and insignificant, a tiny speck in this universe, but still holding immense power despite this insignificance.

As an aspiring author, Roshani is an example for me in many ways, one of them being her well-honed art of world-building. When she creates worlds and magic, she leaves no stone unturned. Every detail has been thought out with purpose and precision. Reading all these fantastical details blows me away time and again. From the magic of the Forging to the architecture, to the decadent food descriptions, to the attire they wear. I cannot express into words how utterly fantastic it feels to soak up all these details and hear, smell, taste, and feel it all as if I were actually in the story. I truly believe that Roshani possesses a magical ability to conjure up this wildly vivid imagination.

Another aspect she excels at is the creation of the most precious cast of characters. I will protect all of my dear sweethearts with my life. What astounded me in The Gilded Wolves was how Roshani could make me immensely attached to each of the main characters after only one chapter. Each of their introductory chapters revealed who they were and what they wanted, their dreams and nightmares, their hopes and fears. It's not often a character just introduced immediately becomes a dynamic character. That's skillful art I can't help but admire.

Each of the main characters feels so much—almost to the point of feeling too much—you can't help but feel exactly what they feel. They are like a mirror, and everything they experience gets reflected right into your soul. You understand their pain, their fear, their desires. You understand their motives and why they have to do what they do. Even if you don't fully agree with it, you understand why they feel like they have to take this road. Let's discuss these characters in more detail because I have too many feelings about all of them to not talk about it.

Let's start with my favorite, Séverin. I am so envious of Laila that she gets to experience his kisses and touches because dammit, I'm so attracted to this man. He makes me feel weak in the knees, and I'm permanently swooning when thinking about him. He's like the dark prince I always wanted. I loved Séverin from the very first chapter in The Gilded Wolves. I immediately fell in love with him when I got a glimpse inside his mind. His fear of everyone he cares about leaving him, him trying to do everything he can to get them to stay. His unconditional love for his brother, Tristan (sobs silently).

I also loved this dark turn his character took in Silvered Serpents. The loss of his brother broke something inside of him that I recognize all too well. And though the way he grieved was not entirely healthy, I fully understood him all the same. His guilt was eating him up from the inside, and he didn't know what to do with it other than to give in to that guilt and rage and revenge.

Laila is a Queen and a goddess and my new religion. All hail the church of Laila, where we worship l'Enigme! Seriously, Laila has had to deal with so much shit from society merely because of the color of her skin, and still, she lifts her chin and looks down at them all. She chooses to rise above it rather than sink to their level. She chooses love and kindness rather than petty, hateful acts. I love the mother in her, how she takes care of her friends and makes sure they're comfortable. She reminds me of Wendy taking care of the Lost Boys.

Also—and bear with me—the sexual tension between Laila and Séverin! Good God, it's enough to melt the entirety of Antarctica! I got so flustered with their every interaction I had to fan myself with my bookmark. How Laila manages to resist him, I've no clue. I definitely would not be as strong and just launch myself at Séverin. But what got to me most of all is the pining. From the beginning of Gilded Wolves, Séverin and Laila are pining for each other so profoundly. I felt that. I really did. And it did not stop in Silvered Serpents. The pining nearly killed me! It's so good and intense and asfhaziyhd.

Let's move on to Enrique, my precious boy. I feel for him so badly I just want to hug him and never let go. All he wants is to be heard because of his ideas and thoughts, not because of his ethnicity. My HEART. He has such a brilliant mind I could only wish to possess. I want to know everything he knows. I want to listen to every fun historical fact he knows. I loved his character development and how he realized his self-worth and detached himself from Hypnos.

Zofia, my precious little bean. I love her with all my heart. She's so intelligent, and even though I don't understand half of what she says because contrary to her, I am decidedly not good at science, I love 'hearing' her talk. I love the accurate representation of her Autism spectrum. When reading her chapters, the writing changes to a more scientific analysis of the world, and I love experiencing the world through her eyes and thoughts. I love the way she analyses human behavior and tries to find the most logical response for it. Because, to her, science is comfort, science is set and truth and reliable. It's what she knows. I also love the other characters' reactions and how they try to make her comfortable and don't think of her as weird.

Her character development was nothing short of brilliant. She goes from a silent little mouse, thinking she'll always need someone to look after her because there's something 'wrong' with her, to believing in herself, knowing she's brave, and realizing her autism isn't a shortcoming but just another way of looking at the world.

I want to address Tristan's character briefly as well. Even after his death, his character continues to undergo development. We got an insight into this darker, tortured part of his mind that no one could have guessed. It made his character all the more mysterious, and I found myself dying to learn more about it.

And Hypnos, oh where to begin with this Dramatic Drunk. I love him. I love his jokes and his flamboyant personality. But I also know there's more behind that facade. Something dark and lovely that breaks my heart. All he wants is to belong, to have someone care about him, and not feel so alone anymore. I'm excited to read more about his character in the final installment and see how he will develop.

I read this book in two days because I just could not stop reading. There was never a moment I felt bored, never a chapter that felt like a filler-up. Each chapter holds vital information, clues you can't miss to try and figure out what's going on in the shadows. If it's not clues you're discovering, it's heists and action scenes that'll have you on the edge of your seat. You don't know what to expect and how to think forward. I can safely say that, just like The Gilded Wolves, the last hundred pages had me shaking with adrenaline. There aren't many books that have the power to do that. While the ending of Gilded Wolves was more heartbreaking, the conclusion of Silvered Serpents was nothing short of intense. I was shaking, adrenaline coursing wildly through me. And I already know that cliffhanger will haunt me for months until I get the sequel in my hands. Catch me desperately trying to get hold of an arc and (most likely) failing.

To me, the perfect book is a well-balanced concoction of detailed world-building, round and dynamic characters, and a fast-paced plot. The Gilded wolves found that perfect balance. And The Silvered Serpents did too. I cannot think of a single flaw these books have. I will never get over how incredibly detailed and well thought out this story is, and it will always hold a place in my heart as one of my favorites. If I had to describe these books in a few words, I would use decadent, dazzling, and intricate. This series is a must-read for all fantasy lovers!