I have a complicated relationship with Roshani Chokshi's books. I like her stories but I am not particularly fond of her writing style, I find it too flowery and too whimsical. Overall I enjoyed The Gilded Wolves but it wasn't a five star read for me because once again I didn't necessary connect with the writing style. There was a lot that I really liked about the book though.
I loved how different myths from different cultures were woven together with the myth of Babel at the center. I find the story of Babel to be one of the more interesting Biblical stories, so I was happy to see it in this book. Other elements that I liked were the Order, a secret society with different Houses or families, each with their own secrets and agendas; a hunt for ancient artifacts; and a number of compelling and diverse characters that Severin's crew was comprised of. Out of all the characters Laila was definitely my favorite, her origins story was so fascinating!
I found the worldbuilding to be intriguing but overly complex. It took me awhile to wrap my head around the Forging (magic?) system. Because I struggled a bit with the writing style I found some parts of the book slow-paced. For a heist story it wasn't as action-packed as I would've liked. But the ending was interesting and I definitely want to read the next book, especially since I really want to follow Laila's story arc.
I loved how different myths from different cultures were woven together with the myth of Babel at the center. I find the story of Babel to be one of the more interesting Biblical stories, so I was happy to see it in this book. Other elements that I liked were the Order, a secret society with different Houses or families, each with their own secrets and agendas; a hunt for ancient artifacts; and a number of compelling and diverse characters that Severin's crew was comprised of. Out of all the characters Laila was definitely my favorite, her origins story was so fascinating!
I found the worldbuilding to be intriguing but overly complex. It took me awhile to wrap my head around the Forging (magic?) system. Because I struggled a bit with the writing style I found some parts of the book slow-paced. For a heist story it wasn't as action-packed as I would've liked. But the ending was interesting and I definitely want to read the next book, especially since I really want to follow Laila's story arc.