The Gilded Wolves: An Alternate France in 1889
The World-Building:
In my opinion, the setting and world-building of The Gilded Wolves are the novel’s greatest strengths. It feels like we are in France – but not. A crew of six sets out on a quest to retrieve an ancient artifact central to the preservation of the civilized world. It’s 1889, and Paris is on the verge of the World Fair. It’s a time of glittering parties, but also a time filled with darkness. And this Paris has magic!
It is an interesting idea to center the story around “Babel Fragments,” objects that are imbued with God’s power to create things. And Chokshi adds many creative details that contribute to her fictional France. In this world, people have the ability to “Forge” – the power that allows humans to create artistic magical gardens or to give inanimate objects, such as stone animals, lifelike qualities. Every forged object or creature is also built with a fail-safe called a somno that will put the creation to sleep. There are secret workshops hidden behind mirror-like doors that turn transparent, called Tezcat doors. There is actually a powder called “mirror powder” that allows a person to look exactly like another person for a few minutes. This Paris also has mnemo bugs, which are Forged beetles that can record images and sound and project them like holograms. Another interesting – but creepy – addition is the Phobus Helmet, which plays the wearer’s nightmares on a loop.
The Characters:
The characters are OK. I didn’t feel drawn to them very strongly. Here’s a brief overview of each:
Severin is the leader of the quest and also the lost heir to House Vanth. (There are several Houses for each country that are part of the Babel Order, which helps to govern the world.) Severin is part Algerian and deeply wants to protect his crew members, who are like family to him. But I couldn’t get over how much of a jerk he is to Laila near the end of the book.
I found Zofia to be one of the more interesting characters. She functions as the crew’s “engineer.” She seems to be a touch Autistic, and she is superb with numbers. Zofia also has the ability to forge metals and enjoys blowing things up. (She can light a match with her teeth!) She is also Jewish, which creates a difficult situation for her during that time period. However, the author doesn’t go too deeply into it.
Tristan is like a brother to Severin. He has a Forging affinity for liquid matter, particularly the liquid in plants; as a result, he can create extravagant gardens. In my opinion, he is a bit too fond of Goliath, his pet tarantula, which often generates jokes. Unfortunately, I think the emphasis on Goliath is a bit distracting from the mature atmosphere that the author seems to be going for. The first few mentions were cute, but Tristan talks about Goliath so much that it later became annoying.
Enrique is the crew’s “historian.” He excels at puzzles and is very knowledgeable about ancient civilizations. He is part Filipino, and he often brings a nice touch of humor to the group’s conversations. He wields a cool walking stick that has a light bomb attached to the end.
Hypnos is the patriarch of one of the other Houses – House Nyx. He is wealthy and spoiled, and he is the person who recruits the team members for the mission (by tricking Severin into it). He is crafty and sly, but it seems that he just wants a family to be a part of.
Laila is the wonderful dancer of Indian descent. Her stage name is L’Enigme! She is passionate about baking desserts, and she also has the power to read an object’s history. She can see what the objects once witnessed. The other interesting thing about Laila is that she has an expiration date: age 19. Apparently, she was magically stitched together from body pieces – like a zombie? Laila’s creation is one thing that seems a bit muddled and could have used a bit more explanation.
A Lot Going On:
I think my remaining criticisms have to do with how much stuff is packed into the book. There is quite a lot going on.
Laila has her own side quest, searching for a book that may help her with her predicament.
There are a lot of POV switches. I typically enjoy books with fewer POVs so that I can gain a deeper understanding of one or two main characters. I’d say more than two or three POVs is a lot to keep track of.
There are several love triangles going on. All six of the main characters seem to be involved. I felt that this kind of cluttered the main plot, because most of the characters don’t even know who they desire – except for Severin. Severin is clearly interested in Laila, but there also seems to be something between Laila and Tristan (unless I’m mistaken). Then Zofia seems kind of interested in Enrique, although she doesn’t seem to fully understand her feelings. Enrique at times thinks he’s attracted to Zofia, but then Hypnos is attracted to Enrique. These relationships are a lot to juggle in the very first novel of a trilogy, and I think the novel could have done well with fewer relationships. I like the idea of Laila and Severin, and it seems as if the focus is more on them. The Zofia-Enrique-Hypnos triangle seemed like it was there for the sake of being there.
The death scene that occurs near the end of the novel feels too rushed. (I won’t say who it was.) The character was someone pretty important, but the person only received a few sentences describing the event itself. We are told what happens weeks later, but that moment is not fleshed out enough. Thus, I don’t think the death scene really had the emotional impact that it could have had on the reader.
The Writing:
Overall, Chokshi’s writing is lovely. I found that I was pulled easily through the scenes. The pace is pretty brisk. However, in several instances, I found the writing to be slightly confusing or unclear.
Aside from Laila’s creation, I was confused about how Severin manages to get his hand unstuck near the beginning. Something about the pronouns and POV change is confusing in that moment. And he really shouldn’t be able to crack jokes when bleeding profusely…
Another instance of inconsistency occurs in the underground library. The text says that Hypnos clutches an object. But then moments later, it says that Enrique is holding it, and Severin orders him not to give it to Hypnos. But there was no mention of Hypnos ever tossing it to Enrique in the first place.
Final Thoughts:
As far as content warnings for parents, be aware that there are some expletives uttered occasionally.
Overall, I am awarding 4 stars to The Gilded Wolves for its creativity and entertaining aspects. I especially enjoyed the scene that occurs down in the Paris catacombs, and the ending does leave me curious.
In my opinion, the setting and world-building of The Gilded Wolves are the novel’s greatest strengths. It feels like we are in France – but not. A crew of six sets out on a quest to retrieve an ancient artifact central to the preservation of the civilized world. It’s 1889, and Paris is on the verge of the World Fair. It’s a time of glittering parties, but also a time filled with darkness. And this Paris has magic!
It is an interesting idea to center the story around “Babel Fragments,” objects that are imbued with God’s power to create things. And Chokshi adds many creative details that contribute to her fictional France. In this world, people have the ability to “Forge” – the power that allows humans to create artistic magical gardens or to give inanimate objects, such as stone animals, lifelike qualities. Every forged object or creature is also built with a fail-safe called a somno that will put the creation to sleep. There are secret workshops hidden behind mirror-like doors that turn transparent, called Tezcat doors. There is actually a powder called “mirror powder” that allows a person to look exactly like another person for a few minutes. This Paris also has mnemo bugs, which are Forged beetles that can record images and sound and project them like holograms. Another interesting – but creepy – addition is the Phobus Helmet, which plays the wearer’s nightmares on a loop.
The Characters:
The characters are OK. I didn’t feel drawn to them very strongly. Here’s a brief overview of each:
Severin is the leader of the quest and also the lost heir to House Vanth. (There are several Houses for each country that are part of the Babel Order, which helps to govern the world.) Severin is part Algerian and deeply wants to protect his crew members, who are like family to him. But I couldn’t get over how much of a jerk he is to Laila near the end of the book.
I found Zofia to be one of the more interesting characters. She functions as the crew’s “engineer.” She seems to be a touch Autistic, and she is superb with numbers. Zofia also has the ability to forge metals and enjoys blowing things up. (She can light a match with her teeth!) She is also Jewish, which creates a difficult situation for her during that time period. However, the author doesn’t go too deeply into it.
Tristan is like a brother to Severin. He has a Forging affinity for liquid matter, particularly the liquid in plants; as a result, he can create extravagant gardens. In my opinion, he is a bit too fond of Goliath, his pet tarantula, which often generates jokes. Unfortunately, I think the emphasis on Goliath is a bit distracting from the mature atmosphere that the author seems to be going for. The first few mentions were cute, but Tristan talks about Goliath so much that it later became annoying.
Enrique is the crew’s “historian.” He excels at puzzles and is very knowledgeable about ancient civilizations. He is part Filipino, and he often brings a nice touch of humor to the group’s conversations. He wields a cool walking stick that has a light bomb attached to the end.
Hypnos is the patriarch of one of the other Houses – House Nyx. He is wealthy and spoiled, and he is the person who recruits the team members for the mission (by tricking Severin into it). He is crafty and sly, but it seems that he just wants a family to be a part of.
Laila is the wonderful dancer of Indian descent. Her stage name is L’Enigme! She is passionate about baking desserts, and she also has the power to read an object’s history. She can see what the objects once witnessed. The other interesting thing about Laila is that she has an expiration date: age 19. Apparently, she was magically stitched together from body pieces – like a zombie? Laila’s creation is one thing that seems a bit muddled and could have used a bit more explanation.
A Lot Going On:
I think my remaining criticisms have to do with how much stuff is packed into the book. There is quite a lot going on.
Laila has her own side quest, searching for a book that may help her with her predicament.
There are a lot of POV switches. I typically enjoy books with fewer POVs so that I can gain a deeper understanding of one or two main characters. I’d say more than two or three POVs is a lot to keep track of.
There are several love triangles going on. All six of the main characters seem to be involved. I felt that this kind of cluttered the main plot, because most of the characters don’t even know who they desire – except for Severin. Severin is clearly interested in Laila, but there also seems to be something between Laila and Tristan (unless I’m mistaken). Then Zofia seems kind of interested in Enrique, although she doesn’t seem to fully understand her feelings. Enrique at times thinks he’s attracted to Zofia, but then Hypnos is attracted to Enrique. These relationships are a lot to juggle in the very first novel of a trilogy, and I think the novel could have done well with fewer relationships. I like the idea of Laila and Severin, and it seems as if the focus is more on them. The Zofia-Enrique-Hypnos triangle seemed like it was there for the sake of being there.
The death scene that occurs near the end of the novel feels too rushed. (I won’t say who it was.) The character was someone pretty important, but the person only received a few sentences describing the event itself. We are told what happens weeks later, but that moment is not fleshed out enough. Thus, I don’t think the death scene really had the emotional impact that it could have had on the reader.
The Writing:
Overall, Chokshi’s writing is lovely. I found that I was pulled easily through the scenes. The pace is pretty brisk. However, in several instances, I found the writing to be slightly confusing or unclear.
Aside from Laila’s creation, I was confused about how Severin manages to get his hand unstuck near the beginning. Something about the pronouns and POV change is confusing in that moment. And he really shouldn’t be able to crack jokes when bleeding profusely…
Another instance of inconsistency occurs in the underground library. The text says that Hypnos clutches an object. But then moments later, it says that Enrique is holding it, and Severin orders him not to give it to Hypnos. But there was no mention of Hypnos ever tossing it to Enrique in the first place.
Final Thoughts:
As far as content warnings for parents, be aware that there are some expletives uttered occasionally.
Overall, I am awarding 4 stars to The Gilded Wolves for its creativity and entertaining aspects. I especially enjoyed the scene that occurs down in the Paris catacombs, and the ending does leave me curious.