Set in the captivating city of Paris in the late 18th century where grandeur and civilization are just making its way into eminence, The Gilded Wolves is a historical fiction that introduced the idea of Forging, a special ability that allows human to bend and reshape object (matter affinity) or someone else's thinking (mind affinity).
The first think that I noticed and loved about this book is how well-researched the story and it reflected in the book's information-rich narration and backstories. The Gilded Wolves shows us the real picture of Paris, France in 1889 and how imbalanced the world was before civilization gradually took off in the 19th century. From the inclusion of biblical reference via the Tower of Babel up to addition of diverse history such as India's myth and our very own Philippines' suffering from the Spaniards, The Gilded Wolves set an example on how to write an excellent historical novel.
I also liked the characters in this story especially the protagonists or how I call them, The Underdogs. Severin, an outcasted heir to one of the France's Order's original Four Houses, together with his broken, beaten, and damned squad of engineer, historian, baker, landscape artist, and House Patriarch, searched the busy streets of 1889 Paris in a quest to find the Horus Eye that will be his key to reclaim his glory of being his House's ruler. Through the quest, I fell in love with all the characters but I have a favoritism issue with Enrique because he is witty, cute, funny, and ofc, a Filipino who wants to join the elite circle who aims to bring down the Spanish colony that slaves the Philippines for about 300 years. And who would not love Zofia, another fictional crush to add on my list! Zofia is the engineer who loves numbers and calculations and puzzles but is too shy to converse what she really feels and I feel her because we all have been a Zofia in our life.
Lastly, the story structure is epic! I love how it never oversold on the first half only to have a saggy denouement because the explosion happened in the middle of the book until the end, (I mean, it literally did not stop blowing up and just kept throwing fireballs especially that one scene at Palais where I certainly cried!!!) I felt like riding a roller coaster but The Gilded Wolves ride is the kind that has a steady pace at the first few minutes then it goes into a series of loops then a heart-dropping, accelerating fall on a downward track for a good two hours. And that final chapter! OMG!
The first think that I noticed and loved about this book is how well-researched the story and it reflected in the book's information-rich narration and backstories. The Gilded Wolves shows us the real picture of Paris, France in 1889 and how imbalanced the world was before civilization gradually took off in the 19th century. From the inclusion of biblical reference via the Tower of Babel up to addition of diverse history such as India's myth and our very own Philippines' suffering from the Spaniards, The Gilded Wolves set an example on how to write an excellent historical novel.
I also liked the characters in this story especially the protagonists or how I call them, The Underdogs. Severin, an outcasted heir to one of the France's Order's original Four Houses, together with his broken, beaten, and damned squad of engineer, historian, baker, landscape artist, and House Patriarch, searched the busy streets of 1889 Paris in a quest to find the Horus Eye that will be his key to reclaim his glory of being his House's ruler. Through the quest, I fell in love with all the characters but I have a favoritism issue with Enrique because he is witty, cute, funny, and ofc, a Filipino who wants to join the elite circle who aims to bring down the Spanish colony that slaves the Philippines for about 300 years. And who would not love Zofia, another fictional crush to add on my list! Zofia is the engineer who loves numbers and calculations and puzzles but is too shy to converse what she really feels and I feel her because we all have been a Zofia in our life.
Lastly, the story structure is epic! I love how it never oversold on the first half only to have a saggy denouement because the explosion happened in the middle of the book until the end, (I mean, it literally did not stop blowing up and just kept throwing fireballs especially that one scene at Palais where I certainly cried!!!) I felt like riding a roller coaster but The Gilded Wolves ride is the kind that has a steady pace at the first few minutes then it goes into a series of loops then a heart-dropping, accelerating fall on a downward track for a good two hours. And that final chapter! OMG!