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megareads42's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this. Shouldn't have read the reviews first, as I was sort of looking for holes in the beginning. Once I let that go, I got swept up in the story. I could've used a little more world-building but I thought what I did get was interesting and unique. I also enjoyed the diverse cast of characters. Certainly scratches that YA fantasy itch, without throwing too much garbage-y romance in the mix. There is some flirtation and making out, but nothing over the top. Enjoyed this and look forward to reading the sequel.
mama_pillot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed this book! It was really well written and a good mix of real and fantasy. I loved the way different belief systems were threaded into the story and I loved the way the author made science feel magical! The twist at the end caught me by total surprise!
drizzleandhurricanebooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was very, very good and I had such a great time reading it and these characters were ALL amazing. I loved their dynamics, their uniqueness and personalities and I can't even choose a favorite right now so I just loved them all.
My criticism here would be towards the world-building, because it felt a little confusing and it took me a while to get into its mechanisms and to understand it all. Despite that, it was REALLY good and I'm going to need MORE SOON OKAY.
Read my full review of The Gilded Wolves on the blog.
Thank you to MacMillan International & Wednesday Books for the ARC of this book. This did not, in any way, influenced my thoughts and rating.
My Blog - Drizzle & Hurricane Books - Twitter - Bloglovin'
My criticism here would be towards the world-building, because it felt a little confusing and it took me a while to get into its mechanisms and to understand it all. Despite that, it was REALLY good and I'm going to need MORE SOON OKAY.
Read my full review of The Gilded Wolves on the blog.
Thank you to MacMillan International & Wednesday Books for the ARC of this book. This did not, in any way, influenced my thoughts and rating.
My Blog - Drizzle & Hurricane Books - Twitter - Bloglovin'
nemomii's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
1.75
godofwar's review against another edition
3.0
i’ve pretty much moved away from reading YA, but this is a fantasy heist, so of course i was intrigued. i’ve yet to read six of crows, but i have watched the netflix series so i understand the comparisons - but the crows, as i’ve seen them on screen, feel a lot more cohesive and developed than the crew of the gilded wolves. it’s a shame, because i really wanted to like them: in their introductions, they’re an interesting group, but as the story progresses, i didn’t really feel like there was any movement for their development. the author was TELLING me things were happening, but i didn’t really FEEL like they were.
some of that disconnect might stem from the magic system, which has potential, but in the end is just kind of… there. there’s an attempt to explain the ‘science’ of it, which i appreciate and find fascinating, but i can’t help but wonder if maybe it should just have been presented as something inexplicable - especially since, as the plot begins to move, it feels almost like the magic is just used for whatever’s convenient in the moment instead of adhering to a strict system as it’s attempted to be portrayed upon initial explanation. i don’t mind some aspects of a book going unexplained. in fantasy, it’s a given it’s going to happen, and i don’t think it breaks the immersion of a story if an author is just like, “this is the magic of the world, and that’s all i’m going to give you.”
though the magic feels underdeveloped, i think the world itself is vivid, and there’s a clear picture of the setting we’re in. like i said, i can see the six of crows comparisons, but there’s something about this that gave me an assassin’s creed vibe: the ‘babel fragments’ are akin to the apples of eden, and the order is literally the knights templar; it even says as much on page (”Our ancestral brethren, the Knights Templar, brought back a Babel Fragment from the Holy Lands and laid it to rest in our soil.”). if only the order had really felt as menacing as the templars do. their presence is there, but i hardly ever felt like the characters were ever in genuine danger from them; even near the end, when a character actually dies, it had felt out of nowhere to me, because the villain didn’t really feel like a threat.
but, back to the underbaked characters. their diverse identities are a big driving force of the story: severin is denied his inheritance because of his algerian mother. and while i really do appreciate the varying cultures and ethnicities on display in this book, it does feel, at times, like those identities are really the only defining trait they have - and hypnos, being bisexual, also falls victim to some biphobic tropes that’s a driving force for his character. enrique and zofia’s intelligence is very prominent and integral to the story, but severin and laila, who would probably be considered the two leads, are criminally lacking in depth. both are stated to be charming and severin is posited as manipulative mastermind, but i find it difficult to see him as that. he doesn’t seem to really do much in the story and his connections with the other characters beyond his brother feel forced - especially the romance with laila (though, i would say all romantic aspects in this book are pretty bad; there’s this attempt at a love triangle between enrique/zofia/hypnos, and it’s very awkward. enrique and hypnos are both bisexual and even share a kiss and while i could see some little seeds of chemistry between them, there was also an attraction enrique displayed to zofia throughout the book, but it came across as too artificial: almost as if the author included it just because she wanted it to be clear enrique was bisexual by having him have feelings for a woman And a man. i’m not a big fan of it. i don’t like love triangles in general, but there’s a specific brand of them when it comes to bisexuals where it seems like people feel the need to qualify a bisexual’s sexuality by constantly reminding everyone they’re attracted to multiple genders. there are passages in enrique’s chapters where he acknowledges his sexuality, and i think it’s clear enough he’s bisexual with them; we could have just kept to enrique/hypnos and it would have been fine. he’s no less bi if he’s only displaying an attraction to him.)
since the actual heists feel a little lackluster, i was hoping for some good characters to drive the story, so it was disappointing to come away from the story with little interest in any of them (beyond the potential enrique and zofia have). i will be continuing the series with the hope that now at least some things are established, there will be room for actual development - a big reveal at the end of this book seems promising, so i hope we build on that.
some of that disconnect might stem from the magic system, which has potential, but in the end is just kind of… there. there’s an attempt to explain the ‘science’ of it, which i appreciate and find fascinating, but i can’t help but wonder if maybe it should just have been presented as something inexplicable - especially since, as the plot begins to move, it feels almost like the magic is just used for whatever’s convenient in the moment instead of adhering to a strict system as it’s attempted to be portrayed upon initial explanation. i don’t mind some aspects of a book going unexplained. in fantasy, it’s a given it’s going to happen, and i don’t think it breaks the immersion of a story if an author is just like, “this is the magic of the world, and that’s all i’m going to give you.”
though the magic feels underdeveloped, i think the world itself is vivid, and there’s a clear picture of the setting we’re in. like i said, i can see the six of crows comparisons, but there’s something about this that gave me an assassin’s creed vibe: the ‘babel fragments’ are akin to the apples of eden, and the order is literally the knights templar; it even says as much on page (”Our ancestral brethren, the Knights Templar, brought back a Babel Fragment from the Holy Lands and laid it to rest in our soil.”). if only the order had really felt as menacing as the templars do. their presence is there, but i hardly ever felt like the characters were ever in genuine danger from them; even near the end, when a character actually dies, it had felt out of nowhere to me, because the villain didn’t really feel like a threat.
but, back to the underbaked characters. their diverse identities are a big driving force of the story: severin is denied his inheritance because of his algerian mother. and while i really do appreciate the varying cultures and ethnicities on display in this book, it does feel, at times, like those identities are really the only defining trait they have - and hypnos, being bisexual, also falls victim to some biphobic tropes that’s a driving force for his character. enrique and zofia’s intelligence is very prominent and integral to the story, but severin and laila, who would probably be considered the two leads, are criminally lacking in depth. both are stated to be charming and severin is posited as manipulative mastermind, but i find it difficult to see him as that. he doesn’t seem to really do much in the story and his connections with the other characters beyond his brother feel forced - especially the romance with laila (though, i would say all romantic aspects in this book are pretty bad; there’s this attempt at a love triangle between enrique/zofia/hypnos, and it’s very awkward. enrique and hypnos are both bisexual and even share a kiss and while i could see some little seeds of chemistry between them, there was also an attraction enrique displayed to zofia throughout the book, but it came across as too artificial: almost as if the author included it just because she wanted it to be clear enrique was bisexual by having him have feelings for a woman And a man. i’m not a big fan of it. i don’t like love triangles in general, but there’s a specific brand of them when it comes to bisexuals where it seems like people feel the need to qualify a bisexual’s sexuality by constantly reminding everyone they’re attracted to multiple genders. there are passages in enrique’s chapters where he acknowledges his sexuality, and i think it’s clear enough he’s bisexual with them; we could have just kept to enrique/hypnos and it would have been fine. he’s no less bi if he’s only displaying an attraction to him.)
since the actual heists feel a little lackluster, i was hoping for some good characters to drive the story, so it was disappointing to come away from the story with little interest in any of them (beyond the potential enrique and zofia have). i will be continuing the series with the hope that now at least some things are established, there will be room for actual development - a big reveal at the end of this book seems promising, so i hope we build on that.
triley's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tina_amigo28's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
atypicalfemale's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
tylerrosereads's review against another edition
Just couldn't connect not enough is explained and the male narrator had no emotion