The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves, #1)

by Roshani Chokshi

There won't be any Six of Crows comparisons coming from me since I have not read SoC yet. Looking at the reviews, there are some similarities, so I might just pick that one up soon.

This book was hyped. I saw it everywhere, and I got way too excited about it. Don't get me wrong, I really liked it, but I don't understand why I saw it everywhere while I believe this book is just not for everyone. You must love the puzzles, you must be ok with the fact that even though this book takes place in Paris, the setting is really described. Yes, they are in Paris in 1889, but that is all. It is not beautiful, it does not have the 'American Paris' feel, as I like to describe it. Because honestly, it feels as if Americans have a lovelier idea about Paris than Europeans tend to have. If you don't mind these things and enjoy characters that are diverse and definitely not perfect then I would definitely recommend this book.

First, the characters were incredibly smart. I was not entirely sure about their ages, but they knew so much. Which also made them stereotypes of themselves. The smart science girl, she knew everything, but she had no social skills, did not care for clothing, and had pretty bad anxiety. The caring boy, always looking out for everyone, too afraid that people cannot be trusted, and even when caught, only cares if someone takes care of his animals. Although I must admit that we did see another side of Tristan in the end after his death. Still, most of these characters were some overdone chlichés. For me, it did not matter. I loved them all. Even the romance between Severin and Laila, which did not have a start but was just there. I personally enjoyed that we did not see the beginning of this romance, I am sick of seeing romances develop and it was nice to just know that there was something going on, and we would maybe care about it later. Often the start of the first book is seen as the 'beginning' of these people's lives. Well, they already had a life and this romance started before it. I am here for it.

I do believe that the puzzles were not that well explained if one has no knowledge about the subject. Especially, in the beginning, I had struggles following the way how they solved the puzzles, but the mathematical puzzles were a bit easier for me. I definitely see how this could be a downside for a lot of people. Because of this reason, I am actually surprised about the hype surrounding this book. Was it just because it was featured in a book box?