This book is pure pain but I loved every second of it.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost — one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God.
Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.
As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.
This sequel was spectacular and pure pain but I loved it so much. Roshani’s writing is incredible and she had me completely enthralled by the hidden world she has created within our world. In this book the story continues soon after the events of the first book and we see how everything that happened in The Gilded Wolves has affected and changed each of the characters.
My place is wherever I damn well please.
Laila is my queen, I loved her so much in this book and how she handles everything despite everything going on she makes sure that they are all okay. I especially loved seeing her friendship with Zofia and how she looks out for her and the love between them. She also has a wonderful relationship with Enrique and it was so beautiful to see Zofia and Enrique accept her completely.
Severin is in a dark place in this book and does things out of desperation and fear of losing the rest of them like Tristan. Even though it is clear that he loves them all, he pushes them away and creates a wall around himself which creates tension between him and the others, especially with Laila. Honestly the way he treats Laila at times, I was screaming at her to slap some sense into him.
I wish my love was more beautiful.
Enrique, Hypnos and Zofia also have their own issues to deal with as well as trying to find the divine lyrics with Severin and Laila. It was really great to see their relationships develop and grow and they themselves also grew a lot. Zofia realises she is more capable than she believed herself to be. Enrique learns he is valued and heard by those he loves. Hypnos finds family in these people although it is still a tentative relationship especially as Severin constantly pushes him away.
History is full of ghosts, because it’s full of myth. All of it woven together depending on who survived to do the telling.
The story is incredible and had me completely hooked from the beginning and I was truly rooting for the characters and I loved seeing their friendships. Not only as a group but each of them have individual friendships with each other too. The loyalty between them and the way they love each other despite not always showing it. I just loved them all so much.
The build up and the tension that Roshani created in the book was killing me and I was just wanting to read one more chapter to know what happens next. I loved how we are slowly given clues about the divine lyrics and the fallen house and yet the plot twists still killed me. I was so shocked from the revelations at the end and what an ending that was. I was left an emotional wreck as one thing after another kept going wrong with no good ending in sight.
When a man cannot see a person as a person, then the devil has slipped into him and is peering out of his eyes.
There was also some great discussions about history and colonialism and how the history of people of colour has been destroyed. Discussions about how you are seen as inferior based on where you are from and the colour of your skin. How those with dark skin are seen as barely human and anything can be done to them because no one will care what happened to them. Things that are still relevant today. I really loved seeing that in the book.
These books and these characters have stolen my heart and I just cannot wait for the final book although I am also terrified to read it because I know that this book will hurt me.
The Tsundoku Chronicles 