The Gilded Wolves

In this spellbinding series opener from Chokshi (A Crown of Wishes), Tower of Babel shards hidden around the world radiate energy that gifted individuals can use to “Forge”—magically manipulate—mind and matter. In 1879, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie attempted to assume his dead father’s position within the Order that protects Europe’s Babel fragment; instead, the Order excommunicated him for having mixed blood. Now, in 1889, Séverin runs Paris’s illustrious L’Eden Hotel while working with a diverse crew of talented teenage rogues (a bisexual Spanish-Filipino historian, a Polish-Jewish engineer, an Indian cabaret star who can read objects’ histories) to steal Forged treasures from those who spurned him. When an Order Patriarch named Hypnos tries to bribe Séverin into staging a dangerous heist by offering to help him reclaim his birthright, Séverin refuses—until Hypnos threatens to kill his friends. Evocative writing, sumptuous set pieces, and vividly sketched, authentically flawed characters distinguish this immersive tale of found family and star-crossed romance. Kaleidoscopic narration complements the intricate, high-stakes plot and allows Chokshi to showcase numerous aspects of her richly imagined universe all the way to the closing cliff-hanger. Ages 12–up. [em]Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. (Jan.) [/em]