5 GLOWING STARS. I just finished the Bronzed Beasts by Roshani Chokshi, and I am in AWE. This book captured the ethereal feeling of seeing the divine, something we will never understand; it filled me with sadness and grief; it carried me to the peaks of happiness and gave me the ultimate feeling of satisfaction. Somehow, this book did all of that so beautifully.

Read my review on the first book here: https://www.readwithpolina.com/2024/06/10/book-review-decadent-magic-in-the-gilded-wolves/

And read my review for the second book here: https://www.readwithpolina.com/2024/06/16/book-review-faces-of-love-in-the-silvered-serpents/ Keep in mind that there will be spoilers for both books in this review!

In this book, we follow Severin and his team on one final journey. After many realizations, Severin has come to peace with himself. He no longer wants to distance himself from everybody he loves – but now, the problem is that they want nothing to do with him. But now, he is determined to do whatever it takes to gain back their trust. The team travel separately, but eventually reunite. They travel to a temple situated in Povgelia, Plague Island, as Laila’s remaining days of life slowly trickle away, determined to save her life.

That description explains all the plot elements of the book, but it doesn’t even scratch the surface of the beauty and complexity of the story. The fantasy elements are the gilding, but the core of it is the characters’ interpersonal relationships, struggles and personalities.

The first book was our introduction to this beautiful world with a luxurious, decadent setting and prose to savor. It was curiosity, intrigue and darkness. The second book was a cold, glittering and harsh tragedy. It was grief and the pain of seeing things fall apart. And the third book is a golden, radiant release – the beauty and harmony of belonging. Reading this book, I felt like I could taste divinity itself on my tongue.

From this point onwards, this review will contain spoilers for the Bronzed Beasts. If so far, the book has caught your interest, I would highly recommend it. The entire Gilded Wolves series is a beautiful fantasy full of fantastic, vibrant characters and overarching themes of grief, love and belonging. The ending to this book was perfectly cyclical and tied up all the plot lines and character arcs.

I absolutely adored Laila in this book. Her struggles were so painful and yet, throughout all of it, her strength shone through. Her episodes of dissociation, numbness and horror as she slowly started “breaking down” were heartbreaking to read about. She was filled with grief that she was a Forged thing, a broken doll, a machine.

The world told her she was a thousand things – a girl sculpted from grave dirt, a snow maiden flirting with spring’s thaw, an exotic phantasm for men to pin their lusts upon just to keep her in place.

Laila

However, the pain of that is what made her shine even brighter. Her determination, her defiance in the face of death and her desperate desire to continue to live made her such a compelling character to read about. I loved how all her friends supported her, too – it was so sweet how Zofia used statistical metaphors and engineering terms, Enrique offered his honesty and Hypnos comforted her with jokes. Her friends stood steadfastly by her side.

Laila’s final ascension to protector of the temple as a woman both Forged and human felt so fitting to me. It was bittersweet, yes – she existed only in the fringes of her loved one’s dreams, in prophetic phrases and memories. But she was alive, and she was at peace. She was there with every moment of hope, every golden lining on the horizon and every whiff of sugar and roses. And truly, Laila and Majnun’s – Severin’s – love story felt ‘meant to be’.

I always love reading from Zofia’s perspective. The unique lens through which she views the world offers me so much comfort. She was truly a light in the dark in this book.

Think of the universe as an infinite equation, Zosia. Perhaps the things which are added and taken away… new siblings or lost homes and countries… perhaps they are simply part of the balance of that equation… the sum of which we cannot see.

Zofia’s father

Her relationship with Enrique, and in addition, Hypnos, was so sweet. I always knew this was how it would turn out – it just seemed to make the most sense to me. The three of them created a unique happiness that suited them.

In this book, however, the focus was on Zofia and Enrique – I felt like they were so cute here. Their dry banter and sense of humor, the debates they have and the deep underlying sense of understanding made them perfect for each other. I was so happy there were no misunderstandings between them, too – Zofia is so straightforward and I love her for that. It’s so refreshing.

It was not a cruelty, but a balancing.

Zofia

Enrique was presented in a different light in this book. Constantly being talked over and ignored, he is used to being in the shadows. But in this book, in the segment where Severin wasn’t with them, he got a chance to be a leader. He got a chance to be seen and heard – of course, when Severin came back, a lot of resented settled in him.

However, the arrangement between them and the way their trust for each other was rebuilt was the most rewarding. Before, Severin and Enrique were the closest friends, and they had the most painful separation. Enrique truly hated him afterwards. Seeing them slowly build a mutual understanding, respect and love for each other once more was beautiful.

His job as a professor was so perfect too – it truly felt like his calling. It was a place where he could be heard, he could lecture as much as he wanted to and change the flow of history by influencing and educating the next generation.

As a historian, he regarded the world in hindsight, but history was never dead. It was furiously alive even if it was lost, even if it existed only as phantoms haunting conquerors or woven into bedtime stories whispered to children.

Enrique

Hypnos’ presence in this book wasn’t too prominent, but I cannot imagine it without him. This is the same role her plays in the team – seemingly insignificant, but adding so much light and value with his presence.

It was so beautiful that he found a family that he belonged in, even if it wasn’t blood-related. Hypnos was always a loud and active child, living in a household which was silent and still as a grave. The fact that he was able to sing, joke and express himself with his friends was beautiful – he truly found his place in the world. The journey from the first book, when he was awkward and unwanted, to the second, when he was beginning to find his footing, to the third, where he fully belonged was so rewarding.

Laila was a fulcrum, the point around which all things in their group seemed to pivot. Severin was mass, the weight that changed their direction. Enrique gave them depth. Zofia hoped she offered light. She was not sure what Hypnos contributed to the group, but she could not imagine it without him. Perhaps that made him perspective.

Zofia, about the group

Severin grew so much in this book. From being crippled by grief, distant and in denial in the second book, to growing to accept loss here was a lot of growth for him. At the start of the book, he was still filled with some delusional beliefs – he wanted to be with his friends, he wanted to love and move on, but still, he thought godhood was his true purpose. Even if, in his heart, he had no idea what being a god even meant.

Towards the end of the book, he realized that he was there to commune with the divine, but it was something he was never meant to be. He had gained things – Laila’s life, his friends’ trust, but he had lost things too – his mother, Kahina, his brother, Tristan and Tante FeeFee. He realized that loss was something that was always meant to happen.

I loved Severin’s role in the team, too – his unique perspective, leadership and steady way of balancing morale was so inspirational. His presence focused the team, brought out all their best traits and improved their efficiency. Seeing him at his best after “losing” him in the second book and experiencing his absence in the first half of the third made me appreciate him so much more.

I loved how at the ending, when Severin got a pet peacock, everything felt as if it was coming full circle in the best way possible. Severin felt Tristan’s presence next to him, and Argos (the peacock) did mirror Goliath (Tristan’s tarantula) in many ways. He adopted Luca and Phillipo, which felt like a way of reclaiming his and Tristan’s lost childhood. He could be the caretaker that he himself never had.

One of the best parts of this book, in my opinion, was the moment where they reached the ziggurat on Plague Island. It was the most beautiful, perfectly written setting I’ve ever read in a book. I was filled with this deep sense of awe and wonder, and I felt so calm and connected. I don’t know how the author conveyed all of this through WORDS. It was genuinely ethereal.

I also loved this part the most because of all the reflections the characters had – it was like time itself slowed down to a crawl, or as if it simply lost all meaning. It was such a divine and gorgeous moment, even if during it Ruslan was threatening them. However, all those things became almost insignificant, as if the characters were drawing power from some source that could never be dried up. It was so, so beautiful.

I loved how during this, Zofia became aware of her inner light and felt the presence of a divine equation. I loved how Hypnos found his music, and how Enrique felt like he was a part of something larger than himself. I loved how Laila realized that she was alive, and remembered everything that she experienced that filled her with gratitude. I love how Severin heard his mother and came to terms with who he was.

I loved ALL of it. The author conveyed the weight, gaze and pressure of the divine in such a beautiful way. It genuinely made me realize why people believe, and the power of faith. It was this all-knowing light, a warm presence and simultaneously, something large and so expansive it is impossible to understand. It can only be felt.

In conclusion, this book is a beautiful ending to an incredible series that I will remember for a lifetime. It perfectly tied up all the loose ends in the book and brought all the character arcs to a harmonious conclusion. It had commentary on grief, the power of belonging, love and colonialism. Also, it had gorgeous prose and managed to put divinity into words. I loved this book and think it’s a perfect ending.