You know a book is good when you devour a 500+ page book in a day! That was what Silver Elite did for me. I will be honest that the hype around this book scared me a bit, but after reading it myself, I could completely understand. The world, politics, friendship, and romance all had me hooked from the start.

I will be honest and say that I always have a hard time reviewing fantasy books, because I don't want to spoil anything. I'm a reader who believes we should all get the chance to experience a book all on our own. Wren and Cross were such interesting characters. The only thing this story lacked for me was Cross' POV. While I understand why the author chose to leave his POV out because of certain reveals, but I hope we get multi POV chapters in the sequel.

If you're a fan of dystopian worlds, an elite group of soldiers, psychic abilities, and a training setting, I highly recommend Silver Elite. You learn a lot about this world without there being a lot of info dumping, the side characters are interesting and add to the plot, and while our main characters are clearly attracted to each other, the author doesn't make it easy for them to be together. Add in some twists I never saw coming and it sounds like a great formula for a fun book. I'll be anxiously awaiting the sequel.

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on May 24th.

What started out as a really promising read fell quite short for me. It’s a silly fun time but was hoping for a bit more depth, overall not terrible but definitely is more of a vibes book than a well constructed world.

The start of the book got me but then I got a bit bored throughout and stopped caring. Everything felt a bit predictable to me and then it became more about the lust between Wren and Cross rather than the actual story and discussion of segregation of others and discrimination between groups of people. Cross feels like a carbon copy other male characters (just bland) so I didn’t even understand why she fell for him.

I can see why people like it but it just wasn’t for me, I felt it to be very surface level and not very complexed or developed enough for my taste. Wren as a character became annoying and I found myself more intrigued by other people surrounding her.

This is only a 3.25 because I like the concept of Mods and Elites and a dystopian based story and Kaine, I liked him.

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House UK for the ARC

I wouldn't say that there's a direct translation between Silver Elite and other books currently on the market but I would probably suggest it to readers who enjoyed The Hunger Games or Fourth Wing because I think it has similar vibes. Hunger Games for the dystopian, reluctant rebellion leader and Fourth Wing for the spicy elements and the training portions of the story. And overall it works.

I though Silver Elite was a little too long for my taste. At some points I felt like I'd been reading for forever and though I was reading quickly and still pretty entertained I also felt as though not much was happening.

I felt as though the world was pretty well fleshed out for a debut novel and I thought the characters were well written. I thought the motivations were pretty fit and I liked that Wren didn't seem to always know exactly what was right and what was wrong and she struggled with it throughout the book.

I thought once it got going, it was really good. I liked how the additional details emerged as Wren got pulled into the rebellion and I liked her relationship with Cross. I will definitely be picking up the next book to find out what happens after the explosive finale.

𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫 𝑰𝑭 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑳𝑰𝑲𝑬:
♡ dystopia
♡ military setting
♡ mutant human abilities
♡ “how is this going to work out??”

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑺:
I know there was a lot of discourse going around about this book and I tried my best to put it out of my mind to give the book a fair shot. If you get away from everyone pitching it as Hunger Games, I think it was actually a decent book!

Here’s what I liked:
I liked the dystopian & military setting. The recruitment tasks to make it into Silver Elite were so exciting. There was drama between recruits and lots of secrets, especially because Wren was hiding her abilities from everyone. The plot point with Wolf was fun but I did call it early on. The last 25% was super juicy and it definitely left off on a cliffhanger!

I’m giving the book a 3.5 ★ because I just didn’t feel like I connected with the FMC. I sympathized with her trauma and pain, but I didn’t feel like I really saw her personality come through or get a good grip on who she was as a person? There was just a lot of sarcasm and average sarcasm at best?

Either way, I do plan on reading the next book!

This book felt like an adult version of Divergent (if Tris knew she was different the whole time and had trained for Dauntless). I liked the idea of the story, but I felt like the writing was not strong enough to sustain it. Wren, the FMC is an immature character who acts rashly and even in a life or death situation, she’s more concerned about her attraction to Cross than her own, or others safety. Her rash actions result in more than one death, which she may feel bad about for half a day before she goes back to thinking about how attractive Cross is…

The big reveals were all noticeably telegraphed and obvious. I doubt I’ll circle back on book 2.

3.5

so heres the thing... i am a #1 cross HATER. and if you advertise your book as romantasy i better be feral for the mmc, but holy shit. boy wants SO desperately to be Four/Xaden. in reality is more of a Peeta (#nobackbone #teamgale). i can only pray that this is a warner/adam or rhys/tamlin situation but honestly guys cross pmo so bad i dont even know if i can read the next one like holy ... shallow?? i was NOT convinced by their relationship at all EVEN with the "bombshell" like .... no ... that was cheap way out once "dani francis" realized her main characters had no chemistry

also - why would they not try to market this as "for divergent lovers" ???? hunger games???? please bffr it is no where close to being in the same REALM as thg and that pissed me off before i even started

all of that being said - i liked the fmc and one of her friends (guess #kenjiluvr) and i thought it was a cool magic/powers system, was entertaining bc i thought it had potential ... but by 80% i was like okay lets wrap this up

By 30% in, I was already struggling to stay engaged. The worldbuilding felt half-formed—there was a vague sense of a dystopia, but no real substance or structure to ground the story. It was especially disappointing given comparisons to The Hunger Games, which this book unfortunately doesn't live up to. I genuinely think the comparison does more harm than good—it sets expectations that Silver Elite simply doesn’t meet.

There was no real romance, just a few disjointed spicy scenes with no emotional connection behind them. The main character’s supposed hatred for the enemy dissolved almost instantly at the sight of tattoos, which made the stakes feel unserious and character motivations hard to believe. I kept waiting for the story to develop or the characters to deepen, but it never really happened.

Even the "mods"—the powers—were confusing and underwhelming. Mind reading? Sometimes? It felt like a lot of elements were thrown in without clear rules or impact, and it honestly gave me a bit of a headache.

I only pushed through to the end to count it toward my reading goal, but I can’t say I’d recommend this one. It’s a no from me.

In this bleak and divided world, power doesn’t mean safety—it means persecution. Only Aberrants possess psychic abilities, created when they were exposed to a biotoxin, and that makes them dangerous in the eyes of society. The ruling class of Primes, who lack these abilities, label Aberrants as unnatural threats, hunting them down to be imprisoned, enslaved, or executed.

Wren Darlington is one of them—an Aberrant with abilities she can’t risk revealing. As a child Wren is taken into hiding by her uncle Jim, who will do anything to keep her alive. But as Wren grows, so does the danger around her—and the power within her.

This novel delivers a thrilling portrayal of a society afraid of what it doesn’t control, and a heroine forced to choose between concealment and resistance. Wren’s done a solid job of hiding for years—until she’s caught and accidentally lands in the Silver Block, a military-style training unit meant for elite Primes. Now she’s not just in enemy territory, she’s pretending to be one of them.

Enter the guy in charge of the Silver Block, Captain Cross Redden. Infuriatingly handsome, relentlessly focused, and undeniably magnetic. As her commanding officer, he’s everything she should avoid. But as secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, the line between enemy and ally begins to blur. In a place where trust can be fatal, Wren must decide if her heart can afford to want the one person she was never meant to fall for.

I enjoyed this book, and found it to be a fast paced engaging read. It doesn’t have all the aspects of a pure dystopian novel but I think that if you were ever a fan of Divergent then you will also like this emotionally charged, action packed romance that explores what happens when survival means becoming what you fear—and learning to fight anyway.

Overall I think this was a good adult dystopian book. However, I feel like there really needed to be more world building and that we went straight to the middle of the book too early on. I didn't really feel a deep connection with any of the characters. I wanted Cross and Wren to be more. I feel like a lot of the characters just fell flat. I would love to see if they write a second book if they will add more to the world building and dive deeper into character development so that I get more emotionally invested in the characters.

It is rare for me to purposefully read slowly because I don't want to finish a good book, but that is exactly what happened with Silver Elite. I had an absolute blast reading this book, and I am already dying for book 2. If you are any kind of romantasy reader (and truly, even if you aren't), you need to pick this book up. You will love it!

This book was a fantastic start to a dystopian romance trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed my time. The writing style was engaging and the romance was swoon worthy. I am on pins and needles waiting for the next book!

Dani Francis absolutely slays with Silver Elite, the kind of sci-fi dystopian ride that grabs you by the collar from page one and doesn’t let up. With heart-pounding tension, razor-sharp twists, and a romance that burns slow and dangerously hot, this book is a knockout blend of action, espionage, and enemies-to-lovers perfection.

Wren Darlington is the kind of heroine you root for with your whole chest—clever, fierce, and just vulnerable enough to make you ache. As one of the most powerful Mods in a world that wants her dead, her journey into the heart of enemy territory isn’t just high-stakes—it’s absolutely lethal. Her mission to infiltrate Silver Block and dismantle the system from within is riddled with deadly secrets and explosive moments, but the real wildcard? Cross Redden. Her commanding officer. Her greatest threat. Her maddening temptation.

Cross is the embodiment of tension: steel-edged, magnetic, and infuriatingly observant. Every scene between him and Wren crackles with chemistry and danger, the kind of will-they-won’t-they dynamic that keeps your heart in your throat. Their relationship unfolds like a slow-burn firestorm, layered with distrust, banter, and stolen moments that hit like gut-punches.

Francis’s worldbuilding is sleek and immersive, with just enough darkness to raise the stakes but never too grim to lose hope. The pacing is relentless, the betrayals cut deep, and the final act? Let’s just say you won’t be breathing until the very last page.

Why not a full five stars? Maybe one or two character beats felt just a breath too quick, or a subplot that could’ve used a touch more room to breathe—but honestly? You’ll be way too busy flipping pages and screaming over plot twists to care.

TL;DR: Silver Elite is a high-octane, high-emotion powerhouse that delivers enemies-to-lovers angst, dangerous secrets, and a heroine you’ll want to follow into battle. An instant favorite for fans of Legend, Shatter Me, and Red Queen. Don’t sleep on this one.

🖤✨ Trust no one. Lie to everyone. Fall for the enemy anyway. ✨🖤

This was absolutely excellent.
It feels like a more adult version of the hunger games with the romance twists of fourth wing, which are books I also love.

The story was engaging, flowed really well and kept me wondering. I did guess a couple of twists early on but that didn’t bother me as I enjoyed my time in this world so much!

I definitely recommend this one to dystopian fans and anyone who just loves a good enemies to lovers.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

I was a little nervous to pick this up given all the hype. Often, I am let down when books don't live up to the expectation.
That said: this book is worth the hype. I loved it. I refuse to hear any criticism.

Was it predictable? Sure, but in the absolute best way possible. Was it also extremely entertaining and wholly addicting? Definitely.

Wren's whole life is turned on its head when she and her uncle are investigated by the Continent's military. To hide her affiliation with the illegal Modified -- the powerful psychics who are killed on site -- Wren finds herself training alongside the very people who would kill her without a second's hesitation. As Wren works to both hide her powers and rise in ranks, she finds herself in a prime position to pass information to the resistance. As both an illegal Mod and an undercover rebel, the stakes have never been higher. The only problem? Her extremely hot, frustrating, commanding officer who just so happens to be highly suspicious of Wren. But is the reason he can't keep his eyes off of her because of his mistrust, or is he just as magnetically drawn to Wren as she is to him?

The Continent is a dangerous place to be Modified, a dangerous place to be rebel, and an even more dangerous place to fall in love.

I’m not going to lie - is this the most well written dystopian masterpiece ever made? No, but did I have an absolute blast and could not put this book down to even have dinner. Yes, 100%! The characters were funny and relatable, and had me rooting for them. Even some of the side characters really stood out to me. The romance between the MMC and FMC did seem a little fast to me. I definitely wouldn’t say it’s enemies to lovers more like dislike to lovers. Cross and Wren did have me giggling and kicking my feet in about a handful of scenes, so definitely recommend reading for those moments. Some of it was predictable, but there was a twist at the end that actually made my heart very happy and I definitely didn’t see it coming. I really enjoyed the concept of Modified versus Primes and enjoyed the way the powers were described. Overall, I recommend this book if you are looking for a good time with laughs and a little spice!

I have mixed emotions about this one.

I know that this probably would have been a 4.5+ star book if I hadn't consumed so much negative commentary prior to finishing Silver Elite. I'll start this with my thoughts on the book and then go into the commentary. If you haven't been consuming all the reviews of this book, stop here and read it for yourself to get your own opinion.

I did enjoy it. I'm currently in a bit of a reading slump and I was able to finish this so that says something. Lets start with the positives:
- The vibes of were good to great.
- There were moments where I was thinking 'I have no idea why this is happening but I'm here for it'.
- The world seems interesting (see con list)
- The magic(?) was very cool! I'm excited to see more of it
- The romance (also see con list). I liked and disliked it! I just wish it wasn't 0-100.
- The ending, I really did enjoy the last 10% and I'm excited to see where it goes

Cons:
- While the world was interesting, it wasn't explored nearly enough as I think was needed. A prologue would've benefitted the setting. Or to have Wren a bit clueless about how the world works to add some shock value when she is confronted with certain scenes would've helped.
- Wren... oh Wren. While I liked you at times, at others it was just frustrating being in your head. Wren says multiple times that she is reckless and impulsive, but this gave me the perception of that she's a bit of an idiot and I never felt bad for her when she suffered any consequences. I was thinking 'what did you think was going to happen' every single time.
- The romance. Siiigh. I mean, we all saw the plot twists coming right? I felt as though the romance was super rushed. I didn't feel like there was a lot of tension. Why did Cross insist on making her a part of Silver Block?

Overall, 3/5! Not terrible, not excellent. I will be continuing the series 100% because I'm very keen to see where the story goes.

A reminder that 99% of romance authors use pen names. Finding out their name and spreading that is what? Doxing. The author doesn't get final say on how their book is marketed and having one sentence out of what may have been a long answer of why they wrote this does not mean anything. Not knowing who this book is written by doesn't necessarily mean its from a problematic author. Pen names have existed forever and unless they come forward, we should respect the authors privacy.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Australia and NetGalley!

Finally... another dystopian YA series to be excited about.
Silver Elite is an enjoyable YA dystopian read that gives off Divergent vibes. While there is a bit of history given to understand the world Wren lives in, it is not too complicated to follow. Wren is a Modified who has had to hide the abilities that came as a result of being one for as long as she can remember. When she finds herself forced into training to be a part of Silver Block, keeping her secret is even more dangerous. Silver Block is part of the Command, the government that hunts Modified citizens. During her time there the line between ally and enemy becomes more and more blurred as she fights to save herself. The pace overall was quick and at times I struggled to put it down. The romance was fairly predictable, but I loved the just can't seem to stay away from each other pull of it. I want to see it played out on the screen. The ending definitely leaves you with more questions than answers and I am looking forward to the next book. Sliver Elite is a fun, relatively quick read that creates a world and characters that are easy to become invested in.

We enter a world divided. War and its fallout have radically changed the world and some of its inhabitants. Primes are humans who have remained unchanged. Mods are modified humans who have developed psychic gifts of various levels. It seems that since this evolution there has been no peace between the two groups. The Primes are in power and mercilessly hunting mods, who they view as sub-human. This is only fuelled by a previous regime led by a Modified General who persecuted Primes just as relentlessly. Mods that are discovered will face one of two fates: slavery or death.

Our FMC Wren is a mod in hiding, concealing her gifts with her uncles help. We’re introduced to her home and life. After making a mistake her world is turned upside down and she finds herself in the heart of the very system she despises. We follow Wren as she partakes in the program to become a member of the Silver Elite. The highest ranking soldiers, the SAS of this world. Fighting to maintain her cover, her morals and her life we follow Wren as she grapples with her new position.

Fundamentally this feels like a Romance with a dystopian back drop. The powers of the Mods are really interesting.
It’s an easy and fun read, with plenty of tropes people love. However, there’s a lot about this world and its politics and history that we don’t know and it does make it more difficult to become invested.

Some of the side characters are fantastic. Our FMC can be really frustrating at times. We know she’s reckless and impulsive, but this feels at odds with her lived experiences and the effects this would likely have on someone. There are decisions made that feel absurd and the consequences are dire.
Silver Elite does touch on some issues that feel prevalent in the world today: “Us vs Them” belief (a complete disconnect and lack of empathy for anyone you view as other), the risk of complete government control and surveillance, propaganda etc but it feels surface level.

This is fast paced and easily consumed, but the stakes feel low. Some of the events in this book should be devastating but the lack of depth makes most of them fall short.

Things a enjoyed about Silver Elite
- the post apocalyptic military academy setting!
- the side characters! kaine 🔥🔥🔥
- the x-men style powers - but forbidden, which makes it even more exciting
- telepathy! Mind speak! I eat that up every time!
- the secret childhood friendship 🥹
- that it was fast paced, and a pretty good time!
- the suspense in waiting to find out if all of my theories were in fact correct (they were)

Things that I enjoyed less
- the predictability! Although I must admit there was one twist that had my jaw on the floor!
- the FMC, she was a bit unlikeable to be honest, and I felt like she didn’t HAVE to be. There’s impulsivity and then there’s just stupidity. 👀
- the writing style wasn’t my favourite, I like when a book can draw out all of my emotions and this particular writing style just didn’t quite get there for me, when it had the potential to.
- It should have and could have been an excellent slow burn but I felt that was ruined by the “insta love” type attraction and the instant innuendo from cross. I just enjoy being edged a bit more with these type of romances okay?!

Did I have a fantastic time reading it? Yes!
Will I be reading book 2 as soon as it releases? Absolutely!
Do I think this story will stick with me and become a favourite? The jury is still out, I’ll reserve that judgement for now 🤔