I loved this book! It is very similar with the fourth wing plot wise, but it brings new thing to the table as well! i read this book on one sitting for starters and could not but it down!

I cant wait for the next book!

I think comparing this to Hunger Games wasn't the move. Is it dystopian? Yes. Was it more dystopian that I'd hoped? Also yes. The FMC gave "written by a man" so I don't know how I feel about that.. It was an enjoyable read, but the marketing for this one was a miss.

Absolutely stupendous book. I was slow to read because i got behind but ti was great. Amazing and loved it so much. I can't wait to read more of this series!

I went into this with really high hopes! I don’t really think this was so much dystopian as it didn’t seem the political component was lacking a bit.

Was it spicy, sure! Was it cute? Yes! I just think the way this was marketed was a bit misleading and I would’ve loved way more political intrigue out of this.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read Silver Elite. I thought Silver Elite was a decent read and I enjoyed the fantasy aspects of it. It definitely paid a nod to Divergent. I do think it was a a little bit copy and paste from Fourth Wing, but many fantasy novels copy one another or have similar aspects. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

This debut novel is a thrilling dystopian romance with high stakes action and emotional depth. Set in a future where individuals with abilities, known as "Mods," are hunted by an oppressive regime, the story follows Wren Darlington, a powerful Mod who has concealed her abilities to survive. After a misstep exposes her, Wren is conscripted into the elite Silver Block military program, led by the enigmatic Cross Redden. As Wren navigates the perilous training and her growing attraction to Cross, she becomes a link between the regime and the rebel Uprising. This has everything that you would want and I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys dystopian books with romance.

Four stars because I had a good time.

Some writers have the skill to write a super compelling story that can be eaten up like junk food. That's what this is. A fun time, but no substance--and I don't mean that in a bad way. As a (normally) vibes reader, I really liked this book because of the pacing and its ability to keep me interested, despite being so long.

This being comped to the Hunger Games is not accurate. All these two books have in common is a dystopian setting. Honestly, I felt like I was reading Fourth Wing in a different world and minus dragons (and higher stakes), which isn't a complaint. Sometimes all you need to do is shut your brain off and enjoy a story. Not everything has to be groundbreaking, though I can understand why people are looking for that in the dystopian genre. Unfortunately, if that's what you want from Silver Elite, you're reading the wrong book for you.

This book does lack proper worldbuilding. I'm honestly not sure of the history or why the Primes hate the Mods so much. Maybe I spaced out during Wren giving us a history lesson. I'm just not sure how the General became some overlord and what happened for the world to get where it is. I get the logic of why people would hates Mods, but... I just didn't see it enough? Aside from fear already being embedded in the characters. What's the goal here? I felt like we had to fill in the blanks so the author didn't need to work to answer those questions for herself. I could be wrong, I may have missed that. If I did, someone enlighten me please.

Not gonna lie, Cross gave me the ick in the first half. I got used to him, but there were a couple moments in the beginning... I was not a fan. He's fine, but I could live without him. I loooove Kaine but too much to ship him with Wren (also I cannot with the cowgirl nickname).

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the ARC of Silver Elite!

Honestly, this one wasn’t really for me. It gave me major Divergent vibes, like an adult version with smut and an illegal psychic ability replacing the Divergent concept. The world-building was solid, and I think readers who are feeling nostalgic for early 2010s dystopian stories might enjoy it. But I just couldn’t connect with the main characters or the storyline. I also got pretty annoyed by the MMC around the 50% mark. I went into this thinking he might be the next Xaden, Four, or even Aaron Warner, especially since Wren describes him as this ridiculously attractive guy, but what I got felt more like a 20-something trying way too hard to be broody. It was like the author was aiming for an Xaden Riorson half the time, and the other half he just acted like an immature, annoying child. That said, it was interesting enough that I might continue the series, but I’d give it 3 stars to be nice

A dystopian romance at a military training base where recruits and ranking soldiers live double lives. Spice was a bit meh 🫤 and the romance between Wren and Cross was too good to be true/obvious. If you’re a fan of “academy” romances or romantasies , you’ll probably like this. It was suspenseful enough to keep me turning pages late into the night for two days.

I really liked this book. I predicted a twist from the start, but even then I still enjoyed the book. I liked the characters, the plot, the world building. I liked it all. I can't wait to read more from this author and hopefully more in this series.

It kind of had Divergent vibes but with explicit sex scenes. The twists weren't super surprising but it was a fun read

I was so excited to read this book but… I think the booktok hype really did this book no favours. While it was fine, I was expecting much more than what it delivered. It’s dystopia lite, trying to work off vibes without doing any of the work to make it a dystopian story.

Also, the marketing around it didn’t help either. It’s not a true debut author, but an established author writing in a new genre under a pen name. Why hide that? Why the initial hype around a debut author - but then having the money and effort that isn’t usually provided for debut or BIPOC authors??? That didn’t sit right with me.

Also, I don’t mind the pen name - I’ve enjoyed many books by authors writing under a pen name… but the bait and switch, the misleading marketing, and then the book actually not being what I was expecting… just really left a bad taste.

This was a good dystopian romance. Wasn’t anything exceptional about it, but it was a good story. Lots of questions didn’t get answered, and some parts were confusing. But I feel like a book 2 could clear a lot of that up.

An interesting premise although I wouldn’t classify it as Hunger Games for adults. I enjoyed majority of the book but certain parts I felt were underwhelming or underdeveloped. Overall I would still recommend the book for readers looking to get into the dystopian/romantasy genre.

“Silver Elite” by Dani Francis is a fun new edition to the romantasy/dystopian world. Although predictable, and there are several plot holes, I was very entertained throughout the whole story and had a good time reading it. So much so that I still ordered the BOTM version with the pretty sprayed edges and I’m eager to read the second book as well. The two main characters are very Fourth Wing coded. If you enjoyed the romance in that book, then you’ll like this one.
Thank you to NetGallery and Del Rey for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Wren Darlington has been hiding her whole life and trying to blend in. If anyone knew she was modified, she would be in a labor camp, or even worse… dead. When she is thrown into training for the Silver Group Command, she does everything she can to fit in. Making sure she doesn’t stick out or make any wrong moves. The Commander, Cross, keeps making her life harder. But she pushes all the boundaries she can. The whole point of the Silver Group is to keep the civilians sage and weed out all of the Modified, but when Wren’s loyalty starts to falter, she doesn’t really know who is worse. The Primes, or the Modified.

Silver Elite was sold to us as a “spice Divergent Hunger Games” and I am not quite sure if they really nailed that description. However, I still loved this book. The vibes alone were KILLER. Did I see some of the twists coming? Yes. Did I see all of them coming? No. I really loved this book and everything about it. Honestly, there is not one thing I did NOT like about it. The world building, character development, tension and relationships that were built kept me on my toes and invested. I couldn’t put it down and read it in two days. TWO DAYS! I can’t wait to read the next book and hope one day our mystery author reveals herself.

This book made me so angry. In the first half, I could really see the appeal if I looked past the false advertising that was the marketing campaign for this book. This book is most certainly not a dystopian book & I’m so frustrated that it was marketed that way as that’s the main reason I picked it up. There is literally no world building or political intrigue which I’d argue is necessary in a dystopian book. This book is a military romance with some light supernatural elements. There’s this “grand reveal” at the end that I honestly didn’t even feel impacted by because there was no world building or thorough discussion of the political state of the story. They barely even discuss why the issue of mod versus prime exists & how it’s developed or why each group is out go get the other/what actions they’re taking/the purpose of their wars. It’s certainly a page turner which is likely why people are enjoying it & that I can understand, however I also found the romance to be lacking which is unfortunate as that’s the primary basis of what the book stands on. The second half of the book felt rushed & many events happened that seemed out of character for the characters involved or just straight up nonsensical. I regret not DNFing this book.

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC copy!

I have always been a huge dystopian girly when I was growing up, so when I received and ARC of this book, I was stoked! Overall, I enjoyed the *concept* of this book, but I felt like it was a bit messy and did not live up to the hype currently surrounding it.

I unfortunately was bored for about 70% of this book. Although there was a full on story happening, it felt like nothing was happening. This surprised me because dystopian, military-like books were always up my alley. Then things started to pick up around 70% and it picked up enough for me to be intrigued to know how this book was going to end, but then the last 10% fell really flat for me.

I also didn't really care for either of the main characters. Now, if I don't personally relate or connect to the characters, I don't dock points for that, but I could not for the life of me see the chemistry or connection between the two. It felt very forced and I was not buying into it. Because I couldn't see the chemistry between the two, the spicy scenes made me feel icky.

The dialogue could be very cringy at times (ex: the MMC says "I've been a bad boy" and was dead serious. Literally kill me.) In addition to being cringy, it also felt a bit juvenile, which I could totally understand if this was a YA book, but it's marketed as adult.

Now, I am still rating this 3 stars because I was entertained *enough* to not hate it. It was one of those things where you just can't look away. I also was not expecting it to be a literary masterpiece so my expectations weren't insanely high, despite the hype surrounding this book.

Was it good? Questionable. Did I enjoy it? Also questionable. But did I hate it? No.

As a vibe reader, this book completely consumed me. I enjoyed it so much, but when I looked past the vibes, I can understand how this might not work for everyone. The writing wasn't perfect but it had all the elements I love, like a sizzling romance, a strong but reckless fmc with amazing banter, a dreamy mmc, and a plot twist that left my jaw on the floor.

I was hooked. Every time I couldn't read, I was dying on the inside. I also really liked the dystopian setting. Do I wish the worldbuilding was a little more detailed? Sure, but as someone who doesn't usually read this genre, I actually found it super easy to understand and get into.

The plot was gripping and action-packed. The romance was making me feral. I lived for the slow burn enemies to lovers dynamic, and the secrets that were revealed left me gasping out loud. The ending felt like a bomb dropped on me, my emotions were all over the place.

I honestly dont know what to do with myself now that I've finished this book. I need more!

Thank you so much for the ARC

Reading Dani Francis's "Silver Elite" felt like coming home in the best possible way. As a huge fan of "Divergent" back in high school, this book scratched a very specific itch, delivering that satisfying blend of post-apocalyptic wards and a society where survival hinges on conforming to a brutal system. Unlike societies structured by "destiny," this world is fiercely dictated by the decrees of a war general, where individuals like Wren, the "aberrant," are targeted for death due to their genetic gifts. The oppressive nature of this regime, constantly hunting those with psychic abilities, immediately drew me in, offering a sense of familiar comfort from dystopian narratives while still presenting its own unique dangers and challenges.

For fans of more recent hits, the military training and school elements were incredibly reminiscent of "Fourth Wing." The rigorous trials (ops), intense competition, and bonds forged under pressure all contributed to the addictive, high-stakes atmosphere that makes those kinds of stories so compelling.

And speaking of compelling, the tension and spice were very well received! Dani Francis skillfully weaves in moments of palpable anticipation and undeniable chemistry, adding another layer of enjoyment to the reading experience.

I'll admit, the plot points and overall direction were pretty predictable from the very beginning. But honestly, that's part of its charm. "Silver Elite" isn't trying to reinvent the wheel; it's a comfort read, a delightful journey through beloved tropes executed with skill and heart. It's the kind of book you pick up knowing you're in for a good time, and it delivers.

I'm eagerly looking forward to the rest of the series and diving back into this world. If you're looking for a book that offers the nostalgic thrill of "Divergent" with a touch of "Fourth Wing" intensity and a healthy dose of comfort, "Silver Elite" is definitely worth picking up.