“Silver Elite” by Dani Francis is an exciting, fast-paced paranormal romance that delivers a fresh twist on supernatural lore with a compelling cast of characters and an emotionally rich storyline. With sharp writing and a magnetic plot, Francis takes readers on a thrilling journey filled with danger, desire, and the complexities of finding one’s place in a divided world.

The protagonist is both strong and relatable, someone you root for from the very beginning. As secrets unravel and alliances are tested, the tension builds beautifully, keeping you hooked chapter after chapter. Francis excels at blending action, romance, and supernatural intrigue, while also exploring themes of identity, loyalty, and power.

One of the standout features of “Silver Elite” is its world-building. It strikes a satisfying balance between familiar paranormal elements and original twists that keep the genre feeling fresh. The relationships, romantic and platonic alike, are nuanced and believable, adding depth to the high-stakes plot.

Fans of urban fantasy and paranormal romance will find a lot to love in “Silver Elite”. It’s the kind of book that keeps you reading late into the night and leaves you eager for the next installment.

4.5 stars!

This book was INSANEEEEE. The BETRAYALS. The FRIENDSHIPS. The PLOT TWISTS.

This book HURT in so many different ways - my heart was ripped out of my chest MULTIPLE times.

I wasn’t sure I would care about the romance because I was so interested in the actual plot but then I really ended up loving it.

Only one thing out of this whole book was predictable, and I’m glad I was right about it.

The only reason it’s not 5 stars is because I think I was putting pressure on myself to read more per day, so it’s definitely a me problem, not the book.

I can’t wait for book 2! I NEED to know what’s going to happen!!!

Thanks to Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Silver Elite by Dani Francis is an adult dystopian fantasy. It is the first book of a new series. There’s a big buzz about this book right now because the author is believed to be a pen name for an otherwise well-known author. Whether that is true or not, this one had a big release for a completely unknown author.

I loved this one! I didn’t even want to put it down. Wren Darlington is such a strong female main character. I enjoyed the connection between her and Cross. The setting and plot had me so intrigued. Like most fantasy books, there was quite a bit of world building. Add in the dystopian element, and I really had to hang in there to sort out the framework in the beginning. But it’s easy enough to understand, I just wish I’d kept better track of the side characters early on.

I liked this one a lot because it feels different than anything else I’ve read recently. When you read a lot of books, so many themes and elements get repetitive—even between genres. But this one kept surprising me all the way through. I saw a couple of twists coming but even those didn’t unfold the way I expected. This alone makes it a standout for me.

If you read the Hunger Games or Divergent series when you were younger and liked them, then you’ll probably enjoy this one too. It’s been so long since I read Divergent and I know I wished for more romance in it (but, YA), so this felt a bit like if Divergent was all grown up with spice in it.

Given that we have no idea who the author is or when the next book of the series will be released, I’m definitely eager of the next book in the series.

I found this book disappointing. I usually like dystopian fiction, but this story lacked depth. It felt like a poorly developed and superficial backdrop for some “spicey” scenes. I am sure this book has its audience, but I much prefer YA dystopian fiction

ARC Review ✨️

♡Magnificent♡

This story absolutely blew me away! From the incredible description to the breathtaking writing, this book has it all. I'm in utter shock at how this story ended, and I am so excited for the next book!

This author created such a fantastic dystopian fantasy debut, and I loved every second of it. The romance, the characters, the magic system, everything was woven together seamlessly, and I so wish I could go back and read this for the first time again. The feeling was like no other😍🥹

If you're a fan of divergent or fourth wing, this story is perfect!!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Random House Worlds| Del Ray for the ARC!

this was a fun dystopian romance read! was the writing everything i hoped and dreamed it would be? no. were the characters the most moral, ethically-stringent characters i had ever read about? also no. but this book was fun! 🤩

i would say the likening of this book to divergent and/or the hunger games is incorrect in terms of plot and the objective of the story. i feel like this story was written purely for escapism and a good time, not for any other reason (i.e. educating us on the perils of capitalism, or what happens in a society where there are extreme wealth gaps, or what happens in a world where empathy and humanity is lost and entertainment becomes pivotal). however in terms of vibes, life-death scenario, relentless ferocity of the heroine? yes, i can see some parallels. this was dystopian done in a way that’s accessible and riveting to the girlies (and gays and theys and men and whoever else reads these subgenres) who read (spicy) romance first and foremost.

so, while this wasn’t the most influential and thought-provoking book, i had a good time while reading it!

This is a solid four-star read based purely on enjoyment. I had a great time with this book—it’s fast-paced, bingeable, and undeniably addictive. While it isn’t flawless or particularly polished in terms of writing, it delivers exactly what it sets out to: a fun, high-energy dystopian/military romance filled with tension, banter, and twists.
I would have appreciated more depth in the political and world-building elements. That said, I don’t believe that was the book’s primary aim, and I can respect it for leaning into its strengths. It's easy to see why so many readers are loving this

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

Okay, so was this the most beautifully written, groundbreaking, deeply developed book I’ve ever read? No. But was it a fun time? Absolutely.

Silver Elite had some strong “vibes over depth” energy, and honestly, I was here for that most of the time. The plot moves quickly and there’s always something happening, so even though it’s over 500 pages, it flew by. It’s one of those books where you can kind of see every twist coming (like there's a big one near the end about the love interest and I called it in chapter one because it is so so obvious), but you’re still along for the ride because the pace keeps it engaging.

The power dynamics and abilities in this world were interesting, and while I wouldn’t say it’s Divergent-level in terms of comparison like some have claimed, I get where that idea comes from, especially the training scenes and the whole “secret power that the government can’t find out about” thing.

The romance was definitely on the insta-lust side, like we meet the love interest in the first chapter and the main character’s immediate thought is basically, “This is the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.” Not exactly a slow burn. Their connection did grow super quickly, which I’m never a huge fan of, but I did enjoy their banter and chemistry.

Now, I really do have mixed feelings over the main character. I liked that she was strong, loyal and absolutely badass in a lot of ways. But at times, she had this “I’m better than everyone else” attitude that felt a bit much, like she was constantly reminding herself (and us) how much more talented she was than the other people. It veered into “not like other girls” territory a few too many times, which did just annoy me a little.

So, overall, is Silver Elite a must-read masterpiece? Not really. But was it entertaining, fast-paced and kind of addictive in a guilty-pleasure kind of way? Definitely. I’m intrigued enough to check out the next book and see where things go, especially if we get more worldbuilding and a deeper dive into the rebellion. It's not the most unique story I’ve read, but the vibes were solid.

I really enjoyed this book. It had all the things I enjoyed in a good dystopian romance, but also, I wouldn't say it is the hunger games for adults. It definitely is not. There is so much secrecy and mystery throughout, some were predictable and others a bit frustrating.

Overall? Would read the next book

In Wren's world, there are the Primes and there are the Mods. Primes are, well, human. Mods possess supernatural powers—telepathy, healing, and other mind-bending abilities—whose use is evidenced by the activation of silver veins on their arms. Except for Wren: despite her many Mod abilities, her veins do not betray her. This has allowed her to live peacefully, honing her skills and working her way into a role in the Mod Uprising. But all that changes when her guardian is caught and publicly executed, and Wren is taken into custody.

Fortunately, her shielding and deception skills land her not in prison, but in a training camp for the Prime military. Overseen by the handsome Cross and surrounded on all sides by people who would want her dead if they knew her secrets, Wren initially deliberately underperforms in hopes of being let go. But things change: the Uprising challenges her to get accepted into the prestigious Silver Elite when other Mod operatives are taken out. Not only that, but she's taken a liking to Cross. (She's also taking a liking to Kaine, a very forward fellow trainee.) As she attempts to stay alive and navigate her new normal, she keeps a mental link open to "Wolf": an old friend who knows her better than anyone.

While Silver Elite has solid action, worldbuilding, and suspense, it is very much a by-the-numbers dystopian YA romance. Special girl gets involved in dangerous mission, falls for two very different guys, and disrupts the status quo as she does. It goes through the motions to the point that one of the biggest reveals of the book is broadcast from the first handful of chapters for anyone who's ever read something within the genre. The last chapter implies further books to follow, so there is room for Silver Elite to grow beyond the field it's planted in. But, while solidly written and plotted, it brings nothing new to a genre desperately in need of shaking up.

This was the BEST Romantasy I’ve ever read!!!!
Dystopian love at its finest!!! 5 ⭐️!! The romance, th egg games and training had my head spinning. My heart was beating out of my chest during some moments! It was full of energy, chemistry and twists!!! READ THIS NOW!!!! God- tier!!!

This book was an absolute delight to read! It had everything I look for — engaging writing, memorable characters, and a story that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. The author’s voice is distinct and compelling, making it easy to get lost in the world they created, no matter the genre.

I'm incredibly grateful to the publisher for the early copy. It was such a joy to read this in advance, and I can’t wait for more readers to experience it. Highly recommend!

I can totally see the hype about this one. It was a simple read and I did enjoy the dystopian aspect of this one. Do I think it was outstanding? No but it was a 4 star read for me. The ending was shocking but there was quite a bit that was predictable too. I can’t wait to continue the series because the cliffhanger has me frustrated and craving more.

I don’t even know where to start with this review. Initially, this was one of my most anticipated releases and after reading a few chapters I was sure it was going to be a 5 star read for me… but then that changed very quickly. It went from a 5 star to a 2.5 star to a 3 star because of the last few chapters. (I was actually anticipating to DNF this book but kept going because I thought maybe I would like it more towards the end, which I did and so I rounded up to 3 stars.)

SPOILERS AHEAD ‼️

So here’s a few points I wanted to discuss in my review:

- I saw so many mixed reviews for this book and it got to the point where I avoided all posts about it so my opinion wouldn’t be influenced by others.

- I don’t think this book fully describes the overall storyline because now that I finished the book I still don’t understand how the world works specifically the dystopian aspect of the storyline? It was definitely lacking the substance of what I expected in the book but still, I enjoyed what I could grasp from it and Wren’s modified abilities! I’m thinking maybe more of the history and everything will get explained throughout the series but idk seems like it would have made more sense to focus on it throughout this book to set up the rest of the series.

- I also didn’t feel very connected or interested in Wren’s character. I don’t know how to explain it but her actions seemed a little inconsistent at times.

- SPOILER!!! I did like the plot twist about Wolf even though I did see it coming. It just overall added tension and made you question how things would play out knowing Cross was modified just like Wren. Being the Commanders son, it puts him in danger but also makes you question his opinions on what’s going on in his world.

- Another aspect of this book I enjoyed was the similar military academy setting like Fourth Wing because I find anything school like or academy based to be cool!

- Kaine just might be my favorite character! I really loved his personality and I’m glad he did not die in this book!

Overall I would say I was disappointed in this book because it did not meet my expectations but I do think a lot of people will enjoy this one! Now that I have finished this book I can say I have seen some extreme reviews so I’ll just say for everyone to read it and make their own opinions! 💖 I won’t be continuing the series just because I personally am not interested in continuing it but I do think alot of people will enjoy this series so if you like dystopian romance, psychic abilities, enemies to lovers, and military academy tropes then this might be for you!

this was interesting! 3.5 stars ⭐️

at first, i wasn’t sure if i was gonna enjoy this tbh. our main character was supposed to be a young adult doing adult things but i couldnt help reading from her pov envisioning a girl in her mid-late teens and it kinda threw me off for a bit but she grew on me as the book went on!

i ended up enjoying the story overall by the end.

This is a new hyped up dystopian book. This has extremely similar vibes to Divergent which is one of my favorite books growing up so I was excited to read this book. This book started off strong and I was hooked right in the beginning. Wren has spent her whole life in hiding since she is one of the most powerful psychics and has been helping with the uprising. After an event that puts her in the public eye she must now join their elite training program. This puts her in the prime spot to strike from the inside. While this was marketed heavily and everyone was talking about it I thought it would be an easy 5 stars but it wasn’t. It dragged on in the middle and I lost a lot of interest after that. I also felt that the lack of world building did not help my reading experience. This is not to say that the book itself is bad just not made for me.

I went into this hearing lots of mixed reviews so I was excited but hesitant to get into this.
I had a good time reading it, it wasn’t literary perfection but I had a good time and that’s what matters to me.
I wasn’t hugely sold on the romance, it felt very instalove which isn’t my jam.
I’m definitely interested to see where book 2 is going to take us

A little disappointed that this had NO similarities to The Hunger Games like it was advertised! However, I still devoured this book! Definitely has divergent vibes and the romance was delicious!

Silver Elite
By Dani Francis
Narrated by Amanda Dolan
4.5 ⭐️

Minor spoilers - mostly just being cautious

This was fun! This felt equally nostalgic and new for me. I loved the Divergent vibes with sprinkles of Hunger Game themes here and there. I found some twists predictable and some I didn’t see even hints of. There were parts that got me sizzling mad, texting my bestie ready to riot mad. THEN a chapter or 2 later, I retexted her because the script was flipped and needed her to know I now loath someone with a passion. Such a fun roller coaster. The audiobook was done well - zero complaints.

-.5 ⭐️ out of spite/in protest to what happens with/to Kaine in the last 25% of the book. Booooooooo. Gale burned me once. I will NOT fall for it again. I am sallllllty. 🧂

Thank you to NetGalley, Dani Francis, and Del Rey for this eARC. I enjoyed the audiobook from my library’s Libby app (support libraries!).

I have seen this book compared to the Hunger Games, and I totally disagree. The only similarity is that both female main characters have anger and impulsivity issues, but otherwise I thought it was a lot more similar to Divergent than the Hunger Games, except I liked both of those books better. But enough comparison for now.

Silver Elite is a new-adult novel set in a post-disaster dystopian North America, where daily life is run by the Company. Wren has been hiding with her adoptive uncle on a ranch her whole life, hoping the Company doesn’t find out that they aid the resistance movement in combating Company initiatives, and doing their best to hide that both Wren and her uncle are Mods- humans who have mental powers are hunted and scorned by the normal humans, called Primes. But their hiding abruptly comes to an end, and Wren is conscripted into the Company army, called the Command, and into training for the elite Silver Block unit. Wren is a stubborn and impulsive FMC, and the most enjoyable part of the book was reading about how she tried to escape and sabotage her training. But she was also incredibly stupid, and sometimes I could not understand why she would make certain choices. I just didn’t believe Wren was anything but a paper doll character playing a role in this book to force events to happen.

The MMC plot line was extremely predictable and again, not very believable. For example, there were several instances of successful skullduggery that should have been, if not impossible, then at least more challenging in the setting of a military base. The main romance plot line could have been solved simply by asking (telepathic) questions. The story seemed thrown together in the service of angst and sexual tension, leaving minor character casualties and plot holes strewn about. I never fully grasped the history between the two factions and the other countries left in the region, nor did I really believe the explanation of how Mods use their powers.

Overall, the writing was fine, but the story was lacking in imagination and believability. 2.5-3 stars. Honestly, if you could overlook some of the same haphazard plot craziness and the lackluster side characters that I thought were in Quicksilver by Callie Hart, you will probably like this book. (And that’s fine!) It just was not for me and I will not be reading the second.