4,5/5

Divergent meets Shatter me! If you crave the 2010 dystopian book craze, it's a go just here.

Silver Elite is the first book of a becoming trilogy where we follow Wren, a young badass FMC, who is trying to bring down an oppressive and unfair government. Many things occurred and when she is forced to join the enemy’s army program, she is given the opportunity to become a spy for the rebels and help them to take everything down from the inside, keeping her identity hidden. Of course, nothing happen as planned.

The worldbuilding was no different of a classic dystopian book, a post-apocalyptic world following a huge war and a bacteria infection which has left behind immune humans and humans with psychic powers (the mods), a political war between the two populations, a world where the heads of the two movements take extremes black of white actions where the world is just full of shades of grey.
I found the story quite predictable, nothing surprised me, it didn’t bother me really, but it lack a bit of originality. Despite that, it was thrilling, a great page turner.

You know me, what make a good fantasy is the worldbuilding and the characters, and I loved them, main and minor characters.
Wren is a badass women who is not afraid of doing things done. Reckless, fearless, strong, she knows how to hide her weaknesses and she is a real badass at hiding her identity.
Cross Is interesting, I like these characters who have a lot of secrecy, quite mysterious and who change their general behavior when their feelings are involved.

There are a lot of actions, twists, trials, danger and tension in this book but what will make it popular is probably the romance in it. It’s more an enemies-to-lusters than lovers to me but it was addictive. I saw plenty people comparing it to fourth wing, and yes I guess it is similar for the chemistry and physical parts. That’s the only thing I enjoyed less in this book, I would have prefer less sexual tension (which clearly drive the protagonists together), a romance who begin later maybe, and more of an adult, thinking, constructive building at the foundation of the relation. But it works as it is!

The ending was perfect to announce the next book and I look forward to it!
So, I really enjoyed this e-ARC, thank you NetGalley and Delrey for the opportunity, it was a great rewind in the dystopian romance universe, I can’t wait to see how the serie will progress in the following!

I have mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed parts of it, the story felt uneventful, with predictable twists and a lackluster ending. The FMC, Wren, was too reckless and fell flat for me, while Cross had depth and intrigue, making him more compelling. As for the romance, it was questionable. After the big reveal, their relationship felt more organic and real, but before that, it lacked chemistry and passion. Overall, it wasn’t terrible, but much of it felt like filler. I’m giving it 3 stars for the moments I did enjoy, though I’m unsure if I’ll continue with the series.

Oh.my.GOD. What have I just read?! Wowwww I absolutely devoured this book!! The ENDINGGGG, the twists!!! My brain is still trying to process what has happened but oh my word, what an absolutely insanely thrilling ride that was. Loved it! Absolutely LOVED IT!! Wren & Cross err hello new favourite book couple ever. Friendships and betrayal…super crazy mind powers and people in charge on mega power trip. Such a refreshing story to read, I could literally visualise every setting that was being described and in a weird way it made me think of intersteller (don’t ask me why as zero space involved) I think with the whole ranch/military vibe…anyway I’m digressing. Amazing, I cannot WAIT for book 2 READ THIS IMMEDIATELY

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this book when I started but it truly got better and better as I read on. And the twists towards the end?! I could not have called any of it 😱

If you enjoy dystopian, enemies to lovers, espionage vibes then this one is for you!

Silver Elite by Dani Francis follows Wren Darlington, a powerful modified girl who’s spent most of her life in hiding from the primes that would have her killed for her abilities. Following a reckless mistake Wren finds herself behind enemy lines and on the path to join the elite Silver Block. There she is under the command of the formidable and annoyingly tempting Cross Redden. Wren is faced with one difficult choice after another as she navigates the hostile environment she's been thrown into. Dani’s writing caught and held my attention from the beginning. She does a phenomenal job of character development and world building. Wren is a beautifully flawed main character and I loved that she was aware of her flaws and was able to own up to her mistakes. Cross is extremely complex and I love how Dani peels his layers away slowly throughout the book. The banter and tension between Wren and Cross is incredibly well written and made for a great romance element.
Dani did a wonderful job of building an intricate world full of captivating characters. The ending felt a bit rushed, but overall I really enjoyed the book.
This was an intriguing read and I would most definitely recommend it to any Sci Fi/Fantasy lovers. Thank you Del Rey for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun time! A fast-paced, easy read!

Wren, a Mod, has been in hiding for as long as she can remember but in a failed effort to save the only father figure she’s ever known, she ends up behind enemy lines. She’s given the choice between life imprisonment or serving in the military. Wren has to hide her abilities, maintain the lies that keep her safe, and now work undercover for the rebel Uprising.

I love Wren so much. She’s a flawed, feisty, loving, funny, impulsive, sexy badass!

AND

Holy Moly!

You could cut the sexual tension in this book with a knife!! Usually when the fmc meets the hottest guy she’s ever seen in the first few pages I tend to think it’s going the insta-love route. Which is a pretty fast DNF for me. NOPE! The development from their attraction (the angst!) to mutual respect to love was PERFECTION!

The world building never felt over or under done to me, I felt pulled in and I knew as much as Wren did which is everything a 20 year old on the run from a big bad government would know. I'd love to learn more about the different religious/cultural elements from the different regions mentioned, so I hope we get more of that in the next book.

Now this book didn’t break the mold, there were familiar elements and some common tropes, but it still manages to feel fun and overall it’s an enticing read. I’m really excited to see where this story goes!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Truly, trust no one.

I was instantly absorbed into reading Silver Elite. Dystopian reads are not a very common read for me, but I did enjoy this book. There were very obvious twists laid out, but I was interested in seeing how those twists would unfold and was not disappointed.

The Mods were an intriguing take on humans with advanced capabilities to read about as far as their powers go, though I do wish there was different formating in the text for when something is spoken aloud and when something was said through the telepathic link. I was satisfied with the world building so far, but would love more in the next book.

Wren is a pretty fascinating main character. Her struggles with her identity, rage and impulsivity were interesting to read. I was amused and equally frustrated by her through the book, but I do really like her. Cross is equally charming and infuriating as the love interest and I really liked the dynamic between him and Wren. I look forward to seeing where this series goes. The twist at the end (I think all the twists were very well seeded from the beginning) has me eagerly wanting the next book.

Overall a great, fast read for me. Easily added to my series I will be continuing and recommending.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 6 stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
What. Was. THAT? 😳

What did I just read?

It's January 12th and I think I just found my favorite book of 2025.
Silver Elite has taken permanent residence in my mind and will become my entire personality moving forward.

I went into this book curious but also a bit sceptical, because I'd convinced myself that my Dystopian era ended 10 years ago with Angelfall, Hunger Games and Divergent, BUT I WAS SO WRONG.

Silver Elite had me at the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. The stakes were high, the world building easy to follow and the romance(!) .. don't even get me started:
The banter ...
The tension ...
The SPICE ... 😮‍💨🔥
PERFECTION!

So much happened that it almost felt like I'd read two books by the time I finished, and I was kept on my toes throughout the entire thing. There's this one plot twist that is hinted at early on in the book that I was pretty sure I had guessed, but the author left little clues that made me unsure if I'd guessed correctly.

The cast of characters is amazing! In some books with a lot of characters I often feel like they blend together and I can't quite distinguish one from the other, but not in this one. I loved that even the minor characters felt so real, and I basically loved all of them .. even the ones I hated.

Wren and Cross. I don't even know what to say. Their growth throughout the book both individually and together was *chef's kiss* 🤌💋

Silver Elite made me feel all the feels. On the outside I looked calm and collected while reading, but on the inside I was bursting with excitement, fangirling hard, and my heart was beating out of my chest. I'm literally jealous of anybody that gets to read this gem for the first time.

I don't know how I'll survive the wait for book two. 🥲

I love dystopian romance and while I don't dare hope that it will be making a serious comeback anytime too soon, even more than that I loved this book because it's exactly what it promises to be, and exactly as good as it needs to be, both of which are things I very much do not take for granted these days and am always excited to find. In this case, that's a perfectly serviceable and perfectly distilled pastiche of all the YA blockbusters it's being compared to--Fourth Wing, The Darkest Minds, Divergent, Shatter Me, The Hunger Games, etc.--with the competent and professional execution of a bestselling author of adult romance (think like all those books meet Kit Rocha but less kinky, the heat level is probably about equivalent to Fourth Wing). Needless to say I would happily read a million of these and would like the next two books *now*, please.

A dystopian romance novel where our female protagonist finds herself in enemy territory, forced to train to become part of Commands special ops forces. What else is there to do but become an undercover spy for the Uprising?

My thoughts are conflicted on this book, however I will start with saying that it’s a really interesting concept of Mods (modified humans with telepathic abilities) and Primes (non modified humans) and the conflict between them. I enjoyed the world the author has created, and I always love a good map, however, I think it could have been fleshed out more and a lot more could have been done with this concept. The general plot was predictable and has been done before, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it for the most part.

I feel like I have to break this book down into two parts, the first half of this book I felt like I had a 4 star read in my hands for sure. The pace of the plot was great and we’re fed details about the world/society/history at all the right places to be able to understand and absorb it all. Yes, the story line was predictable but it was still enjoyable to read and I felt like Wren, the FMC, was relatable and badass. The romance between Wren and Cross was building up nicely with their enemies-to-lovers trope and I was pulled into their angst and wanted more.

It’s the second half of the book where things started to go downhill for me. The pace sped up, but to the detriment to the story. What felt like impactful and emotional events that took place were barely acknowledged by the characters, who didn’t seem bothered by any of it, which didn’t really make sense. The romance between Wren and Cross seemed to fizzle out, and after the revelation of who Cross was (again, predictable, we all knew it from the get-go) I had hoped there would be more depth to their relationship but the characters felt flat. By the end of the book I felt disengaged with the story and I was not invested in the characters or what was happening to them.

It’s an enjoyable read for a quick dystopian fix. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will be recommending this book to everybody. I’ve been in such a huge book slump and this is EXACTLY what I needed to help me out of it. This book captured my attention immediately and I could not put it down. It’s the type of book that you want to get back to immediately and doesn’t ever leave your mind. I used to read dystopian novels when I was younger and felt like this was an immediate need to read book! It is giving me those dystopian vibes that I’ve been missing in an adult book but also feels different than the dystopian books I read when I was in high school. That ending?! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK WHEN THIS ONE ISN’T EVEN RELEASED YET. This book was incredible and I loved every second of it.

The story is super captivating and I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with yet again many more fictional book characters. I try not to give anything away in my reviews which makes them feel kind of boring to me but I would love a pov from the male love interest.

Where do I even start with Silver Elite? This book swept me up from the first chapter and didn’t let go until the last page. Dani Francis has created a dazzling world filled with elite societies, gripping secrets, and some seriously swoon-worthy characters. Our main protagonist, a fiery underdog (because *of course* she is), finds herself tangled up in a high-stakes game where alliances are fragile, and danger lurks around every corner.

What stood out the most was the pacing. It’s quick without feeling rushed, keept me turning pages until well past my bedtime. The twists? Chef’s kiss. Then, just when you think you’ve got it figured out, there's a curveball. On top of this the character dynamics really sparkle...there’s banter, tension, and plenty of moments that make you cheer (or occasionally yell) out loud.

That said, it’s not without a few hiccups. Some side characters felt like they needed a little more meat on their metaphorical bones, and there were moments where the world-building could have used a little more detail. But honestly those are just my personal niggles and tastes, and the sheer fun of the story outweighs these minor flaws.

If you’re into books that mix danger, drama, and a dash of romance, Silver Elite will be right up your alley. It’s the kind of book that feels like a Netflix binge in the best way - fast, addictive, and oh-so-entertaining. Definitely worth the read!

4 stars!

Looking for an action packed dystopian read with a side of romance & some spicy? Look no further, this is the book for you. The hunger games teen in me was screaming while reading this.
The story grasped my full attention from the very first page. It was a super interesting and I enjoyed meeting all the characters. I thought they were well developed and relatable. There are some parts of the story that I believe some readers will find predictable but I doubt you will see the twist coming! It was such a fun and entertaining ride. I am privileged to have received this ARC super thankful! I however, am also super sad because now I will have to wait for the second book. That ending had me screaming and I cannot wait for this to come out so I can have people to talk to about it!!

Thanks to the publisher for my eARC. I loved this book!

This was so easy to read. Reminds me of a mix of Divergent and vibes of Savage Lands by Stacey Marie Brown this is new adult Dystopian which would appeal to a lot of readers. Silver Elites includes A brutal land, a dictatorship, a rebellion of suppressed people, an elite military group, military school training and an enemies to lovers romance.

A past war ended up in a biological warfare that left some people with special powers. The current regime led by General Redden seeks to hunt down every one of the aberrant and wipe them out. Wren our MC ends up in training for an elite group of soldiers and acts as an informant for the rebels. From the start she is attracted to sexy captain Cross and the feeling seems to be mutual…but there is one big problem that he is also General Redden’s son.

This is a mix of character and plot driven story with a relatively fast pace that kept me turning the page. With simple language, no flowerly words and familiar tropes, this did not feel like a 500 page book at all. Whilst it lacked a bit of world building and the plot was a bit predictable (in some places a bit too convenient), there was enough to understand the political climate of this dystopian world.
I love the romance subplot with the tension between our romantic couple and the open door spice scenewas 😘 Wren is a likeable character even with her reckless behaviors and Cross is my new fav.
What did frustrate me was somethings were a bit convenient to move the plot along and Wren did a lot of self preservation things one scene then later completely self sabotaging the next.

Overall it was a very entertaining read and I look forward to where the story takes us next. It’s a yes from me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Del Ray Publisher for the ARC.

I had a good time with this one, I really think a lot of people will love this.
This is an adult dystopian / fantasy and was really easy to follow. It gave me shatter me vibes mixed with the 🥵 of fourth wing
The fmc had some sass and I loved it.
The romance was good lots of tension there’s a few scenes of them together but not too much to overthrow the story.
TBH I seen a lot of it coming it wasn’t really hard to figure things out but I had a good time reading it and I think it was a good set up for the trilogy ( I believe it’s going to be )

“You sent him away?”
“Because he touched you this morning.”
🤭

Thank you netgalley for this arc

2.5 stars. Unfortunately, this one fell victim to being a little too similar to dystopian books I love and enjoy more than this. I don't mind similarities usually, but I also need newish and interesting ideas within to make it stick me and stand out compared to others and this just didn't deliver on that. I was super excited about this, as reviews were great and I really like a good dystopian every now and then.

This reminded me of all our our OG YA hits like Fourth Wing, Divergent, Hunger Games. I'm always on a lookout for new dystopian additions to our sci-fic collection because we struggle to find good titles to add to the shelf that's NOT fantasy. And this was a really good find!

Perfect for readers who love:
- the books stated above
- Shatter Me
- Enemies to lovers
- Rebels

Again, it's like taking the best parts about our favorites and putting them all in one book! And strangely enough it works! Highly recommend!

Round up to 4.5✨

In a world where silverbloods with toxin-induced gifts are being systematically hunted by the Primes, Wren Darlington has survived by hiding in plain sight—until she’s discovered by the Command. Forced into their brutal training program, Wren seizes the chance to dismantle the regime from within while balancing her people’s rebellion and her growing connection to the brooding Captain Cross Redden.

Perfect for fans of:
✨Shatter Me
✨Divergent
✨Hunger Games
✨Fourth Wing

Tropes and themes I adored:
🕊️Dystopian
🕊️Forbidden Romance
🕊️Psychic abilities
🕊️Enemies to Lovers
🕊️Slow Burn
🕊️Commanding Officer x Recruit
🕊️Rebellion/Uprising
🕊️Secret Identity

The enemies to lovers dynamic between Wren and Captain Cross is delicious, blending raw attraction with emotional depth as they navigate loyalty, betrayal, and blurred allegiances. The trials Wren endures, her unwavering strength, and the suspenseful twists (a few deliciously predictable) kept me glued to the pages. Fans of Divergent will love the academy trials and the themes of identity and resistance woven into this dystopian tale.

This book packs a punch in both the action and romance departments, and Wren is one of the most compelling heroines I’ve read in a long time. If you love stories with survival, rebellion, and just the right amount of spice, this one’s for you. I couldn’t put it down and can’t wait for the next installment!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC

This is the type of book you don’t want to put down, even if you guess the twists along the way. It made me nostalgic for the dystopian books I read as a teen and was highly enjoyable. There is even enough romance to keep things interesting. If you are looking for a fast paced, easy to read, dystopian romance, this is a great options.

Wren Darlington is a Mod - a person exposed to a toxin that gave her telepathic abilities. She has hidden her abilities her entire life. But when disaster strikes, she is thrown into a training program where she learns to fight against people like her. Wren’s story is compelling enough, even when she annoys you for being impulsive every other page.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Reminiscent of Fourth Wing and Divergent, Silver Elite follows Wren Darlington, a young woman who is forced to hide her psychic powers from a dystopian regime that seeks to wipe out her kind. After being forced to join a military training program, Wren finds herself working to take down this regime from the inside — while also struggling with her attraction to her commanding officer, Cross Redden.

I want to preface by saying that I really wanted to love this book. And I did enjoy the process of reading it. I just had one big issue.

“Eichmann was not Iago and not Macbeth, and nothing would have been farther from his mind than to determine with Richard III 'to prove a villain.' Except for an extraordinary diligence in looking out for his personal advancement, he had no motives at all… He merely, to put the matter colloquially, never realized what he was doing…” - Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil

There is this strange, recurring thing in this book where we are told that the bad world they live in is nobody’s fault. The main character of this book, Wren Darlington, is constantly finger wagging at revolutionaries and both-sidesing issues. We hear her say over and over again how the soldiers in this regime don’t know any better. Even as atrocities happen under their watch. As they carry out orders from their government. As they say out loud that they don’t believe in the humanity of people like her. She forgives them, she befriends them, she sleeps with them… In one of the worst examples, a character is forgiven completely and not challenged when they claim that, yeah they were part of this regime… But they never technically shot the gun themselves. Wren’s sympathy even extends to the very worst members of this regime for no other reason than that they look normal. It feels strangely out of touch with real world events.

I did not care for Wren Darlington as a protagonist. While I believe she is supposed to come across as noble and compassionate, reckless yet still good, she’s just pretty morally inconsistent. Some of her choices and observations about her world/the people around her made me really dislike her. Her impulsivity also makes her seem really childlike.

Silver Elite is billed as a “dystopian romance”, and I think that’s a very interesting — but difficult — combination. While the book is fine as a romance, I don’t think it works well as a dystopian novel. To me, the dystopian elements felt a bit derivative and the politics of the book were all over the place.

One thing I genuinely do like about this book is the telepathy! I liked most of the scenes where Wren was using her powers and how the process was described. There’s also a bit of a “You’ve Got Mail” scenario with a certain telepathic pen pal that I thought was a really interesting element.

Overall, it’s an entertaining read. It’s fast-paced, the plot is engaging, and I think anyone who liked Fourth Wing will really enjoy the military fantasy aspect here. I’ll probably end up picking up the sequel to see where the author goes with the book’s themes.