Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
This book wasn't for me, a tired dystopian storyline, a series of poor decisions by the main character, an ending that wasn't great, overall the whole plot feels too familiar to many others written since the early 2000s, however it might interest new readers so I'm giving it 3 stars as my younger self (less exposed to this genre/storyline) would have liked it.

**5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🌶️ 1.5**

It’s always hard to finish a book that sweeps you through such a spectrum of emotions—especially when it’s part of an unfinished series. This is the kind of story that lingers, leaving you unable to imagine diving into another world just yet.
The setting is a dystopian future, where the main continent (and the nation our FMC, Wren, lives in) is ruled by an oppressive, oligarchic regime with communistic undertones. The world is sharply divided between two groups: Silver Bloods, whose powers are the result of mutations caused by a toxic war around 150 years ago, and Primes, those without powers. But this isn’t your typical good-versus-evil dynamic. The conflict is complex, with both sides guilty of oppression—Silver Bloods ruled cruelly in the past, and for the last 25 years, Primes have exacted brutal revenge. This gray morality makes it impossible to trust anyone, drawing you deeper into Wren’s precarious reality.

And then there’s the MMC. The chemistry between him and Wren?
*Chef’s kiss* . It’s not quite enemies-to-lovers, but more of a “fascinated by the enemy” dynamic that’s loaded with tension and expertly written. Their dynamic crackles with power plays and mutual intrigue, pulling you in with every interaction.
What really stands out is the author’s fearlessness; especially for their debut novel, this book is stunningly bold, with shocking twists and high stakes that reminded me of George R. R. Martin’s works—no one is safe, and nothing is predictable. It’s refreshing and exhilarating.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes BookTok’s next obsession—it has everything: a gripping plot, nuanced characters, moral ambiguity, and just enough spice to keep things interesting. If you loved The Hunger Games, Red Queen or Powerless, but crave a grittier, more adult take, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with a free ARC of the uncorrected proof in exchange for my honest review.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Del Rey Publishing.

"The Hunger Games" meets "Divergent" but spicy!

Wren is a "modified". She carries a biotoxin in her blood that nearly wiped out the earth's population 150yrs ago, giving her powerful psychic abilities. And the continent wants to kill anyone like her.
Learning to hide her abilities since she was 5 yrs old, Wren knows how dangerous it is to be caught. So after her uncle, Jim, is captured she makes a mistake that almost costs her life.

Forced to show her loyalty to the General and the company (tyrant and government), Wren finds herself deep in enemy territory at the 'cut-throat' military training academy for the continents most elite soldiers, run by Captain Cross Reddin. And as hard as she tries, he's not letting her get out of it.

This plot line was surprising, the complexity between Wren and Cross was enough to keep it interesting without going overboard along with the excellent establishment of many side characters that contribute to both the development of our main characters along with the plot line.

Slow burn, full of tension, this 'enemies-to-lovers' story will have you on your toes throughout.
Set to be a triology- this is not one to miss!
4.5 stars ⭐️

3.5-3.75/5

This has those classic and nostalgic dystopian novel vibes and that was just so nice. It felt just like sinking back into a world I haven't been in for such a long time but feel so comfortable in. If you're missing stories like Divergent, Shatter Me and a million others from that iconic era of dystopian novels, I would highly recommend this book.

I was so close to giving this a 4/5 star rating, but there were some moments and things that confused me a bit, so it gets the 3.5/5 star rating for that. But the vibes and everything else should be a 4/5.

Our main character, Wren, is trying to take down a corrupt government from the inside. She joins what is essentially their military, but at a very high level. And she has psychic abilities. And she must hide them.

But training is difficult and she has a little too much chemistry with someone she really should not (because he is also in this corrupt government's military).

It turns out this is going to be a trilogy and I am definitely interested in reading the entirety of said trilogy!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

A dystopian saga with elite forces with secret ops pitting magic (mods) against non-magic users (primes)???

WE’RE SO BACK.

RUN to grab this one when it comes out. The undercover missions and subterfuge. Mind connections with a secret boy??? GIMME.

Obsessed and book hungover, I highly recommend

🔥 Silver Elite by Dani Francis: A Wild Ride of Tension, Grit, and Unpredictability 🔥

From the very first page, Silver Elite pulls you into a world of high-stakes rebellion, morally complex characters, and heart-stopping tension.

Wren is a fierce, stubborn protagonist whose resilience and resourcefulness had me rooting for her even when I wanted to shake some sense into her. The dynamic with Cross is 🔥🌶️—all smoldering tension and razor-sharp dialogue, with just the right amount of restraint to leave you begging for more.

What I loved most about this book is how unpredictable it is. Every time I thought I knew where it was going, it threw me for a loop. The pacing is relentless, the stakes are always climbing, and the relationships—both the romantic tension and the friendships—are complex and layered.

But let’s talk about that ending… a cliffhanger that left me dying for book two. It sets the stage perfectly for the next book while leaving enough mystery (looking at you, Wolf) to keep me theorizing for days.

If you love dystopian worlds with a splash of romance, badass female leads, and enough twists to keep you guessing, Silver Elite is a must-read.

Rating: 2/5🌶️ and 4/5 ⭐ (because Wren’s stubborn streak might test your patience, but let’s be real—I’d follow Cross anywhere 😍).

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

What an absolute riveting read!
I absolutely loved Silver Elite.From the first page, I was hooked by the thrilling plot and unforgettable characters. The world-building is exceptional, drawing me into a rich and captivating universe where every twist and turn kept me on the edge of my seat. The author’s writing style is immersive, with vivid descriptions that make the scenes come alive.

The characters are complex and multifaceted, with their motivations and relationships evolving in ways that feel both natural and compelling. I found myself deeply invested in their journeys, cheering for their triumphs and aching during their struggles. Dani Francis has a true gift for creating emotional depth and tension, making each chapter feel meaningful.

The pacing is spot-on, with just the right balance of action, mystery, and heart-wrenching moments. Every page left me wanting more, and by the end, I was completely satisfied but also eager for more of Dani's work.

An absolute must-read. It’s an unforgettable adventure that I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
DNF @ 10%. I requested this because I had seen a lot of good reviews and a dystopian rancher seemed right up my alley. It was, unfortunately, insufferable. I was irritated with the prose, the dialogue, the characters, on every single page. It reads like the characters are characters in an SNL skit. There’s a generic “command” and an “uprising”. The main character is soooo special and powerful and beautiful and a great shot and amazing in bed and I just couldn’t do it. I’ll just reread THG.

I'm utterly speechless about how much I loved this book. From the synopsis I knew I'd be hooked instantly because I absolutely adore dystopian fantasies, but this is on another level.

Silver Elite is about a world divided by the primes, those immune to the biotoxin, and the mods, those enhanced by the biotoxin, both fighting against one another to come out on top. When a young woman concealing her psychic powers makes a simple mistake and puts a target on her and her uncles back, she is forced to face life in a way she is completely against, as a student in the Silver Block. Not only is she keeping her powers hidden from enemies surrounding her at every corner, but also the infuriating commanding officer who she can't get out of her head.

From the physic powers, to the rebellion and uprising, to the undeniable chemistry between our two main characters; Wren and Cross, I loved every part of this book. The pacing was so well structured as we learn things alongside Wren. It truly had me gasping in shock once we reached the plot twists, to the point that I couldn't put the book down even for a second. Although I had an inkling about one of the plot twists, it wasn't any less exciting once we reached them. The world building, the history, and the character descriptions were so in depth that I truly felt like I knew this world inside out from the get go, allowing the reader to feel less confused at the beginning which was so refreshing.

The tension between Wren and Cross was unbelievable!! The enemies to lovers truly had me giggling kicking my feet at every scene. The subtle glances across the room, the secret conversations in dark corners... it was just a top tier romance with the perfect amount of spice.

Dani has truly thrown us back into the dystopian nostalgia with this debut and I couldn't be more excited for the rest of this trilogy. If you love psychic powers caused by a biotoxin, uprising and rebellion, elite forces with secret ops, found family and banter, a strong female main character and an undeniable chemistry with a commanding officer... then you've come to the right place, because Silver Elite has all that and SO much more.

I'm constantly looking for new dystopian fantasies to obsess over, and I truly believe Silver Elite has the chance at becoming one of the best books of 2025 in its genre.

I love a good dystopian story. So I was excited to pick up Silver Elite. I absolutely devoured it! Dani Francis is a new-to-me writer with a penchant for complex character building that left me on the edge of my seat.

Silver Elite feels like a cross between Fourth Wing and Divergent, with some elements reminiscent of The Hunger Games. With character-driven storytelling at the forefront, the world comes into focus slowly. I felt the whole time like I was seeing from Wren’s eyes and living through this experience with her.

I'm giving this book three stars because I feel there are a couple of big missed opportunities. The first is the lack of world-building. On the one hand, I love the "show, don't tell." On the other, Wren’s limited perspective means I HAVE SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. Like what caused the Blacklands? And why do some folks have Bloodmarks and others don’t? What were the training days like for Silver Elite? And why does Wren feel like she can trust all these people? Did they go through things? What things?! And just generally, I feel like the world and even some characters were a bit flat. I craved more dimension. If Wren’s perspective is our main POV, girl needs to be a bit more curious, attentive to her surroundings, and more verbose in her inner monologue.

The second is the absolute randomness of the logic gap between Chapters 47 and 48. I honestly just do not get why Wren does this, what she hopes to achieve, and the point really at all. I’ve re-read the transition from one chapter to the next several times and I feel like I’m missing pages. Like. What?! Also why she did she go from being completely ALL ABOUT protecting herself to literally stripping herself bare OFFSCREEN. And why did she trust a loyalist with her BIGGEST secret?! Obviously I’m still pretty upset about it. Which, again, tells you how good the writing is.

Overall, I’m coming back for more with this one, if nothing more than to hang out with Wren and Cross again! The story ends with our heroine jumping into a helicopter. And with so many unanswered questions, I’ll be waiting with bated breath for the next story in the series!!

Everyone needs to run and pre-order a copy of this ASAP.

This may very well be one of my favourite books I've read this year. I was INSTANTLY hooked. I could not put this down. I can't stop thinking about it.
I've been craving a dystopian story that captivated me as much as the epic dystopian era of my childhood did and let me tell you.... this did that, and more. Think Divergent/Hunger Games but with SPICE that leaves you craving so much more.

I loved everything about this book. The pacing of this story was perfect, little bits of information trickled here and there that made it impossible to put down. The world building was so vivid, I felt like I was right there with them.

The TENSION between the FMC and MMC left me gasping at times. I can't put into words how much I adore the way Dani Francis wrote this enemies to lovers. The romance in this story was top tier. Chefs kiss. I want more, more and more. The SPICE UGH....obsessed is an understatement. Certain lines from the MMC had me absolutely feral.

This doesn't come out until May however, I am SCREAMING for the next book already. I will be re-reading this constantly to fill the void. I can't speak enough praise for this book and will be recommending this to anyone and everyone. I think this will be one of the most talked about books of 2025.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc, in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a good dystopian book, but Silver Elite made me want to change that! Admittedly, I went in with a few reservations since a good dystopia novel is hard to pull off. If I could’ve read this in one sitting, I definitely would have!

I won’t go too much into the plot, but I’ll list a few key things I loved in this book:
-Enemies to lovers
-The banter between the Wren and Cross
-The side characters
-The politics
-The constant betrayals
-The world building
-It felt like an original story and not recycled from the Hunger Games era

I did see some of the plot twists coming, but it didn’t make the story any less enjoyable. I really wish this book was already published so that I could read the next book in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me an ARC of Silver Elite!

I’m so happy dystopians are making a comeback! I had high expectations for this, and this book exceeded them. I was hooked from the very first page and my attention was held until the very end. I can’t wait for the sequel - this was a very solid start to the trilogy. The pacing was perfect and the setting was intriguing and vivid. I feel like this series is going to blow up - a must read for sure!

A Must-Read for Dystopian Fantasy Lovers! ✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book absolutely blew me away! From the very first page, I was hooked, and I devoured it in one sitting—I literally could not put it down.The story pulls you into its world where magic, academia, and action collide in the most thrilling ways.

If you love Avalon Tower or Fourth Wing, this book is a no-brainer for your TBR pile. It has all the elements of an unforgettable read: action-packed sequences, a deeply immersive fantasy setting, and a slow-burn romance that will keep you rooting for the characters. The plot twists had me gasping, and the pacing never let up.

For fans of academia fantasy, and magical systems that feel fresh and imaginative, this is a standout. This isn’t just a book—it’s an experience. I can’t recommend it enough!

I love the divergent kinda vibes of this book. Not many book I've read that I am hooked on the first page! The main characters are likeable and the not the so nice people are brilliant too! I cannot wait for the second book, I can't wait to delve back into this world!

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this highly anticipated release!

𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦 follows stubborn, flirtatious characters in a high-stakes world, reminiscent of 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘨, with the nostalgia and dangerous edge of 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵. It's an engaging, fresh dystopian page turner with psychic, powerful mind gifts, giving it a pinch of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴.

150 years after a biotoxin severely reduces the population, a war looms between sides of a divided world. Modifieds, who gained psychic abilities, are hunted - murdered or sent to labor camps - by Primes.

Wren Darlington has evaded suspicion of her four Modified gifts, living alongside her uncle since her parents' deaths when she was a child. A poor but empathetic snap judgment decision sets the plot into motion, sending her uncle to his grave and Wren to military training for the Prime's most elite block.

She hopes to play both sides by ascending the ranks to make Silver Elite all while feeding information to the Uprising. The only thing standing in her way, other than fellow ruthless recruits, is her handsome, albeit cocky, commanding officer and General's son, Cross Redden.

While not overly inventive for the genre, this title is exactly what I've recently been craving! It's predictable, and its prose isn't earth-shatteringly beautiful, but I loved every second of it. It has a very bingeable quality, making the 528 pages fly by in the blink of an eye.

The main reason for the 4-star rating is the lack of originality around Wren's character. I had trouble picturing who Wren really is because her archetype screamed "Katniss Everdeen" and "I'm not like the other girls"... except she's literally like every other stabby FMC in the genre of romantasy. There's even a marksman training scene where Wren realizes no one is paying attention to her sniping abilities, and if you've read or watched 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴, you know exactly what she ends up doing in this scene. I realized where the scene was heading, and I audibly groaned. Automatic one-star deduction for that copycat moment, sorry-not-sorry.

Overall, I'm really excited to recommend this book, and I'm excited for the rest of the series! Be sure to grab a copy when it hits shelves in May 2025.

I really really enjoyed this book. I knew from the blurb that it was right up my alley. I loved this take of a dystopian romance. Overall a solid 4 star read for me.

Early 2000s YA paranormal romance has grown up in this spicy adult fantasy. If you loved Vampire Academy, Shatter Me, and Divergent, but wanted them in the style of Forth Wing, this book is for you.

SILVER ELITE has a military setting, a girl with immense powers she has to hide, enemies to lovers, training sequences, covert ops, a lot of guns, a lot of deaths, fast-paced action, high stakes, etc.

It's 1st person POV, so you spend the book inside the head of Wren Darlington. She's 20 years old and hiding her paranormal abilities. She's the stereotypical tough girl: best shooter, emotionally avoidant, cocky, always has a sassy comeback.

The drive of the story is the romance and action. The world-building, character development, and emotional payoff come second.

TW for sexual assault (off page) and mentions of suicide and suicidal ideation.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey (Random House) for the chance to read and review.

I've read a thousand iteration of this plot. It has all the overused, overly done tropes. It's cliché. It's predictable. But somehow it all works? I don't know why? But it just does? Because I can't remember the last time I stayed awake past 2am just to read a book.

I have to say what I love most has got to be the banter. Wren gives as good as she gets. And the chemistry between her and Cross? Sizzling. I love me those open door scenes. So if you're looking for spice, Silver Elite has some of that.

I had a bit of an issue with everyone just wanting to get in the FMC's pants. Yes I get it. You're gorgeous. You're special. Now stop reminding me.

Like I've said Silver Elite is quite predictable. One of the "big reveals" if you could call it that, I've guessed from the start. Also some of the other "big reveals". The last 10% though was a little chaotic. And I loved it. I resigned myself to not reading the sequel (I didn't think I would miss much) but the last 10% made me change my mind. There are so many more secrets to uncover. Especially when it comes to Wren's parentage and her abilities. And there seems to be a lot more about Mods we don't know about. I also have a strong feeling there's going to be a love triangle in the horizon? Hunger Games style. I won't like it one bit but I just know it's going to be there.

Overall, I think this was a good read. There's something about the writing style that made me want to keep reading. That or I was just in the right mood for this exact kind of book. Whatever the reason I'm happy that I enjoyed reading Silver Elite. It's been a long time since I sincerely felt that way for a new author. These days I've been rereading favorites because I've been picking up and putting down books left and right.

If this book's on your radar I say go for it. And I hope you enjoy the read!

Love this book cover to cover. The twist the turns. New information came you turning pages for more. It's everything you want in a dystopian plot but with a hate you love you romance plot. I need a second book!!