happy publication day to silver elite !! I was kindly sent this arc by hambright pr and I am so excited to shout from the rooftops how much I love this book. this is my first ever arc and it has set the bar incredibly high and the reading slump incredibly painful.

this book is for all my divergent, hunger games, dystopian romance, tobias eaten obsessed girlies. we follow wren darlington, a powerful mod that has been concealing her psychic powers to avoid execution by working undercover in the continent’s military. she is the pinnacle of the perfect fmc, she is flawed, witty, smart and a complete badass. I loved her inner monologue and she made my katniss everdeen loving heart swell.

cross redden!!!!!!!! AHHHH I haven’t been this obsessed with a fictional man since reading about xaden for the first time. this man is broody, intelligent, cocky and I am here for it. he immediately went into my top ten book bf’s, it’s been days since reading this book and I am most definitely down bad for this man. the banter between him and wren had me kicking my feet giggling which is exactly what I want when reading romance. I am desperate for a special edition of this book with fan art. someone? anyone? I beg?

silver elite is sooo bingeable with all the romantasy tropes you can think of. gorgeous world building, infuriating slow burn and the perfect easy read. this has been one of my favourite reads of the year so far and I cannot recommend this book enough. I am convinced the booktok girlies are going to go feral for this one (as they should).

tysm again to the hambright team again for thinking of me, I can’t wait to see more from this author and what the next book in this series brings !⚔️🕊️🐺🌃🖤

I was asked if this is ACOTAR/Fourth Wing level obsession and my answer was “dare I say better.” At the time, I was 70% into the book and having now finished, I can say this again even louder.

This is going to be THE book of the year. And WHO THE F IS DANI FRANCIS?? Whoever you are, you’ve created and absolute masterpiece and I pray to the book gods this won’t just be a duology because I fear this is my new personality and I NEVER want to leave this world.

It has it all: yearning, angst, tension, true enemies to lovers, the “let’s just get it out of our system once” microtrope, it’s hot and steamy and the spice is delicious written — such a sweet reward after an agonizing slow burn.

Most importantly, it’s action packed and has you hooked with the first chapter! SO much happens in the book, there isn’t a moment to catch your breath and it was done in such an easy to grasp and absolutely addictive way.

I have not read a book that had me chocking, gasping, hyperventilating and just fully crashing out the way this one did in a VERY LONG TIME. So much so, I actually temporarily broke my kindle app because the amount of highlights (the whole books is highlighted) was a direct reflection of how feral I am for this book.

I’m about to be the most obnoxious person ever. Cross is a modern day Four — he is confident, self assured, yet jealous and a real damn man who knows how to let her feel in control, keep her safe while letting her take care of herself, pushes her boundaries when he knows she needs it yet always waits for her consent and is just a steady source of comfort, always there for her. I could write a whole dissertation on this man.

And the dystopian aspect had my 11/12yo self foaming at the mouth for this spicy Divergent/Hunger Games/Fourth Wing and honestly it’s so much more than that.

The twists and turns and reveals and betrayals and just the whole damn book were absolutely addictive.

I will never be the same

I was really enjoying myself with this book. It has an engaging plot, well-paced narrative and great characters which made this such a quick, fun read. To be true, if I hadn’t had gone to sleep, I would read it in one sitting. While it didn't blow me away, I enjoyed the ride. World building was great, we are thrown right in there and I liked that because we are learning about everything through the eyes of the main character. And it is an interesting world where people could be born with modifications that allow them to use psychic powers. Our main character is Wren Darlington (I'm a sucker for bird names) and where her bold and sometimes reckless personality definitely shines through, she could think less about hot naked guys because I really liked moments when she was vulnerable and thoughtful. The romance subplot felt a bit forced at the beginning. I think it started too quick, but overall, it wasn’t bad. 

My overall opinion is that this book would be great for anyone looking for a dystopian read with a dash of romance.

This book had me hooked from the first sentence. Everyone who is saying this is the next big book to pick up is so right! I am obsessed. I loved the dystopian setting and I really appreciated how the author dropped us right into the world. I binged this in a day because I couldn't put it down. The stakes start high and just keep rising. I loved being in this world and I am so curious to see where the story takes us in the next book. If you love an alpha hero and an enemies to lovers setup this romance will be right up your alley. I wish we got a touch more emotional development but I understand why that was difficult to accomplish since our MC has life or death secrets she needs to keep. I love when dystopian books create an alternate society to look at the flaws in our own and this book raised some interesting questions about control and how we react to those who are different than us. I'm very curious to see what else will be explored in the rest of the series.

4 stars!

I had a really fun time with this book. I went into it blind with only the knowledge of it being a dystopian fantasy, and it definitely delivered on that! The world building was pretty interesting and the conflict was well established for the rest of the series. There were some predictable plot twists, but despite that, I think the way the story plays out in the rest of the series can potentially be really exciting.

The beginning was a bit of a rough start and there were a few moments of dialogue that I cringed over and blocked out 😵‍💫 but there came a point where I couldn’t put the book down and was flying through the chapters!

Cross delivered on the silent hot commander and I had no choice but to fall in love with him. I’ll always simp for a tattooed man I’m just a girl ok!!!!!

Wren our main character was also pretty cool, she had her pick me moments (honestly can’t blame her, if I was a hot girlypop with insane powers I’d probably be the same 🤣) but I still enjoyed following along her story and she had her badass moments that I had no choice but to be impressed by.

Overall thoughts: the vibes were absolutely there and I’m definitely interested in continuing on with the rest of the series! Despite it having lots of the beloved (kinda overdone) tropes, I never felt like they were forced into the story simply to be marketed as popular and it was refreshing to read something beyond the ever popular romantasy genre.

If you’re a fan of the shatter me series, this feels very much like the adult version of that!

Thank you to Del Rey Publishing, Hambright PR, NetGalley, and Dani Francis for a copy of an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the ARC! I kept seeing this book and I was excited to read it. It delivers on its premise. Dystopian, military academy, captain/trainee dynamic. It’s fast-paced and addicting (binge read this in a day). Saw some of the plot twists coming- but not all of them- which was fun. Wren, the main fmc, is incredibly impulsive and I found myself shaking my head at times, but at least she’s self aware. To be honest- I wasn’t sure about the romance for most of the book. I think I have fatigue around the possessive and dominating type cis/het male lead.

Silver Elite is the first book in a new sizzling dystopian romance trilogy, where psychic gifts are a death sentence and there are rules to survival:
𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚. 𝙇𝙞𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤, 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙮.

🔸𝚍𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
🔸𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜
🔸𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚢
🔸𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚢
🔸𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚟
🔸𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚒𝚎
🔸𝚙𝚜𝚢𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜
🔸𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎

Silver Elite has that nostalgic feeling of the 2010's dystopian novels and I was immediately intrigued for that reason alone. Forever in my dystopian era.

With that said, the book starts off with a tinge of sadness and childhood innocence setting the tone for the world as we know it. This is my favorite part about dystopians. Seeing how the world "ended" and what the people choose to do with it.

I loved our fmc, Wren, with her sassy attitude and unmatched loyalty. Her impulsivity was so relatable and even when I wanted to yell at her, I quickly sympathized with her instead. The side characters were very well written as well. It was so easy to love them and feel genuine heartbreak when things didn't go their way.

Cross, our MMC, still has to grow on me. He was sexy and possessive, which was a complete turn on. But I also felt like he was purposely obtuse for no reason.

Once you get past the half way mark, the story favors the romance over the plot which was a bit of a bummer for me. I really wanted to know more about how the powers came to be and the world as a whole.

Silver Elite is a promising start to a series. A tad predictable at times, but an action packed suspenseful fantasy that I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Thank you Netgalley, Del Rey, and Penguin Random House for an earc. This is my voluntary and honest review.

Silver Elite is one of those books that took me by surprise, I knew I was going to like it from the premise but I really got swept up in the world!

I’m a huge fan of the world building and “powers” of the Modified but it was honestly the characters that sold it for me. Wren was such a badass the entire story but she still wasn’t scared to be vulnerable and care about people who she knew wouldn’t accept her as she is.

I am such a sucker for a good dystopian story and this one is ittttt. I’ve seen a lot of people say this is going to be the next big thing and I can’t help but agree so I can’t wait to see where the story takes us next!

You should read Silver Elite if you like:
🌟enemies to lovers
🌟forced proximity
🌟secret identities (!!!)
🌟slow burn romance (still spicy tho)

Wowwww! 5 STARS! 🤩 This will be one of my favorite books of the year!!

Book one of a dystopian romance trilogy with Fourth Wing/ Divergent vibes. Set in a future world where a biotoxin has enhanced a portion of the population (“modified/mods”) with psychic abilities, our badass FMC, Wren, a “Modified”, must hide her powerful abilities as she is forced to join the enemy’s most elite military training program.

Reading this was a full body experience. I paced my room, I audibly squealed, I stared blankly into space with a dropped jaw. I knew early on that this would be a 5 star read and a new obsession. It has that special addictive magic!!!!!

🔥The romance is sizzling and had me giddy af with plenty of banter and TENSION 🥵! The swoon-worthy MMC is down BAD for the FMC!
🪖A memorable cast of characters—some loveable, some extra hateable!
🌲Awesome world building with vivid settings!

Add to your TBRs or better yet, immediately go buy this book!!!!! I can not wait to gush about this book with more people!

Thank you times a million to Del Rey Books for an eARC via NetGalley! 🩶

My god. Silver Elite is my New Roman Empire. I devoured it in less than 24 hours because I simply could not put it down. I am going to go absolutely insane waiting to see what happens next. As a millennial who grew up in the era of The Hunger Games and Divergent, it’s safe to say I’ve always loved dystopian stories. Silver Elite gave me that same feeling as reading those stories for the first time; It felt nostalgic yet wholly its own thing. The world building was not excessive, but you get a really powerful sense of the world anyway. The government rules with an iron fist, people don’t live particularly comfortable lives, and nature has gotten WEIRD.

Wren is a badass FMC who has to hide her powers AND her battle skills from her enemies when they recruit her for military service following an incident in her home. I absolutely LOVE these themes in books. It keeps me on the edge of my seat, petrified that something bad is going to happen with the turn of every page. It’s the best kind of anxiety!

The relationship between the FMC and the MMC had me shrieking with glee. It wasn’t exactly a “slow burn” because it was obvious that the characters wanted one another from the beginning, but still Dani makes you wait for a long time before they give in to their desires. The way these characters fall into each other had no business being as hot (and seriously romantic given the circumstances???) as it was to me. I literally couldn’t stop grinning like a fool! Huzzah for the perfect amount of tension leading up to the spice.

There are so many other elements that I loved: the side characters, the FMC’s backstory, the magic, the rebellion, the banter, the side story of her best friends… All of these elements combined made the 500+ page book absolutely FLY by. I felt an ever changing swirl of emotions while reading, which for me is exactly the kind of thing I adore in a book. “MAKE ME FEEL,” I ask…And boy, did I get what I desired and then some!

Literally all the stars for Silver Elite. Chefs kiss. No notes. Spectacular give me 14 of them. I cannot wait to read the next book and find out what happens next! .

If you loved the dystopian vibes of the Hunger Games, Divergent, and Shatter Me series and the military training setting and romance from Fourth Wing, then you’ll love Silver Elite!

This book is already getting a ton of hype, and I truthfully get it. Silver Elite has all the makings of a blockbuster series in the vein of Fourth Wing, so I imagine this will be super popular in the book community. It was action-packed, sexy, and fun to read.

For a dystopian novel, it doesn't belong in the same category as The Hunger Games - it's missing too much social and political commentary for me. But, that's totally OK and doesn't take away from the reader experience as long as expectations are maintained. As for the world itself, I do wish it were a little more fleshed out. I don't totally understand the history of how we got to where we are with the Continent. Hopefully, this is explained more in later books. This book also had a bit of a slow start for me.

Despite all of that, at around the 30% mark, I found myself totally engrossed in the story and couldn't put it down. By the end, I was left totally satisfied and aching for the next installment.

Wren Darlington hides in plain sight. In a world where her kind, mind readers, are killed or enslaved she keeps a low profile. Set in a dystopia world where the Prime live in luxury and the lower class scrape by, Wren will have to decide how far she'll go to stay hidden. When chaos ensues and someone close to her is killed, Wren will be thrown into the military training program. Success within the program means life, where failure could mean death. The rebellion is coming. How far will Wren have to go to stay safe.

I absolutely love dystopian books. They enter this between stage of reality and would keep easily occur with a few shifts. Dani Francis wrote young characters who are on the brink of a changing world. Darkness has fallen, who will make it out alive? I look forward to more from this series. Thank you Netgalley and Random House Worlds for the advanced copy.

I absolutely get the hype on this book! This Dystopian Enemies to Lovers had me hooked from page 1 and losing sleep to read it as fast as I could because I was that obsessed with the storyline! Thank Del Rey for the opportunity to read this top tier read in advance!

🩶 Dystopian Romance
🕊️ Hidden Powers
🩶 Enemies to Lovers
🕊️ Badass FMC
🩶 SLOW burn, banter & tension
🕊️ Captain x Soldier
🩶 Elite military training
🕊️ Telephatic Powers

I was soooo looking forward to reading this and it definitely did not disappoint!!
My love for dystopia goes back for years and years and I was so happy to start a new series to devour (no pressure but please write fast Dani…but no pressure, but seriously, 🤍) and enjoy.

Loved the characters, loved the tropes, thoroughly had a great time reading…def recommend and def going to reread!

Thanks for the arc NetGalley and Del Rey, this is my honest review 🩶

This one just didn’t work for me - though I can absolutely see why it’s resonating with so many others. The world-building was interesting and had a unique dystopian flair, which initially pulled me in. It’s fast-paced and easy to read, which kept the pages turning in the beginning, but somewhere along the way, it all started to feel off.

The writing style felt extremely YA - even overly juvenile at times for a dystopian - and yet the book kept forcing in sexual content like it was trying too hard to be NA. The FMC honestly drove me up the wall, and I just couldn’t connect. The found family aspect also felt more like a checkbox rather than something that grew organically.

This book has been marketed as Fourth Wing meets Divergent, which - let’s be real - is a massive reach. I wish it had delivered on that promise, but it missed the mark for me. Maybe I’m the outlier here (clearly, because this book is everywhere). I get the hype, I do - but sometimes a book just isn’t for you, and that’s okay.

Dystopian is so back you guys!! People were not lying when they say that this book pulls you in and keeps you drawn in until the final page, and after the final page because now I am desperate for more!!

My favorite part of Silver Elite was the world-building and the power system! There are a lot of different political, economical, and social dynamics and Francis delivered them in a way that is easy to digest and understand!! I think it’s a compliment to the author and story when you forget you’re reading a *pretty chunky* book! I inhaled it in only a few hours because I just wanted to keep going!!

Our fmc, Wren, is a strong-willed, highly trained Modified individual who must hide her abilities when she is ‘drafted’ (aka thrown in against her will) to an elite military school to train for one of the top military teams in the world (or at least the world they are aware of)! Our mmc is very much like a lot of our favorite dystopian men and as I needed in the past, he took a minute to grow on me! He took a minute for Wren too, minus the lust, so I think that was the point!!
One more highlight is that I loved the side characters, aka Kaine! I LOVED him, he’s just my fav! Every scene with him felt perfect to me idk! The other side characters also stand-out, sometimes I find myself not registering a single side characters name but I was locked in on them in this book!!

Overall I think everyone should give this book a try because it’s very reminiscent of the books we grew up with but with a fresh take! A quick, fun, dystopian read!!

*Silver Elite* by Dani Francis is a thrilling and emotionally charged entry into the realm of paranormal fantasy, blending supernatural elements with compelling character development. The story follows a strong, nuanced protagonist navigating a world of hidden powers, secret societies, and dangerous alliances, all while grappling with identity and loyalty. Francis masterfully balances action and intrigue with heartfelt moments, creating a narrative that is both fast-paced and deeply immersive. With crisp writing and a vivid, atmospheric setting, *Silver Elite* hooks readers from the first page and doesn't let go, making it a standout in the genre.

Thank you to @delreybooks and @netgalley for the chance to review this book early!

Wren is a mod forced to hide her abilities because of the primes who seek to kill every mod. But when she makes a reckless choice, she is thrust into an institution she never thought she’d ever be a part of. She is faced with an impossible choice: train in Silver block to become an Elite for the Uprising, or be delegated to a labour camp for the rest of her life. Even though she is reckless at times she knows the only way to freedom is to work with the uprising.
The politics were interesting because you have the primes who don’t have the abilities Mods do, and are trying to irradicate the mods. But then you have the rebellion who don’t really seem like good people either. It’s very hard to know who to rout for. I guess that’s by design because Wren just wants to live her life free and not be hunted for what she is.
I really enjoyed seeing the different abilities Mods have. Incitement is brutal, and it added a darker element to the story.
At times I found Wren to be a little annoying and horny. She hates her superior officer because of the family he comes from, but has little self control when it comes to his advances?! Idk it kinda killed the “romance” for me. It felt like they were just using each other’s bodies for pleasure. It did get better when some truths were revealed, and I found I enjoyed their relationship more.
I loved the training and camaraderie between the recruits. Despite being surrounded by people who hate mods, Wren manages to form positive connections with a few of the trainees.
Oh boy there were so many twist I did not see coming and I’m gonna need book 2 ASAP!
Silver Elite is out TODAY! May 6th, 2025
Content warning:
Violence
Mention of SA- off page
Sexual content - on page

Happy publication day @authordanifrancis Silver Elite 🩶
Thank you @delreyuk @netgalley for my first ever ARC and what a great book to start with!!

I was intrigued when I saw this book compared to Hunger games and Fourth wing, and boy did it deliver but also with an influence of Divergent! It had the hit of dystopian nostalgia from teenage reading but with adult elements and themes.

Wren is both smart and reckless, possesses psychic powers that if found out are punishable by death, and she’s undercover in enemy territory competing in an elite soldier training program.

Any of the book girlies will spot the main “twist” coming a mile off, but I think that might have been a tactical move to throw the reader off from the other twists, as there were a couple that I did not see coming!

My only slight gripe of was that Cross, the mmc, at times his character felt abit rushed. But I’m so excited for the next book which based on the ending should delve into his character past, present and future even more!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Silver Elite ended up being my favourite read for April and I can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy!!

Silver Elite was such a wild ride! Think dystopian drama meets psychic powers, with a dash of forbidden romance. Wren’s just trying to survive with her secrets intact—but then she’s thrown into a deadly elite training program and stuck with Cross, the broodiest commander ever (and yeah, the tension is real).

It’s fast-paced, high-stakes, and gave me Fourth Wing meets Divergent vibes. Super fun read—I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel!