Dystopian certainly does seem to be back with Silver Elite. A nice adult entry into the genre that ups the romance, with a nice added mystery of the true author!

Holy hellfuck!

By now, I'm sure that you've all heard about the new dystopian, enemies to lovers, forbidden love, military academy release Silver Elite!

This book was an action packed, sexy read full of so many twists and turns. It had me on the edge of my seat, right up until the very end.

The sexual tension and chemistry between Wren and Cross was sizzling. I mean, that shower scene in the desert 🫠

This was an easy-to-read and super bingeable story set in an intriguing world.

Was this a literary masterpiece? No.
Am I invested, and excited for the next book in this series? Absolutely!

I enjoyed this book well enough. The writing style was similar to fourth wing. It was pretty easy to read and interesting I guessed the twist unfortunately but it was still pretty good. I wouldn’t say phenomenal but it was alright.

3.5 Silver Elite members.

Wren Darlington, an abhorrent/silver blood, lives with her uncle Jim on a ranch in sector Z. Her world unravels when an officer from The Company sees her make a wild sniper shot to save a child.

What happens after is a landslide of beyond chaotic proportions that sees Wren in a Hunger Games/Forth Wing style army barracks recruit course. Wren spends the duration of her training trying to hide what she is from her fellow recruits as they are all Primes and either deeply distrust or despise the abhorrents.

What are my thoughts on this book… hmm it a tricky one.

Here is what I enjoyed;
- I love a training camp/school type setting so whenever they were doing training missions or in their barracks I was living.
- the mind control powers of the Silver Bloods took me right back to being a teen and reading Isobelle Carmody’s Obernewtyn Chronicles. Gosh how I loved that series!!
- the world building is pretty decent, you get a firm understanding of the political landscape and the dire situation between the Primes and the Abhorrents. And there is a fair amount of historical background information about why the rift is so vast between them.

What I didn’t love so much;
- I really wasn’t here for the smut in this book, it felt really stilted and uncomfortable! I also didn’t necessarily believe the build up of the desire between Wren and her MMC.
- one of the twists I saw from a mile away pretty much in chapter two or three. And the other two, is it bad to say I didn’t care about them?!
- I want to see more of the dangerous landscapes of this world. We get the dark lands but for the most part most other places seem the same. Either sectors where average people worked and lived or army bases.
- There were also hints of some additional storylines that went nowhere and I don’t think they’ll be revisited in a sequel to be honest.

Will I read the sequel? Yes, yes I will.

YUP LOVED THIS.

* dystopian romantasy
* psychic gifts
* enemies to lovers
* morally grey characters
* great spice

ok yup yup this TOTALLY lived up to the hype for me!! Cross and Wren were such a great pairing and Wren having to enter this training program and hiding her true identity... oooh boy just felt like this story kept me on my toes! As soon as I felt the pace starting to slow, something would happen to turn it around! The ending cliffhanger... gahhh i can't wait to see where we go in book 2!

Silver Elite is a dystopian romantasy, sporting hidden identity, true enemies to lovers, morally grey characters and a good deal of spice.

Wren is a very likeable fmc. She's thrust into enemy territory and takes it in her stride despite the traumatic events that get her there. Cross is a classic morally grey mmc. He's no nonsense, hot AF but respectful.

I dual read this across my kindle and audible and really enjoyed the audio-narration for this book. I listened on 1.25x, and it was perfect. Amanda Dolan made it fun and engaging, and the dialogue between Wren, Cross, and so many of the other characters had me laughing out loud.

The spice is this is pretty standard open door stuff. I certainly wasn't clutching my pearls, but I did close my window so my neighbours couldn't hear when listening.

The ending has a good twist and sets us up for a sequel without an awful cliffhanger.

All in all, I really enjoyed the story. It wasn't life changing, but the vibes were great, and I'd 100% recommend the audiobook if that's your thing.

I genuinely enjoyed this book! For the 1st book of the series, it set the dystopian tone that I’m sure will continue throughout the rest of the series. I love strong female leads and Wren fit that bill. I’m excited to see where the rest of the series takes us.

Silver Elite is entertaining, but objectively not good. I read it to the end and am mourning the time I lost and will never get back. Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the eARC.

I LOVED Silver Elite! I would classify this book as much more romance than dystopian, but I enjoyed the characters, the action, and the ending. I can't wait for the second book!

Silver Elite is a fast-paced dystopian YA novel with familiar themes and a setting that will likely appeal to fans of Divergent and The Hunger Games. While I appreciate the time and effort Dani Francis clearly put into crafting the world and characters, the story felt very familiar, almost like a blend of tropes and plot points I’ve seen many times before in the genre.

There’s an elite society, a rigid caste system, hidden rebellions, and a strong-willed protagonist questioning the system she’s grown up in. These are all compelling elements, but I was hoping for a more unique spin or deeper exploration to help the book stand out in a crowded field.

That said, the pacing was solid, and readers who love dystopian drama with a bit of romance and action will likely enjoy it. This could be a good pick for those newer to the genre or looking for a comfortingly familiar read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title.

For fans of the Hunger Games and Iron Flame, this book will surely become a hit as the latest in the romantasy genre which is so popular now. This may look like a long book, but it goes by very quickly. The protagonist, Wren, is Modified, basically meaning she has psychic powers, and lives with those in secret, with her "Uncle Jim." When Jim is discovered and killed, the army believes she is innocent, and brings her into their elite training program, while she spies for the resistance. Of course, she falls for her very handsome instructor. No major surprises, but it's a fun book to read, and I look forward to future books in this series.

I was a little apprehensive to start this one as I’d heard mixed reviews. I will admit it took me about 100 pages to really get into the story, I felt there was a lot of information to take in over the initial few chapters but once I got my head around the world I began to race through each chapter.

It was very similar to Fourth Wing in some ways and even some of the characters felt like they’d been pulled from the pages of Yarros’ novel. Some of the dialogue used in the romantic scenes felt a bit jarring to me but I understand that the author was trying to create a sense of emotional disconnect between the two characters. I loved Kaine as a side character and at times almost wished that he had been the main romantic interest however, his and Wren’s friendship was very enjoyable for me. Overall I feel like this book was really good fun and I would definitely pick up the next book in the series.

This was really a fun read for me. The world was cinematic, the plot kept moving, and I never knew if I should be rooting for or against Wren. It's about all a girl could ask for in terms of dystopia, romance, and all of the in between.

Ultimately, I was entertained as I read. I really like the premise and the psychic abilities thing! Unfortunately, I think there was a lot of potential in the idea that just wasn’t quite reached.

The main criticisms I saw were:
1. That the writing style is juvenile/simplistic
and
2. That it’s advertised as a dystopian, but it really isn’t actually dystopian.

While it’s guilty on both counts I don’t hold these things against authors ever. Point 1 is just up to the reader’s preferences. All writing styles are valid!

As for point 2, the marketing was 100% done wrong. I’ll preface this by saying, I don’t personally feel that “dystopian” things always have to have some deep or extensive political commentary. But this was definitely a romance with a dystopian backdrop/setting. Which is fine that that’s what it is, the beef is that that’s not what was advertised. I personally saw “Katniss for adults”, which brings a pretty strong image to mind, and Silver Elite does not fit that bill. In general, I think all comp titling should be done away with because I’ve never once read anything where the comp titling marketing I saw described the work properly…but that’s a conversation for another day.

Where it fell short for me is the romance scenes didn’t quite land. I’m not sure if it’s how they were written, or if I just wasn’t invested enough in the couple itself.

Finally, what irked me most was every single problem the FMC or her loved ones dealt with was a direct consequence to her stupid choices or rule breaking. I understand there needs to be an inciting incident to kick off the story, but when a character continues to make ridiculous choices over and over again, and never learns from their past mistakes, that’s when I start losing my mind.

Ultimately, I’m not particularly invested in the characters as people or their relationships, but I AM invested in the story itself. I’m curious what direction it is headed for, so I will still be reading the sequel! :)

Silver Elite follows a familiar fantasy war college formula that feels like it’s been done many times before. While the premise has potential, the story doesn’t bring much new to the table. The characters and world-building are decent, but overall it reads like another predictable entry in the genre.

4.5 STARS

I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK!!

Such a vibe!! Now don’t go into this book thinking it will be a literary masterpiece because spoiler, it won’t be. But it will be fun. It will keep you on your toes with all the action and adventure in it. It will keep you up late, not wanting to put the book down, I know I didn’t want to put it down. And now I can’t wait for next book.

Un libro che viene presentato come un distopico, ma con scene spici non può essere privo di elementi critici verso temi politici e sociali. Praticamente per fare spazio alle scene spicy e stata tolta ogni traccia di politica.
La protagonista è detestabile perché è perfetta in tutto, ma non pensa mai prima di agire e continuamente fa scelte discutibili che portano a casini vari. L'insta love è imbarazzante perché non appena Wren vede Cross pensa solo a quanto sia figo, anche dopo aver assistito alla morte dello zio...ogni personaggio maschile viene prima visto da un punto di vista estetico e poi ci viene presentato.
Purtroppo per me è bocciato.

Silver Elite by Dani Francis is not the best book I've ever read, but it was exactly what I wanted it to be. It was exciting, it was well paced and I enjoyed reading it. Which is all I really wanted out of it in the first place.

I had a great time with this book! Silver Elite is a solid pick if you're into war camps, secret powers, and a bit of slow-burn romance.

People keep comparing it to Fourth Wing, and I get it. There are similar vibes with the intense training, enemies-turned-something-more, and high-stakes secrecy. But honestly, this one stands on its own!!!
The world is fresh, and the idea of Mods (people with altered abilities living in hiding) really pulled me in. I liked the morally-grey areas around who’s right and wrong, and the tension between the modified and unmodified added a cool layer of intrigue.

I absolutely love books that take place in brutal training programs, and this one checked all the boxes! The lessons, the rivalries, the constant feeling that someone could turn on you at any moment- it kept me turning pages.

That said, I did figure out who Wolf was pretty early, which took some of the suspense out of the romance. Even so, their dynamic worked. The MMC is one of those characters who sees way too much and is just the right amount of intimidating. Their interactions were tense in the best way.

Overall, Silver Elite was a fun, gripping read. If you like secret missions, complicated feelings, and strong heroines trying to survive in a dangerous world, you’ll probably enjoy this as much as I did. I’m curious to see where the series goes next!

Another main character with Cross and Wolf as their names? Coincidence??

In all seriousness, I actually really enjoyed this book for what it was. No where did I feel like this was a Sci-Fi or dystopian novel, but what I did like about it was the romance. It was fun, yearning, and man if I wasn't rooting for her to sleep with the Captain from the literal start. This book was a lot of fun, nothing revolutionary but fun for the romance and spice.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!