This epic dystopian fantasy is going to be a booktok sensation !! I absolutely fell in love with the world bulding and the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read dystopian or fantasy!!

Silver Elite is Book 1 in the new Dystopian Trilogy by Dani Francis. These will need to be read in order as there is one continuous timeline. This is an adult book and should be read by those over 18 years old.

Why you will love this book:
🦅 Dystopian
✨ Enemies to lovers
🖤 Forbidden love
🪖 Military academy

OH MY..........I LOVED THIS BOOK! I went in blind and I am so glad that I did. I have to say after I read this story, I went to the reviews...I am shocked by all the haters out here. I absolutely DEVOURED this book. This story is like if Divergent, Fourth Wing and Hunger Games had a three way except without dragons. The dystopian world was incredibly built. This book follows Wren who is a "Fect". Those are people who have abilities brought on by a chemical sprayed during the previous war. People who show any sign of abilities are hunted and either sent to labor camps or unalived. Wren is in hiding with her Uncle. When they are found, Wren is sent to the military academy under the guise that she either complete the training or live in the stockade. She had to hide who she really is and work to help the resistance because if they find out everything, she is done!

My nose was buried in this story for 2 consecutive days. between the slow burn romance, the banter and the twists and tuns.....I couldn't put It down. It does live on a cliffy so be prepared for that. I mean I expected it because this is a trilogy but it downs make it any easier. If you are a lover of fantasy romance, pick this up and come find me because I need to talk about this book!

you’re going to lose sleep over this book.. both while reading it and after…

Rekindle the feeling of when you read Divergent, Hunger Games, or Fourth Wing for the first time… but on stims..

I’m not going to shut up about this book for a long time

It’s a rollercoaster for our main character. It’s tragic, it’s heroic, it’s funny, it’s heartwarming, it’s going to have you at the edge of your seat chapter-by-chapter.

Wren works to avenge her uncle, winds up in a military and their enemy’s operation, oh and she falls hard for the captain of her block… who by the way is the General’s son. They share more secrets than they originally think..

I don’t know what I did to deserve an early read of this book but now I need to know what happens next IMMEDIATELY. Thank you Hambright & Del Ray for blessing me with this arc. And thank you Dani Francis for ruining my life, I can’t wait for you to do it again 😌

🖤 Dystopian
🖤 Telepathy
🖤 Slow Burn
🖤 Hidden Powers
🖤 Fierce and Snarky FMC
🖤 Academy
🖤 Trust Issues

I cannot recommend this book enough. Dani has a way of sucking you in from the very first chapter. The story is told in a single POV by our FMC Wren. She has some of the best retorts and is full of sass and banter. She has spent most of her life hiding her identity and powers. However her life forever changed after she meets Cross.

Wren and Cross are a sizzling slow burn. He's her commander but neither can deny their pull to one another. I love how he calls her Dove and i can just hear his raspy voice as he says it. Might be my new favorite nickname.

Rating - 4.5 rounded up to 5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - May 2, 2025
Publication Date - May 6, 2025

*I received an E-ARC of this book for free in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @authordanifrancis, @delreybooks and @netgalley!

Silver Elite is such a fun book! I was hooked by page one. The dystopian elements with fantasy magic and romance felt nostalgic to books I loved growing up. I loved how much of the magic and special abilities we get to experience throughout the book, especially the telepathy. I am a sucker for the anonymous pen pal trope, adding telepathy to that was something I never knew I needed but can’t live without now! I also enjoyed the training program classes and the report cards were a great touch. Wren is snarky and awesome, yeah she's impulsive and you have to roll your eyes at some of her decisions but it fits her character and I thought it worked. I can’t wait to see where book two takes us!

If you like magic and brutal academic settings, you should try Silver Elite!

Get excited to read Silver Elite, available May 6! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5 stars)

Receiving an advanced copy of *Silver Elite* was a delightful surprise, and diving into its pages proved to be an exhilarating experience. Dani Francis crafts a dystopian world where psychic abilities are both a blessing and a curse, setting the stage for a narrative filled with tension and intrigue.

The dynamic between the protagonists is a standout feature. Their enemies-to-lovers journey unfolds with a slow-burning intensity that feels authentic and earned. The emotional depth and gradual development of their relationship kept me thoroughly engaged.

Supporting characters are not mere background figures; they are well-developed individuals who contribute meaningfully to the story. Their presence adds richness to the narrative and enhances the immersive quality of the world Francis has built.

While the plot is generally compelling, there were moments where certain developments felt somewhat predictable. However, the strength of the character arcs and the emotional resonance of the story more than compensated for these minor shortcomings.

In summary, *Silver Elite* is a captivating blend of dystopian elements and romantic tension. It's a recommended read for fans of the genre and has certainly piqued my interest for the sequel.

ALL THE STARS. WOW. I’m completely blown away by this book. All the action, the twist & turns, PHENOMENAL. The writing style is on par with Rebecca Yarros as far as the action and plot twists. FMC Wren is the exact type of FMC you could hope for in a dystopian setting. The cliffhanger had me staring at my wall for a while. I cannot wait to see how the story continues to unfold!

**A HUGE thank you to Del Rey, NetGalley & author Dani Francis for allowing me to read the e-ARC for an honest review**

100/5 ⭐️

“You’re not timid or weak, Dove. You’re a firestorm, and you’re going to burn everything in your path if you don’t learn how to restrain yourself.”

“Yours is the only life that matters. I will rip anyone’s throat out, burn the entire fucking world down, if it means keeping you safe…”

I will RAVE & RAVE SOME MORE about how insanely good this book is!!! This gave me the feeling of reading The Hunger Games for the first time, the same feeling of reading dystopian for the first time. Immaculate. The FEELINGS this book stirred up in me are indescribable.

Wren - Badass. Capable. Independent. A tried & true strong FMC who has you rooting, sobbing, screaming for her. Obsessed with her capability and her wittiness.

Cross - Hot. Tempting. Secretive. The captain we all YEARN for. Bad boy energy and TRUE enemies to lovers trope come to life! 🥹

The side characters were also so amazing and you didn’t know who to trust!! So many plot twists, so many crazy things I didn’t expect!! The romance was spicy & STEAMY. The action and trials that our FMC had to go through were fast-paced & driven so well!! The psychic powers?? So interesting!!! Politics? Very complex& well written!!

I need this next book ASAP. This right here is the next big thing!!! 😍

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book. The only negative thing about this book is that it is the first in a trilogy and none of the books are out yet!! Wren is a Katniss level heroine! She’s feisty and fierce! The world building was second to the romance but it was such a unique world. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read the others.

Its been a few months since I started a book that I could not put down and stayed up til 4am to finish, and thankfully Silver Elite came along and had me doing just that. So many of my thoughts on this are spoilery, so I will just say that I absolutely loved this psychic powers. spicy enemies to lovers, fighting evil governments, dystopian book. I've already recommended it to people before I could even spit out coherent thoughts about it, and I will continue to do so. Definitely read this one!!

OKAY OKAY OKAY

I had a BLAST reading this. I was in it like I was 14 reading Divergent again. I couldn’t put it down. The MMC reminded me so much of Four (though maybe it’s just because I wanted to fancast Theo James)

The intrigue starts from the very beginning, the “magic” (it’s not magic but idk what else to call it) with the telepathy and mind reading and all of that was SO good, the romance was great, the banter had me giggling…truly stoked for the second book even though I am sus of EVERYONE.

Some of the decisions Wren made in the first 25-30% were really stupid/non sensical and right when I was just about fed up, things changed and we started rocking and rolling again so I’m settling on a 4.5 for this one!

Also if I have to see the word KEEN one more time, I might combust.

Thank you so much to the publisher for this advanced copy!! It’ll be out NEXT WEEEEEKKK

5 freakin star read! I LOVED THIS

Tropes
~ enemies to lovers
~ psychic modified humans
~ rebellion dystopian world
~ commander x undercover recruit
~ slow burn
~ spice 🌶️🌶️

𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚
I didn't know what to expect going into this book but as a fan of the hunger games and fourth wing this fits the aesthetic. In a world where Modified humans are frowned upon that they need to hide their powers from Primes. Our FMC is a Mod so when certain things happen she is forced to train for the Silver Elite, a special forces gig set by the Primes. Undercover she must navigate her way to survive or face exposing herself as a Mod.

Wren is a witty badass FMC with spunk, she's not afraid to open her mouth. I loved her as a character. She really meets her match when she encounters Cross, a grumpy hot commander who she needs to impress. Now one of my fav book boyfriends hehe. This book does have some spice, I especially loved the tension build up and flirty banter. The denying feelings is always a winner for me.

One side character I'm going to mention is Kaine.. OH MY. Hes Ridoc from FW basically, same banter and loves himself.

Some of the plot twists I had suspicion then there were some I didn't see coming at all. There are moments of heartbreak too so prepare yourself. I legit cannot wait for the next book as this is only the beginning. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and the writing style, I got hooked and couldn't out it down

Thank you to Del Rey UK for the arc copy

I finally finished this book after cycles of picking it up then putting it down again. Seeing all the positive reviews so far made me so excited to pick this one up.

While I did have fun reading this and I would say some could easily binge the book in one sitting, I ultimately felt like the characters were a bit two dimensional and I wasn’t entirely convinced about the romance. Some of the FMC’s choices throughout the book were quite questionable. I also thought that the last 20-30% of the book were a bit of a mess.

At first, the writing threw me off for some reason, but I eventually got used to it. Considering this is new adult, it reads more like YA at some points. I cringe at times, get frustrated other times.

Despite my qualms, I still had fun reading—kind of like watching a bad tv show knowing it’s bad but still continuing to watch it anyway?

Anyway, I think this will definitely become a new booktok favorite—perfect for fans of early YA dystopias like Divergent.

Thank you so much Penguin Random House for this digital galley. All thoughts are mine.

OK. This is one for the Divergent fans who have been desperately searching for their new adult dystopian romance series obsession, (she is me, I am said searcher)!

This is everything I could have hoped for and more from the first book in a new dystopian romance series! We’ve got a strong, sarcastic, capable, and at the same time impulsive and sometimes reckless FMC. We’ve got a grumpy, tattooed, (yes I did personally think of of Four from Divergent - but with extra charisma), deliciously flirtatious MMC. We’ve got corrupt politics that give Divergent/Hunger Games vibes but is at the same time completely its own thing. A corrupt system/class system/political leaders/uprising/revolution. There are those who are Primes, (humans who are immune to the bio toxin that nearly wiped out the Earth’s population 150 years ago), and those who are Modified, (humans who were enhanced by the toxin, resulting in them developing psychic gifts) - creating an interestingly new dystopian and political landscape. There’s found family in the most unlikely of places. There’s betrayal, twists and turns and plot twists to catch you off guard. There’s hidden abilities, hidden identity, training and task scenes (think Dauntless vibes from the Divergent series), in a school/training camp/facility setting. There’s secret enemies to lovers, with slow burn and the most delicious spice (that adds to the plot). And don’t even get me started on the yearning, pining and banter?! 😮‍💨
I feel like my only potential criticism is that I could’ve asked for more background with regard to the world building, because I’m genuinely so intrigued to learn more about this world and everything that happened previously to get us to where we are to day in terms of this first book. But as you can see it hasn’t swayed my enjoyment or rating or this book at all! 😅

Overall, this debut novel and first book on a new series had me on my toes throughout. I couldn’t put it down but at the same time tried to read it as slowly as I could because I just didn’t want it to end! Don’t even get me started on the ending and that cliffhanger…?! I genuinely cannot wait for the next instalment of this series. If like me, you’ve been a fan of the Divergent, The Hunger Games and Maze Runner series (or their film adaptations), and you’ve been looking for your latest fix, (but make it adult and spicy and something that is completely it’s own), you need to give this book a go!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Del Rey for an arc of this book.

Silver Elite. Where do I start? I was sucked in from the first page and was curious to see how this New Adult book would compare to all the popular series flooding the bookstores.

Dani Francis debut novel is set in an urban dystopian world where people with psychic abilities are deemed dangerous and often executed for holding such power. The world we are introduced to is fractured with many not trusting “modified” people like our FMC Wren.

Our FMC Wren is impulsive and can be quite frustrating at times. Many of the decisions she makes are without thought and the results of those poor choices are often devastating. I hope to see her character grow and learn from past mistakes and stop being so trusting of others. With her special powers hidden, Wren has to be extremely careful when around others as it could lead to her demise.

Cross Redden our MMC and Commanding Officer. He is in charge of Wrens training and I will admit, I have fallen for this man. He knew how to push Wrens buttons but was often willing and ready to clean up her mess whilst protecting her. Cross is an interesting character with many layers and I am interested to see how his character develops in book 2.

The chemistry that Cross and Wren have is undeniable. It can be fair to describe their initial meeting as insta lust, but I enjoyed their banter and the development of their relationship.

With a large cast of side characters, it’s hard to know who to trust as they are all out for themselves. Their roles in the book do not over shadow Wren and Cross story, and I am looking forward to learning more about them.

Whilst Silver Elite is advertised for New Adults, I found the book comparable to YA books and it’s quite an easy read. The world building is simple and easy to understand which is a plus for those who are not familiar with this genre. And for those who are, you will be pleased to find that all your favourite tropes are in this book.

I loved this book. I loved the plot and the characters and lost myself whilst reading. I did feel a lot of sadness for certain characters and anger towards others. It was an emotional rollercoaster with a hint of a love triangle and I couldn’t get enough. The plot twists were easy to spot but nevertheless, I still enjoyed them and I am itching for the second book.

Read if you enjoy:
- Plot Twists
- Dystopian Society
- Morally Grey characters
- Spice
- Secret Rebellion

Thank you so much Netgalley and Random House Worlds/ Del Rey for a copy of the e-arc.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The world, the characters and the romance. All so good! The FMC in this book is a little firecracker called Wren. She is smart, capable and feisty. For me she was one of the best parts of the book. Would definitely recommend this book to a friend and I cannot wait for book 2!!!

This book is everything I wanted in a new dystopian series. There's action, suspense, mystery, plot twists and romance, seriously, what more could you want? This book had me picking it up at every available moment just to read that little bit more! Francis did an excellent job of bringing the characters and world to life, I found myself struggling with who to root for as a lot of the characters are likeable, sassy, sarcastic and funny.
This book filled the gap in my life that was left from series' such as Hunger Games, Divergent and Maze Runner.
A truly fantastic debut novel, I am avidly awaiting book 2 and book 1 isn't even released yet!!

This was a NetGalley gifted eARC. Thank you!

Well, this had me kicking my feet, biting my nails, grinning ear to ear and laughing out loud. This ride was fast, fun and wild.

Wren (fmc) is modified, an outcast in society who must keep her abilities hidden from her enemies, aka primes. She is forced to attend training for Silver Block (run by the enemy) by the son of the General, Cross (mmc).

Wren, was thoughtful but also supremely reckless & bold but not suicidal. She toed the line many a time- keeping this book intense and exciting. Cross is dominant, mysterious and swoonworthy. The chemistry is A+.

Read Silver Elite if you like-
- a new and interesting political world
- hidden psychic powers
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- school/ campus setting
- uprising
- debut novel

This also had a fantastic ending leading you to ask yourself so many questions and wanting book two asap!

Again, thank you so much for the eARC:)

This book blew my mind!!

It was face paced and kept me engaged the entire time. I had less than 20% left and new things were still happening! It was written so well and the timing of each major event keeps the reader wanting more.

It has it all: a secret, a competition, a love interest, a betrayal. Literally everything!

No complaints or criticisms other than I now have to wait for the next book to come out.

I will be reading more by this author! Thank you Random House Worlds and NetGalley for this ARC.

Spice: extreme (multiple descriptive open door scenes)
Language: lots and all the words
Method of Consumption: Kindle
Published: May 6 2025

5 ⭐️ and 3🌶️

🖤It’s giving a mix of Fourth Wing, Hunger Games, and X-men, in the BEST of ways.
🖤Badass, independent FMC
🖤Spectacular world-building
🖤Dystopian Romantasy
🖤 Slowburn
🖤ENEMIES/RIVALS to lovers
🖤🌶️🌶️🌶️
🖤A MUST READ. I’m serious. Go add it to your TBR now

This story is like if Fourth Wing, Hunger Games, and X-men had a baby together, and it’s living its best 20 year old life. I didn’t know what I was getting into when starting to read this, but I quickly realized this was going to be one of my favorite books of 2025. The world building is insane. The author has a fantastic way of explaining things, it feels like these places and people are real. The characters are amazing, the plot had me gripping my book the entire time… this HAS to be the newest best read for any Romantasy lover. The spice scenes were the perfect amount and made sense with the story. At this point, I just have no clue how I’m going to be able to wait for the next 2 books. A must read.
.
Thank you to @authordanifrancis , @netgalley and to @delreybooks for the gifted ARC. Now I will be stalking you on NetGalley for when the next two books release. 😆🖤