3.75 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the e-arc! All opinions are my own.

Ok, I think everyone needs to adjust their expectations for this book a tiny bit. It was a very nostalgic dystopian romance read, I would have ate this up at peak dystopian era back in the days. If you want a book for the vibes, this is a good one. Overall, I have conflicting emotions with Silver Elite.

Was I giggling and kicking my feet? Yes. Was I entertained and engaged throughout? Yes. That’s all you might need to have a great time. 

But, a few things fell short for me:

- The MMC is a copy and paste of other main MMC in the current romantasy books we see. We also don’t know anything about him until around 75%. Other then the FMC, all the characters were flat for me.
- Romance is all lust, there’s no emotional connection until around 75%. That being said, I did think the tension was there, very good.
- 🌶️🌶️ - was ok, some scenes I felt weren’t needed, given the context of the scene.
- The plot is mostly predictable, you can see if it coming from miles away. Did I still eat it up? Yes I did. Perhaps you can say it has a well balanced predictability scale because some things I saw coming, others I didn’t. 
- The writing was ok, I think the more Dani writes, the better they will get.
- The FMC is in her early 20s but I felt like she was in her teens e.g her internal monologue and choices.
- World building also fell flat. It has potential though. They’re all different letters and I was confused, there was no clear distinction between the wards. 

Overall, decent and fun book. Go into this looking for a good, easy and fun read. It just falls short of the current hype around it for me but I can see why people love it.

3.75⭐️ Silver Elite was a fast, easy read that pulled me into its dystopian world from the first pages and I enjoyed this read for the most part. The setting hinted at something darker and more apocalyptic, however the story didn’t delve as deep as I wished it had. The world building had such strong potential, especially with the authoritarian dynamics and the brutal training regimen of the Silver Elite unit.

The FMC, Wren, was presented as capable, morally grounded, sharp and instinctive. What undermined all this though, was her reckless impulsivity, and I grew increasingly frustrated with it. The fact that her Silver Elite training didn’t seriously address or attempt to correct this trait felt unrealistic. This is a world built on precision, loyalty and control and I felt Wren’s erratic decision making undermined the credibility of both her character and the institution training her.

The moment she chose to heal her scar was a complete WTF moment for me. It was dangerous and so stupidly naive to do, especially in a world where survival of her kind is dependent on remaining hidden. I just didn’t get it. There was no way she could have concealed that for long, and the consequences endangered both her and Cross, this impetuousness was jarring and confusing to me.

If her recklessness was tolerated due to Cross’s (the MMC and unit OIC) obsession with her, then I was doubly confused as this undermines the idea of a wholly capable and professional military force. It felt like the world was bending to the will of the romance rather than the other way around.

Speaking of the romance—her connection with Cross burned intensely but never seemed to fully settle into something believable or earned. Even their shared connection as Daisy and Wolf couldn’t anchor the relationship. The mystery around Wolf’s identity was painfully transparent—I found myself hoping there was a twist and Wolf might actually be Kaine, but it played out exactly as expected. For all the emotional weight given to their relationship, I just didn’t feel it. I kept waiting for betrayal because honestly, I felt like it would’ve made more sense.

I will probably pick up a copy of the sequel when it comes out, I am curious if the series has something more profound to say. For me though, Silver Elite lacked the grit and depth to make it truly hit home. A tad disappointed as I had high hopes for this book, especially given the hype surrounding it-I was ready to be emotionally destroyed, however the cuts just weren’t that deep.

Thank you to the publisher and author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Silver Elite is what happens when Divergent, The Hunger Games, X-Men, and Minority Report get into an anonymous telepathic group chat moderated by Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks from You’ve Got Mail, except with the spice levels turnt, and it's probably going to be one of the biggest books of the year. Hello debut author Dani Francis where have you been all our lives.

To set the scene, I had just finished Sunrise on the Reaping and was deep in that post-book mourning period, where I expected to DNF five books and fall into a spiral and had accepted that my next read would be The Great Disappointment.

Instead, Silver Elite said, “Get up, loser, we’re going reading.” And I did.

By 15%, I’d already been emotionally compromised, handed an entire sociopolitical structure, and exposed to themes of surveillance, systemic discrimination, a bit of genocide and the ethics of psychic powers.

That brings me to Wren, our FMC. Wren has got a gun 🎵, (sing it to the tune of Janie’s got a gun), a conscience, and one of the most entertaining internal monologues I’ve read in a while.

She’s a witty, sniper-trained telepath who has Professor X meets Katniss energy. Wren would for sure shoot an apple out of a pig’s mouth just to prove a point. She grapples with power, surveillance, and consent in ways that add depth beneath all the action and romantic slow-burn tension. She’s overpowered but she knows it. And she’s wrestling with what that means.

And then there’s Cross. He’s definitely going to take over BookTok by force. Tall, dark, hot and haunted. He was probably mixed in a lab where they blended Four, Xaden, and Rhysand.

Not gonna lie. Silver Elite does have some of your favourite well-used romantasy tropes. But they don’t feel tired. They feel reinvigorated and handled with narrative purpose. There is a whisper of a love triangle, but don’t worry, everything gets resolved fairly cleanly, handled like an adult (thank you) and I actually kinda liked it?

There's also an Orwellian undercurrent, but it never feels derivative.

In the spirit of full transparency, I saw the Big Reveal coming from very early on. In fact, I had it circled in red with arrows. But sometimes, seeing it coming doesn’t dull the impact. Sometimes it makes it better, because the anticipation is half the fun. And in this case, it hit exactly the way it needed to.

Nevertheless, I won’t pretend this book is flawless. It leans hard into its romantasy flair, so if you're after layered dystopian commentary or intricate worldbuilding, this probably won't scratch that itch. The dystopian elements stay pretty surface-level. So if you approach this more as romantasy with dystopian seasoning, rather than a deep dive into systemic collapse and profound dystopian themes, you might just fall for it too. For me, the romantasy lover in me was too busy blushing and kicking my feet like I was reading ACOMAF for the first time to care, hence my rating is definitely a vibes rating, rather than a critical one.

It's chaotic. It’s spicy. It’s emotionally intelligent and self-aware. There’s a quiet subtlety in the way it exposes the cracks in our world through the lens of another. This book gave me the same high I got from reading the romamtasy greats, while still feeling like something new. I devoured this as fast as I could whilst life and adulting got in the way. I will be camping outside Dani Francis's inbox until book two drops.

Thank you so much to Random House Worlds | Del Rey for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re susceptible, please be mindful of content warnings, these are the ones I caught: Murder, death, war, classism, bigotry, systemic discrimination, off-page SA, on-page death penalty, fantasy drugs, mental illness, forced institutionalisation, graphic sexual content

Watch the review on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ57LWCX81Y

Divergent meets Fourth Wing in the first installment of a new and exciting dystopian series.! I highly recommend this book and plan to purchase it for my high school library.

This was a spicy, fast-paced royal fantasy with enemies-to-lovers goodness. Definitely on the more spicy side, so heads up if you’re after something steamy. The political tension and banter made it a super fun ride. A little tropey, but I ate it up.

I don’t normally read dystopian (romance) books, but this book already has gotten so much hype, so I wanted to check it out. And after having read it I think the hype will be justified and it will become a hit when it releases.

First of all, I think the world building in the book is quite solid, but I would have loved to get a bit more information on how exactly the mods (people with power) where created, but that might be something that is focussed on more in another book of the trilogy of course.

This book comes with quite a nice amount of plot twists but some were quite predictable, so when they happened I was not that astonished but more amused. However, there is one around the end about a certain character that made me gasp and (for now happy) (sorry for being a bit vague, trying to keep it spoiler free).

I feel that the author managed well to play around with the question of good and bad in her dystopian setting, because towards the end of the book I don’t really now yet which side I should be rooting for (while at the start I thought I did), so that was something that intrigued me as well.

The only thing that made me a bit sad was the romance unfortunately. Wren (FMC) and Cross (MMC) have potential, and I wouldn’t say their romance is written badly, I just wasn’t feeling it unfortunately. It went from oh no they are the enemy I cannot be attracted to them, to screw it let’s do it once, oh no more times, okay but no feelings to I love you, without really deeper moments (but again in a dystopian setting in which you fight for your life that might also make sense hahah).

Thank you delreybooks and netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t put this book down. It was intriguing and the world building was quite interesting. My only complaint is the time jumps often came out of nowhere and got confusing at times. Wren dichotomy made her feel torn throughout the entire book and I felt like she had genuine thought processes. The spicy was hot, without being over zealous. Overall, would recommend!

I loved this, it’s been so long since I’ve read a dystopian story and this definitely hit the right places. We get a good foundation on the two main characters and the political issues. I was fascinated with the story, steady pacing while giving the drama that I was looking for and action scenes that I love. The storyline felt right to me nothing being forced and rushed or too dragged out. Wren the FMC is cocky which I find so entertaining and fun. Her impulsiveness put her in too many bad situations, a bit frustrating but it wasn’t too much that I found repetitive. Finding herself attracted to her commanding officer, the yearning and attraction had me smiling soo hard. Especially when he begs and tries hard to get her attention. She’s way stronger than me I would have folded so quick. I can’t wait for the next book to be released!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Worlds I received a ARC for an honest review !

3.75 stars!
I fully DEVOURED this book!

FYI, this is not a novel meant for young adults, this is a new adult novel!

As a short overview, it is a novel about a young woman who has illegal psychic powers (inciting, telepathy, to name a few) who was raised by her uncle in the Backlands to protect her from the oppressive anti-Modified regime. Through certain unforeseen circumstances, she meets a commander of a powerful regime. The sparks *fly*...

Let's start with the aspects I absolutely adored about this book:
The slow burn, tension-filled, yearning that the young commander and our dear heroine (Wren) experience is unmatched. It is truly exquisite and absolutely elevates this novel. I loved the banter and the push and pull relationship between the two. It is a definitely, "he falls first and HARDER" sort of book which is on the rarer side. I also liked the moral dilemma the heroine faced when she started forming relationships with people who should have been her enemy.

The things I didn't especially like:
There was a severe and profound lack of world building in my opinion is the most disappointing part of the book. I wanted more! More background, more culture, more descriptions of the world. I needed more from the ideology side of things! Also, I felt like the heroine was supposed to be this worldly, skilled girl, and she came off as immature at times. The way the author wrote the heroine made her seem as if she was invincible and would never receive real consequences (aka death). The ending was... disappointing and easy, frankly.

I feel like I just read Divergent and I'm going to go get birds tattooed on my collarbone. The world building, the romance, and the 'magic' system are all fascinating. This combined with engaging characters had me on the edge of my seat. Dani Francis does an amazing job of holding on to the favorite parts of YA dystopia of 15 years ago and reimagining it in a way that resonates now. There is a deep love of dystopia in this book but it doesn't rip off the YA dystopia genre. Dani Francis did a great job of making the romance a strong part of the story and kept you rooting for them. I also appreciate that so much of the plot is gray, not black and white. It keeps the reader on their toes. I loved it and I'm so excited to see what happens next.

Mark this one on your TBR! Silver Elite delivered! Loved it!
When I read the synopsis of Silver Elite, I immediately knew I HAD to read it. Mark my words, this will be a very popular book.
This dystopian romantic fantasy will pull you into its lush world building, unique characters (I loved Kaine. He's one of those secondary characters that you laugh with, fall in love with, and hope he stays a good guy) in an academy setting. There is plenty of action and tensions between the Mods and Primes. Plenty of twists and intrigue that will keep those pages turning. Is there romance? Yes. It's the slow burn, build trust, kinda romance. And trust me when I say it's worth it. Daisy (Wren) and Cross will be characters you won't forget... or that ending (wink wink)

Thank you NetGalley & Random House/Del Rey for providing a digital review copy

This was a decent read. Definitely fast-paced with a cool concept, but it didn’t totally land for me. The whole psychic powers and rebellion angle had potential, and I liked the enemies-to-lovers setup, but the romance kind of took over the plot a bit too much for my taste. It wasn’t bad, just one of those books that had some fun moments but didn’t fully work for me. A solid 3-star read.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 stars)
Review:
Right from the start, the writing and tone completely drew me in. It had such a natural rhythm and emotional pull that I was hooked. The world definitely leans dystopian, which usually isn’t my favorite, but I ended up approaching it more like a fantasy setting, and that made all the difference. Reframing it that way helped me stay immersed without getting caught up in the elements that usually make dystopians a miss for me.

Some parts of the plot were predictable, but that didn’t diminish the emotional impact. I was barely 10 percent in and already crying, and it was definitely not the last time I teared up while reading.

I ended up finishing the book in just two days because I couldn’t put it down. It was such a unique story, unlike anything I’ve read before. I went in thinking it was a standalone, and now I am emotionally unprepared to wait for the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Worlds, Del Ray for the advanced copy. I absolutely loved this one and can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

This book healed the Divergent whole in my heart. As someone who LOVED dystopian books when I was younger this was so nostalgic! However, it was entirely its own unique story. The ending of the book perfectly sets up what could be a 5 star series for me.

I cannot stress enough how much I recommend reading Silver Elite! So sad that it’s over, I wish I could erase my memory just so I could reread it again for the first time.

Thank you netgally for accepting my request

Silver Elite is the kind of book you get when you take all the best parts out of all our favourite dystopian stories, and blends them altogether into an action-packed, heart-wrenching story in one of my all-time favourite settings - AN ACADEMY 😮‍💨 and boy, this book does not disappoint.

Silver Elite hooked me from the get go, but by 10% in, I couldn’t put it down. It’s not often I sacrifice my sleep for a book, but I stayed up well into the night absorbing every single detail. All throughout this story were echoes of George Orwell’s 1984, but it didn’t feel imitated or cliche. It features all our favourite romantasy tropes, but not in a way that’s overdone, or laying it on thick. This book is extremely well written, and pulls on the heartstrings in one moment while drawing us right into the action in the next. The relationships feel authentic, the character development raw and real, and the banter literally had me laughing out loud. Now onto our characters:

Wren Darlington - certified badass, lethal with a rifle, and absolutely hilarious to boot. Her prowess is absolutely predictable but she still feels completely real. There is a carefully crafted background to explain her powers and skills, and yet she still shows the vulnerability and weakness that makes her human.

Cross Redden - The General’s son, Captain of Silver Block, and absolutely swoon-worthy weapon of mass destruction in breaking hearts and kicking butts. And of course he falls for our darling Wren, because how could he not? We all can’t help but fall in love with her.

The one thing I could possibly say that could’ve made it better - a little more history with our world building. The world building itself is fantastic. It isn’t intricate and layered, but it doesn’t need to be. I didn’t want for nothing, and everything was well detailed, and the plot went on relatively seamlessly. But there were little snippets of the history of the biotoxin, and the Modified, and it just wasn’t quite clear what came first, how the Modified came to exist, etc. This may be explained in a little more detail later on and I may have missed a few pieces here and there, but that is my only gripe. And it’s really not even a criticism, it’s me being nosy and wanting to devour every single thing about this book and this world. This book explores the evils of both sides of the lens, and does it in a way that is mature and emotionally beyond its years, while still satisfying all of our romantasy hopes and dreams.

I cannot thank Random House Worlds | Del Rey enough for the eARC of this book. It will absolutely be a top 5 read of the year for me, and I cannot wait for book 2.

I don’t usually like comparing books, but if Divergent and Red Queen had a love child, this would definitely be it. Honestly, dystopian fiction deserves a major comeback there’s something about that feral need to know what happens next that’s just unmatched.

I kept seeing this book pop up all over my socials these past few months, so when I got the chance to read the ARC through NetGalley, I jumped on it—and it did not disappoint. It reminded me exactly why I love reading in the first place. The story was fast-paced, engaging, and genuinely fun. I found myself fully hooked—laughing out loud at times and grinning like a fool.

The characters were a blast, even if some could use a little more depth. Being inside Wren’s head was chaotic in the best way. She drove me a little crazy here and there, but I still loved seeing the world through her eyes. I was a bit bummed we didn’t get Cross’s POV—because let’s be honest, it would've been amazing—but I trust the author had their reasons. I also really liked Kaine and Xavier, and I’m crossing my fingers we get to see more of them in the sequel.

The ending? Super compelling. I need to know what happens next. I’m fully invested in the characters and their journey, and I’m hoping the next book dives deeper into their motivations and internal conflicts. (Also, not to be greedy or anything... but a Cross POV? Please? It just makes sense after that ending.)

All in all, this was such a fun and gripping read—especially coming at a time when I was stuck in a bit of a slump. It totally reignited my love for dystopian stories.

A highly addictive page turner that is reminiscent of books like the Hunger Games and Divergent. It filled the void that Fourth Wing left behind as there are noted similarities between the two. That being said there is more than enough to make this novel shine on its own.

Wren Darlington lives in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have evolved a lot of different psychic abilities. Only problem, the government is set on eradicating these modified humans from the population. When Wren's uncle is murdered for being a deserter, Wren is forced into joining Silver Block, whose duty it is to find Mods and kill them, as well as disrupt their activities against the government as much as possible. Wren possesses four psychic abilities and she must hide them all from her fellow recruits and the captain of the Silver Elite unit who is training her, who she is falling for in the worst possible way. A lot of sexual tension and hot sex ensues. My biggest problem with this book is it is a direct pastiche of Fourth Wing.

It's too bad that again this novel is the beginning of a trilogy, but there are no dates available, because I'm enjoying Wren and Cross's story a lot and can't wait to see how it turns out. There were a couple of plot twists that were easily predictable and others that took me completely by surprise. The world building is definitely good and understandable, although it reminds me a lot of other dystopian novels I'd rather not name, and the pacing is fairly tight even if not always. I had promised myself not to start any new series, but as usual matters of principle slam against the principle of reality and this time I don't think I will regret it, or at least I hope....

Peccato che anche stavolta si parli dell'inizio di una trilogia, ma non ci siano date a disposizione, perché la storia di wren e Cross mi sta piacendo un sacco e non vedo l'ora di vedere come vada a finire. ci sono stati un paio di plot twist facilmente prevedibili e altri che invece mi hanno colto completamente di sorpresa. Il world building é decisamente buono e comprensibile, nonostante mi ricordi molto altri romanzi distopici di cui preferisco non fare nomi, e il ritmo é abbastanza serrato anche se non sempre. Mi ero ripromessa di non cominciare nuove serie, ma come al solito le questioni di principio sbattono contro il principio di realtá e stavolta non credo che me ne pentiró, o almeno spero....

I received from the Publisher a digital advanced review copy in exchange for a honest review.

It’s been forever since I picked up a dystopian, and I’m officially obsessed with this one!

Wren, a powerful psychic forced into hiding, is captured and placed in an elite enemy training program. It’s the perfect chance to sabotage them from within, but things get complicated.

This book brought back everything I love about dystopian stories!

Wren is the kind of character who’s always landing in trouble and somehow finding her way out, which kept the tension high and the pace flying. Her connection with Cross had me completely hooked, especially with the fun twist that showed up!!

It gave me all the nostalgic Divergent feels but still managed to bring something totally its own to the table.

If you’re into dystopian with secrets, tension, and romance, you need this one in your life.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC!