Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Silver Elite.

I DEVOURED this. I LOVED this. I need book two YESTERDAY.

NO THOUGHTS, JUST FEELINGS.

GIVE ME MORE.

Also, Cross can get it 😍🔥

This was such a fun dystopian romance full of witty banter, steamy romance, and a great plotline that had me gripped for the entirety of the novel. Wren is a strong, complex, and intelligent character thrust into a world of violence in the Silver Block with elite fighters. Hiding her illegal powers of telepathy become more difficult as she starts to fall for Cross, her commanding officer. I think that although it was compared to The Hunger Games, it is quite different and the plot twists had me shocked at the end. Although the romance was less yearning than I usually go for, I thought it was really steamy and entertaining! Overall great read and I am excited if this is a series that continues past a first book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book and provide a review.

I really enjoyed this read - it had a good blend of romance and mystery that ended on quite the cliffhanger. This is a good option for people who like fourth wing (no dragons sadly) but wished for more mission oriented storylines and romance. I’ll be excited to hear when book 2 is coming out!

I am easy to please, but this was the most mid book of the year. It was Divergent without the heart pounding stakes or thought provoking sorting. I liked the smut, and I liked Cross but this was my most disappointing book of the year.

Silver Elite is a fast-paced, addictive, somewhat-dystopian romance that delivers on entertainment value but stumbles when it comes to deeper substance. If you’re looking for an unputdownable, bingeable story with strong characters and high-stakes romantic tension, this debut certainly checks those boxes. But temper your expectations for depth of worldbuilding or thematic exploration.

The novel introduces Wren Darlington, a confident, sharp-witted protagonist whose inner monologue and calculated bravado make her a standout voice. Her dynamic with Cross Redden—enigmatic, maddening, and undeniably magnetic—drives much of the book’s energy. Their chemistry is built on enemies-to-lovers tension with forced proximity, banter, and angst. The romance is easily the novel’s strongest feature, and for readers who love an emotionally charged, high-heat connection, it absolutely delivers.

But Silver Elite struggles for a dystopian novel. The actual dystopia often feels more like set dressing than a living, breathing world. The political system, the oppression, and the violence affecting Wren and those around her are rarely explored in depth. Traumatic or violent events are quickly brushed past, especially when they interfere with romantic progression. The book also relies heavily on familiar tropes—secret missions, love triangles, elite academies—which aren’t inherently bad, but in Silver Elite, they often replace more meaningful character growth or nuanced plot development.

Ultimately, Silver Elite is a fun, escapist read that will satisfy fans looking for a spicy dystopian fix with an unforgettable lead couple. It’s not a groundbreaking entry in the genre, and readers hoping for rich thematic depth may come away disappointed. But if you’re here for the vibes, this is a fun one.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the complimentary eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“We can’t erase our scars because we need them to remember.”

I read Silver Elite 2.5 months ago and I still don’t know what to think about it.
The story is very fast paced, and addictive. Pages turn “by themselves” and you quite can’t stop reading, twist after twist –no matter if they are (mostly) predictable.
The different types of “mind abilities” are interesting and keep fueling the constant paranoia you feel while reading, as you never know who can be trusted. But this book truly lacks some world building, in all aspects. I know it’s a trilogy, but we know almost nothing about the world, it only feels like a “surface set up”, and I wish it had more depth.
I (for most parts) liked Wren’s arc. She has an interesting evolution in this book, from the impulsive and self-centered “child” to a more nuanced character, even if she still has a long way to go. But I disliked her “h*rny teenager” side a lot. It felt like the other characters were described only regarding their “f*ckability degree” and it was uncomfortable, very “male gaze like” and –IMO– didn’t add anything to the character.
That sentiment increased with the pretty unaddressed s*xu*l h*rassement and ass*ults –as if it was just normal, not revolting. On the same line, the discourse around prisoners was blurry (as an example among many, the MMC is “good” because he sends people to work-camps –in which they’ll d!e– and doesn’t ex*cute them… really?), as much as the “Aberrants’” motivations (as if they had an “agenda”? Hum…). I think what was lacking to me was the critics about Society, which should be predominant in a dystopian book. It could be because it’s only book 1, but again it already lacks some WB so… I’m not sure. We’ll see (I hope so) in the future...
To summarize, as I said, I truly can’t say if I adored Silver Elite or the complete opposite. Maybe it’s the mark of something great? I have no idea. In the end, I would conclude that as an “isolated book”, I can’t say I loved it. BUT it’s a trilogy. And so much can be addressed in the remaining books. Will two books be enough to deal with everything? I’m not sure. But I’ll probably check book 2 to know anyway.

Thank you to the author and DelRey for the eARC on NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Trust no one… except me when I say: YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK.

I flew through this book in under 24 hours - I couldn’t put it down. It’s addictive, twisty, and gave me a full blown book hangover. I’m already counting down the days until the next one drops l

If early 2010s dystopia had a lovechild with 2025 New Adult romantasy - you would get Silver Elite. It’s perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent who now love the intense, character-driven pace of Fourth Wing. The plot is rich with emotion and tension, and I was hooked from page one.

The world building is rich but super easy to sink into, with a brutal military academy setting that’s equal parts dangerous and delicious. The stakes are life-or-death on every page, and the cutthroat trials to join the elite team had me gasping and flipping pages like my life depended on it. The FMC is exactly my kind of girl - stabby, fierce, and absolutely ready to burn it all down if she has to.

Read if you like:

🩶 YA dystopia with NA spice
🩶 Stabby, fierce FMC
🩶 Military setting with brutal trials to join an elite team
🩶 A broody MMC with major Four/Xaden vibes
🩶 Top-tier banter

Wren Darlington joins the "military" because she's forced to but then realizes it'd be a great way to spy on the dictatorship that has made her life such hell, only if Wren were truly in any military setting she would've been killed the first day for all the insubordination and stupid nonsense she gets up to. The romance is steamy, but the worldbuilding is too flimsy.

This book has major Hunger Games/Divergent vibes.
It's so good!!! Wren is one of the aberrant. She has the gift of telepathy among others. The current regime under General Redden sees them as defective and threats. They can either make themselves known and work for the capitol or risk being found and be sent to a labor camp or face the firing squad. Wren has hidden her abilities her entire life. She was taught how to shoot since she was a child and her skills (think Katniss with the bow) are remarkable. When she makes a split second decision to save a child from an animal attack, her skilled shot gets noticed by a soldier nearby. Now everyone & everything she holds dear is threatened.
Forced to show her allegiance to the General, she's put in training to be a soldier. Silver Elite being the top of the top. Only the best make it in but Wren has no intentions on making the cut. She wants to go back to her ward (think district). There's also the Captain, the general's son, Cross Redden who she feels intense attraction towards but falling for the enemy is not an option. There's so much more but I don't want to ruin the experience. It's a must read!

Thanks to DelRay for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I ended up DNFing the book at 10% as I really struggled with the style of writing. The sentence structure, the word choice, the flow of words just did not jive with my brain and I found I spent more time thinking about how it could be written differently than on the story.

That said, this is my own personal preference and I know others who LOVE the book, so I wouldn't not recommend the book to people. I hope that it finds it audience and does well.

I may try it again in the future and perhaps my opinion will change.

I loved this book!
Finally a hyped up book that was worth the hype!
This is everything you want from a fantasy book! My first 5 star in a while.
The story has a divergent/ hunger games/ fourth wing feel to it and it was right up my alley!
I love the writing style and the characters.
I loved the world and the magic system. It was very unique and definitely a page turner!
I love how this set up for the next book and I very much look forward to seeing how the rest of Wren and Cross’ story plays out!
Definitely recommend.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC. Much appreciated!

This one delivers on the romantasy promise of darkness, sex, and action, but it feels hollow. The pace is quick, and the writing is easy to consume, but it lacks soul and originality. It’s a dystopian military complex with mind powers, but it was underused, especially during the sex scenes. The lead, Wren, is sassy, gorgeous, and good with a gun (what a surprise), but her decisions don’t make sense. Rather than feeling sex-positive, her constant focus on physical appearance comes across as superficial and shallow. The old faithful familiar tropes dominate the plot: she’s lethal and petite, he’s powerful and tortured, his ex is hostile, and the powers-that-be want her kind gone. If you've read romantasy, none of this will surprise you. This book is compulsively readable as intended, but the absence of anything new or memorable sucks. Unlike the lead, guns aren’t hot to me. I probably won’t continue the series. It wasn’t a bad time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for advanced access to this.

Even though some things were highly predictable, it was still a super fun read. The last 10% is the best and I have to say some things definitely caught me by surprise. I think thag from 25%-50% there was a lot of unnecessary filler and a lot of things could have been cut out to keep the story moving but overall, I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading the next book!

I enjoyed this book. Wren was an interesting character with many flaws and tragedies to be handed to her. It was difficult to determine how a person would react to their circumstances, as Wren was. The only issue that I had with this story was the romance aspect. It felt forced and not genuine. It felt more forced.

Wren was a complex and well-developed character. She had lots of character and tragedy from her parents death to her "uncle "'s death. One has no idea how a person would react to the circumstances. She was dealt with; however, she did it well and was very brave.

I will have a more extensive vlog depicting my experience with this book but in summary: plot is where? This is an insult to dystopia genre as it lacks any ability at critique on current affairs/oppression. Its giving "white woman who didn't understand the themes of Divergent/Hunger Games and just wants it to be spicy and lacks any semblance of understanding of actual oppressed individuals" Seriously I'm pissed at this book and the hype and the dumb speculation as to who the author is. All I know is this author doesn't care about the themes and messages dystopia is supposed to have and just wanted to piggy back on the success of actual YA dystopia and add spice it in for the sales. I have so much more to unpack about this.

I have seen so many mixed reviews on this book. Some loved it others really hated it.

First of all if you are going into this story to see action and a fast pace since this is classified as a dystopian well I’m sorry but you will not find much of it here. But if you like me are a romance girly like me and are here for the romance well yes you’re in the right book.

The book is so heavily focused in the romance between Cross and Wren. And let me tell you their first encounter was hot. These two had a sizzling chemistry. And you know what?! He falls first 😩😍 one of my favorites tropes. He was begging her to let him kiss her for god sakes. Cross was just perfect I have no complaints about him.

But Wren on the other hand I have some issues with her yes I love her wittiness and it was so fun to see her making Cross life miserable for a while. But her uncle died to keep her safe so no one knew of her existence and what did did girl did she went and do, she got rid of the thing that was protecting her from people finding out who she really was 🙄 and because if it her cover was blown. Not very smart of her. Another thing she was supposed to be this badass with a gun but I saw her only like twice used this magnificent skills in the story it was just a waste of potential to the story.

Lastly I felt that some of this plot twist were very predictable but I did enjoy the story and I for sure will be reading the next book.

In this fantasy world, some people have the ability to heal, some to communicate using telepathy, some can predict the future, and some can cause others to act in a way they do not intend. Wren is one of those people. The other group of people are "normal", and they are in charge, but they fear the "abberants" and are trying to rid the world of all of them. Cross is a son of the leader of the "normal" people, and a commander of the army. When Wren accidentally reveals her remarkabl ability to shoot, she is captured by the Elite, to join their army. The story is a good one, and obviously there are more books to come about the war between the two groups. Unfortunately the writing will have more appeal to teens than to adults,, but there are so many sexual scenes that I would not put it in a high school library.. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc but no pressure for a positive review.

I struggled a bit to get into this one at first. It's a lot of information to take in to be able to understand the different characters, and especially Wren. I loved the dystopian element of this one. I also found the psychic abilities portion to be really interesting. We have two factions of people and a war that seems to constantly be on the fringes of starting. The book really makes you experience all the emotions while reading. The tension between Cross and Wren is written beautifully and the banter is full of so much sarcasm and anger it just really ramps up the tension between them, not to mention the whole falling for the enemy thing. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next one.

DNF-ing this book because of the debates around this book regarding the supposed use of AI in the book and the insensitivity towards the depiction of real world issues in dystopian by using dystopia merely as a backdrop for a romance that is already problematic.

Dani Francis’ debut adult romance-dystopian kickoff to a trilogy will be popular with many. There is a strong female main character, Wren, who is full of contradictions and a handsome object of her lust who has secrets. Their world is fractured by intolerance and a desire to eradicate/dominant the other by two groups, the Modified and Primes, who are determined to wipe out the other. The Modified population were changed by a biotoxin during the last major conflict and now have a variety of abilities including telepathy, mind-reading, healing, and a very few can “incite,” or force others to do their will. Primes are humans without any special, hard to understand talents and are currently in power and working to either kill or enslave all Mods. There is plenty of weaponry, high tech gadgets and duplicity at every turn. And there is sex. A lot of very detailed sex. There are 3 big plot twists, 1 that everyone should see coming and 2 that will be a surprise. Wren is Modified but abilities do not manifest in the visible way it does for others, enabling her to blend in. But her guardian of almost two decades happens to be a deserter from the Prime’s military force, called Command, is discovered and executed and Wren is forced into a Command training program. For a number of readers 18-25 years old, all this will be enough to earn a 4 or 5 star rating.

I didn’t especially love the book and the series opener will be enough for me. Francis’ world-building is intriguing at the start but it never gets detailed or deep enough and I was left with a lot of how and why questions. Wren seems to motivated only by lust and otherwise, sort of drifts along never really deciding what is important to her except getting naked with random men (her past only being lightly touched on) until she bumps into Mr. Everything. He, too, is tortured by his passion for Wren and doesn’t really stand for much, either, except that he loves her and will risk everything to keep her safe. I did read through the end and kept hoping my questions would be answered and I would develop some sympathy for the duo and that I would begin to care how they were going to navigate the mess they find themselves in.

Note for high school librarians: If your community supports having Sarah Maas’ titles or others with similar graphic and gratuitous sex, you might consider this one, as it is likely to be popular with teen readers. In addition to the sex, F-bombs are sprinkled liberally on every page. God’s name, however, is not used in any way, profanely or in reverence, as the current administration of Primes have outlawed having any other god outside of the present ruling General. Wren’s best friend, Tana, prefers her sexual partners to be female but there are no details of her relationships and one of Wren’s soldier buddies makes a single comment about his exploits with men and women.