✨✨✨✨✨ to infinity and beyond.

How do I even write a review of this.
A dystopian world of everything I ever needed in a book.

Kicking
Screaming
Shock
Guesswork
Adventure
Awesome
Wait whilst i jump up and down
Worth the hype.


Loved it loved it loved it, please add to your TBR then his me up when you’re reading it because FAM you’re gonna love it.

If this is the book that revives the dystopian genre, then I am on board!

I absolutely devoured this book! Like couldn’t put it down, was waiting to be able to read more of it, there was something about it that was so addicting, I think a lot of people will enjoy this.

It has quick pacing and accessible writing with a solid plot. The romance was good, if a little insta-love for apparent enemies. I liked the main characters and their development throughout the book.

The world building was very good, at no point did it feel like I was being info dumped, but I had enough context for the plot. The powers were very cool, they felt new and different to the usually tele powers you see, which I liked.

The only way this would have been a 5 star book instead of 4.5 is if I hadn’t guessed a major plot twist within the first 10-15% of the book…

Thank you to Del Rey for the opportunity to review this ARC.

This book has everything I love ! It’s a dystopian story with a strong, intelligent, and reckless female, Wren, who has special abilities she was forced to keep hidden her entire life (to stay alive and out of the watchful eye of the government that wants to eradicate all those with such abilities). When a series of events force Wren to join the government’s special unit of elite soldiers, she has to quickly figure out who she can trust and how to survive.

This book has enemies to lovers, sci-fi/fantasy, uprising/rebellion, and secret identities. The story moves fast with lots of action, some spice, and several surprising twists!

After reading, I went to follow the author and see what else she has written. I was surprised to find that this is her debut novel!

This book was recommended on BookBub for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent and it did not disappoint.

Thanks to Net Galley for a chance to read this advanced copy!

I’ll start by saying this: I have not rated a book five stars in two years. And this one? It knocked it out of the park. If I could give it an infinite amount of stars, I would. This is the kind of story that reminds you why you fell in love with reading in the first place.
A dystopian masterpiece, this book instantly earns its place alongside fan favorites like Divergent and Fourth Wing. It gives off that same thrilling, high-stakes energy, but still manages to feel completely original. You can tell it shares the same vibe, but it’s also entirely its own. I devoured it.
The writing is absolutely fantastic—sharp, vivid, and immersive. The world-building was so well done, I had a movie playing in my head the entire time I was reading. Maybe that’s my own version of foreshadowing. It just has that kind of cinematic power.

The characters? Brilliant. They’re the kind you cling to from the first few pages and think about long after the book is done. The tension was there, the suspense was there, and yes—the romance was there too.
This is my favorite style of book: dystopian, gripping, emotionally driven. But even within the genre, it stands out for its uniqueness.

I read it in one sitting. And I’ll most likely read it again and again. That’s how good it is. I’m now completely invested in this story and the world it builds. I’ll be following everything the author does from this point forward. Best believe I’ll need every version of this book—every special edition—and I’m buying a whole new bookshelf just for this series.

The only bad thing? The next book isn’t out yet.
This is, without question, the best book I’ve read this year—and in a long while. It deserves all the attention it’s getting and everything that’s on its way. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I didn’t realize it was this I was missing.

wonderful vibes, a romance i actually loved, ending was a little rushed and fell flat with all the chaos, still loved every moment. if people dont go crazy for this i will be confused.

Wow, this book absolutely gripped me from start to finish. Wren Darlington is intriguing yet reckless, which makes for a great read - she doesn’t do what the typical FMC does

And Cross? My god what a MANNNNNN

The concept in this story is expertly written and easy to follow without being too obvious

The writing was impeccable and I am obsessed. There were no lull points in the book and it had me hanging on every word continuously

Amazing.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

“Our gifts aren’t always a gift, little bird. Sometimes, they’re a curse.”

Wow, you will think you understand the meaning behind this quote at the beginning of the book. But, you have no idea how much more meaning it will carry once you finish. I was at 50% of the book and then had to sit for the next 3.5 hours to finish it because I could not put it down.

This dystopian novel brings the same feeling you experienced after finishing the following series:
The Hunger Games
Divergent
Red Queen
Fourth Wing
X-Men

The world-building in this book is solid. I was able to follow along easily and didn’t feel the need to flip back to determine where the characters were or what was happening. Something I would love to see (and this is likely to appear in a future book, as there’s no way another book is not coming) is a more in-depth explanation of how Mods came to be (think The Maze Runner prequel).

This book had a mix of predictable, satisfying, and shocking plot twists. I definitely was entertained as each puzzle piece moved into place. Francis ultimately created a great depiction of a morally grey society. By the end of the book, I knew that there were more complexities behind each side (e.g., Mods, Primes, Abberants, etc.). Francis’ story allows her readers to begin making inferences about who really is good vs. who is bad. I have a feeling this will fluctuate a lot in future books.

Now, for my slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers enthusiasts, look no further because this is an excellent book for that. The tension that develops between the FMC and MMC is evident from the start, and it was enjoyable for me to provide commentary while reading and trying to guess when they would finally admit to having feelings for each other. However, my one qualm with the romance was that it felt a little unbalanced. It seemed to go from slow-burn tension, to the “F” it moment (which I always enjoy), to (in my opinion) unnecessary hookup moments, to a quick “I love you”. I think it would be very significant to create a better mix for the romance to truly capture the characters’ genuine feelings for each other.

Overall, this was a fun, entertaining, heart-pounding, out-loud gasping read that most dystopian readers will find themselves drawn to. I know that I can not wait to see what happens in the next installment.

2025 really said ‘Dystopia is back babyyyyyyyy’ and i for one am here for it.

I loved this book, I thought the pacing was great, the characters were engaging and the tension between Wren and Cross was just *Chefs kiss* This really felt like the future Magneto saw in X-Men come to life and from the very start I was hooked. I loved Wren’s defiance, her refusal to be the ‘chosen one who is best at everything’ until her hand is literally forced. I loved how Dani Francis is not afraid to kill people off or have them betray the main characters - there were so many twists and turns and every time i thought I knew where I was going, i was surprised - with one huge exception.

The reason this isn’t a 5 star for me is that one major plot twist regarding Wren’s psychic BFF’s identity - no spoilers but i did see that twist coming a mile off and thought that the characters involved should have had more of a mixed reaction to finding out that news, given their dynamic throughout the book - it seemed like they just sort of said ‘oh cool, yeah thats neat’ and then immediately swapped sides with little to no explanation and that was my only real issue with this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Firstly let me say thank you NetGalley and Del Ray for this ARC. All comments made in this review are my own honest opinions.

Now... you gotta know... DYSTOPIA IS BACK WITH A VENGENCE! If you loved Divergent and Hunger Games back in the day, and want to read their love child book who is now all grown up (with badass, sexy characters doing badass, sexy things while the world falls apart around them), then this book is for you. Silver Elite has all the best dystopian world tropes, with a corrupt government, undercover spies, powers/abilities, and a "trust no one" vibe. But it also has absolutely badass characters, sizzling chemistry, hilarious banter, tension, danger and all that good stuff.

I honestly don't want to say too much because I went into this book pretty blind and was absolutely invested from the get go. I loved the development of the story, figuring out who you can and can't trust, there were a few twists that really I didn't see coming, some I loved and some made me so mad (at the characters, not the book!).

Dani Francis has knocked it out of the park with this book and I will absolutely recommend it to EVERYONE. It's a must read got 2025 and will definitely be amongst my top books for the year. Can't wait for more from this author.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - five stars, no notes, chefs kiss 👌

Silver Elite drops us into a gritty dystopian world through the eyes of Wren, a Modified who’s spent her entire life hiding her true identity and abilities. But after a reckless decision lands her in the Military, Wren is forced to train to become one of the elusive Silver Elite—a path that comes with danger, secrets, and an inconvenient attraction to her Commanding Officer, who also happens to be the General’s son.

One of the things I loved about this book was the world-building. The power dynamics were so well-thought-out and explained in a way that made everything click. Following a war over 150 years ago, a biotoxin split humanity into two groups: the Primes, who were immune, and the Modified, who were enhanced by it. I appreciated seeing both perspectives—how Modified once ruled with cruelty while Primes were oppressed, and how now, the tables have turned. Modified are hunted down, their powers seen as threats, regardless of intent. It’s a brutal but fascinating world. I especially loved the details—like the silver veins that appear when some Modified activate their powers, while others, like Wren, don’t show them outwardly.

Unfortunately, this is where my love for the book ends.

The writing and pacing gripped me for the first 30%, but by the time I finished, I was left confused. While this is billed as a New Adult dystopian, the dialogue and character behavior felt much more YA. (And let me say, I will defend YA forever—but it just didn’t match the tone or themes I think Francis was aiming for.)

I expected the training to be the focus of the book, but that phase wrapped up surprisingly quickly. By 70%, Wren was already off on missions, and I was left feeling like I’d missed a huge part of her growth. The pacing felt off and rushed.

Then there’s Wren. She’s introduced as this incredibly skilled, dangerous, and trained-since-childhood survivor. But she also makes choices that are so baffling I wanted to scream. Two, in particular, made me lose all faith:

1. She willingly lets a healer erase the scar that’s been her only protection from being discovered as a Modified. Why?! She knows how dangerous the world is—she’s seen the torture, death, and experiments.
2. She fully trusts a Prime girl she’s known for all of three months to keep her secret. No backup plan. Just… trust.

These moments didn’t align with the strong, calculated character we were told she was. I genuinely couldn’t stand her. I was really hoping that we get some good development by the end of the book, but sadly I saw very little.

I also didn’t connect with the romance. Her Commanding Officer was written to be this brooding, intense figure—but nothing about him really stood out. Their chemistry just didn’t land for me. And the “big” twist involving him? I saw it coming before he even entered the story.

I debated whether I’d continue the series, but honestly, there just wasn’t enough here for me to feel invested. That said, I know this book will absolutely find its audience. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of the book.

Silver Elite is a dystopian romance (heavy on the romance). It promised to be an action packed and spicy read that I was SO ready to fill the gap of the nostalgic dystopian era. It had so much potential, unfortunately there were some things I just couldn't get past...
We follow Wren, a modified in hiding in a world of ordinaries (called Primes). She is adopted and trained in her abilities by her 'uncle' Jim. He teaches her how to use her modified gifts and most importantly how to hide and defend herself if she is ever found out. Wren draws the attention of the Command and the Silver Elites- a group of soldiers trained in taking down modifieds and ends up going under cover in their program to become one of them.

The pacing was a highlight, Every chapter ended with some sort of reveal that made you keep reading even after saying "only one more chapter" - I love it when a book makes you do that. The side characters really added to the story too. All the friends (and enemies) Wren makes during her time in the program were really enjoyable to read about. I especially liked Kaine- he was the comedic relief, flirty banter character (LOVE!).

Wren was 100% a badass female lead, however she makes all of these rash decisions that she basically ignored everything her uncle had taught her to do. Her internal dialog was frustrating because she was so impulsive. If she had stopped and thought things through then she could have avoided escalating literally every situation she was in. I was hoping to see some growth in her impulsiveness (her uncle literally tells her to work on it at the start of the book) but nope, she kept making silly decisions all the way to the end.

Our MMC, Cross, is the Prime Generals son- Wrens sworn enemy. To be honest, I didn't love the romance.. Cross was a little too possessive and jealous for my liking. Until the end of the book where he does a complete 180 and is suddenly gentle, sweet and super helpful.
I think from the way these two main characters acted (especially Wren), it didn't feel like an Adult book.. the language made it feel like it was leaning YA (I love YA, but this is not the intended audience).

Overall, a decent book- I need to decide whether or not I would like to continue... I am leaning yes because I really do want to see where the plot goes from here.

Silver Elite is for those that need an aged up Hunger Games or Divergent vibe. It's a good reminder of the early 2010s popular Dystopian novels and it's a fun and engaging read. Wren is often reckless, but she is so smart and manipulative of those around and kept the story moving along. It's a good slow burn with a well developed world; the writing makes it easy to follow and keep up with the story. The characters are fierce and there's a lot of tension.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for an eARC!

I loved this book. It was a wonderful mix of hunger games dystopian with new adult romance like fourth wing. I liked the twist with the relationship and plot and I thought the premise was creative. The characters were relatable and I really love how it was an easy read but was still faced paced.

OBSESSED WITH THIS. I have always loved a good dystopian fantasy romance so that just felt very nostalgic, but at the same time, fresh and new. The plot hooked me from the very first chapter. I loved this idea and the fact that she has to train to become something that she hates is amazing. There was always something that was happening in the plot and it kept me on my toes. I also knew the plot twist from the very first guess BUT I still loved seeing it all come together in the end. I would highly recommend this. I think this will be the next big fantasy book.

OH. MY. GOD. SILVER ELITE BY DANI FRANCIS?? BABE. I AM UNWELL.
Like genuinely, no exaggeration—I was feral, rabid, foam-at-the-mouth UNHINGED reading this. 🫠 I hit the 60% mark and entered a state of mania. I finished the last chunk of this book at 3AM, eyes dry, heart racing, jaw unhinged, clinging to my pillow like it was Cross Redden himself. 🫣🔥
____________________

🧬 THE WORLD-BUILDING??? Dystopia me up, babe.

Mods vs Primes?? Psychic powers vs soldiers?? Rebellion simmering beneath the surface like my obsession with fictional men?? SIGN ME UP. Wren is out here hiding her powers like she’s not THAT girl, and then ends up in Silver Block aka the military training bootcamp from hell… that just so happens to contain a cocky, infuriating, devastatingly hot man who’s allergic to shirts and personal space 😮‍💨
____________________

🖤 WREN DARLINGTON = BADASSERY IN HUMAN FORM

Wren is the kind of FMC who has me ready to throw hands for her. She’s sarcastic, cocky, and so done with everyone’s shit, and I ADORED her for it. She’s literally out here fake-failing her training so no one clocks how powerful she is?? ICONIC BEHAVIOUR. I was wheezing at those report cards at the end of each chapter 💀 “Fails at stealth” meanwhile she’s the literal blueprint for a silent assassin.

Also her internal monologue?? Unmatched. Every other page I was like “Wait is she my soulmate??” Honestly I would trust her with my life, my trauma, and the last slice of garlic bread. 🫡💅
____________________

😩 CROSS REDDEN… YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS

No, no, no. LISTEN TO ME—Cross Redden is a problem. He is rude. He is cocky. He is sexy as hell. He calls her “Broken Dove” and somehow it doesn’t make me cringe it makes me weak. There’s forced proximity. There’s training tension. There’s “I hate you, but I can’t stop looking at your mouth” energy. HE’S SO RUDE FOR EXISTING 😭

Every time he spoke I had to physically put my kindle down and take a breather. The tension between him and Wren is actual violence. I felt like I needed holy water and a support group. He’s the kind of man who pisses you off on purpose just to see you flustered, and honestly? I respect it. 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️
____________________

👯‍♀️ THE SIDE CHARACTERS?? ALSO OWN ME.

Wren’s little gang??? OBSESSED. Kaine?? He’s giving chaotic golden retriever with Carrion Swift energy and I want him in every scene. The banter??? THE BANTER. The found family vibe sneaking its way in while Wren pretends she doesn’t care?? Chef’s kiss 😭

Also the tutors and their report card commentary?? GIVE THEM A RAISE. I was in stitches.

Anson? Trash. Roe? Actual psychopath. Kess?? 🫠 We hate her. Uncle Jim though??? THAT MAN IS THE BLUEPRINT FOR A REAL ONE. 😭
____________________

🔥 SPICE + TENSION = I HAD TO FAN MYSELF

It’s slow burn but like… torturous. The angst?? The forced proximity?? The I hate you, but also wanna rip your shirt off vibes??? I was sweating. Shaking. Crying. Screaming. Clutching my face. The chemistry was so intense I thought my Kindle was gonna combust 💥🔥

And WHEN IT FINALLY HAPPENED?? Blackout. I remember nothing except moaning softly into the darkness like a haunted Victorian widow. Dani Francis really said “what if I made this spicy AND soul-destroying” and I THANK HER FOR IT.
____________________

🧨 PLOT TWISTS? YEAH THEY HURT

I don’t know peace anymore. I don’t trust ANYONE except Wren and Cross. Everyone else?? Suspicious. Sketchy. Full of secrets. I was betrayed. I was bamboozled. I was holding my breath for like 3 chapters straight. The last 10%?? I was DEAD. I genuinely stared at the ceiling when I finished like… what now??? 🫠
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🥹 FINAL THOUGHTS

This book has no business being this good. It’s hot. It’s funny. It’s political. It’s emotional. It gave me Wren, it gave me Cross, it gave me ✨DRAMA✨ and it changed me as a person.

If you like:
- emotionally constipated men with good arms and bad attitudes 🫦
- secretly powerful girlies who don’t take shit
- sexual tension so thick you could cut it with a knife
- elite banter and betrayal
- Hunger Games x Fourth Wing energy

Then babe… Silver Elite is your next obsession. Go read it. Then come cry with me.

Final rating: 5/5 stars (would be infinity if this was possible!). Would sell my soul for book 2. 😭🔥🖤
Dani Francis, I'll be sending you my therapy bill, because I'm simply not okay.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dystopian books are BACK!!!!! I’m about to make this book my whole personality because truly this was incredible!!!

Divergent meets Hungers Games meets Shatter Me, but make it adults and you have Silver Elite. In a world tainted by radiation, some people have developed psychic abilities…and are then promptly hunted for having these skills. Wren Darlington has been hiding her whole life, and ends up in the hands of the enemies when her uncle is captured and executed for being different, hiding amongst them in her most dangerous gamble ever. Will she be able to take them down from the inside? Will she find allies? Will they find out who she really is? All this! And more!!

This book was rich in world building and rich in characters, so just generally a perfect book to me. Wren, our reckless and talented spy, is the perfect main character. She’s committed to her cause (and free will), a caring friend (as much as she can be), and living in her sarcastic grumpy head is SO FUN. She’s entertaining, tough, and honestly inspiring (when she’s not being too impulsive). She’s surrounded by fellow trainees and military members like hot but maybe evil but also maybe not but also definitely obsessed with her even though he doesn’t want to be Commanding Officer Cross (who’s also the son of the evil General), goofy and flirty golden retriever Kaine, weak and fragile (physically and emotionally…I knew it from the start) Lyddie, cool and unflappable frenemy Ivy, sociopathic besties Anson and Roe, and the man with the most cassian best friend energy Xavier.

I loved the journey this story took us on- from Wren’s small town in an outer district where she hid everything to arriving at Command and deciding if she was going to commit or let them jail her to deciding to be open (to an extent of course) with the people around her to figuring out what she can control and fight for. Her relationships developed like she was a cat they were trying to gently win over, and her grumpiness made it all the better. I definitely called a couple of the twists- but that made it all the more fun as I waited to find out if I was going to be right (and the literal tears I shed at one of the reveals). I absolutely NEED BOOK TWO ASSP!!!!

Thank you so much to Dani Francis and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

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.