I fear this is going to be a wildly new series that will take the world by storm. I loved the aspects of the magical properties within this military based world. When she witnesses the death of her Uncle Jim and is taken into the military world of potentially joining the Silver Elite, our FMC has to navigate around finding out how to escape, who to trust, and how to survive without being found out as she has a very rare capability that would put her at certain death. There was so much intrigue, lore, and the ending left me absolutely breathless. AND CROSS REDDEN THE MAN THAT YOU ARE. Truly so delighted to have this debut and cannot wait for more. Rounded up to 4.5

3.5 ⭐️ i really do understand the mixed reviews. whilst, silver elite may not change your life, i had a good time! this isn’t some groundbreaking dystopian world to immerse yourself in. there isn’t anything new to report or obsess over. but it was genuinely such a fun time that my criticisms didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. the beginning felt slow and it took a while for me to get invested but once i was, i couldn’t put it down.

i wasn’t overly impressed with the writing at the start. it felt quite basic and at times, i didn’t feel like a lot of love or creativity went into it. i think this played into the world building. francis’ established a dystopian world but it lacked substance. it’s heavy on the romance (which i didn’t mind) but i think the world building and overall plot suffered because of this focus. that being said, the simplicity of it all made this an easy read. some people might like that but i was hoping for more.

the romance between our main characters, wren darlington and cross redden, was predictable (honestly, i found most aspects of this book predictable). it’s definitely insta-lusty but didn’t venture into insta-love territory, still delivering tension and chemistry with a sweet slow burn.

wren was absolute chaos. i adored her but she also had me wanting to bang my head against a wall. does this woman have no sense of self preservation? thank god this is fiction because there’s no way this woman would have survived otherwise. wren was perhaps the only part of this book that wasn’t entirely predictable, and only because she’s the embodiment of reckless and impulsive behaviour. i now understand how my friends and family must feel watching my chaotic ass.

when it comes to cross, i don’t really have any big feelings to share. that miiiight have been because i was too busy crushing on kaine sutler who was infinitely more interesting. don’t get me wrong, i like cross. and i wouldn’t call this a love triangle by any means. i just don’t think cross brings anything new or interesting to the table. kaine had my full attention though. to summarise my thoughts on cross/kaine: anything cross can do, kaine can do better 🤭

silver elite isn’t a perfect book but if you can look past the issues and enjoy it for what is it, it’s a book i think a lot of people will enjoy.

many thanks to netgalley, del rey and francis for providing me with this arc. all thoughts are my own honest opinions.

while i do wish that there was a little bit more work building and development/understanding of the dystopian aspects of this one i can definitely say i still had fun. some twists were very predictable while i thought others were better developed and left more of true twist feeling. either way i will be patiently waiting for book 2!

i really liked the character development through the book. sometimes i feel with a lot of main side characters they can all kind of blend together but i think dani did a great job of making each character truly feel like their own. i was also able to keep up with who everyone was which can be something i struggle with when there’s a lot of characters. i was glad to see everyone had a purpose.

wren & cross were so fun to read. i loved seeing their banter morph into something more physical and loved seeing both their physical and mental attractions towards one another.

the dystopian elements we did get like the mind reading and telepathy were pretty cool but i wish there was more depth about some of the events that took place. hoping some more things will be fleshed out in book 2 given how this one had ended!

3.75 ⭐️. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy. This was a fun enemies to lovers set in a dystopian backdrop with easy to follow world building. I will say I wasn’t fully invested until the 40% ish mark, but then it was a whirlwind! I wish there was a deeper dive into the true grit of the dystopian genre as opposed to just some of the elements, which is what this felt like to me. But the cliffhanger definitely has me wanting to know what happens next!

I INHALED this. I know this won’t be for everyone, but if you're someone like me who just wants a nice fast paced entertaining read then you're gonna get it here. I love me some dystopian fantasy romance and this served it incredibly well BUT… the major plot twist I figured out immediately around a few chapters in. It was so glaringly obvious that I thought this couldn’t possibly be the huge plot reveal/twist at the end… but it was. There was another reveal that I slightly guessed but not correctly (trying to be as vague as I can be with getting the point across and not spoiling ha)

Our FMC has powers (telepathic abilities are one of my favorites to read about because so much chaos can happen from it!) and has been using them since she realized she had them. There are some parts of her power that she taps into more and explores more with us but from the start she knows most of it. The reason why I bring this up is because I find it kind of rare to find heroines with magical powers or abilities and them already being in tune with it. I prefer stories like this since I grew up reading primarily YA fantasy (please note Silver Elite is NOT YA and is considered New Adult) if you’re familiar with YA fantasy/fantasy romance they typically all have innocent fragile girls who suddenly discover they have the power to save the world and blah blah. Don’t get me wrong those are still enjoyable but over time it gets tiring and this was the refreshing type of read that I needed. It still had some of the stereotypical small girl themes, “I don’t wear dresses” type of vibe, but like I said if you’re not too picky and you’re just here for a fun bingeable read then I recommend this to you :)

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

Holy hellfuck!

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

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

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

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

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

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

3.5 Silver Elite members.

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

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

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

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

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

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

YUP LOVED THIS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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