When I heard about this book, I definitely had one of those "shut up and take my money" meme moments. I NEEDED it. So, being given the opportunity to read this early was a dream come true and the experience definitely didn't disappoint. I really, really enjoyed this! This book kept me awake well into the night, flipping pages at the speed of sound. The magic was really interesting, and the world was complex but layered in a really compelling way. The characters felt real and their banter/conversation felt earned and organic, which made the story come alive even more. I was HOOKED! I even pre-ordered my own physical copy because I enjoyed this so much. I absolutely cannot wait for more from this author.

I have absolutely no words for how much I loved this book. I stayed up way later than nI should have an I still cannot get over the sheer perfection that was SIlvercloak. L.K. Steven has written my first 6 star read this year.

From the intricate world building and the magic system I have never read anything that was so intricately woven with so much depth and information that had me wanting more. Levan and Saffron…the ABSOLUTE tension aspect and the enemies to lovers was just a chef’s kiss to the book.

Without going into any other detail only that you must read this book and it is absolutely divine is the only answer.

Thank you so much to Del Rey as always for your amazing books but especially for this widget!

A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

🩶🩶🩶HAPPY PUB DAY!! 🩶🩶🩶
Silvercloak by L. K. Steven

Did I go straight to my local bookstore today to pick up a physical shelf trophy copy of this book?? I absolutely did! #Silvercloak is already on my TBR list to reread!!

One book with magic and undercover in the mafia and prophecies! This book was such a wild and wonderful ride!

What really stood out to me was the incredibly unique magical system where power is restored by pain or pleasure. I know my head when there too 😉 but honestly it’s not in an over the top way. Even something as simple as a warm mug of hot chocolate can be enough to recharge your magic. I was obsessed with that detail!

I loved the MCs! While Saff does have something special about her (no spoilers!), it doesn’t make her the most powerful or flawless mage out there. She makes mistakes, doubts herself, and sometimes feels like she’s completely in over her head. Leven is dark and twisted but we also see a softer side of him that makes him so complicated. Even as the villain he has a code and morals and he’s not evil just for evil sake.

And THE ENDING?! The last line cliffhanger and epilogue have me fully in a chokehold. I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here!

As always thank you to Del Rey for the ARC!

“This is how villains are born”

Damn that sentence hits like a ton of bricks
The last chapter is relentless, one gut punch after the other and yet you can’t stop reading it!!!

Saffron was just a child when her parents were murdered in front of her by a brutal gang. They wanted her mother to perform illegal magic and were willing to kill to do it.

Years later, Saffron finds herself agreeing to go undercover in that very gang.

I don’t know how they managed to write a blurb for this because I’m struggling so hard not to spoil anything! 😂

All I know is my heart is in my throat, my stomach has dropped to my toes and my mind is blown, so just read it!

This was ok as far as romantasy goes. Saffron was an interesting protagonist and the plot was entertaining enough, but I didn’t vibe with the magic system, too many concepts were thrown around and it ended up being too much. The romance was ok, not the best, not unique, but it gave the story its flavor.

If you’re looking for a casual romantasy story to keep you entertained for a while, I’d definitely recommend it.

Silvercloak had all the ingredients to be something special—a gripping prologue, an intriguing magic system rooted in pleasure and pain, and an evocative world filled with atmosphere, depth, and danger. The main character’s unique immunity to magic added an interesting edge, though her unique form of magic leaned heavily into the “special girl” trope we've seen before. As the story unfolded, it began to feel a bit too familiar, echoing character dynamics and plot beats we’ve met many times. The steam is there, but the relationship with Levan wasn’t unique. That said, the cliffhanger left me curious, and I’m still intrigued enough to see where it goes next—even if my early hopes weren’t quite met.

Thank you for gifting me this arc!! 🥰🧙‍♀️

It took me a bit to get the this book, the build up took a bit for me. About 20/30% the way in I was sold.

Magical Mafia, unique magical system based on pain and pleasure. The FMC I would say she’s slightly morally grey.

Saffron waited her whole life to be able to get revenge on the group that killed her parents and get the chance to go undercover into the group to bring them down.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This was a great debut! L.K. Stevens has a great way with words and a great way in writing a detrimental relationship. I love the plot and the magic system so I am so ready for the next one.

It was really giving a magical mafia situation and the ending will leave you shocked!

An absolute adrenaline rush of a time.

I started this book a little while back, but it fell by the wayside because I needed to finish other books first. But once I truly dove in at around the quarter-way mark, I couldn’t stop. This book is fast-paced, featuring a compelling heroine, a morally complex love interest, and an intriguing magic system. I ate it up.

I will say I’d probably put Saffron in the morally gray category as well, especially by the end.

And you know what? I love it. I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs.

The epilogue? Yeah, there’s no doubt the next book is going to be rife with angst, yearning, and betrayal. I can’t wait.

I keep seeing this pitched as “the next big Romantasy”. I’m really tired of publishers using that as a tagline to promote books. So let me set the record straight Silvercloak is not a Romantasy, it is Harry Potter meets Peaky Blinders.

And let me tell you this was an intense book from beginning to end. The opening scene alone reminded me of Voldemort coming to kill Harry’s parents. From that point on the book doesn’t let up and you better just buckle in and enjoy the ride.

As heart breaking as that prologue was, it truly gave you a good indication on how it was going to shape our MFC. She will not stop for anything in her request for revenge. Even if it means going undercover to take down her enemies from the inside.

Now even though I loved our FMC at times I did wanna shake her a bit. Like ma’am you joined the “mafia” now is not the time to question morality.

Even with that said I still highly enjoyed this book and would 100% recommend it. The action is intense, the world building is masterfully crafted and the magic system even though similar is still unique. Lastly big thank you to Random House Publishing & NetGalley from providing me and ARC to read and review.

Tropes:
╰⪼ Hidden identity
╰⪼ Slow burn
╰⪼ Harry Potter vibes

This book has strong worldbuilding and a unique magic system that initially hooked me. The slow burn romance had potential, but I never fully connected to the characters — especially Levan, who felt like a mix of ruthless killer and tortured bookworm without enough depth to either. The pacing dragged in places, with repetitive close-call moments that stalled the story’s momentum. I didn’t hate it, and I do think others may enjoy it more, but it left me feeling a bit disinterested by the end.

Silvercloak is a fast-paced YA fantasy that follows Saffron, a sharp-tongued heroine who lies her way into an elite magical academy after her parents are murdered. Fueled by revenge and secrets, Saffron’s journey is full of twists, clever banter, and a magic system that genuinely intrigued me. I love a good morally grey MC, and this book served that up in spades. That said, the romance didn’t bring anything new to the table, and the character arcs felt familiar—enjoyable, but not groundbreaking. Still, if you're a fan of academy settings, hidden agendas, and elemental magic, this one is worth picking up. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the sequel.

Thank you to L. K. Steven, Del Ray, and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn toward this arc because I absolutely loved Our Infinite Fates and she DEFINITELY did the same kick ass job on Silvercloak.

I loved so much about it: the queer-normative world, the action, the magic, the world-building — everything was so fun and unique and twisty all at the same time. I was absolutely cursing having plans and needing to work/sleep that kept me from just powering through in a single evening.

I’m so so excited for the next book, and can’t wait to recommend Silvercloak to anyone who likes fantasy, magic, and intrigue!

POV: single third person

You can expect: opposites attract, forced proximity, queer-normative world, magic, mystery, undercover, gang, pleasure and pain, magic sex, time traveling, betrayal.

Rep: queer MCs, grief, compulsions, hand amputation and prosthetic

Spice: 2.5/5

CW: violence, death of parents, trauma, gore, torture, past genocide, suicide, self harm, amputation

✨ Just finished Silvercloak by L.K. Stevens and I am unwell. 😮‍💨
Magic fueled by pleasure and pain? An undercover mission into a deadly gang? A slow-burn romance that hurts so good? Yes. Yes. And yes. 👀🔥

Saffron Killoran is the kind of morally gray heroine I’ll follow straight into the shadows — and Levan? Let’s just say enemies-to-all-the-complicated-things has never felt this dangerous. 💀❤️

A bit heavy on the exposition, but the worldbuilding and tension kept me hooked. If you're into gritty fantasy with emotional depth and a seriously unique magic system... pick. this. up. 📖🖤

I loved the idea of Silvercloak, but was underwhelmed.

It started off very strong with the FMC training to be a Silvercloak to avenge her parents death. Infiltrating the bad guys seemed like an exciting plot point, but it was all too convenient. The "villains" were a bit too nice and forgiving 😂

The romance lacked chemistry in my opinion, and fell a bit flat. Though their spicy scene was satisfying!

That being said, the magic was very cool. The world building had a lot of potential. I loved the animal companion.

I just wanted to care about the characters more. It felt a bit like a half-baked romantasy to me unfortunately!

Thanks to Del Rey for an eARC!

I first heard about this book a few months back and just from the initial blurb and teasers I knew that this would be one of the ONEs. I wasn’t wrong.

This book is dark and delicious, with so many twists and turns. Everyone is a tough shell to crack and you’ll never know how far they’ll go to achieve what they believe to be the right thing. Everyone, literally everyone is a morally grey character and I am here for it.
The magical system is super unique, where power is replenished by either pain or pleasure or both, which already gives you a very interesting setting. Although the story has the setting for a very unhinged dark fantasy, apart from som spicy scenes this story is fully plot and character focused, which I much preferred. You dive deep into the crime underworld and keep on guessing what will happen next and who’ll be lucky enough to see the sunlight. The FMC, Saffron has many vices, but one of her source of pleasure is hot chocolate, to which I can relate to a 100% even if this years unusually warm London summer keeps me away from said beverage for now.

All in all I have a ton of theories and I am begging for book two after that, although not unexpected, final chapter.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
For the most part, I’d say I had a fun time reading Silvercloak. While the characters aren’t the most lovable or complex, the intricate worldbuilding and magic system make up for it. I loved reading how Saff creatively got herself out of situations either with or without magic. The plot felt a bit rushed near the end, and the middle dragged quite a bit, but overall this was a good read!

I was SO pleasantly surprised by this. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Now, if you know me, you'll probably know that I'm not a huge mainstream romantasy guy. This is because those books tend to feature a girl whose only personality trait is being snarky and not like other girls TM, and then the biggest hugest man you've ever seen who mostly exhibits behaviors seen in lists of traits of different kinds of abusive relationships. The girl is always so tiny so little, and the man is always, as previously mentioned, big big huge. The sex is rarely sexy, and not in a cool character study way, in a way that indicates that it's supposed to be sexy. The plot of the book is thin at best and the world-building has the substance of tissue paper.

I started off a little concerned, but still very interested. The opening section of the book was great: I loved Saff (particularly her approach to problem-solving), I loved the magic system (and the author being willing to engage with the obvious potential for kinky sex in this world), I liked the other silvercloak cadets. I got a little worried once we met Levan and the other Bloodmoons. Levan was pulling out some of the greatest hits of booktok men about dominating Saff, and she started getting really quippy in a way that she hadn't been before. I was so concerned that this was going to go the way of every other romantasy book.

I knew things were going to be ok when I read two things: Saff AND Levan being bisexual/pansexual/queer/etc, and Saff and Levan being around six feet tall each. When Saff and Nissa had sex? I was thrilled. When LEVAN had gay sex? I was ecstatic. This book proves my long-held theory that romantasy would be better if more romantasy authors wrote about queer people. Levan is also SO fantastic, we STAN an OCD king who feels like a person, instead of a cardboard cut-out with abs who bullies the FMC. I love that he's a little cringe and earnest and a switch, while also being an on-page torturer and murderer. Finally, a book boyfriend for bisexuals who really like Astarion and Interview with the Vampire (2022).

However, I do a caveat: a lot of world-building details are just kind of thrown in or explained in the narration in a way that feels a bit artificial. I didn't overly mind this, because I'm currently writing an MA dissertation, trying to rent a house, and trying to get accepted to a different higher education program. My brain is soup, and I can't figure things out for myself at the moment. It was nice to be told what was going on in this world and not have to piece it out from context clues. That might not be a good trait for you! That's why this is a caveat.

The ending was just brilliant. It was satisfying and set up SUCH an interesting dynamic for our two leads in the next book. I'm so excited to see where this goes, and I will absolutely be checking out the next book when it comes out.

Silvercloak simply enchanted me with it's prologue and the promise of what was to come., The first pages oozed with magical nostalgia, evocative world building, and fascinating characters...sadly, I am not sure the bones of the story really delivered on those promises throughout.

To be clear, I think Silvercloak is so much fun and it's unique magic system is one that both fascinates and excited me! I just felt that the overall story and character development felt like something I have read time and time again in ways that had been executed a smidge better.

I do look forward to seeing where Steven's goes next, she is surely a talented writer...this one sadly just fell a bit short for me.