Silvercloak by L.K. Stevens
Silvercloak Saga #1

~ Dark, deadly, riveting, and immersive, read ~ Great introduction to a new series ~

What I liked:
* Saffron Killoran: orphaned at six, raised by uncles, mage, detective in training, revenge seeking, conflicted, learns more about herself and her powers, conflicted about more than one issue, attracted to an inconvenient person
* Levan Celadon: lost his mother at an early age, Bloodmoon Kingpin’s son and heir, has his own set of values and standards, has justifiable trust issues, strong mage with multiple talents, conflicted, attracted to someone he doesn’t trust
* Rasso: fallowwolf, belonged to Levan’s mother, strong bond with Lorissa and later with Saffron, protective, lethal
* Being intrigued by the idea of pleasure and pain being the means of replenishing magic stores
* The intricately plotted story and well-developed world and myth building
* That I nearly gave up reading BUT slowly but surely was drawn into the story and began to care about and become invested in the outcome
* The good versus evil focus filled with so many shades of gray ~ nothing was 100% black and white
* Watching the development of the relationship between Saffron and Levan, feeling it wouldn’t end well, and having hope that in a later book there might still be hope for the two in the future
* Joran & Mellora: Saffron’s parents who gave her a solid loving start in life and died too soon
* It made me think, wonder what I would have done in situations, and care about the outcome
* That there is another book to look forward to

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* That some were so callous about inflicting torture on and killing others
* Thinking that perhaps the people that were supposedly on Saffron’s side might have been using her instead
* Having to wait for the next book to be ready

Did I like this book? Yes, by the end of it I was hooked
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Del Rey for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

I will be honest, I stopped reading at 45%. I tried to make myself keep going but nothing held my attention. And I really can't figure out why, and I think some people would love this. But I couldn't do it unfortunately.

An amazing dark fantasy, reminiscent of HP. The middle was a little slow, but it picked back up. I really liked the characters, and the author did an amazing job with the world building.

Amazing! The twists and turns, the morally grey of multiple characters, and the magic brought this story to life. I absolutely loved every minute of this book.
The tension between the love interests was amazing. especially with the looming prophecy. the magic is great and the fight scenes using magic is a Harry Potter kid dream with spells and wands. this story is absolutely amazing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

DNF @ 23%
Unfortunately, I cannot stand this book. After avoiding it for so long, I finally got to it only to find out that I'm not the right audience for it after all. I found Silvercloak to be quite unoriginal in its worldbuilding and magic system. Everything is too reminiscent of Harry Potter. I had a hard time with the very modern dialogue, especially the word 'sexy' being repeated over and over again.

Just okay, not my favorite, but that's okay. It was perfectly fine. I am curious about her YA, that might be more my speed.

I actually really really enjoyed this book! There were a few things that left me wanting more, so overall I truly rate it as a 4.5 and will leave a 4 star just because it wasn't truly 5 stars in my mind, but it was GOOD and it was ENGAGING! There were just a couple spots that felt like they didn't work with how the plot had been set up, but 95% of this book had great plot that was backed up by a lot of good exposition and action.

I think if you're on the hunt for a true enemies to lovers story, this will be the one for you because even when they're liking each other, there's tension and hatred and upset underneath. A great FMC and MMC, which is hard to do. I think this is one of the best new fantasies of the year!

A wonderful darker fantasy. The middle was a bit bogged down, but I really cared for the characters.

Very exciting start. Such an impressive first chapter. Interesting characters and premise. A good new book and exciting read.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Magic system where magic is fueled by pain and pleasure? Yes, it's as kinky as you think. Interesting lore and forbidden magic? Check? Enemies to lovers? Check. Moral ambiguity all the way through? Hell yeah. Was it predictable? Sure. A bit too neatly resolved in terms of connections? Ya. But it's been a while since I've been looking forward to getting back to a back when not reading, so 4.5 stars

Different from what I usually read but was so glad I picked it up and didnt miss out on reading it! I was pulled in the by the cover at first and the book overview view but halfway through the book I was captivated!

Saffron has grown up as an orphan after witnessing the deaths of her parents at the hands of the Bloodmoons, a magical mob-like group who deal in illegal smuggling. As she is about to graduate from the Silvercloak academy, she discovers that she has some unique and unusual powers so is sent on an undercover mission to infiltrate the Bloodmoons. Prophecy has indicated that the will kill Levan, the son of the kingpin but she falls in love with him before she can fulfill the prophecy.
Fantasy lovers will certainly enjoy the world building and unique magic and characters that this romantasy offers. I thought that the characters were well developed and the magical portion of the storyline creative. The same old enemies to lovers trope was predictable and the near misses on Saffron’s life maybe a little over the top but overall, the book was entertaining. The ending definitely sets up a sequel or series but in spite of the entertainment, I’ve read enough of this world and these characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

Silvercloak as a whole can be seen as good but if you nitpick it and go over everything, it's not the best. The world building is probably the best part. A magic system reliant on pain and pleasure? Pleasure making your magic work in abundance while pain makes your magic stronger? That's all pretty good. Besides that plot, there were some things that bothered me.
Firstly, there's a lot of plot holes with the magic. There are specific rules and categories that each type of magician has and what their limitations are but the author disregards them when the rules are inconvenient. With all of the rules that kept being changed, it made knowing what was actually true about the magic difficult and hard to follow.
The characters weren't bad, they just weren't great either. Saffron is supposed to be a smart girl, we know this because she is a trained detective who's good at her job. However, she makes many questionable decisions throughout the story. The MMC was interesting until he wasn't due to him being too overpowered.
Don't get me started on the writing. The author constantly over explained simple things that an average reader should be able to interpret on their own, the repetition was endless. Honestly, I wanted to drop this book because of the writing but I pushed through. I'm glad I did though, I would've been bothered not knowing the ending.
Overall, I think people who like to read about magic and romance would have a fun time reading this. But when you look to deep, you probably won't like what you see.

There were times this book got really cool and exciting but it lost me more often than not. The ending in particular was really offsetting for me and did not convince me to want to continue to the next book. Just missed the mark for me on this one.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital review copy! Silvercloak is full of magic, betrayal, enemies-to-lovers. Saffron’s parents were murdered years ago by two Bloodmoons looking for a necromancer. Years later, she has a chance to get her revenge when it is discovered that she forged her way into the Silvercloak Academy. With her immunity to magic, this is the perfect opportunity for her to infiltrate and discover how to take them down.

I really loved this book. I really appreciated the magic system and how spells were set up to work. It was fascinating learning how spells with good or bad intention will alter how you say them. I also feel we do not have many magic systems that use wands so that added another level of intrigue. The ending left me wide-eyed and tricked, which is so fun. I cannot wait for the next book.

The first two parts were extremely slow. I wish I could have seen the trial, which would have really helped the tension. After about 200 pages it really picks up, and from there I had a really great time. There are some craft issues (occasionally a particularly useful/convenient detail is mentioned the moment it is necessary, and feels very Deus Ex Machina, clunky descriptions here and there) but otherwise it was fun. Not groundbreaking, but good enough. I'll read the next one.

Alright, we’re back with a banging romantasy. It’s hot, messy, and high-stakes, complete with plenty of invented terms and lore. I thought it might feel overdone, but it actually comes across as the strong beginning of a series, and I’m ready for the next installment. Basic coherence is sometimes sacrificed, with many things mentioned in passing without explanation. You’re left to imagine a lot of named creatures and world-building elements on your own. The important stuff is clear enough to follow. The pacing felt slow, and it was hard to tell how time passed, given the unconventional treatment of time with years, months, and even weeks structured differently. Considering everything, it made sense. I was worried the enemies-to-lovers of it all might veer into the irritating “he’s not that bad after all” territory, but so far, the dynamic is intriguing. Motivations feel believable, and no one is evil just for the sake of it. It’s built on the idea that villains are made, not born. The writing is straightforward and easy to follow, not overly lyrical, but never annoying. Dialogue, including inner monologues, felt natural and believable. It’s a strong start to what looks like is going to be an exciting series. Now is the perfect time to get on board!

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

Thank you to Del Rey for this e-ARC of SIlvercloak in exchange for an honest review. This book was first sold to me as being reminiscent of a very popular middle to YA book series that had wands and magic, but adult and magic. I'm not too sure how I feel about those comps personally, and trying to make this book something that gravitates to the generation that grew up on this magic system and is looking for something reminiscent and heavy on the nostalgia, but with spice, since that's is what the age group that this is oriented to enjoys. But enough of that, I think that this magic system has a lot of merit! It was definitely extremely interesting. The setting was very well done, and I think that not only is it filled with the atmospheric and nostalgic magic that the author was intended, it also has that "college aged" almost grad school like environment because the author had the book take place with a character about to graduate from Silvercloak Academy. The writing itself was beautiful and carefully crafted, making it engaging, but I think it was a little all over the place: the characterization, the way the plot more, the romance. I think that there's potential for this story to grow, as I heard this will be a duology, but it's a thick book that didn't necessarily drag at times, but couldn't determine what exactly the aim was other than this nostalgia within a fantasy world. Looking forward to the next one regardless.

This might start as an academic type story but quickly pushes on to become something quite dark and disturbing . Imagine a reality in which magic exists but you can only fill your personal well with it if you experience ecstasy or pain . You could fill up on glutinous cream cakes if you desired or go completely the opposite way and physically hurt yourself (bed of nails anyone? ) . It’s not something I’ve encountered in fantasy previously so definitely I was taken somewhat aback by the idea .
Saffron is our protagonist and as a child she witnessed her parents murdered by members of the Bloodmoon gang and now she’s consumed with revenge and desperate to become a Silvercloak . Yet Saffron hides a huge secret about herself in that is that she’s immune to magic ! Yet this will end up being her ticket into the Bloodmoons and sadly a very likely doomed romance with torture, suffering and so much blood and ultimately death that readers might just have to accept ambiguous morally grey characters . This definitely held surprises with consequences that mean I very much look forward to more from this author .
This voluntary take is of an advanced copy and my thoughts are honest and I believe fair

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4.5ish/5 stars.

Okay, so, this was a delight but also is a LONG book it felt like. I really like the magic system with wands but with a well of power...that you replenish through either pleasure (both....normal and errrrr more raunchy) or pain. Pain also makes your power stronger. There are a lot of different factions as well in the world. Saffron is a pretty good FMC with the traumatic backstory, but there is a lot that gets revealed about her through the book. Her "enemies to lovers" to..., well, friends, to enemies, to lovers, to enemies? Was also good and the tension was delicious. I also am upset by the ending because WHAT DO YOU MEEEEEEAN