Let me tell you - from the get go I was absolutely addicted to this book. This is my first L.K. Stephen's book, and I'm honestly a little annoyed with myself that it's taken this long. But what a way to go.

Silvercloak follows Saffron - who finds herself having to take an undercover job to infiltrate the Bloodmoons, a dark and mysterious criminal organisation who also happened to murder her parents. From there, the story twists into secrets, family trauma, and morally grey characters.

I loved the world building and the magic system - and L.K. Stephens does a phenomenal job of piecing this all together.

Thank you L.K. Stephens, NetGalley and Del Rey for my e-arc of Silvercloak, in exchange for an honest review. I am going to be hanging out for the next installment.

“How could he be both trustworthy and an enemy?”

🌟 rating: 4
📚 Genre: Crime fantasy with some
Romance
🗓️ Publication date: 29-07-2025 ———Arc received from the netgalley and delreybooks
🌺 Tropes: magical school (only at the start), enemies to lovers (to ….), hidden identity
👫 POV: single point of view
🌶️ level: 1
#️⃣ pages: 464

I have long been in dubio wether to request this book or not, as it didn’t appear to be completely what I normally read. However, I caved and am glad I read this book.

Our FMC, Saff, is super interesting. I loved reading her international struggles and how her perspective changed and the questions she asked herself in the book due to her actions and relationships. This book is written so incredibly well by Laura Steven. I love how it handles the question about who is good and who is bad and how that might not be as black and white as we normally prefer it to be.

There were some aspects in this book that were a bit uncomfortable for me to read, mainly the violence that sometimes was a bit more extensive then I would like. Moreover, I was a bit bothered by how powerful certain aspects of the magic system were (even tough I loved the system that works on pleasure and pain). For me at some point I got annoyed with how powerful mages are, because every time something happened a killing curse was cast and whoever dropped dead, there was no nuance in it.

Then lastly the romance and our MMC Luvan. Romance is a subplot in this book, but when it does start to develop between Luvan and Saff it develops with so much care that I can only applaud and love it. There are so many small moments between them that made my little heart really really happy.

I do recommend this book and will be reading the next one. Because that ending had me gasping and longing for more.

Thank you delreybooks for providing me with this arc trough netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the prologue. Charming, magical, tragic. After that, the over-explanatory writing style and incompetence of the Silvercloaks soon announced this wasn’t a story for me, and I wrote up a review, not knowing if I’d push through to the end. Well. I did, and the last ten chapters are such an explosion of unraveling and mutual destruction and raw audacity that, while my first impressions aren’t changed, they almost feel like they belong to a different story.

It’s not about revenge, or hope, or a balance of good and ill. It’s about collision, and desperate souls making each other worse.

So, while my original comments below still hold true, and I can’t take half of these goobers seriously (do we have no sense of timing??)…gosh darn it, I might read the sequel.

The original review:

I wouldn’t trust the Silvercloaks to tie my shoelaces, let alone take down a sadistic crime boss. The cohort’s conduct in their final test? Very unprofessional. Sure, modern twenty-something’s do a fair bit of wondering whether we’ll actually ever feel like Real Adults, but I can’t believe this level of immaturity is acceptable among the Academy’s best. Then again, their seniors are also suspect, seeing as Saff’s cover is blown the minute it begins and the whole Silvercloak organization seems to be cripplingly hamstrung by a single corrupt official.

I suspect the above dissonance might be growing pains as the author shifts from their usual YA audience to one that’s adult. The writing style also reads young, spelling out subtext and intentions so that the reader doesn’t have to (or, get to) infer.

On the other hand, the stakes and villains are definitely scaled up. Those crime lords? Truly despicable. There’s violence, torture, enslaving minions with body parts of their deceased loved ones, and a whole lot more. Magic is put to cruel and clever purposes, and we’re spared no detail. Not really my thing, but it’s a successful shift.

The overall setting also feels grand and epic, albeit clunkily communicated, with prophecies, a vendetta against Timeweavers, mixed sentiments toward dragon people, and murmurings of racial and social tensions. Magic is pretty pervasive in everyday things, like color-changing doors, healing abilities, or truth or invisibility potions. (All of the main characters have magic. Percentage of magic users in the overall population is unclear.)

The variety of spellcasting is neat (yay wands and words) but it under-delivers on the promised “magic fueled by pleasure and pain.” It’s the first line of the synopsis, and stated in the first chapter as well - “Pleasure was magic, and magic was pleasure. But pain was also magic…”. This is shown having a surface level societal effect - paintings and sweet treats in many rooms, an exploratory attitude toward sexual preferences, a more-than-usual amount of torture among the mafias, etc. Aesthetic choices, as far as world-building is concerned, and it starts to feel hollow as the chapters progress without going beneath the surface. How does this dichotomy affect the accepted moral code or the two major religions? Any commentary on the role of artists, and whether they benefit from the power of pleasure and creation (to the extreme, what happens when artists rule the world?). Does the limited access to pleasure exacerbate socio-economic differences, or do the lowly masses gain from their misery? When everyone is “kinky as all hells”, what does it say about Saff when she associates shame with self-pleasure (or is this simply a contradiction?).

The fantasy genre is a great medium for exploration, but for all that it touts the subject, this book doesn’t go there.

Content corner: Adult language and content (border-line explicit). Torture and maiming (not overly gory, but disturbing).

Silvercloak is a dark and gritty book 1 in a forthcoming fantasy series about Saffron (Saff for short), something of a graduate from the Silvercloak Academy. There are some Harry Potter vibes, particularly in the magic system, but post graduation, Saff is outcast and working undercover in the Bloodmoon gang. There is a lot of exposition to set you up in this magical world and meet each character, arguably too much at first, but it does leave room for an action-packed second half of the book.

Saff is an interesting character, as are her academy mates, but the predictable choices Saff makes throughout the book kept me from connecting with her and feeling like I was caught up in the story.

I had the most trouble with the YA-feeling plot and characters not fitting into the setting. The magic system is well-thought out and while well-explained, but it is based on our base instincts of pleasure and violence. This placed our magical heroine in a highly-sexual, drug-addled, violent world.

While the things I like don’t make up for the issues I have with the story, the ending left me needing to know what happens next. As book 1 in this saga, it’s promising. 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Silvercloak is one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in 2025. I was super happy that the FMC is in her mid to late 20’s and I feel the maturity throughout the story, as well as the growth she goes through. This book has an amazingly unique “pleasure/ pain” based magic system where both are used to refill their wells of magic that they must have enough of in order to cast spells and charms. The most skilled mages able to do so without wands and have more capabilities to perform different types of magic. Two groups own the streets in this world where everyone is a mage but only some use their abilities to be part of a group. Silvercloaks, who are trained through a government academy and have the official positions of power, and the Bloodmoons who own the underground parts of the city and, of course, control more than people think.
There are dark and light magics, prophecies, diverse characters, and queer relationships/ representations.
This is a bit of a slow burn with some violence but more than anything, great character and world building. I could not put this down and can’t wait to read more by this author.

Silvercloak from LK Steven is a fun, queer, witchy book. I was excited to dive into the book based just on the synopsis alone, and that faith was rewarded.

The book follows Saffron Killoran two decades after her parents were murdered in front of her by a criminal organization known as the Bloodmoons.

In a world where your magic is fueled by both pain and pleasure, Saffron navigates a life full of sex, lies, and murder. All she wants is to bring the Bloodmoons to justice.

Then, the prophetic vision: She will murder a member of the Bloodmoons after sharing a kiss.

Her lies catch up with her, and only one option remains: bring down the Bloodmoons by becoming a Bloodmoon.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The world building was fantastic.

The way that LK Steven built out the Silvercloak world throughout the book was excellent.

There weren’t many huge exposition dumps on the reader as Steven seeded facts about people, places, events, and just general societal knowledge as they were brought up in the story.

Everything felt natural and nothing forced. It was very well done.

I didn’t like the ending.

I’m not one to be against stories being open-ended so that there can be a sequel. Obviously, I read Star Wars books all the time, and the story technically never ends.

My frustrations with the ending were almost solely based on the decision-making from Saffron in the final pages. While she was very reactive to everything in the build up to the final confrontation, the first real opportunity that she had to make the big decision was an absolute disaster.

It bummed me out, because I was really into the character and felt she was about to come into her own, but it all fell apart very quickly.

That won’t stop me from reading the sequel.

With all of that said about the ending, I really like the story and world that was set up in this book. I will be reading the sequel to see where things go.

Book Review Silvercloak by L.K. Steven

Thank you @delreybooks for this @netgalley eARC 💕
 
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I have been on a reading pause and I have ended that pause with Silvercloak by @laurasteven and I could not have picked a better book to end my drought.

I INHALED this book. I read it like it was life and air itself and did not put it down until the end.

And I am reeling. I want the next instalment yesterday and I will be thinking about this book for MONTHS to come. It was phenomenal. It had everything I want in a fantasy and more.

✅ World building
✅ Character development and depth
✅ Novel magic system
✅ Spicy and longing (🥵)
✅ Morally grey MMC (🥵)
✅ Kingpins and magical thugs
✅ Magical detectives
✅ Well laid out twists and turns
✅ LGBT representation

Spice: in a book with the magic system built on pain and pleasure, yes, this book has titillating spice that was ever present. There were three notable open door scenes of well executed spice.

I cannot recommend this book enough and I’m impatiently waiting for all my bookish besties to pickup a copy on the 22nd of July so they can live stream their “omg omg omg” moments to my DMs.

“Oh, she thought, horrified and fascinated in equal measure. This is how villains are born.”

I was lured in with the promise a magic system rooted in pleasure and pain, and safe to say I was not disappointed.

An undercover agent infiltrating enemy territory? A conspiracy? Say less, I'm in.
I was fully immersed as soon as I dove into this dark and compelling world that L.K Steven has created. Pleasure and pain being the foundation that nourishes their magical well adds an extra level of complexity into this completely unique magic system. From this you enter a world that does everything to bolster moments of pleasure, big or small.

Saffron is a mess of an FMC. Thrown into a world of espionage she must fight between what is right and what she ultimately desires. It's a thin tightrope that she herself struggles to balance on. Not only is she messy, she is determined. Saff is blind in her own plight of revenge that she almost blows her cover one too many times, and ultimately falls in love with someone she has been sworn to hate. You could cut the tension with a knife.

If you're looking for a dark and addictive fantasy with lush worldbuilding, morally grey characters, forbidden love and completely unique magic system then you won't want to miss Silvercloak.

Huge thanks to L.K Steven, NetGalley and Del Rey for the copy!

DNF at 16%

I was already skimming the overthinking and direct telling word dump of world building. I finished part one and was no longer interested in the story at all.

This felt like throwing Harry Potter, Fourth Wing, and a classic lot book together. The magic system wasn't all that interesting and had definite flaws like the potions people went into a fight with just potions?! Knife to a gun fight.

Saffron is a horrible name and she wasn't even that interesting. I wanted to love this and it just fell flat for me.

Magic, double agents, secret missions, romance, and time travel? Say less.

I ate this book up! The last 50 pages, I could NOT put down. I felt like from the beginning, this book was high action - I remember gasping about 4 chapters in. I loved how layered Saffron and Levan were, and how the lines in the book were constantly blurred between good and evil. The language was whimsical and sensual, but also violent and gory at times. I loved how diverse the characters were, and I think this is the first fantasy I've read where it's explicit that sexual orientation isn't a thing and almost everyone is attracted to all genders. Some spicy scenes, but this is a slow burn. I also have so many questions - what does it mean that Saffron is affected only by strong magic like Levan's? What is her family history? I can't wait to continue reading this series!!

What wasn't my favourite: language in the book was sometimes hard to read and I felt myself sometimes focusing more on the word choices than actually visualizing the story, and it kind of would pull me out; it was definitely a lot of info dumping at the beginning and I was like "how will I remember all this info??" A glossary or map would've been helpful, although this was the ARC and I don't know if that will be in the final print.

Silvercloak is the first book in a saga (not sure how many books total this will be) set in a world where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain. After her parents are murdered when she’s a kid, Saffron wants to be part of the Silvercloaks, which are essentially the magic police in this world, but after it’s revealed that magic has no effect on her even though she can use magic, she’s sent undercover into the Bloodmoons, essentially a magic mafia whose overall goals are murky. There she gets close to the kingpin’s son, and Saffron slowly uncovers their intentions, their shared history, and her own powers.

The magic system was really interesting and built well. How pain and pleasure differ in how it fuels magic, the different sources of it (probably how people are imagining it) and how that can hinder and help you, especially if you’re carrying some sort of trauma. The characters were interesting, though honestly there were times when Saffron told us what she’s like without her actions really backing up those claims, and I’m not sure that was intentional. But I like how she wasn’t overpowered and how her special power also had its flaws, but I do wish she made wiser decisions as it seemed like she would based on the character that was presented.

The romance was fine, not particularly interesting but not the focus either. Levan was a little confusing but not quite in the interesting, enigmatic way (just confusing) and honestly I did prefer Nissa as Saffron’s love interest (also I keep thinking of the spice when I see Saffron’s name). The Bloodmoons’ motivation, once it was revealed, still doesn’t quite make sense to me, and the worldbuiling, while pretty interesting and unique, could get a little bogged-down and confusing at times, especially with all the proper names. The ending was fast-paced and exciting, though some parts of it felt a bit like a cop-out. The middle was a bit slower than I expected, and honestly I’m a little surprised that Saff’s time there wasn’t as complicated as it seemed set up to be. It focused a little more than I liked on her and Levan’s relationship, but I wished there was more to the plot around the middle.

Overall, not bad and mostly enjoyable. The beginning was definitely the most interesting to me, and it picks up again near the end. As it says in the description, this is a world fueled by pain and pleasure so definitely beware of content warnings. It does end on a cliffhanger so you might be in it for the long-haul to get a proper conclusion. But there is a lot unique with this fantasy, and if you want something almost reminiscent of Harry Potter for adults, you may enjoy this.

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and DelRey for sharing this ARC!

Let me be clear - though I DNF'd this book at 30%, I still stand that the Prologue of Silvercloak is one of the most intriguing and heart provoking openings to a story I've ever read. However, what follows is a story about revenge with incredible world building and a unique magic system that ultimately fell short of it's own premise. I wanted more from Saffron and I felt that her characterization was all over place. This was tagged as an Adult fantasy story, but I agree with others that it read very YA.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 4.5 Stars

Silvercloak is a gorgeously written fantasy that hooked me from the very first chapter. I was immediately sold by the wands and cloaks.

One of the things I loved most was the magic system - magic fuelled by both pleasure and pain, which was such an original concept compared to many of the books I’ve read recently. The story is also set in a queer normative world which I always love.

If you love character-driven fantasy with unique magic system and political intrigue, I highly recommended this one.

⭐️: 3.5/5

If I had to sum this book up in one word, it would be “fine”. I really enjoyed Our Infinite Fates, so when I saw that L.K. Steven was putting out an adult fantasy series, I was excited! Starting with the good, the magic system in this book was so unique, where it’s powered by pleasure and pain. I also liked the twist on the trope of how the FMC in fantasy books is usually so overpowered, in the sense that Saffron did have an advantage over most other mages, but that advantage also had consequences that made her not able to do certain things as well. I was definitely interested in the plot, just maybe not quite as interested as I wanted to be in the first book in a series.

As for the things that I found kind of lacking in this one, I found the names and places to be overwhelming in complexity, and the info dump of the topology of the world they lived in was useless to me without a map, which was not present in the ARC I was reading. I’m not sure if there’s going to be one in the finished copy, but there definitely should be. This one is kind of a product of the magic being powered by pleasure, but I kind of felt like there were constant, needless sexual innuendos? Usually that doesn’t bother me in books but it kind of really did in this one. I just felt like it was kind of implausible how horny everyone was for each other?

On a plot level, the mysteries felt kind of obvious, and the whole thing revolved around “planning” being one of Saffron’s best qualities, but in practice she was almost comically impetuous. Definitely one of those girls who likes to tell you that she’s one way because that’s how she sees herself, but that self perception is not rooted in reality. I didn’t love the overarching themes either. Without giving any spoilers away, the motivations of all the characters that were solidified at the end of the book felt kind of…childish…in a way that lacks scope and maturity. Anyway, I’m not sure if I’m going to finish this series, but this one was a fun enough read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @delreybooks for providing this eARC for my review!!

What a fun read! The vibe of this book really threw me back to my divergent and Harry Potter days. L. K. Steven did a great job brining that atmosphere but making it ADULT!

Very cool magic system feeding off of pain, pleasure, and intent. I am also a sucker for morally grey characters, and there were PLENTY so I was being fed.

I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys political fantasy, morally grey decisions, and magic/undercover plot lines.

4/5 star read for me

Saffron has spent the last twenty years with one goal: bring down the Bloodcloaks. In a world where magic is fueled by pain and pleasure, Saff is a Silvercloak—a magical detective in-training serving the laws of the city. When her final exam goes awry, she’s given the opportunity to infiltrate the Bloodcloaks, the crime organization that killed her parents in front of her. The mission is simple: find evidence of wrongdoing and bring as many criminals to justice as she can. But then Saff has a prophetic vision of her kissing and then killing Levan, the kingpin’s son. Forced to choose between duty and passion, she must decide what she’s willing to risk—and who she is willing to lose—to ease a decades-old grudge.

Silvercloak by L.K. Stevens is the perfect, gritty fantasy for a rainy day. The urban setting sucks you in and the plot moves fast enough to make your head spin. The characters are compelling, the magic system is unique, and the twists and turns will keep you on your toes. There are hints of ancient prophecies blended with an almost modern city, creating something unique and familiar at the same time.

Saff was a great main character because she was strong without being unfeminine and her struggles with her past felt real and raw. Her casual—and actually shown—bisexuality grounded her character, as did her slow fall from grace. It was compelling to watch her struggle with right and wrong in a situation where wrong was often necessary.

Levan—our tortured love interest/villain—was a little less fleshed out than Saff. His desires and motivations were unclear, which is reasonable up to a point, but even as the character got to know each other intimately, I was unsure if the author could express what he actually needed. Character ambiguity can be a great tool to build tension, but it was overused here. The side character also felt more like tropes that fleshed out people. They served a plot device rather than existing on their own, but given that this is the start of the series, I’m hopeful that they will develop into individuals later in the series.

Despite some flaws, Silvercloak is a must-read fantasy novel that fans of Six of Crows, Throne of Glass, and Harry Potter will be sure to love.

Read if you like…
⚔️I hate that I care about you
🩸Enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-????
⚔️What are emotions? How do I make them go away?
🩸Complex Harry Potter-esque magic systems
⚔️Casual LGBTQIA+ representation
🩸An urban fantasy setting with street gangs
⚔️Forced proximity
🩸They flirt by trying to outsmart and outmaneuver each other
⚔️Complicated morals and twisty motivations
🩸Everyone is the bad guy?
⚔️So. Much. Family. Trauma.
🩸Timeweaving that could break the fabric of the universe?

We are on a roll with the original magic systems this year omg- the pain/pleasure having different effects on people and the potential for shenanigans? Sign me up.

This had be absolutely on the edge of my seat as I was absolutely CONVINCED that Saff’s luck was going to run out eventually… the close calls she had were a little TOO close for comfort considering her situation (undercover in a crime syndicate, attempting to avenge her parents death) and I ate it up.

Star docked for the repetitive writing, which is a real pet peeve of mine. We get is. Staff has Silver-blonde curtly hair you do not have to remind me of that every five minutes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e arc in exchange for an honest review.
I should have known this book wasn't for me when I saw reviews saying it was "harry potter for adults" . Saffron as a main character was so unbelievably annoying, she's meant to be methodical and careful but constantly made stupid decisions. She's meant to be on a secret mission and it stopped being secret five minutes later when she tells another character that she's undercover.
There's a lot of potential but I found myself being bored for the majority of the book since it dragged but then the ending was so rushed that the reveals just felt lacklustre.
I'll probably read the next book though because I want to know what happens next, but I won't enjoy it.

I honestly don't know where to start. I loved this book.

Morally grey characters who blur the lines of good and evil. Secret groups and societies. A flip on the chosen one trope.

Despite possible inspirations, this book stands on its own as an original concept with brilliant execution. I could not put it down!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the copy of this eARC in return for an honest review.

Silvercloak is a really intriguing story and is a fun, easy read that I found myself not wanting to put down. It’s got time-bending magic, forbidden attraction, and political intrigue. To me it felt like HP mixed with some mafiaesque drama. We are in a world where magic is fuelled by pleasure and pain, and it leads to stark differences in how people choose to access their magic and where their loyalties lie.

Our MC’s, Saffron and Levan had good chemistry, I did feel that it leaned more toward physical attraction than emotional connection, I was hoping for a bit more depth. The tortured souls uniting over their favourite book was definitely a cute touch though and I can see all the book girlies loving this!

Theirs and other characters actions did at times feel in opposition to the meticulous, well trained soldiers we are led to believe they are. I thought that it might be because they are young…or just because of the emotional pull between them? I’ve seen this in a few books recently, where the “soldier” aspect gets kind of softened or pushed to the side to make room for romance or drama. It’s not a huge issue, but it did take me out of the story a little.

I gotta say, the biggest highlights for me was the political intrigue. I am obsessed with stories that grip you with power struggles, hidden agendas, and risky alliances! This book really delivered on that front, we’ve got betrayals, secret deals, and shifting loyalties that kept me SAT the whole way through. I love that it adds that layer of complexity to perfectly balance out the romance and magic. It’s definitely what kept me the most hooked throughout.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.