“ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴇ,ꜱɪʟᴠᴇʀ.” ʜɪꜱ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ʟᴏᴡ, ᴄᴏᴀʀꜱᴇ ʀᴜᴍʙʟᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴇᴀʀ. “ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴍʏꜱᴇʟꜰ ɪ’ᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇ ᴜɴᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ.”

Saffron watched her parents get murdered by the Bloodmoon gang. Now she’s undercover, pretending to be expelled from Silvercloak Academy, and working to take them down from the inside. But catching feelings for the gang leader’s emotionally damaged son wasn’t part of the mission. Oops.

This is dark academia meets magic mafia with enemies to lovers tension that burns. Think queer Harry Potter crossed with Six of Crows (but more mafia-ish) and add timeweaving, morally grey characters, and a magic system built on pain and pleasure. That’s how they fill their ‘wells’ when they get drained- I found this really cool!
Saff and Levan are both broken, angry, and drawn to each other in a way that hurts. The emotional stakes are high, the power plays ruthless, and the slow burn tension? Chef’s kiss.

If you’re into magical chaos, dark romance, and characters making morally questionable decisions while wearing cloaks, this one’s for you.

Silver cloak is a romantic fantasy that is set in a world where you have magic that is fuelled by pain and pleasure. Bloodmoons ruthlessly murdered Saffron Killoran’s parents, destroying her idyllic childhood. Hell-bent on revenge, she lies her way into Silvercloak Academy—the training ground for her city’s elite order of detectives—with a single goal: to get revenge. I thought the magic system was unique and interesting. The world building is well done and rich. However the pacing of the book was slow at times, and I lost interest reading it . I did like saffron as a character , but she made impulsive decisions that didn't make sense to me. Overall I did like the book, just not my favorite.

Saffron lived an enchanted life with her parents, who doted on he. Gifted with magic, their home was a safe, magical haven…until it wasn’t. After witnessing her parent’s murder at the hands of the Notorious Bloodmoon Gang, the trajectory of Saffron’s life is narrowed to a single path. Revenge against The Bloodmoons.

We follow Saffron as she trains to join the Silvercloaks, an elite detective unit. Things fall apart at the final hurdle and Saffron realises the only way to reach her goal might be to betray everything she believes in. She infiltrates the Bloodmoons and quickly realises how difficult it will be to maintain her cover, her morals and her life. What was once black and white becomes murky grey.

The world building is rich and the magic system is fascinating. There’s a nostalgic feel to the magic: wands, brooms, cauldrons, potions, sentient books and cards. This is juxtaposed against the modern feeling world we find ourselves in.
Magic is finite, spells drain your well. To fill the well you can use pleasure or pain, which makes for an interesting society. Saffron, determined, resourceful and brilliant, is drawn inextricably to Leaven, the tortured, guarded, multifaceted and BEYOND powerful KingPin’s son. Their lives run parallel but inevitably collide.

I couldn’t put this down. There’s magical miracles, espionage, corruption, murder, betrayal, prophecies and twisted love. This is great first instalment to set the series up. The ending gave me chills. There’s so much we still need to unpick and discover. There’s a few well trodden tropes and some frustrating moments but I can’t wait for the next instalment. Brilliant !

This book has me a bit conflicted. I thought the premise of the story and the unique magic system of pleasure/pain was incredibly interesting. However, the execution wasn't exactly what I had hoped it would be, but I'll start with what I enjoyed first.

I thought the plot was great, it's something I haven't read before and I wouldn't feel comfortable comparing it to other series/works. I felt like it was something all of itself, and that was great. I really enjoyed the characters, I thought they were described and executed well, I wish we had seen more of them in the book beyond the academy.

The villain of the story was written well too. I did actively despise them for the entirety of the book. It is probably what kept me going with the story, wanting to see what that journey would entail. And the shared grief between the main characters was also a strong story point. That felt more bonding and natural to me than the romantic subplot did.

The love interest felt kind of misplaced. I don't know if I was completely sold on them being drawn together, it didn't feel completely organic and I didn't have that "swoon" moment when they finally gave in to each other. It was more of a moment of "oh that happened".

To me, it felt incredibly dragged out in places. I did not think it needed to be as long as it was. I have read this author's work before and I know that they are very descriptive and thorough. But this just seemed excessive. The inner monologues and the constant warring with decisions felt like it really bogged down the book. I just think this needed a lot more editing down, I think my biggest point as I said above was just the inner monologues. It didn't feel enough like reading a story at the point, it was more of a reading a very lengthy journal entry. I found myself at multiple points having to reread certain paragraphs and pages because I started to zone out in the monologue parts.

Overall I didn't hate this book, I also didn't quite love it. I'm giving it a 3 star rating as it was just an average read to me. I will likely read the next book however to see how the rest of the world unfolds.

Silvercloak is a romantasy that portrays a world where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain. In the book we follow Saffron as she navigates the underbelly of a magic mafia ring.

What’s done well:
There’s high stakes, plenty of slow burn romance, and an interesting world. It’s reminiscent of a grittier, more adult Harry Potter. The morally gray MMC is VERY morally gray and you can’t help but feel for him and the choices he’s made. The FMC is the betrayer, despite being generally good, which was a cool plot point.

What could be improved:
I had the hardest time getting interested in this book. I’m normally a super fast reader and I had to force myself into this one. Once I got about 20% in it got easier, but I really didn’t have a good handle on the world, the magic, or any of the “rules”.

This book is great for dark romantasy lovers, adult fans of Harry Potter, or people looking for a fantasy that mixes with their favorite mafia tropes.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

After all the hype around this book I confess that I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting an automatic 5 stars read which unfortunately wasn’t. It is still a good book though, just didn’t had that wow factor for me

Really fun high stakes adult fantasy!

Silvercloak is told from a limited third-person narrative, focusing on an endearing FMC. The FMC felt very human and thankfully diverged from the very tired fantasy trope of infallible-chosen-one-main-character. She sometimes made silly mistakes and choices that made sense given her motivations and circumstances. The romance between the FMC and MMC was a true enemies-to-lovers but also very sweet. There were many side characters, and each felt distinct enough I could keep track of them all. The wolf familiar was, of course, a stand-out favorite.

The author's writing experience and mastery were very evident. The world was easy to sink into, with a fresh take on the magic system that did not require endless explanation. I could see some folks craving more plot within the magical training school, but I'm very burnt out on magical academy and appreciated the brief time spent in that setting. The author did a good job providing details without info dumping, and there were several bits I hope the author expands on later. One note, there is some body horror/torture that I think is manageable for most folks but will make some squeamish. Also, there is a lot of discussion of trauma and grief, particularly for losing parents at a young age.

I think most adult fantasy readers will enjoy this, and I'll definitely want to read the next in the series.

Thank you, Del Rey, for the arc!

Thank you sincerely to Netgalley, L.K. Steven & Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

Silvercloak was an exciting, epic fantasy that never had a dull moment. Steven’s writing was smooth and well done- I was immersed from the very first chapters. The magic system was absolutely unique, featuring a pain/pleasure system that fuels the caster’s power. Despite the morally grey-ness of her, Saffron was so relatable for a main character, I couldn’t help but love her. Levan was also not all that he seems, and was likable despite everything.

I loved this first book so much- can’t wait for book 2. 5/5 stars!!

Spoilers in this review.

Silver cloak is a romantic fantasy that is set in a world where you have magic that is fuelled by pain and pleasure. The magic system, though gave me Harry Potter vibes, was unique in a sense and even though could be confusing with some plot lines, felt refreshing in a genre that is a lot of the same stuff.

The HP vibes were strong with all those casting spells, I have never known a book to have so many deaths in the first book! Will there even be anyone left by the end of it??

The romance didn’t hit for me, not as much as I had hoped. It kinda felt one minute they were still enemies and the next they definitely were not…I think it’s all to do with the pleasure and pain aspect of their power but it confused me a little. I like a little more slow burn with my romances and it was a little hard to root for them when you definitely know a betrayal is coming.

Also, the mysterious nation who only fuelled their magic by pain kept getting mentioned but nothing happened from it…like, was it the author just setting them up for an appearance in the second book? It felt odd placing at times!

I will say it was fun knowing the prophecy from pretty much the get go, and it being flipped round that actually the FMC is the betrayer not the MMC which is what you usually get! It was also good trying to figure out how the prophecy comes to fruition, thinking of different scenarios that could happen because you just know the obvious is not what’s going to happen!

Overall a good first book, I will likely read the second as I am really intrigued to get a different perspective on the betrayal trope! I will say it did lean slightly more on the darker fantasy aspects where they relied on a lot of the pain aspect for power refuelling in certain plot points, so I wonder if the second will dive into that more? It wasn’t overpoweringly dark, not at all, but worth a mention if someone doesn’t like that kind of stuff at all.

3 stars! Thanks Netgalley, L.K.Steven & Random House Publishing Group for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5
Saffrons parents were murdered my the Bloodmoons when she was aix, since then she has sworn to get revenge and studies to become a Silvercloak (basicslly the police). After it is revealed that she is immune to magic she gets offered the position of a spy in the Bloodmoons.

I liked this book but it didnt do anything special, it didnt mess anything up but there also wasnt anything that was exceotionally well done/suprising.

Some parts of the world are really messed up, they have an infinite food supply but prisoners still basically starve

The plottwists were pretty obvious, but still kinda fun.

I would recommend this book if youre in the mood for some fun

The cover is geourges and the blurb promises a dark and dangerous world full of secrets and life-threatening suspense. Yet the execution is everything but that.
Everything gets treated like a joke. Neither the fmc nor the narrator takes anything in this world seriously, which is why the atmosphere is very lackluster and doesn't portray this dark and moody world at all.

The magic system is incoherent and most things just got left unexplained.
I can't get over how they use their brooms like telephones to clal each other. That's so ridiculous. I just can't take it seriously.
Additionally, I hate how sexual the magic system is. Why do I need to have sex to charge up my magic powers ? This world wants to be different so badly and yet everything in here is just written to be another cringey romantasy.

Not only did I find the world building to be lackluster but also the overall plot. It's written poorly and lazily. We just skip forward so much. Right in the beginning, we skip all of the stuff happening in the academy. We only ever hear about the outcome. This book suffers heavily from telling instead of showing.

While the plot tries to be in the forefront, its poor execution fails to give it any relevance, which is why the romance is the only thing that felt developed in here. I really wanted this badass fantasy. Instead, I got another cringe romantasy. I couldn't take the banter between the two main characters. It was incredibly unrealistic and tried to be funny so hard it gave me second hand emberassment. Again, the way they talked didn't fit the setting and atmosphere at all. Nothing felt dangerous and dark.

The writing is very choppy and tries to be very pretentious and poetic. Instead, it often times simpyl was confusing, filled with poor metaphors and unnecessary complicated words that didn't add anything to the plot nor the atmosphere.

A thing that didn't sit right with me was the queer representation in here. Everyone's pansexual apparently and the fmc also has a sexual relationship with another girl at the beginning of this book. However, with how things progressed and how those queer relationships got portrayed I personally felt like it was queerbaiting. I didn't like the way the queer relationships got overly sexualsied and thrown away just for the most basic straight girl romance plot. The worst part is the they didn't even end up having chemistry. So it didn't even make sense to get rid of the queer couples for that.

The premise of this has a lot of potential and this could have been a really epic dark fantasy, if the focus would have been on a strong plot and world building instead of yet again another romantasy between the girl with dead parents and the dark and moody boy who's fated to be her nemesis.

This actually reminded me A LOT of the book "The dagger and the flame". Idk if it's just a coincidence but at times it felt a little too similar. Especially when it comes to the dynamics between the fmc and the mmc.

This was a hard one. I thought with the first few chapters I was really going to like it but as the story continued, I found myself wanting to pick up the book less and less. This is such a bummer because I LOVED our infinite fates by this author. I didn't really feel connected to the characters or plot. I also didn't love the use of pain and pleasure as a magic system even though it is unique. This won't stop me from reading things by this author in the future but this one just was not for me.

Brutal magic, morally gray leads, and a city governed by pleasure, pain, and the ever-present threat of betrayal. Silvercloak is an epic fantasy with a romantic undercurrent that pulses with tension—gritty, sensual, and at times surprisingly tender.

Yes, you could call it “adult Harry Potter,” but think closer to The Magicians or even Manacled: darker, sharper, more self-aware. The world Stevens builds is steeped in power and consequence—where magic is fueled by pain and pleasure, and fear shapes everything from politics to personal choices. It’s violent, visceral, and vividly atmospheric.

At the center is Saffron, a mage driven by a relentless desire to dismantle the Bloodmoon crime syndicate responsible for her parents' murder. She’s sharp, fiercely determined, and emotionally guarded—but her journey is one of gradual transformation. Each harrowing choice she faces forces her to confront the boundaries she once vowed never to cross.

Then there’s Levan, the Kingpin’s son—all fire and contradiction. Terrifyingly powerful, yet constantly reaching for something gentler. He’s got the off-kilter charm of a boy raised in blood but still clinging to wonder. A little High Reeve, a little Dorian Havilliard, all heartbreak.

Their dynamic is everything enemies-to-lovers should be: sharp-edged and slow-building, charged with fate but never passive. The way they clash, open up, unravel—it’s magnetic. There’s an invisible string tugging them closer, but rather than purely fated, it’s tangled in magic, desire, and choice.

𝑶𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈:
🐺 A canine familiar you’ll obsess over: Rasso is pure Golden Retriever energy until threats drive him to start ripping out throats
🪄 The magic system is tactile, original, and rooted in pleasure and pain in a way that heightens both worldbuilding and emotional stakes
❤️ Stevens creates a queernormative society without fanfare—it just is, which is so refreshing to see in fantasy
✨ Spice scenes here hit hard—and are made hotter by magic
🩵 Side characters that shine when given the spotlight (more Harrow in Book 2, please?)
🎲 A delightful nerdiness in our leads, who bond over books, author signings, and board games
💙 The writing is lyrical without getting precious, especially sharp in its sensory detail and emotional unraveling

I do wish the endgame had a bit more room to breathe. Some plot twists felt like they softened the emotional foundation that made the journey so resonant. The pacing also picked up just when I wanted it to slow down and linger. That said, Stevens has built a rich world full of promise, and I’ll be first in line for book two.

𝑻𝑳;𝑫𝑹: Silvercloak is the kind of romantic, epic fantasy that sinks in deep: rich with sensory magic, tangled loyalties, devastating attraction, and the slow, sharp unraveling of who you thought you had to be. Brutal, intimate, and compelling from the first page.

What if I said the character dynamics are like if Nova from Renegades met a less sarcastic version of Dorian from Throne of Glass if he was raised by Silco from Arcane? What then?


Silvercloak has been on my Netgalley TBR for a while, and I've been meaning to get around to it sooner but kept getting new ARCs with closer due dates. It's an adult fantasy that often gets compared to Harry Potter because the characters carry wands, but honestly, the world reminded me more of Ketterdam from Six of Crows and the magic system was vaguely reminiscent of by Katy Rose Pool. And, because I can't help but include one more reference, the plot reminded me a lot of Heartless Hunter. While reading, I kept making fun of the two main characters because they continuously referenced their favorite childhood book series (which one character wrote his thesis on?), but here I am, name-dropping a dozen other books.

I want to talk briefly about the worldbuilding, which I don't always discuss in-depth in my reviews. Magic in this world is born out of either pain, pleasure, or a mix of both. I found this concept to be super interesting, but some of its execution was a bit disappointing. For example, it is mentioned that pleasure can come from simple things, like delicious food, beautiful music, or pretty artwork, but most of the time it comes from sex. Saff offers that, "almost everyone in Ascenfall was attracted to all genders, and almost everyone was kinky as all hells," basically using the excuse that everyone is horny all the time so everyone gets magic from sex. I really would've liked to see more exploration on other ways to generate pleasure, rather than a flimsy excuse that completely disregards asexuality and other people who simply might not enjoy sex. If you're going to do a magic system like this, there are so many interesting things you could do with it beyond smutty scenes.

Back to the plot: Saff's parents were murdered by the Bloodmoons when she was a child, so when she gets the chance to go undercover and bring them down, she accepts it immediately. I thought it would have a bit more action and tension, given Saff was supposed to be undercover the whole time, but I agree with another review that mentions that she and Levan are pretty overpowered (although sometimes Saff seems not to have much depth to her magical "well" and other times she can perform dozens of crazy feats in a row). This eliminates some of the tension and slows the pace at times, but I still enjoyed the story. I almost wish there had been more of a mystery subplot or something, as Saff spent a lot of time with the Bloodmoons just sitting around, which also could drag at times. I called two of the major plot twists (one of them is extremely obvious), and the one that I missed feels like there will be more developments in the future. Similarly, I saw some complaints about the ending, and while yes, I did find it a bit convenient, I'm hoping the story will play more with the consequences of those decisions in the future. Overall, it's a promising start to a new fantasy series, and I'm excited to see where it goes in the future.

As I said before, these characters resembled a lot of other characters from other books and TV shows. I kind of expected not to like Saff, and while she did get on my nerves at times, I didn't mind her too much. Her snarky quips combined with her relatively inquisitive (aka nosy) nature made her intriguing to follow, even if I didn't always agree with her. I have mixed feelings about Levan because sometimes I thought he was boring, and other times I liked his character. He's kind of your typical "book boyfriend" love interest in that he's "morally gray," has some obscure but calm/artistic hobby (reading), and grew up in tragic conditions that led to an even more tragic backstory. I'm interested to see the continuation of his arc, but he does feel like he's trying a bit too hard in this book, and I hope we get more flaws. I compared Lyrian to Silco because my reactions to them were basically the same; I hated them at first, I hated them slightly less upon finishing their series, and now I still hate them a little bit but feel kind of guilty about it. Saff starts the story with a handful of friends that I found interesting (I love Tiernan and Auria), but they quickly became irrelevant, and I'm hoping they come back in the next book.

Silvercloak is the first book in an upcoming adult fantasy series reminiscent of many other fantasy novels but putting its own unique spin on magic systems and promising more excitement to come.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

4.25/5

So fresh, so fun! The comparison to Harry Potter really only comes down to the wand magic, otherwise this is a spectactular Adult fantasy with a slow-burn romance. I love the authors writing and world-building. Its vivid and formative, and easy to understand and visulize. Silvercloak is going to be huge and I can't wait for the next books!!

Thank you so much to the publishers for the arc of Silvercloak. Wow, what a book this was, I didn’t know I was missing wands and cloaks in my fantasy reads u til I read this book. It was a wild ride. As usual, Laura Steven’s writing is so beautiful, and I was fully immersed in Saffrons world, and the world of the Bloodmoons and Silvercloaks. This was smart, sexy, suspenseful and wonderfully magical. I’m writing this just after finishing the book, and it’s still sinking in, just how amazing a read it was. I loved it, I’m so so glad this is part of an ongoing series, and I cannot for the other books, and to continue Saff and Levans story.

This book was fine but I was constantly ticked off by the stupidity of Saff's decisions. She is supposed to be one of the top of the top as a Silvercloak, and yet she was constantly making dangerous mistakes due to impulsion or a lack of intelligence. I felt that made it difficult to root for her as it was obvious why she is finding herself in such trouble.

Silvercloak delivers a richly atmospheric fantasy that leans into shadow and intrigue. The story’s mix of dark magic, complex characters, and a creeping sense of dread kept me engaged from start to finish. I appreciated how the narrative didn’t shy away from exploring the grimmer aspects of power and loyalty, grounding the fantasy elements in emotional reality.

The prose is measured and evocative, creating a moody, almost tangible world where nothing feels entirely safe. While some pacing moments dragged a bit, especially in the middle, the tension never fully slipped away, and the stakes felt real and personal.

Character development was a highlight — the protagonists are flawed and nuanced, wrestling with their own ambitions and fears in ways that felt genuine. I found myself invested in their journeys, even when the choices they made were difficult to accept.

Though not without its imperfections, Silvercloak is a compelling read for those who appreciate dark, serious fantasy with layers of mystery and psychological depth.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thank you so much for this ARC, I was very excited about it, and it did not disappoint! The magical system was intriguing and well-built, the characters and the mysteries build around them made the whole narrative even more dynamic, and I appreciated the fact that they were more adult, it was easier to relate to them. I was a bit miffed about some of the choices that the main character made, but I enjoyed the character development that she went through.
It was an enjoyable read, and I can't wait to see what will happen next!

A very compelling and intriguing read. I loved the characters and the way representation was weaved in so seamlessly. The magic system was also so fun and the plot kept me hooked from start to finish. Would definitely recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC!