Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the arc when I was first started reading it, it was a bit slow for me the pacing wasn’t right something was missing and I was a bit bored all the way though sadly I just DNF at 80% I couldn’t do it anything I made a decision if I’m not enjoying and just going to stop reading and read another book and not waste my time in something I’m not enjoying

things that could have made it better

A better plot twist because we didnt get much of it, but confused in what it was it was a bit choppy I know it was about a magic system that’s it nothing special

Better understanding each character and development of them

I really wished I like it more :(

4.5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Well, this was an absolute blast! A unqiue wand-based magic system that relies on pleasure and pain interwoven with magic mafia style politics – say no more!

Our FMC, Saffron, is on a mission to destroy the organisation that murdered her parents when she was a child. It seems her time for redemption is about to come into play as she joins the Silvercloaks (an anti-crime organisation) and is sent undercover to infiltrate the elusive and dangerous Bloodcloaks who were also responsible for the death of her parents. It is here she meets Levan, the son of the Bloodcloaks kingpin, who may or may not start to distract her from her primary mission.

This is my first foray into Laura Steven's work as I haven't had a chance to read her previous work so I didn't quite know what to expect. However, I really enjoyed the writing style and found myself wholly immersed in the world so cannot wait to check out more of her books!

i knew from the moment this book showed up on my radar that i would really like it, it was just a matter of how much. the answer is A LOT.

this book had my jaw dropping with everything that was going on and all the reveals and plot twists? broke my brain. the last few chapters basically had me on the edge of my seat and the epilogue made me fall to the floor. LITERAL CHILLS. my anticipation for the sequel is absolutely through the roof like i legitimately don’t think i can wait for an entire year to find out where the story is going to go??

there’s much to talk about in terms of the characters as well. i was a fan of both of them honestly and the way the chemistry between them was built up? phenomenal. the entire book felt very high stakes and a lot of that reflected in the way the characters interacted with each other as well. since they’re essentially working for opposites sides, i would consider this enemies to lovers or at least something very close to it. the two of them don’t trust each other at all but are forced to in certain situations and also hate the side the other stands for.

i will say overall, i highly recommend picking this up when it releases!

ARC review! Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book.

3.75/5 stars — What an exhilarating read. This was such a fun adult fantasy from an author that is obviously incredibly experienced with the genre. There were just enough common tropes to make the book easy to pick up, but was also novel enough to keep me entertained throughout.

BUT there is just one gripe I had with it that prevents me from giving this a 5 star😭

Plot 4/5
We follow Saffron, a silvercloak, in a high stakes espionage mission that only she can accomplish due to a special quirk she has. Each story beat flows seamlessly into the next. The ending was insane, I must admit. Though I did expect more from her time undercover.

Characters 4/5
I might be in love with Saffron. As for everyone else, well.

The Bloodmoons were set out to be this terrifying gang of criminals so terrible that the cops of this world train specifically to deal with them. Yet they are surprisingly tame? This supposed high stakes mission was surprisingly easy on Saffron, outside of a few short events when the author suddenly remembers the Bloodmoons were meant to be terrifying and evil and not, you know, just a family run gang.

The “good guys” were also pretty lacklustre. I get that they weren’t the main focus but Saffron is really attached to them and there is a huge disconnect between what she is feeling and what the reader feels.

Worldbuilding 4 / 5
The magic system is novel, wand magic with added complications. It works a lot like the magic system of a video game where your character has an “energy bar”, or Magic Well as it is called in the book. I loved how the author incorporated this idea into the combat scenes. The expositions about history and religion were done well throughout the book.

However, there were some aspect of worldbuilding that were lacking. The types of magic and magic casters, and the ability of each person to be a type of magic casters were kind of unclear. I think with enough training, you can be anything you want but for some, they can only be one type? I think? The religion was also quite sidelined despite being brought up several times.

Also there’s a whole kingdom which culture centres around bdsm. Uh, sure.

Prose 3 / 5
Okay, this is where I would’ve put the book down if it weren’t an ARC. For the most part, the prose was great. But occasionally, out of nowhere, you just get slapped in the face with something sexual. And when I mean out of nowhere, I mean out of *nowhere*. Saffron cannot look at her ex without vivid flashbacks of them fucking. Everyone is horny. The author is probably horny. Nothing particularly wrong with that but it’s really distracting as just a reader that wants to read😭

I have examples.

“At the sight of herself in a Bloodmoon cloak, horror tugged viscerally at her guts. Horror, but also… intrigue. She was strangely compelled by it, picking at the image like a fresh scan, examining every tiny detail. The sleekness of the cloak, the rough edges of those moans. It was like walking in on yourself fucking someone you shouldn’t.”

Surely, there was a better simile to use to describe the wrongness of a situation.

“And the truth was that she had come to care about [spoilers]. Not just in a primal, I-caught-him-fucking-the-King’s-Prophet-and-now-keep-picturing-him-in-a-state-of-undress sort of way, but as a person.”

Firstly, that “caught him fucking the King’s prophet” scene in question was a long long time ago, and it was probably the last thing on my mind. That way in particular was not even in the top ten ways I could’ve thought she meant by “caring”.

Also, dangerous spy mission, being traumatised left and right and Saffron still “remembered to take contraceptive tincture amidst all the chaos”, of course.

It’s just not for me, I guess. It jolts me out of the story every time.

This book was said to be Harry Potter but adult version. I definitely get where they are getting that comparison. There is magic and the system at which it replenishes is interesting. Bubble sure or pain you can refill your well. Kinda cool idea. The plot is about a young girl who has done everything for revenge for her family that were killed by the bloodmoons. She had to hide a very important secret about herself so she could gain enough knowledge and experience to do so. Where the story heads had a lot of building and you stay with the FMC the entire time with not weird time jumps. The characters you meet start with a found family and then you discover the MMC and what path each character plays with him in the mix. I really enjoyed the FMC and her ability to think things through and reroute plans when needed. There is some spice and some darker themes including torture and death.

The only negative thing I would say the book seemed like it had parts that made it seem like the book was taking way to long. I think it was at about 57% that I was like how much longer is this book I feel like I’ve been reading this book for a week and it’s only that much?!? But then you get to action parts and the climax near the end and you are like okay here we freaking go! So over all I liked it and think the next book will definitely be interesting with how it ended. Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the book community thinks.

Holy HELL. THANK YOU DEL REY for sending this one my way, because I honestly don’t know if I’d have picked it up otherwise, and that would be a tremendous loss on my part.

THIS WAS INSANELY FUN. I loved the magic system and I LOVED Saffron! Her snarky personality had me cackling throughout, even when she made insane wild decisions that had me wanting to shake her. Levan …. oh man. Talk about an intriguing character. He kept me on my toes the entire book and his and Saff’s relationship was delicioussss! His moments of softness hidden behind all his dark actions … phew. It’s enough to give me whiplash.

I was thoroughly invested throughout this entire book—undeniably STRESSED by the end because the last 20% was terror-inducing. SO many twists that I didn’t expect!! I usually find myself exhausted by time-bending stories but I was incredibly captivated by this one. I’m so anxious about how the next book will pan out, especially after that wild ending and frankly, terrifying epilogue. Saff is definitely about to go on a JOURNEY and I’m here to see it.

One of my favorites of the year so far! SHOUT OUT RASSO WHAT A GOOD BOY

This was like an adult Harry Potter. I like that the main characters were three dimensional and morally grey. I liked the slow burn of Saffron and Levan and seeing Saffron discover the different sides to him. I’m not a big fan of them sleeping with other people throughout. I’m not going to lie, at points I was bored, but the last 20% made up for it (although a little predictable) and I’m excited to read the next one.

Thank you so much to Del Rey and Netgalley for an eARC of Silvercloak! This was a highly anticipated title of mine after enjoying Our Infinite Fates, and I was thrilled to see that L.K. Steven had an adult debut novel.

The premise of this book was SO intriguing- the first chapter had me hooked. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to truly love this one, Silvercloak wasn't quite everything I hoped it would be- something about the pacing and the characters had me feeling really disconnected from the storyline. I do think this is a well-written book with a unique world/magic system, but I just wasn't as invested as I hoped I'd be.

With that being said- I think if you enjoyed Nightstrider by Sophia Slade, One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig, anything by Allison Saft or Ava Reid, you'll likely enjoy this book. Silvercloak is out this upcoming July, and I hope that if it speaks to you, you'll give it a shot!

I wanted to love this SO badly. I loved this author’s other book, Our Infinite Fates, and hoped I’d find a similar magic in the writing. I know they are two completely different books, but it almost felt like two different authors. None of the charm was there in the characters or the writing style. This also felt like it was trying to be grown up Harry Potter which I just don’t vibe with.

I'm just gonna preorder the entire series.
WOW. I needed a minute.
The chemistry. The sense of impending doom. Thirst for revenge and retribution. Spying. Undercover. Queer. Chemistry!! GAH!
CANNOT recommend enough - clear your day, order food and just immerse yourself!

5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
1.5 🌶️

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year so when I got approved for an e-arc I was so excitedddddd.

Brief Summary -

Saffron sees her parents murdered by Bloodmoons as a young child. Years later she is a member of the Silvercloak academy, and ends up being given the task of going undercover within the Bloodmoons 🩸 🌙

But then there’s the prophecy involving her and the kingpin’s son, the one she’s fated to kiss… and kill.

The world building in this is incredible. Yet it’s all told in a way that makes it easy to understand and isn’t confusing. The magic system, I’ve never read anything like it where magic is fuelled by pain or pleasure (and they use wands 🪄)

This book was so well packed, with events and things going on. There was never a dull moment and there were times when I didn’t even see things happening the way they did. Magic had such a heavy presence throughout the entire book, so many spells used, it wasn’t just a background kind of thing, it was used for the simplest of tasks at times to the biggest of events.

This book had me hooked ALLLL the way through, there wasn’t a single moment where I was bored or wanting to rush ahead. It was well written and captivating.

L.K.Steven also did such an incredible job at writing about grief. Especially how Saff was still dealing with it all those years later and how it affected her.
“You can either yield to grief or you can use it’”.

The chemistry between the FMC and MMC.. just .. urgghhh 😩😩 I need more.
“I see you Silver. For all that you are”

🪄 Political intrigue & Corruption
🪄 Found family
🪄 Forbidden Romance
🪄 Magic/Forbidden Magic
🪄 Morally Grey characters
🪄 Queer representation

I cannot wait to see how book two will pick up where this book ended, to see how things unfold 🪄✨

Silvercloak kicks off a dark, gripping fantasy series set in a world where magic is drawn from pleasure and pain—an idea that’s both haunting and compelling. While some readers compare it to Harry Potter, I found it leaned more toward the tone and edge of A Deadly Education. This is no cozy boarding school tale—it’s raw, ruthless, and filled with morally gray choices.

Saffron Killoran is a determined and damaged protagonist who worms her way into the prestigious Silvercloak Academy, not out of ambition but revenge. When her deception is uncovered, she's given a high-stakes shot at redemption: infiltrate the very gang that tore her family apart and destroy them from within. What follows is a tense, slow-burn descent into the underbelly of a society where nothing—not even power—comes without a price.

The worldbuilding is smart and layered, full of danger and desire, with flawed characters that reveal surprising depths as the story unfolds. Saff’s time undercover is a constant tightrope walk, and the moment she slips—everything threatens to unravel.

One of the standouts is Levan, the gang leader’s enigmatic son. As Saff is drawn deeper into his orbit, their complex connection and the prophecy hanging over them add tension and emotional weight. You won't know whether to root for them or brace for betrayal.

Silvercloak delivers an intense ride full of twists, tough choices, and the promise of even more chaos to come. If you're into dark fantasy with strong female leads, forbidden dynamics, and high-stakes undercover missions, this one is worth diving into. Book two can't come soon enough.

I haven't been this enamored with a fantasy world in a long time. This book is like season 1 of any anime. Lots of world building. Lots of magic. Lots of learning. This book is going to be perfect for fans of Harry Potter (but make it adult), Doctor Who timey whime-y-ness, mage mafias, and murder mysteries. Also, the FMC has some great dry humor while also being almost detrimentally determined. Did she do what I wanted her to do? Absolutely not. Did I love seeing an FMC be tenacious and back stabby bc she is a woman on a mission? Absolutely, yes. Plus, an enemies to lover to...to be determined for the romance subplot? Sign me up. I love this book and am so grateful that I was able to get an ARC! I can't wait to get a physical copy to tab and annotate in preparation for book 2...which I know...just KNOW is going to be like going from Season 1 to Season 2 of Solo Leveling.

I liked the concept of the magic system and the plot. I did find the writing a little choppy. There were a few inconsistencies with the magic system that were confusing, and things that were mentioned but never explained how they were done. This was partly my issue because books with time weaving/travel are always more difficult for me to get through. I wasn’t really connected to any of the characters and found parts predictable. I’m not sure if I will continue the series or not.

Thanks to the publisher, without and NetGalley for my eARC.

Silvercloak was a such great read! Thoroughly enjoyed the addition of wands within the magic system and pleasure/pain element of keeping their magical ‘well’ filled up was a cool part of the story — especially when it came to topping it up.

Keeping all the places, names etc clearly sorted in my head was a bit difficult at first. I felt confused at times with the info dumping and wasn’t sure who or what I needed to keep an eye on for the sake of the storyline, but this settled down eventually and I got a better grasp on what was going on.

FMC Saff’s progression throughout the story was slow and felt like it was going backwards at times but needed to set the pace of her relationship with Levan and the trajectory of her powers/abilities. I love them together!

After that ending I’m SO curious to see what happens! Villain arc? True enemies? Time broken?? I am hooked 🧎🏻‍♀️🙂‍↕️🪄

I think that this book will be the next big YA book! This book had me hooked! This book blended magic, politics, and secret mission beautifully.

Thank you to del rey and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, the magic and world building in this book was very interesting and quite unique, with the magic depending on pain and pleasure for replenishment. The world is based around a crime syndicate where there is an organisation called the blood cloaks and the governing police association is called the silver cloaks. I found the criminal underworld influences really added a lot to the plot and is something I would like to see more of.

The main female character is a silver cloak who’s parents were murdered by the blood cloaks and it delves into her training and the tasks she is given in her new role. Which includes going undercover.

Additional aspects:
⭐️Queer representation in the main characters
⭐️some explicit sexual content 🌶️🌶️
⭐️Unique magic system
⭐️Time travelling
⭐️Some dragon influences (which I think will be explored more)
⭐️morally grey MMC

I do really recommend this book and I believe you will throughly enjoy it if you enjoyed assassins blade or one for my enemy.
My only complaint was that I wish there was a bit more depth and yearning to the romance sub plot but at the same time that may be me being picky.

I just knew I was gonna love this book when I read the sypnosis.
I was hooked from the very beginning.

Fast paced, with morally grey main characters, political intrigue and a unique magic system.

The ending was so good and I did not see it coming. And those last lines.. Can't wait for book two!

Laura Steven is giving us gold this year. I can't wait to read more of her books. I definitely recommend pre-ordering this book, don't miss out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

“And my favorite time of year is summer.”
He tsked. “How can someone so beautiful have such bad taste? Autumn is objectively correct.”

• This author is quickly. becoming a favourite of mines
• This was a pretty different from what I usually read, there's magic, wands & spell casting. It did feel a bit nostalgic as I feel we don't really get much cloak & wand vibes anymore
• This is an adult book so there are some darker elements nothing crazy but there is an orginaised crime theme going so you can imagine where that will lead at times
• There are romantic relationships and there are a few spice scenes.
• Id say this one is for the people who like a bit more plot with their romance. Id compare it to the likes of the hurricane wars & when the moon hatched, not for plot lines or tropes but just for the plot to romance percentage and of how much I had to concentrate when reading it.
• Once I was about 50% in and immersed in the world I found myself not wanting to stop reading. The ending ! That last line ! I really enjoyed the characters and the romance. I’m really excited for the next book.

Thanks you delray for this arc.

Silvercloak

“From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Our Infinite Fates comes an addictive new fantasy series where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain and an obsessive detective must infiltrate a brutal gang of dark mages—knowing that one wrong move will get her killed. . . .”

Harry Potter meets the mafia vibes. I thought the magic system was super cool, the enemies to lovers vibe was vibing. It took me a bit to get into the book, but I would say the last 40% were action packed and lead up to a twisty ending. Looking forward to book 2!

~Morally gray MC’s
~Pain/pleasure magic
~Forbidden Romance
~Enemies to lovers

3.5⭐️

Release date: July 29th, 2025

I received a copy of this ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#TeamPRH #Silvercloak #NetGalley