This was painful to read, but in kind of a good way, I guess. I’ve said before that I cannot tell if a book is well written/good or not, my ratings are based on whether I personally enjoyed reading the book and are 100% subjective. With this book I can’t exactly say I enjoyed reading it, but I would still call it well written (for my taste specifically) because I got real emotional about it, was always loathe to put it down, and was absolutely locked in til the last goddamn letter. I felt genuine (emotional) pain and anger at many points, which is a good thing because that’s the emotions the author was hoping to evoke in the reader, and oh boy did it ever.

Besides making me very emotional, I did really like the world-building, I found it to be quite inventive and through. The magic system is based around (metaphorical) magic wells that are essentially magic meters like you’d have in some games. Casting a spell depletes your well, with different spells requiring different amounts of magic, and you can refill your well through either pain or pleasure. And ‘pleasure’ doesn’t just mean hornytimes, you can also refill your well by eating a really good piece of cake (innuendo not intended). The book really explores the intricacies and social repercussions that such a magic system would have on a society. The main character (Saffron) learns new things about the magic system in the course of the story and that new information slots surprisingly logically into the previously conveyed rules. Which is pretty rare in Romantasy. I did find the non-magic related world-building to be a bit lacking in comparison, but not so much that it significantly affected my reading experience.

But, the thing that really pissed me off about this book was the love interest (Levan), which isn’t great for a Romantasy book. As a reader my feelings toward him went from the initial «he’s a dick» to «he acts like a dick but doesn’t actually want to but is forced todo so by his kingpin father», all the way back to «yeah no he’s a dick (with a lotta trauma, but a dick nonetheless)» by the end. But Saffron only seems to go through the first two stages and never quite gets around to the last stage, which I just struggled to understand. SPOILER WARNING from here til the end of the paragraph. Because yes, he did lose his mother as a child and his father then tortured him for years in order to increase the maximum capacity of his magic well in the hopes that it would eventually make him strong enough to resurrect his mother. But he did also murder a lot of people and got even more people addicted to gambling and the drugs his gang is peddling so that they can make lots of money to amass enough supplies for maybe, potentially, probably not though, resurrecting his mother. Saffron lost both of her parents as a child, at the hands of the Bloodmoons (his gang) and as a direct consequence of the resurrection efforts. And then as an adult she sees many of her friends, as well as one of her adoptive dad-uncles killed and her life thoroughly ruined by either Levan, his father or one of their lackeys. Yes, there is a reason why Levan is so fvcked up, but the way he just shows 0 understanding for Saffron who has suffered just as much often as a direct result of the Bloodmoons’ obsession with resurrecting Levan’s mother. So by the end I was just so goddamned pissed at Levan that I had exactly 0 sympathy left over for him and had a really hard time understanding why Saffron wouldn’t just murk the mfer.

This book had me in knots from start to finish. We start with a prophecy that, for all intents and purposes, *will* happen, and the whole story leads up to that prophecy coming to fruition. The problem is, while the people involved start off as enemies, they don’t stay that way for long and they build something beautiful and sweet that’s going to be ripped to pieces come prophecy time. That feeling of unease is a perfect way to describe this book — never get too cozy because the things you love will be destroyed.

The cast of characters were all *perfect*. Morally grey. Duplicitous. Self-serving. But also vulnerable, at times fragile, and unapologetically human. Not one of these characters makes excuses for their often poor choices where it concerns the well-being of others, though several of them will move heaven and earth to protect the ones they love and the ones they consider friends. Friends are in short supply in this harsh world, so each and every one matters.

The magic system was really cool and certainly my favorite aspect. I don’t think it gets any better than spells and wand magic, and I loved how there are also different powers associated with each spell caster. Some are super powerful, some can only cast small spells, and it was neat to see each ability in action.

There is romance in this book, but it’s certainly not the focus. Instead it serves as a nice palette cleanser between all of the action and suspense. There’s an overall sense of doom and gloom, thanks to the aforementioned prophecy, so everything including the romance has a sort of melancholic pall hanging over it. Also I’d love to talk endlessly about the ending, but I won’t. Instead I’ll say it’s one that will piss you off while simultaneously breaking your heart. Needless to say it’s an ending that will make it feel like eons before the next book is here, and I just know I’m going to start book 2 both pissed off and heartbroken.

All told, I loved this book. I finished it a week or so ago and it still has its claws in me, thanks to that killer ending. Definitely pick this one up if you’re a fan of morally grey characters, wand and spell magic, fantastic world building, and plenty of action and suspense. I will be thinking about this book probably until book 2 is out, where hopefully my heart will be reassembled and my anger will abate.

Imagine if every magic spell you cast had to be paid for in ecstasy or agony. In this undercover detective meets queer magical crime noir with wands romantasy, power isn’t destiny, it’s how much joy you can wring out of life, and how much pain you can endure to build mana, aka your well of magic. No waving around magic wands haphazardly and shouting spells in Latin (although this also occurs).

Here, food, sex, love and even your emotional support cat can recharge you. Unless you live up north, where sadism and masochism are the batteries of choice. (Why refill on delicious pastries when you could nap on a bed of nails?)

Enter Saffron, magical detective, tragic backstory (is there any other kind?). She’s immune to spells, which makes her uniquely suited to infiltrate the Bloodmoons, the magical mafia who murdered her parents. The Bloodmoons are monsters, but the Silvercloaks also have the moral clarity of a politician. Which is to say none.

Anyway, it’s whimsical, horrifying and queer and I inhaled this like I inhale oxygen, which is to say, like my life depended on it. And given the divisive reviews, I was pleasantly surprised I enjoyed it so much. But reading is subjective and one person’s pleasure is another person’s pain. Fitting, really.

Speaking of which, this is definitely romantasy or fantasy romance, where the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers-to-enemies dynamic is a key driver of the plot and is complicated and morally compromised which made it far more interesting than your standard enemies to lovers fare. So if you see this being marketed as fantasy, be aware that the romance element is strong in this, complete with a couple of spicy scenes.

Add to that time-manipulation, which means it can be paused or rewoven, with caveats. I actually loved that, but if you think time travel is a cheap plot device, this book will probably feel unbearable to you... just a heads up.

Finally, don’t expect comfort in this romantasy-fantasy. It’s quite dark and gritty and throws torture, coercion, gambling addiction and debts, fantasy drugs and drug addiction, blackmail, organised crime, bigotry and historical genocide into the mix. Nobody comes out clean. I was never sure who the villains were. Probably everyone. Except for Rasso, the wolf/doggo, he is the purest and the best. We love Rasso.

I devoured this, then immediately questioned why I was so invested in magical gangsters and their BDSM power batteries.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey for the ARC.

Magic Meets the Mafia

L.K. Steven has crafted a magical world that starts with all the charm of the first Harry Potter book but soon sinks the reader into the dark criminal underworld. In a unique magical system, magic is fueled by both pleasure and pain. Saffron has a secret flaw in her magic and it makes her uniquely qualified to go undercover to find evidence against the Bloodmoon crime organization.

Because Music, food and sex feed a mage's power, the world is one where casual sex is the norm and having a little extra flesh is considered beautiful. But this is a world with addictive drugs and vicious crime kingpins.

If you like magical fantasy, enemies to lovers and characters with several shades of grey then this is a book that you will enjoy. I am looking forward to reading the next volume in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. Overall, I felt that this book started off really promising and ended in a way that makes the sequel feel appealing to me. I read this book pretty quickly, and it kept me interested, even when I felt like I knew where something was going. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the second half of this novel, I can totally see how some people would really enjoy the romance.

3.5 STARS

Lately, my luck with books is not at its best. It’s not at its worst, either, but I have read some books that are solid books and that I will recommend if they interest you, but that didn’t really click with me. So, on one hand, they were interesting reading, because they worked pretty well, but if we are speaking about the pure personal enjoyment… well, they fell short. And Silvercloak is one of those.
So I will start with what didn’t work so well for me, because it is the shortest part, and then I will get in all the good things!

Up to the midway point, I was really taken by this book, but then my interest started to dwindle. I guess that the problem was the direction the plot took. It works, it made sense, and it can also make for an interesting twist, but… It’s not really my kind of story, so things became less interesting. And I think that this was my main problem. Also, I am a character-driven kind of reader, and I liked Saffron and Levan (and we also have a wolf as a pet!!) but even with them, my investment started to lower while the story progressed. And with that, my enjoyment of the book.
It’s still a book that I recommend, and it’s a book I still enjoyed, but we didn’t really click, and I think I won’t continue the series. Also, there were some things that buggered me, mostly the fact that magic does not affect Saffron, so she has to lie her way around and pretend that magic affects her like everyone else. This is helped by the fact that magic has to be spoken, so she knows what will happen to her and can feign her way around, but… this is not a perfect system. At the beginning of the book, we have a test, and she has a penalty for it: one of her legs will be injured, and to make that stick, one of the professors will cast a spell to immobilize it. The only problem? Will it be the left leg or the right leg? I mean, how can you tell? And this was the biggest example of it, but there are a ton of cases in which you can apply the same logic (not really in the book, but if she lived her whole life like that, it should have come up at one point or another), and this really keeps buggering me to no end. I usually can close an eye, but… this time it was strongly set in my mind.

And now let’s talk about the good! The magic system is good. I loved it and I was fascinated by it, because here the magic is fueled by pleasure and pain. It is interesting, and it is really well developed in the story. And the world is a fascinating place. Because of the peculiar nature of the magic here, the world is made to cater to that. And this made for a place I would love to visit!
There aren’t many fantasy worlds I’d really love to visit, because usually they are dangerous places and I am not really fit for survival, but this one… this one sounds like a beautiful place to visit. Sure, it is dangerous too, but still… I’d love to visit!

And the plot was really intriguing, too. It goes darker than what I originally thought, but I liked it. Especially because this is really a detective story set in a fantasy setting. And our MC is not only a detective, but she goes undercover, so things become darker pretty quickly, too. And I really appreciated this part.
The mix of these two genres is really well done and well-balanced too.
I think this is one of the strongest features of the book, and I was really surprised to see that Saffron has some detective instincts, and she keeps them strong throughout the whole book. And this may sound taken for granted, but it really is not. Usually, the balance is not so perfect, and the fantasy component overcomes the detective part. But not this time.

And last but not least, the characters. Saffron is an interesting MC, and I enjoyed following her around. She is strong, and she is a woman on a mission, that’s for sure. Levan is somehow less original, as far as MMCs go, but he managed to surprise me. I thought I had him figured out and… I was wrong. And here too, I think the author did a good job! But the star of the show is the wolf! And yes, it’s because I am pretty basic, and if we have an animal companion of sorts, I am happy. It’s as easy as that!
But aside from the MCs, I wasn’t really impressed by the other characters. There is one that made me mildly curious, but the other were kind of disappointing, if I have to be honest.

So as you can see, there are a lot of interesting things in this book (and I was really fascinated by the world and the magic), and the plot adds another layer of originality to it all. And sure, we didn’t click, and I am not so interested in it to keep reading the series, but if you are curious about this one, I still recommend it, because maybe it will work better for you, and the book is a solid one for sure!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey and NetGalley for an eArc version of Silvercloak.

Wow! This is my first book by L. K. Steven, and I was absolutely blown away! What I loved most about Silvercloak beyond the storyline itself was that it was packed with action. There were no lulls to speak of, so it quite literally had me up into the wee hours of morning, needing to know what happened next. I cannot wait for the next installment. A five-star, must-read!

First impressions 💭
I was in a total slump when I started this book. And even though I was struggling to concentrate for more than 30 pages at a time, I was still enjoying the incredible worldbuilding and intrigued by the unique magic. Laura sure knows how to write an incredibly detailed and well thought out magic system!

What I Loved ❤️
- I thought it was an extremely clever decision to include a prophecy (with an accompanying vision) at the start of the story. We the readers only know as much as the FMC and go on this complete journey with her. We know the outcome… but how on earth are we getting there?!
- I’ll say it again, I loved the depth of the magic system. How their magic well is filled up by pleasure and then intensified by pain.
The fact that some people can wield multiple subclasses of magic and are inherently more powerful because of that. And Some people are simply more adept and talented than others.
- my favourite thing was definitely the complexities of humanity and the age old “good vs evil” debate. Laura demonstrates perfectly through the character development, the nuance behind doing good for the wrong reasons and also doing bad things for the right reasons.
Most people aren’t black or white, even the villains of the story. It’s all about perspective. To quote…
“Oh, she thought, horrified and fascinated in equal measure. THIS is how villains are born”

Favourite Quote 📝
“Levan’s pain was her pain. The same texture, the same shape.
The same emotional wound, carved as children, scarring into adulthood.
The same crack in their hearts that would never smooth.”

Final verdict ⭐️
Silvercloak was a perfect balance of Fantasy, Magic, morally grey characters and enemies to lovers romance.
A unique world built from the ground up with complex magic, compelling storytelling and a romance that you want so desperately to defy all the odds stacked against it. Absolutely Brilliant.

With a magic system based on pleasure and pain, the concept out the gate for Silvercloak really caught my attention. Our main character witnesses her parents dying at a young age, and we quickly come to find out how that's shaped her young adult life.

I don't want to say much about the plot to avoid spoilers (though a lot of the initial beats can be found in the overall book summary), but I will say that I was on my toes for a lot of this book! There were twists and turns, both expected and unexpected, and all in all this felt like a fresh take on the fantasy with a touch of romance (slash romantasy? I feel like it's right in between the two for me personally) with a more unique magic system.

Everyone is morally grey, some more white or black than others, and it was a fun journey watching how our main character's motivations morphed throughout the book, all in the name of revenge.

I really enjoyed the writing style (my first book by this author). The world didn't feel quite as built-out as it could've been, but I was immersed for the entire story!

While I didn't love some of the choices she made at points in the book, I'm still extremely invested in continuing the series!

Thanks so much to L. K. Steven, Del Rey, Inklore, and NetGalley for the eARC!

Silvercloak is a bold entry into the romantasy genre, blending noir detective vibes with a world where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain. L.K. Steven crafts a story that’s equal parts seductive and sinister, with a heroine who’s as sharp as she is scarred. Saffron Killoran’s infiltration of the Bloodmoons gang is a high-stakes descent into moral ambiguity, and watching her navigate this brutal underworld is both thrilling and emotionally fraught.
The setting is a standout—gritty, atmospheric, and reminiscent of Carnival Row meets Ketterdam. The tension between Saff and the kingpin’s tortured son (plus his terrifying fallowwolf) adds a layer of slow-burn intensity that fans of enemies-to-lovers will devour. The plot moves fast, sometimes too fast, leaving a few side characters underdeveloped—but the emotional core holds strong.
Steven’s prose is immersive, and the themes of vengeance, identity, and sacrifice are handled with surprising nuance. It’s a book that doesn’t flinch from darkness, but still finds flickers of light in loyalty and love.
If you like your fantasy with teeth—and a touch of heat—Silvercloak is well worth the read.

what. the. actual. F 😱🤯
The magic system is so unique and I was thoroughly obsessed with this world.

Throw in some prophecy and enemies to lovers?
Sold.
Queer normative and found family?
Done.

That cliffhanger though.....
wrecked by the hands of a new to me author.

I had a lot of fun with this one! Really nicely paced and honestly the premise is just so fresh to me. Absolutely loved it

LK STEVEN!!!!! THAT MF GIRL HOLY WOW!!!!

this book. was. INSANE!!!!!!! fantasy right now is truly at a peak for the genre and L. K. is one of the best in the game.

i was immediately captivated by the idea of a magic fueled by pleasure and pain. that’s such a unique and really cool concept that i felt really stood out. i also love a story that starts with a female protagonist seeking revenge and my icon saff was READY FOR BLOOOOD. also acting as a double agent? turn me up!!!!!! i will always love that! but then! oh but then! she has to work with the son of the kingpin himself. and we all know that this is the recipe for success!

i absolutely loved the creativity in this story. the good guys were silvercloaks and the bad guys were blood moons and honestly the names alone are brilliant. their conflict was so intriguing and a blast to follow, and i felt like i never got lost while the plot still remained complex.

i cannot wait to re-read this and for the rest of the series to release. thank you a million times over for the opportunity to read this, my heart is FULL!

absolutely unreal - laura steven never fails to disappoint i can’t wait to read the rest in this series

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Silvercloak has a ton of potential and a really unique magic system, however unfortunately the story fell flat to me as I was unable to connect with any of the characters.

I loved reading about the world and the magic system, which is based of pain and pleasure, and how that formed the society that surrounded the characters and influenced their decisions.

I may pick up the next book as I do want to see how it turns out.

Everything about this was just okay. The characters? Okay. The plot? Okay. The romance? Also okay. The story follows Saffron, who’s immune to magic (which is a big deal) and gets sent undercover in a magic mafia to take them down. I loved the world-building and magical stuff in the beginning, but then it mostly turned into Saffron spying and a kinda meh romance with the mafia boss’s son, Levan. Their relationship felt too casual considering she was just thrown into this dangerous world. Levan’s supposed to be all-powerful but also tortured, and honestly, he just made me roll my eyes. Saffron wasn’t really in danger either—she got out of stuff way too easily. Overall, cool magic, but the police-mafia plot wasn’t my fave, and I kept thinking about what else this story could’ve been.

this one was not for me. I may go back and try it on audiobook but I kept losing interest in the story line and could not get through it. I really really wanted to like this one.

Silvercloak was a breath of fresh air in familiar magical territory. This book has everything: magic, wands, necromancy, mafia, secrets, and double agents! That’s just scratching the surface! I was in a reading slump when I started this book, plus life was busy. However, I kept finding myself drawn back to this book in all the little breaks I had.

I usually don’t need much for worldbuilding, but I found myself thoroughly pleased with all the deep lore and history that was shared throughout this book. Saffron was an enjoyable FMC, and I feel like she made realistic choices. The magic system of pain and pleasure was particularly interesting. The romance in this book takes a back seat, and I feel like it played out in a surprising but engaging way. The book ended perfectly primed for book two, and I just can’t wait to read it!

I really liked this magical mafia story. I liked premise of Saff infiltrating the deadly blood moon gang, even though a lot of her thoughts about being in the gang and what makes someone good vs bad became repetitive. I also really liked her relationship with Levan, the morally grey son of the gang’s leader. I think the magic system was fun and new and was developed well. Also, after that ending I’m excited to see how the story and relationships develop.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, and Inklore for an eARC in exchange for a review!

Silvercloak is like undercover cop drama meets dark magical kinkfest with a side of "oops-I-cursed-my-love-interest" . Saffron dives into a crime ring powered by pain and pleasure, only to fall for the enemy and possibly doom them all.

Fast-paced, morally messy, magically spicy. Think: Enemies-to-lovers but everyone’s emotionally scarred.