Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of Silvercloak!

This book had a fantastic idea and lots of promise based on the premise of the book. I felt as if I was pushing myself through at certain points and finally gave up at 65%. Don’t get me wrong, this type of book is something that I’d typically enjoy, but it just felt empty for lack of a better word. I had trouble connecting to the main characters and understanding the chemistry between them outside of sharing a love for a book series. I do see myself picking up this series at some point in the future, but I might give it a while before I can fully commit.

Another small problem I had with the plot itself is how little Saffron truly struggles once she’s in the Bloodcloaks. I just struggle to understand how a ruthless gang with a reputation like theirs just let her off as easy as she had it. I could just be nitpicking but it was just something I noticed.

I think that this book just lacked the hook that I typically would like to see. I didn’t feel invested in the characters, the world, or the magic system. It was very easy to follow and well laid out, but I just felt very disconnected and unable to fully immerse myself. The magic system in particular was a really interesting idea, especially for a more adult novel. On top of that, the writing is pretty solid. I have trouble putting my finger on exactly what I didn’t enjoy this read through, but I would recommend this to someone that enjoys the romantasy genre. I do think that this book would appeal to a larger audience hence the high rating for a DNF. Overall, it wasn’t bad, I just couldn’t get into it.

This was a very unique read… I liked the magical world it felt so unique and fresh. The magic system and world building were very beautiful and not clunky.

It faces some very interesting dynamics like what is morally correct and how to distinguish yourself from being the good guy or the bad guy.

I’m in a rut of not actually liking the main characters but also being intrigued enough to keep reading them. It’s a very weird place to be.

I don’t know where the next book is gonna go but I can’t wait to find out.

<spoiler>Why the enemies become lovers just to become enemies??? </spoiler>

4.5 stars! Guys, this was actually so good! One of my most anticipated releases, and it definitely delivered!

Silvercloak is set in a world where pleasure and pain literally fuel magic. The book is about Saffron, whose parents are killed by the Bloodmoons, a criminal organization. Set on revenge, she lies her way into the Silvercloak Academy, where she hopes to become a Silvercloak and get the justice she craves. Instead, her lies are found out—and rather than being cast out, the captain gives her the opportunity to infiltrate the Bloodmoons and become a Silvercloak spy.

Okay, first of all: the worldbuilding is actually insane! L.K. Steven created a whole world that felt real, lush, and so easy to get lost in—and the best part is how she introduces us to everything her world has to offer. We have different countries, religions, languages, books, even games. While it took me a while to truly understand the world (there was a lot of information in the beginning), once I got it, it just clicked. It's obvious there was a lot of thought and research behind creating this world, and it's truly impressive!

Also, I think a lot of people are drawn to this because of the magic system, and to that I say: it was also amazing! Steven actually takes the time to explain how the spells, the rules and limitations of the magic system work (I love when a world actually follows the rules the author establishes). That said, some things did seem a bit too convenient and felt like they fell into place a little too easily—not just with the magic, but with the plot too. But honestly, the plot was so engaging and exciting that I found myself overlooking that and just enjoying the ride. It felt fresh and unique in a genre that can often feel repetitive.

There were a few characters who were supposed to be important to Saffron that I wish we’d gotten to know better, especially since we’re told they matter to her. Now, Levan (the kingpin’s son)... I didn’t know what to think of him at first, but he grew on me so much that by the end, I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. He won me over like he won Saffron over—very, very slowly, and then all at once. Their romance was unexpectedly sweet, aching, and genuinely romantic, when I honestly expected it to be way more lust-driven. But that wasn’t the case here (thank god!). Fair warning: both of them have flings with other people early on, even as their feelings develop, which may bother some readers (myself included), but it wasn’t a major focus.

I did have a few issues with the writing. Some word choices didn’t quite fit the tone of the world (like "edginess" or "nerd") and some parts of the spicy scenes weren’t really my style either. But overall, I really enjoyed the writing, and the pacing was really well done. The ending was actually crazy. It broke my heart (and what do you mean with that epilogue, L.K. Steven??), and now I NEED the sequel or I won't recover!

Absolutely blown away by this book! This is what fantasy should be. And I need the next book, like now.
Silvercloak offers action, fantasy, magic, romance, and tragedy in this spell-binding tale of a mage's attempt to redeem her family by going undercover into the seedy group that killed them. I was constantly turning pages and always surprised by what came next. This book was anything but predictable. I appreciated everything from the attention to detail in events that happened throughout the book, to the character development which was incredible. I felt so connected to Saff and Levan, and related to many of the other characters. This definitely wasn't a light and airy fairytale read, in this world, actions had consequences, as Saff heart-breakingly discovered over and over. I can't wait to follow her adventure in the next book!

Thank you SO much to L.K. Steven, Random House Del Rey, and NetGalley for the ARC of the highly anticipated Silvercloak! 4.25 stars!

Saffron parents were both murdered in front of her when she was a very young girl. She wants revenge for their deaths and manages to get into the Silvercloaks, elite detectives and the “good guys.” Her lie is found out, and she goes undercover in the Bloodmoons; the very same organization who murdered her family. Chaos ensues between Saffron and the kingpin’s son, and the world as they discover more about each other, and the secrets both the Silvercloaks and Bloodmoons are hiding.

I really enjoyed Silvercloak! The pleasure & pain aspect of how magic is refilled is a unique take on magic which I enjoyed reading. I also loved the idea of cloaks identifying who you are and what your skill set is - silver for Silvercloaks, red for Bloodmoons, healers, etc.

Spoilers below!!!
Saffron’s character is strong and powerful. I also loved that she’s tall and not an 18 year old who just came into her power. I feel like she and Levan could really be an unstoppable force in book two if they can figure out their feelings and manage to not kill each other! I’m really interested to know why Levan’s magic worked on Saff as well.

Thank you again for the ARC! I feel honored to have been chosen!

SAFFRON YOU ARE A STAR!
I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did but it was so fun and the magic system was unique!

A heartfelt thanks to Del Rey, Random House Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t expect to love this as much as I actually did. It had everything I love, it was the perfect recipe for a perfect book. Reading it felt like watching a movie: I could picture every scene in my mind. And, I could not put the book down. Despite being an extremely slow reader, I read it in a couple of days: it consumed every spare moment I had.

I really appreciated the cast of characters, which was refreshingly diverse but not in a stereotypical kind of way. I liked their friendship, at the beginning and how it inexorably had to change, evolve. Also, shout-out to a tall FMC! As a tall woman myself, it felt nice to see a female character who is nearly six feet tall, and without the usual towering height gap with the MMC.

I’m sorry this review isn’t longer or more elaborate, but for me, not having much to say/critique is a good sign.

This was perfect, no notes. The writing style was excellent, the worldbuilding was immersive, the characters were solid and well-developed, the magic system was quirky and creative, and the plot was absolutely crazy, borderline impredictable (in the best way!).

Holy cannoli Batman, where do I even begin?! Silvercloak was absolutely fantastic, and is sitting at number one for my favorite book of the year. wow!

Wow! Where to start with this book!!!!!! Silvercloak is Laura Steven’s new debut adult fantasy and it’s going to be a trilogy!

It follows Saffron who unfortunately witnesses the murder of her parents by a gang wearing scarlett cloaks called the Bloodmoons. She turns this pain into motivation and lies her way into the academy to become a Silvercloak (detectives whose mission is to bring down the bloodmoons). After her lies are brought to light, she faces no option but to go undercover infiltrating the blood moon gang and in doing so has to commit some seriously heinous crimes to keep her cover and her life. She also meets the King of the bloodmoon’s son who she develops deliciously complicated feelings for and I devoured it!!

The only thing I can think to compare this to is if you loved Harry Potter than this book is for you. But not only that, the magic system is fuelled by pleasure and pain and this book is so perfectly queer!

This book was so addictive from the start. The way magic is introduced at the beginning was so captivating and I just kept needing more from there!

The book flowed really well, it was really easy to read. I loved the world building and loved learning about mythical creatures, magical tinctures and so many spells that were used.

I loved the characters. They are so beautifully flawed and realistic. I absolutely LOVE Saffron & Levan. I loved learning about all the different cloaks and all the specialists characters could major in.

The ending of this book had me saying “wow” “oh my god” so many times and I NEED more!! I am desperate to find out what happens next!

If you love a fantasy, love a bit of queer romances, love a good magic system, a bit of smut and love feeling tense (😂) and being kept at the edge of your seat - pre order this book!! You won’t be disappointed!

L.K. Steven, how dare you make me sob in the first chapter?!

In Silvercloak, Saffron, our FMC, is a Silvercloak trainee infiltrating the Bloodmoon organization in an effort to seek revenge against them for the murder of her parents. She is headstrong , traumatized, and immune to the very magic they use as a weapon.

Saffron gets tangled up with Levan, the son of the head of the Bloodmoons, who she is apparently prophesied to end. He is very talented in magic, dangerous, and… adorable? (I mean he has a dog that follows him everywhere and reads adventure novels and does little acts of kindness. And he’s OCD which I feel like I’ve never read in a character before.)

The story itself was very interesting (if not a tad overly descriptive). It’s very much adult Harry Potter meets organized crime. The ending line and the epilogue is absolutely killer and leaves you on a IMMENSE cliffhanger. I will be sat reading the sequel when it comes out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

“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