This is an undercover fantasy - where a magical police graduate, infiltrates the worst magical gang to pull the rot from the root.
There is strange mafia with wands feel, and a big kinky romance, which is not at all in my wheelhouse.
The characters were very unlikable, the writing very wordy, where every single paragraph felt like it was trying to shoe-horn world building and lore to a point things sounded very repetitive. I kept frowning at what I was reading because of the sense of deja-vu growing in me - I think there was too much sign posting, so no twists were surprising and every element felt like I'd been told them at least 3 times.
Maybe romantasy fans would like this?

SILVERCLOAK was exactly what I needed when trying to pull myself from a reading hangover. To start with the very first couple of sentences had me deeply invested in the magic system! A playful new, childlike novelty which just breathed love into the whole first chapter  - and then the heart wrenching knife that Laura cleaved through my very heart. From that moment I knew I was thoroughly invested in the why. Why did it have to happen? Why them?

Putting a pause in the opening scenes, we follow Saffrons time training to be a Silvercloak, we meet new characters and we learn some - but not all answers, driving forth the point of the WHY. Then we learn new and exciting aspects of Saffrons own magical abilities! Following on from a life altering conversation with her superior, Saffron is plunged into an entirely new world on the opposite side of good Vs evil.. her whole life she had one objective, vengeance and now she was standing side by side with the very people she swore to bring down..

I found Laura's ability to write a completely immersive story very captivating. Time really just weaved through me ( 😉😉 ) as I was 100% lost within this story.
I didn't even have a silver.. ah I mean sliver of doubt that this story was about to leave a brand on me.. Okay I will stop now 😅

Also why do I hate but also have a great respect for the Villains of the story?! Not everything is so cut-throat black and white.. Why do I want to see Lyrian as specks of dirt beneath Saffrons boot but also want to see him have a happily ever after? My heart is pulled in so many directions for the evil villain of the story. But also Levans revelation? I have equal amounts of trust and apprehension regarding him!

Honestly I can't wait for book 2 - this ended on a great cliffhanger!! Not the kind of cliffhanger that you are traumatised about, the good kind where you are so excited to continue the story, but it also wraps up the book at a pivotal moment. You aren't lost in the middle of a sentence where you want to throw the book through the windows and curse the author. You want to delicately place it on your shelf to await the next instalment.. Laura you are truly a brilliant writer, after the incredible Our Infinite Fates and now Silvercloak  - you are on my immediate ' will buy anything she writes ' list 🙌
An incredible story teller with a knack for unique magic systems and story lines. Thankyou so much for allowing me the privilege of reading this book as an ARC .

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Ray for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

It was kind of hard to rate this book as there were elements i loved and others were okay. Overall, this was a good adult fantasy debut and I'm keen to see where the story will go. It has mafia meets dark harry potter world vibes.

What i loved:
The world with wand magic gave off Harry potter vibes. Especially where the wand "chooses" the person and a prophecy.
The magic system requiring pleasure or pain to replenish
Characters are morally grey - revenge is a big focus of our characters and they do cross the "line"
Rasso - the wolven companion
The time manipulation/time weaving element
The slow burn enemies to lovers but knowing what they were going to do
The epilogue!! - I'm so curious to know what direction the next book will take with our couple.

What didnt work for me:
For me the pacing was a bit off sometimes - we didnt spend that much within the academy setting and looking back i dont really understand why it mattered. It could have been easily incorporated within the actual infiltration of the Bloodmoons. Also sometimes we are just speeded through an event without much explanation.
The magic system - it almost assumes that you know the basis of wand magic already.
Saffron's ability wasnt explained, it just is and when she did feel something it was almost brushed aside in favour of other focuses. I wish there was a bit more curiosity on her end on who she is and why she is the way she is rather than just acceptance.
I wanted a bit more connection to some of the characters i was meant to care about, It just didnt have an impact emotionally that someone she cared about died. The side characters all lacked something.

What this book also contained:
- queer relationships
- one/two spice scenes
-torture and killing

Interesting premise with loads of promise. Im hopeful for the next book!
3.75 stars

Thank you to Del Rey for allowing me to read and honestly review this advanced digital copy.

Enjoyed reading this one! We have a bit of a mix of some mob / mafia vibes along with some good ol' magic - kind of HP feelings to it with the wands and spells, so if you want that kind of vibe without supporting she who must not be named this could be up your alley.

The magic system itself (other than the wands and spells) was quite unique and interesting to explore - there are some cool ideas around pain and pleasure being the way to revitalize your magic well which I've never seen used before.

Our main characters were so fun to read about, as well. I loved their complexity and all the different pieces of their personalities and histories we uncover throughout the story. The way their stories intertwine was also beautifully thought out.

The ending was a bit messy and chaotic in a way that I liked, and we leave off on such an interesting path. This is set to be a series which I'm definitely interested in continuing! We set the stage in so many different aspects throughout this first installment so while it was on the slower side at times, we are likely just getting started and will use all this info down the road.

The world we're in is set up as very inclusive, exploring different gender identities and pronouns, and setting up that most characters are very open in their sexual preferences. With that said, I was a little disappointed that the main couple is, despite all that, unnecessarily a man / woman pairing.

My main qualm with this one was that I felt some of the restrictions on the magic / wand use kind of broke the world for me in some ways. I don't want to include any spoilers so I won't detail much but some pieces of info are brought in that, in my opinion, cause a lot of contradiction and wouldn't necessarily result in folks motivations being what they actually are. Happy to discuss further in DM, also.

Overall, however, I still had a fun time with this and I'm excited to read future instalments.

Queer,
Diverse,
And gave major Harry Potter vibes with a lot of moral chaos.
This book was WILD. If you are a millineal and miss the nostalgia of cloaked wand weilders, but you need it to be more “adult” add this to your tbr immediately I had so much fun reading this. This book focuses on a woman in her late 20s who has gone through the training to be a silvercloak. Silvercloaks are like the detectives of this world. She works her way up fueled by the need to avenge the death of her parents. She eventually gets the opportunity to go undercover and infiltrate the Bloodmoons, which is a mafia style gang who sent out the kill order of her parents 21 years prior. L.K Stevens has done a fantastic job executing her first adult epic fantasy novel.

I have to admit that Laura's most recent fantasy release "Our Infinite Fates" was one of my favorite books last year that introduced me to her writing. When I heard about her new fantasy series and read a bit about the premise, I knew in my bones this would be a good one. One thing Laura Steven can do is hook you on her books without having yet read a single page.

I hate with everything in me having to reference HP in the year 2025 🤢 but I fear I can't help it here, it's too spot on and reminiscent to all the feels I had when reading those for the first time 😭 (Also the HP x Mafia comparisons are so funny to me. lol) The unique magic system and world fueled by pleasure and pain is just... *chef kiss 🤌🏼 I think the intricacies of the magic and spells was so well-flushed out (like prefix of a spell depending on the caster's intentions) BRILLIANCE. I also love when fantasy books with magic play upon the fact that magic isn't limitless and has to be "refilled" like a well.

I also have to mention how much I love Saffron and Levan. The latter being just the right amount of broody and mysterious. The last few chapters and epilogue had my jaw to the floor. I can't wait to see how their dynamic and the saga develops from here.

Thank you Del Rey for the advanced copy! ♥️

I am having such a hard time rating this book. I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and the ending is interesting (despite the fact that I hated the plot twist). The middle of this book was such a slog for me to get through but I'm glad I stuck with it because I think the story is pretty well done overall. The concept that pleasure and pain is used to fuel the magic system is unique and interesting but can, and is, used at moments that don't always flow with the events happening around them.

I did get a bit of Harry Potter vibes but mostly with the wand usage and the spells but that was about it for me.

I think the Epilogue has enticed me enough to want to read the second book and I'm hoping I will like that one better than this one. Many readers are going to adore this book and I understand why. For me this one was good but not spectacular.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The moment I started reading this book, I got 'grown up Harry Potter' feelings from the story, and I LOVED it!.

The magic system within this book is brilliant, and I loved learning more about it as the book progressed. The world building was incredible and allowed me to fully immerse myself within the story. The Academy in which the leading characters first start off in had me hooked, I really enjoyed following their journey through the various training regimes they were put through during their time there.

Another thing I must say was utterly refreshing in this book was that our leading character was in their thirties, something I feel we rarely see in books, and something I think gave this book yet another level of uniqueness.

Tackling various themes, such as trauma, self growth and mental health, this book is so much more than magic. It really does allow you to connect with the characters in which you encounter on a much deeper level.

This book was already one of those reads I had been looking forward to this year, but it honestly exceeded all of my expectations. I will be shouting about this book to anyone and everyone who will listen!

Silvercloak was the first book I’ve managed to finish in two months, so for that alone I will be eternally grateful. The writing was easy to get into and it had a familiar feeling to it with the wands and spells that kept me interested. I saw a lot of people comparing it to Harry Potter in that sense and this is one of the cases where I can understand the comparison.

I loved the concept for this book and the fact that the magic was fueled by pleasure and pain. It’s a creative idea which is something that’s been hard to find in fantasy lately, and that really helped the story feel fresh even when the plot decided to take a predictable route.

I’m pretty sure a lot of people will be able to guess most of the plot twists here though. Even if you’re not the best with predictions I think we can all take a guess where part of the story is going just based on the first page that lays out the classes of magic:

Common
Enchanter
Brewer

Uncommon
Wielder
Healer

Rare
Compeller
Forseer

Extinct
Timeweaver

And that’s all I’ll say on that since I think it speaks for itself—a little too loudly if we’re being honest. The love interests motivations were also very easy to guess so it did leave me feeling like I was turning pages waiting for the main character to catch up, but if you’re not bothered by a bit of predictability then I would definitely recommend this. That being said, if you were looking for something a bit more shocking this might not be the best fit.

My other issue was in terms of how easy everything seemed to come to the main character. She was going undercover into an enemy organization, who knew she “used” to work for the enemy, and yet is it’s still so easy for her to figure out information. People just tell her things they have no real reasoning to, which in turn lowers the stakes by a lot. That was honestly disappointing because she was undercover, stakes should have been a given.

It does seem like the story tries to address this when the main character questions why others are telling her things they definitely shouldn’t be, but the excuses given are so flimsy that it only makes it even more obvious this was just one of those plot conveniences to move things forward.

Overall, despite the things you’ve got to act like you can’t see coming or shrug off as for the plot
this was still a really fun book and sometimes that’s all you need. The ending also set things up for an interesting sequel so while this one didn’t completely blow me away, I’m curious to see where things go next.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc exchange for an honest review!

~🅞🅥🅔🅡🅐🅛🅛 🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ . 5 ~

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This definitely felt like a grownup Harry Potter with different type of magic, fast-paced and the inability to trust the world around us. The world building in this was amazing and I loved the magic system! It was great to read that the main characters are older, especially considering I’m in my 20's- 30's too. This book was incredibly well written. It had awesome action right alongside romantic tension and interesting characters. The two main characters, Levan and Saffron, were both well rounded and had great . Our MCs enemies, on different sides because of their loyalties yet falling for one another despite their differences. The tension between these two was SMOLDERING. This felt like a rollercoaster ride and I didn't want to put it down!

Silvercloak was a refreshing twist in the romantic fantasy genre, and a great look at what is potentially a villain’s origin story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!! This was one of my most anticipated reads this year!!!

I was SO unbelievably excited for this book, the entire concept appealed to me so much and it’s Laura Steven! Also the reviews prior to me reading this arc were amazing so I was so glad I got the arc for this!!
However, I made it 49% into this book before I had to DNF this. Absolutely no hate towards the author for doing this however I thought it would be a disservice to the book & them if I continued to read. Life’s too short for something I don’t enjoy but someone else might!

I just thought the plot was very choppy, there was a lot of information dumping & characters that instantly became very chore-like for me to try and piece together. I just felt like because of this I had absolutely no connection with the characters and therefore just lost interest! However, I will say the magic system throughout this was quite an interesting concept!!

Overall I am SO sad about this one, but I can see why others would enjoy it, it just wasn’t for me personally as I lacked that connection!!

This book began like a standard fantasy romance and then veered into territory I absolutely did not expect - in the best way.

I really didn’t expect it to go where it did. At all. The ending floored me. It took a direction I never saw coming.

The FMC, Saffron, was a well-written, multidimensional character. Her grief and trauma drove all her actions, and I could easily empathize with her motivations. That said, there were a few moments that made me question her supposed slyness and cunning. She often calls herself a good actress - calculating, watchful, manipulative- and yet she made a few naive mistakes that made me scratch my head. Alas, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story.

The magic system was a highlight. I loved that magic was rooted in pleasure and pain, and that society had clearly evolved around those realities. It was super intriguing to explore the implications this had on different aspects of the world.

The MMC initially seemed like your typical dark-haired, brooding, tortured type, but the author gave him enough softness and nuance that I eventually found him endearing - though maybe a little heavy-handed in the execution? How many times did their shared love for that fictional book series need to be mentioned to make sure we got the point that they had this shared interest?

I also felt there was more telling than showing in the development of their relationship. The FMC often slipped into inner monologues about how similar their histories and childhoods were, and after a while, I wanted to say: we get it! You’re alike! That’s why you’re drawn to him!

The ending redeemed a lot of this for me. I love a good twist - especially when it’s well done - and this one absolutely made me look back on the whole story in a new light. Plus, the book explored a theme I personally adore in fiction, and it didn’t hold back. It leaned into it in all its mad, world-shattering, great and terrible consequences.

I can’t wait for the sequel. I need to see how this all gets resolved. Love, love, love.


Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Random House for the ARC!

We follow Saffron, an absolute force to be reckoned with. Man, she's been THROUGH IT. The journey of how she came to be how she is today a how she can bring everything she has ever worked for to fruition.

Laura's storytelling and word building was fantastic. I was pretty much on edge throughout the whole book and to be honest that ending finished me. I need book 2 like yesterday.

In.tense.

If Harry Potter was in his mid-late 30s and everyone was into BDSM… with pleasure around every corner…. And everyone is fluid with sexuality… plus, mafia…

I am still processing the ending on this one. It was such a well written book, and it evokes so many emotions, it may take some time for me to fully process this one. I’m hurting though!! Which sucks, but also just shows how well written it is???

I don’t know how to express this right now. I am hurting for Saff and Levan. I’m really hoping these timeweavers can turn this thing around… ha, no pun intended.

Just wow.

4.5 stars.
I didn’t know what to expect from this book having not heard anything about it before receiving the ARC.
I was drawn into the story immediately and felt invested in Saffrons story from the very beginning. She is a strong yet complicated FMC and manages to get herself in some really bad situations, the MMC is also very complex and adds a lot of unexpected depth to the story.
The magic system is unique and well explained and there is a lot of interesting world building which really adds to the storyline.
I really don’t want to give too much away as it was such a great book and I really enjoyed the twists and turns that happened throughout the book, some I was able to guess at but it was still an adventure of a book.
And the ending……wow.
I am so grateful to have read the ARC and i am so desperate for the next book now

If you like a darker, more adult, non-academia Harry Potter with romantasy in the mix, then read this!

Thank you Net Galley, L.K. Steven, and Del Rey for the ARC!
I hate comparing books to others, but this is truly a dark adult-version of Harry Potter! Made me want to rewatch the series. Well written! I very much enjoyed this. Plus, such a stunning cover. Definitely will be hand-selling this.

This book is like if Howls Moving Castle, Harry Potter, and Lemony Snickett had a love child. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. The world was the perfect amount of whimsical and weird. The magic system was so unique with the use of pleasure and pain to refill and enhance one’s magic. The plot though sort of easy to figure out was so well executed at the end. I looooved the final page and the epilogue.

I really enjoyed how complex Saff is as a character. She really tries to be level headed about everything and understands things aren’t as simple as good and evil. I love how her heart is always in the right place even if her plans never quite go as planned, but it is just refreshing to see a main character who can adapt without completely losing all rationality.

Levan is also a wonderful complex MMC who toys a fine line of morally gray versus evil. I am very excited to see where his character goes as the series progresses.

Such a fun read and a book I would recommend to everyone.

I wasn't sure how to rate this one: while it was decently written and interesting, it also felt very familiar and almost derivative due to the magic system mirroring Harry Potter so closely. In the end, it was an ok read but never really engaged me.

Story: Saff is training to be a Silvercloak - protectors of the realm. She does so with a vendetta to achieve against the underworld Bloodmoons, a nasty group of criminals who murdered her parents when she was young. Giving up everything, she goes deep undercover to destroy them from within. But in doing so, will she destroy herself in the process.

The message in this first book (which ends on an arc rather than a cliffhanger) is about becoming what you hate and what you are willing to do to achieve revenge. It hits you over the head rather hard and without subtlety. This theme is heavily echoed with both the heroine and the villain (who is and isn't a love interest, though this isn't a romance at all). By the end, there is a bit of role reversal.

The characters were decent but really hard to love or even hate. The MC is as warm as roadkill and about as likeable. The villain is very nuanced but also very hard to really understand or pin down. In many ways, the heroine is simplistic and the villain overcomplicated. Too many times I felt disenfranchised from the story as a result. This became especially problematic with the Harry Potter feel - point a wand and say a Latin sounding word/words to make magic happen. At that point, this felt like a HP fanfiction rather than original novel.

Perhaps the big issue for me was time manipulation - it felt a bit too easy and pat a solution to too many problems and shredded credibility and depth in the process.

Of note, there is a lot of horror aspects/egregious torture as our heroine loses her humanity to achieve her goals. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.