Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey and NetGalley for the eARC.

I was so excited for Silvercloak as it was described as The Departed or mafia vibes but with magic, wands, and spells. It was dark with gruesome bits and an adult audience in mind.

The concept of replenishing one’s magic through pleasure and pain was very refreshing. I really liked the world building, politics, action scenes, and spellbinding magic. I wanted to love this book, however Saffron was probably one of the most frustrating characters I’ve ever read. We’re told that’s she’s smart and observant but her choices and the consequences of her actions say otherwise. I kept going back to the fact that Aspar allowed Saff to go undercover with her real identity and I just can’t fathom how unbelievable that was and how quickly it could backfire and sure enough, it did.

I really wanted to root for Saffron but it just felt like she was consistently failing one after another. Even Saff herself said she was sloppy! How much was dumb luck versus actual talent and wits? I would have liked to see Nissa more and I absolutely adored Levan and Rasso. He’s the epitome of morally gray. Seeing Levan and Saffron bond over their favorite book series was adorable and the fact that he made them costumes so they can visit the author under disguise had me melting. The twists didn’t wow me, but I am still interested to see how the story continues in book 2.

I enjoyed this book but it was too slow paced and somehow predictable for me.

The prohecy at the beginning was intriguing, but then it was mentioned so many times that I started feeling like "get it over with already! Can we just skip to when that happens, since every time Saffron is in trouble she reassures herself that the prophecy has yet to come?"

I really liked certain ideas: the pain and pleasure fueling magic , the fact that magic empties a sort of well that needs to be replenished, the undercover mission, the superpower-nonpower of Saffron (and I don't want to spoil it), the classes of magic and how Levan controlled so many of them, without ever seeming to drain his maigc reserves, the fallowwolf, Saffron's necklace. I thought these were well conceived and intertwined.

Certain parts did not work so much for me. I couldn't get over the fact that Saffron is supposed to go deep undercover and she manages to get in on day one and within the first week she already has intel. Isn't the basics of any deep undercover mission that it takes months, if not years, to gain trust and climb the trust ladder to reach some crumbles of information? And the night coup for the cargo? I don't want to spoil it, but... come on! Didn't The Departed teach us anything?

I am a bit conflicted whether I will continue to the next volume: I am just really intrigued by the potential of all the magic world described in the book, I fear a little another 400-500 pages of quests with rookies on the brink of death saved by the bell.

3.75

thank you to del rey for the e-ARC.

this book has such fun worldbuilding; it was the best aspect for me. the types of magic, the grimy criminal syndicate, the undercover agent who has to hide herself from both sides….. there’s a lot going for the world and the plot

I felt like the pacing and the characterization were both off for me. I was expecting fast paced, but the action and high-tension moments god slowed down by flowery language and extensive description. I also felt like our character was not particularly mature, which made the adult scenes quite jarring for me. I could have accepted either leaning into a gritty YA tone or a more complex and mature character, but neither was an awkward in-between.

with that being said, I wanted to like this book more than I did, and I think other readers might not have the same irks I do. it has a lot of potential and I am excited to see where the plot goes.

liked the beginning of this one very much, it had a promising start but i think it became a bit predictable towards the middle ;(

4 stars


The magic system in this book was really attention grabbing, unique, and very complex. There were so many rules, and numerous ways to gain power to use magic, with certain types that individuals trained or specialized in, it was really fascinating. There was so much going on for this book, vengeance, mystery, romance, secret mission. It was just a really good time with action, suspenseful moments and romance. Saffron, is a strong character with a traumatic and heartbreaking past but she is not without flaws and made some mistakes but I really liked that about her and she grew as a character. The side characters were great and added a great dynamic and twists to the story. The romance was pretty good, it was really building there at the end and sucking me and I can’t wait for the next one. I think this is a great first book to a new series, I highly recommend it.
I received an advanced ebook, via netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

It took a bit for me to get into this one but I'm glad I stuck with it because I really did enjoy this unique story.
I really liked the magic system especially and loved that it brought back wands and spells that just fed my inner Harry Potter fan, a little darker since magic feeds on pleasure and pain.
I liked the concept of magical law enforcement and how she went undercover and the enemies to lovers was well done. I will be reading book two to see what happens next!

For starters I had seen a few people read and review this book and the feedback was sooo positive. I was so so so excited and had high expectations...did this book hit those expectations??? YESSSSSSS! I loved it so much. - it was a very easy YA fantasy read that was fun and enjoyable.
Firstly, the use of wands and spell as the magic source was just so nostalgic from the days of reading HP - I don't think I've read another book that uses wands, so that was an extreme bonus, And to make it just that more unique, their magic 'wells' are fuelled by pain and pleasure, which I just thought brought a fun unique spin on the magic system.
The characters were great - this really pulled on the 'morally grey' type but in a way that really portrayed how your behaviours and perspectives can really be twisted when you start justifying your 'bad; actions in the name of what you believe in. Both of the main protagonists committed some horrendous acts yet you as a reader kind of route for the characters because they are justifying it.
Enemies to Lovers trope is actually VERY enemy to lovers - like they are literally enemies and the slow burn romance blossoms whilst the characters are still hating each other and pushing the bond between them away. The male protagonist is very broody but with a soft side that made him feel more human and I felt that it just showed 'nature vs nurture' very well.

The story in summary is the main character goes on a revenge path to infiltrate a criminal organisation - the Bloodmoons- to take them down after they murdered her parents years prior. She is working for lets call it the policing / law / government organisation - the Silvercloaks and is feeding them information, with the ultimate goal to find out what the bloodmoons real goals are. However, her past is wound tightly with the bloodmoons and she finds herself relating to them in more ways than she ever realised.
There's a lot of action, a lot of twists and turns and the ending was perfection!!!!

Only cons I personally would say is there wasn't a huge amount of world building and I feel the world the book is based in could just be so so much more! There's references to other cities and creatures like dragons, and other cultures and religions but there really isn't much more to it, and I just want to know more!!!!A lot of things just weren't expanded on that felt quite important.
Also, I didn't feel like the main character was in too much danger a lot of the time despite a lot of horrible things that were done to other people and how bad the Bloodmoons were meant to be. She gained the trust of the Bloodmoon leader and other members very quickly despite being known as a previous Silvercloak - I get they believed in the curse mark thoroughly but I just felt she was privy to a lot of inhouse things very quickly.

but regardless, I enjoyed the read and would definitely recommend it as an easy fun fantasy read.

This was 3.5⭐️ For me . Although the plot was interesting and this book was fast paced I didn’t enjoy certain aspects of it and the writing style as much. The main one being the magic system and how it worked. They had to fill up their empty magic wells, through pleasure or pain? And I didn’t enjoy how everyone just slept with each other and how sexualised things were because of how the magic system worked. . It was just not my cup of tea unfortunately but overall it was an interesting read. Saying that , I really enjoyed the concept of going back in time and how this was described.

Omg! I simultaneously wanted to devour this and didn’t want it to end! The politics, the betrayal, the romance! I will be impatiently waiting for book 2!

I am still reeling from reading this enthralling book with a dose of spells, dark magic and romance ( it was HOT!). There’s too much pleasure pain in this book.
The FMC and MMC build-up throughout the story was gratifying and interesting.
I cannot wait for the next magical adventure.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for the ARC.

LK Steven is the true necromancer because she singlehandedly brought the fantasy romance genre back from the dead. The world building is practically unparalleled in this age where good fantasy romance is a dying bread. I'm so happy to report that this is, in fact, a true enemies to lovers, with actual morally gray characters and a slow burn.

3.5 stars

“Silvercloak” is an intriguing fantasy mafia romance in which a young woman named Saffron rises to the ranks of magical learning as a law enforcement officer, then to be publicly “disgraced” in order to take on a dangerous assignment undercover in the magical mafia. There, she grows close to Levan, the son of the evil kingpin responsible for the murder of Saffron’s parents. She works to unravel a conspiracy, understand her own unprecedented immunity to magic, and get to the root of Levan’s trauma.
This book was reasonably entertaining. I was primarily annoyed that Saffron’s name was Saffron, that Levan had a less hot name than his evil gross dad (Lyrian), and that I don’t ship Saffron and Levan (because Nissa exists). Otherwise, there was sufficient action and intrigue to at least keep me turning the pages, and a very compelling setup for book 2 that asks: who is really the villain in this story?

I submitted to get this ARC at NetGalley because the cover reminded me of Moon Knight, and was positively surprised by Silvercloak. No this has anything in common with Marvel, and despise having magic and wands, the comparisons with the young wizard saga is so unfair.

I confess that at first, the book wasn't catching my attention. I thought some things didn't make sense, like why Saffron's mother would act like she did in the beginning, she could've saved people if she was more honest with the Bloodmoons. I didn't think the prophecy was important enough to affect the world, but I kept reading and I got the answer (yest, it does affect others). And because I kept reading, I got invested in the story, how Levan wants to be good, but his ending goal won't allow it, and he embraces his cruel side. He is full of layers, and Lauren Steven convinced me in his nuances. Saffron is the main character but I really like how she's not a badass, even with her unique abilities. She makes mistakes and has to use her brain to escape some situations, like when she met the kingpin for the first time and he knew exactly who she was.

The most interesting thing is the magic power in place. Pleasure gives stamina to make spells, and pain makes these spells more efficient. Someone can run out of stamina and can't do magic, so things around the characters are used to be a source of pleasure, such as paintings and music. I also like that the author isn't afraid of killing characters, or to show them doing illegal stuff, even Saffron has to commit crimes. The plot is adult, the language could've been more polished (the people complaining about repetitions are right, but it didn't bother me), but by the end I found my jaw on the floor, didn't see that coming and I can't wait for the second book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey / Random House Worlds / Inklore for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Silvercloak started off strong—the prologue completely drew me in, and I thought I was in for something really special. But as I continued, my excitement started to taper off. Pretty early on, I found myself wondering: are there just too many similarities to Harry Potter?

One of my biggest struggles was with the magic system and worldbuilding. Instead of gradually immersing the reader into the rules and culture of the world, Silvercloak dives in headfirst and starts throwing out magical terms, spells, and concepts without much explanation or context. In contrast, Harry Potter does this well—with spells like Alohomora or Expelliarmus, there’s a clear sense of what they do, when and why they’re used, and how they tie into the character and story. I found myself skimming over spells in Silvercloak because they didn’t make much sense or carry any weight.

The pacing in the first 20% felt rushed, and the epic fantasy elements lacked the development I was hoping for. It was catchy in places, but not quite grounded. I also struggled a bit with the FMC—her decisions often felt reckless or unwise, and that made it harder to connect with her. I prefer when female leads are written with sharper intuition and decision-making.

That said, the book did get better around the halfway point. The action picked up, the plot felt a bit more structured, and I started to enjoy it more. But unfortunately, the ending tipped things back in the other direction—it felt too chaotic, too much happening all at once, without enough cohesion or clarity. It left me feeling a bit unsure overall.

I’m torn on whether this book is really for me. There are moments of real promise here, and readers who enjoy fast-paced magical adventures with familiar tropes may get more out of it than I did. But personally, I was hoping for more depth, clarity, and originality.

4.5 ⭐️

Not gonna lie, the audiobook almost ruined this one for me. I really was not a fan of the narrator and almost DNFed at about 20% in but decided to give it another try physically reading it and ended up really enjoying it!

Don’t go into it thinking this is another magical academy book like I did, as that is only about 20% of the book.

This book fed my wizard-loving inner child in all the right ways. It had wands & spells, prophecies, good guys vs villains, a wizard mafia, magic based on emotions, a wolf familiar, time reversal, revenge, and so much more. And OF COURSE a super juicy enemies to lovers to enemies plot line. With that big conflict at the end, I’m very excited to continue this story in book 2.

Thank you to Del Rey and PRH Audio for an ARC & ALC!

Silvercloak surprised me in the best way. Sure, this is a romantasy and yes, it has your typical angsty banter and tension, but I didn’t expect how so much else this book had going for it.

There’s magic, politics, bloody fights, rivalries, trauma, friendships, betrayal… The magic system? Super cool! You’re not dumped with 50 pages of lore off the bat. The author spoon feeds you the good stuff slowly and at the right moments so it actually sticks.

As for Saffron and Levan… Am I head over heels for them? Not really. Did I enjoy their dynamic? Absolutely. What I appreciated the most is that both characters actually function outside of their romantic arc. They’ve got their own stories, trauma and motivations. Their romance feels earned and not just “and now they kiss”.

I do wish we had more of the Academy side of things. I could not have cared less for Saffron’s friends but I would’ve loved to get a better sense of daily life at Silvercloak. A prequel about that? Sign me up yesterday!

You’ll like this book if you’re into:
✨ magic academy
⚔️ good vs evil

🔥 enemies to lovers

🩶 morally gray characters

Oh my god what an amazing read. I was on the seat of my pants the entire time I was reading. I don’t think I’ve read anything like this book. I loved the unique magic system and rich world building. The FMC and MMC were both very intriguing and I loved seeing where the story would take them next.

Silvercloak was a fine read. Nothing groundbreaking. The magic system was relatively unique. I like the idea of pain and pleasure being the source for magic, but I don't feel like Steven explored that enough.

The book felt too convenient. Saffronconveniently wasn't affected by magic, until it was convenient that she could be. All of Levan's abilities were convenient for whatever was going on in the book. The big reveal at the end, especially.

This series has a lot of potential. It'll be fun to see how she wraps everything up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Ideal for a reader who craves morally tangled, undercover revenge quests where the line between justice and corruption blurs amid simmering enemies-to-lovers tension.

If you ever wanted a spicy, dark adult version of The Book that Shall Not Be Named, then you will love Silvercloak. This book was fast paced and the world building was so in-depth. L.K. Steven really transports you into a dark and gritty magical world. Saffron Coomber narrates which is fun because the FMC’s name is also Saffron. She manages to bring the magic of the spells and actions of the characters to life.