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adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’m going to have a book hangover after this one. Absolutely outstanding. Can’t wait for the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Murder, War, Classism
Minor: Slavery
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This fell a little flat for me. There wasn’t strong world building or strong character development. The romance between Cross and Wren felt so forced and unbelievable throughout most of the book, IMO. I’m not sure I’ll continue the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So many books, so little time…and I’m not sure I would’ve given this one a read in hindsight. It’s trying hard to be many things to many readers, that it doesn’t excel in any category.
Is it dystopian? I guess.
Is it romantasy? More like insta-lust for 70% of the book.
Was I rooting for the FMC? Eh…imo a lot came easily to her, and the rest of the characters were generally forgettable (except Roe).
I’m still deciding if I’ll continue this series — Dani Francis really needs to figure out what she wants this series to be when it grows up versus broadly checking the trope boxes.
Is it dystopian? I guess.
Is it romantasy? More like insta-lust for 70% of the book.
Was I rooting for the FMC? Eh…imo a lot came easily to her, and the rest of the characters were generally forgettable (except Roe).
I’m still deciding if I’ll continue this series — Dani Francis really needs to figure out what she wants this series to be when it grows up versus broadly checking the trope boxes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Slavery, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh my god. Society is rotting.
I saw someone compare Silver Elite to what The Hunger Games would be if Katniss fell in love with a game maker, and that is objectively the most accurate take on this book. Please, god, may I never ever see a book advertised as a romantic/spicy dystopian ever again.
I can get behind reading as escapism, and I also love a book where I can giggle and have a fun time. But, this is not that.
Dystopian is not a genre you should be reading to turn your brain off and to escape from reality. All reading is inherently political, but dystopian specifically SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
Silver Elite did not. Not only that, but it’s also poorly written, the characters are underdeveloped and their motivations are inconsistent, it is predictable, boring and is eerily similar to other popular books.
Shall we start with the characters?
Half-baked Katniss - sorry, I mean Wren (AKA Wratniss in my head) - has all the personality of a wet tissue. The author took all of the character flaws that make sense for Katniss, given she’s 16 and traumatised, then dialled it up to be unbearable, and gave them to a grown ass woman who has no reason to be acting like that. Wren is a selfish, heedlessly reckless, whiny, annoying, intolerable victim and I wished bad upon her for the whole book. She did not make one single good decision. Seriously, if there was a bad choice to be made, you could count on Wren to make it. Her recklessness is genuinely comical, and she does not think a single thing through.
Cross is a half-developed, inferior Xaden Riorson in a hat. He also actually uttered the phrase “I‘ve been a bad boy”, and if there were another star for this book to lose, it would have lost it for that. I had to close my kindle to go touch grass and spend some time longing for the sweet release of illiteracy.
Now the writing.
It is soulless, lifeless and flat. She constantly relies on telling rather than showing, and treats us like idiots who can’t see a square and put it in the square shaped hole. The worst part is that it wouldn’t even be a strain to connect the dots; as readers, we are capable of putting two and two together to make four when the entire book is completely predictable and just a regurgitated version of the same things we’ve already read.
I’m not making any accusations, but if it comes out that this was written by, or with the help of generative AI, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
Let’s put aside the unoriginal tropes and characters that show up far too often in newer books, and the shameless similarities to Fourth Wing and The Hunger Games, then give the author the benefit of the doubt that AI hasn’t touched this. Even still, it’s plain bad!
I had so much FOMO, which was why I made my worst decision to date (really channeling Wratniss there) and paid $14.99 to read this. For the kindle copy. $15 is about 25 minutes of work for me, and this was absolutely *not* worth it. Side note, I hope the AI rumours aren’t true, because I would hate to pay for something that supports work being taken away from real authors, to instead publish soulless AI slop.
At least I’m free now 😌
I saw someone compare Silver Elite to what The Hunger Games would be if Katniss fell in love with a game maker, and that is objectively the most accurate take on this book. Please, god, may I never ever see a book advertised as a romantic/spicy dystopian ever again.
I can get behind reading as escapism, and I also love a book where I can giggle and have a fun time. But, this is not that.
Dystopian is not a genre you should be reading to turn your brain off and to escape from reality. All reading is inherently political, but dystopian specifically SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
Silver Elite did not. Not only that, but it’s also poorly written, the characters are underdeveloped and their motivations are inconsistent, it is predictable, boring and is eerily similar to other popular books.
Shall we start with the characters?
Half-baked Katniss - sorry, I mean Wren (AKA Wratniss in my head) - has all the personality of a wet tissue. The author took all of the character flaws that make sense for Katniss, given she’s 16 and traumatised, then dialled it up to be unbearable, and gave them to a grown ass woman who has no reason to be acting like that. Wren is a selfish, heedlessly reckless, whiny, annoying, intolerable victim and I wished bad upon her for the whole book. She did not make one single good decision. Seriously, if there was a bad choice to be made, you could count on Wren to make it. Her recklessness is genuinely comical, and she does not think a single thing through.
Cross is a half-developed, inferior Xaden Riorson in a hat. He also actually uttered the phrase “I‘ve been a bad boy”, and if there were another star for this book to lose, it would have lost it for that. I had to close my kindle to go touch grass and spend some time longing for the sweet release of illiteracy.
Now the writing.
It is soulless, lifeless and flat. She constantly relies on telling rather than showing, and treats us like idiots who can’t see a square and put it in the square shaped hole. The worst part is that it wouldn’t even be a strain to connect the dots; as readers, we are capable of putting two and two together to make four when the entire book is completely predictable and just a regurgitated version of the same things we’ve already read.
I’m not making any accusations, but if it comes out that this was written by, or with the help of generative AI, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
Let’s put aside the unoriginal tropes and characters that show up far too often in newer books, and the shameless similarities to Fourth Wing and The Hunger Games, then give the author the benefit of the doubt that AI hasn’t touched this. Even still, it’s plain bad!
I had so much FOMO, which was why I made my worst decision to date (really channeling Wratniss there) and paid $14.99 to read this. For the kindle copy. $15 is about 25 minutes of work for me, and this was absolutely *not* worth it. Side note, I hope the AI rumours aren’t true, because I would hate to pay for something that supports work being taken away from real authors, to instead publish soulless AI slop.
At least I’m free now 😌
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness, Slavery, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5
My Thoughts: I've been trying to put together my thoughts on this book because I needed time to truly digest exactly what I didn't like about it. Silver Elite promises to be reminiscent of books like The Hunger Games, but I think that is one of the worst comparisons because it has none of the intrigue or depth of the amazing and impactful world Suzanne Collins created. To compare the two is like a slap in the face.
Let me preface by saying that if you enjoy this, I'm not judging you. There are definitely parts of this book that can pull you in, and if you weren't reading critically or you're "just in it for the vibes," I can see why you might enjoy this. But, I did not, and this is my review. So beware if you read on that I'm about to bash Silver Elite. This is your final warning.
The beginning of the novel did promise some sort of interesting plot. We follow our female main character, Wren, as she tries to live in a world that despises her kind. She's modified--a "Mod"--which means she has special abilities. (I'd love to tell you how Mods were created, but I've erased that tidbit from my memory.) She can read minds, communicate telepathically, and, as we find out later, incite--control other people's minds. Wren lives with her uncle, who's not really her uncle, Jim who works for the resistance, trying to free the Mods from the grip of a tyrannical ruler. One day, Wren comes home to find Jim arrested for treason and sentenced to death.At Jim's execution, Wren accidentally uses her powers to incite the executioners and, almost, have them k!ll themselves. Instead, they just turn and point their guns back on Jim, and he's mûrdered by firing squad.
Wren is taken in for questioning, and the officers decide to reallocate her home and have her train to join the Silver Block--an elite group of soldiers committed to finding and eliminating Mods. We're told multiple times (way too many, in my opinion) that Wren is the best of the best and she has to hold back so they don't suspect her, but instead of being average, Wren is so purposefully bad that she still brings attention to herself.Wren has a couple of close calls such as when there's a healing Mod, working for the tyrannical ruler, who can heal the scars that cover her inciter mark that would reveal her as a Mod. But she somehow talks her way out of this situation and others despite being stupidly reckless.
Of course throughout all of this, Wren finds herself lusting over almost every man she comes across, but above all, she finds herself desperately attracted (more like infatuated, tbh) to a man named Cross--the son of the tyrannical General Redden. I can't tell you how many sentences I read that had the same sentiment of: "Oh he's SOOO hot and I'm unbearably attracted to him. But he's the General's son. I shouldn't be feeling this way. But I can't help it." *insert eyeroll here*
The middle of the book is mostly full of training montages and Wren lusting over Cross. Unsurprisingly, the two finally give in to their unexplainable attraction to each other and start to bang all. The. Time. I don't know how these two supposedly "busy" people have so much time to knock boots, but they do. Even after Wren gives in, she still questions how she gave up her morals so easily, and honestly, I'm wondering the same thing, girl. You seem to feel very strongly about protecting yourself and other Mods while banging the son of the man who enslaves and k!lls them. But whatever. You do you, I guess.We do find out eventually that Cross is (shocker) a Mod himself. He's actually the childhood friend Wren somehow telepathically connected to, who she's never met but has been communicating with for over a decade. Who could've seen that coming. *insert my definitely shocked face here*
The end of the novel is *probably* the most exciting part, but it's ruined by how rushed it is. The author waited until the very last minute to fit in all of the important information and therefore brought everything to a screeching halt, relying on a cliffhanger and pure shock factor to keep readers interested in the next book.The resistance finally takes down General Redden, but they leave Wren behind because she (stupidly!) told Cross and two of her friends that she's a Mod and the most dangerous kind--an inciter. She got rid of her scars that cover her inciter mark, so she can't even hide it anymore. Cross and one of the soldiers (I didn't even remember who he was because he was so forgettable and the side characters are so poorly written) try to get Wren out, and she somehow makes it through a super dangerous area with this soldier and makes it to the resistance. There, we find out that a character we thought was dead isn't and is actually a Mod and part of the resistance. What might've been my favorite part of the book was when Cross called Wren stupid for a decidedly idiotic choice. Thank goodness for some common sense.
I think what bothered me the most about this book is that it is mostly dystopian for the vibes, and that just doesn't fly with me. Dystopian novels always have been, and always should be, written to critique and shed light on corrupt systems. Yes, Silver Elite features a corrupt system with a tyrannical ruler who seeks to put down a group of people. However, what it doesn't have is any critique of the system. Wren simply goes along with everything until it's convenient for her not to. Her love interest says he wants to be a part of the system because it's a better use of his time than resisting it. The story relied on spice, plot twists, "shocking" reveals, and a "strong" FMC to keep it going.
Now don't get me wrong--I'm not saying there isn't room for a spicy, romantic dystopian novel. I truly believe this could be well done if it's truly a dystopian novel and features a romance between people who are trying to find love in a desperate situation. But Silver Elite does not do that. Instead, it focuses on the minute-by-minute action instead of zooming out and looking at the entire corrupt system. It offers plenty of spicy scenes, but the connection between Cross and Wren is so superficial that it doesn't add anything to the plot. (Plus, I don't think the spice is well written. Sorry.)
I don't know if this has coherently, or even incoherently, expressed how I feel about this novel. But I just found too many things wrong with it. I don't say this lightly--I wouldn't be surprised if it came out that this was fully, or even partially, generated by AI. The conversations were clunky. The side characters barely played a role other than to "tug at your heartstrings" and move the plot along. The plot was an amalgamation of tropes and preexisting magic systems and worlds. I could go on and on.
Needless to say, I will not be continuing this series. I will look at reviews to see what happened and what people thought of it, but I don't need to waste any more time or money on this story.
My Thoughts: I've been trying to put together my thoughts on this book because I needed time to truly digest exactly what I didn't like about it. Silver Elite promises to be reminiscent of books like The Hunger Games, but I think that is one of the worst comparisons because it has none of the intrigue or depth of the amazing and impactful world Suzanne Collins created. To compare the two is like a slap in the face.
Let me preface by saying that if you enjoy this, I'm not judging you. There are definitely parts of this book that can pull you in, and if you weren't reading critically or you're "just in it for the vibes," I can see why you might enjoy this. But, I did not, and this is my review. So beware if you read on that I'm about to bash Silver Elite. This is your final warning.
The beginning of the novel did promise some sort of interesting plot. We follow our female main character, Wren, as she tries to live in a world that despises her kind. She's modified--a "Mod"--which means she has special abilities. (I'd love to tell you how Mods were created, but I've erased that tidbit from my memory.) She can read minds, communicate telepathically, and, as we find out later, incite--control other people's minds. Wren lives with her uncle, who's not really her uncle, Jim who works for the resistance, trying to free the Mods from the grip of a tyrannical ruler. One day, Wren comes home to find Jim arrested for treason and sentenced to death.
Wren is taken in for questioning, and the officers decide to reallocate her home and have her train to join the Silver Block--an elite group of soldiers committed to finding and eliminating Mods. We're told multiple times (way too many, in my opinion) that Wren is the best of the best and she has to hold back so they don't suspect her, but instead of being average, Wren is so purposefully bad that she still brings attention to herself.
Of course throughout all of this, Wren finds herself lusting over almost every man she comes across, but above all, she finds herself desperately attracted (more like infatuated, tbh) to a man named Cross--the son of the tyrannical General Redden. I can't tell you how many sentences I read that had the same sentiment of: "Oh he's SOOO hot and I'm unbearably attracted to him. But he's the General's son. I shouldn't be feeling this way. But I can't help it." *insert eyeroll here*
The middle of the book is mostly full of training montages and Wren lusting over Cross. Unsurprisingly, the two finally give in to their unexplainable attraction to each other and start to bang all. The. Time. I don't know how these two supposedly "busy" people have so much time to knock boots, but they do. Even after Wren gives in, she still questions how she gave up her morals so easily, and honestly, I'm wondering the same thing, girl. You seem to feel very strongly about protecting yourself and other Mods while banging the son of the man who enslaves and k!lls them. But whatever. You do you, I guess.
The end of the novel is *probably* the most exciting part, but it's ruined by how rushed it is. The author waited until the very last minute to fit in all of the important information and therefore brought everything to a screeching halt, relying on a cliffhanger and pure shock factor to keep readers interested in the next book.
I think what bothered me the most about this book is that it is mostly dystopian for the vibes, and that just doesn't fly with me. Dystopian novels always have been, and always should be, written to critique and shed light on corrupt systems. Yes, Silver Elite features a corrupt system with a tyrannical ruler who seeks to put down a group of people. However, what it doesn't have is any critique of the system. Wren simply goes along with everything until it's convenient for her not to. Her love interest says he wants to be a part of the system because it's a better use of his time than resisting it. The story relied on spice, plot twists, "shocking" reveals, and a "strong" FMC to keep it going.
Now don't get me wrong--I'm not saying there isn't room for a spicy, romantic dystopian novel. I truly believe this could be well done if it's truly a dystopian novel and features a romance between people who are trying to find love in a desperate situation. But Silver Elite does not do that. Instead, it focuses on the minute-by-minute action instead of zooming out and looking at the entire corrupt system. It offers plenty of spicy scenes, but the connection between Cross and Wren is so superficial that it doesn't add anything to the plot. (Plus, I don't think the spice is well written. Sorry.)
I don't know if this has coherently, or even incoherently, expressed how I feel about this novel. But I just found too many things wrong with it. I don't say this lightly--I wouldn't be surprised if it came out that this was fully, or even partially, generated by AI. The conversations were clunky. The side characters barely played a role other than to "tug at your heartstrings" and move the plot along. The plot was an amalgamation of tropes and preexisting magic systems and worlds. I could go on and on.
Needless to say, I will not be continuing this series. I will look at reviews to see what happened and what people thought of it, but I don't need to waste any more time or money on this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Classism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Torture
Minor: Drug use, Mental illness, Slavery, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
a couple that actually communicates and doesn't hide anything from each other??? im my sci-fi dystopian romance?? color me shocked and unbelievably sat. i was a little skeptical of this at first due to all the divergent comparisons and supposed hunger games vibes because i rarely trust opinions like that but this one gladly proved me wrong. it did have a lot of divergent touches and a little bit of a THG feel to it while still managing to be its own thing, and i liked that. i do admit that it is getting a bit tedious seeing the "superpowered couple can communicate telepathically" trope (gestures to feysand and xadenviolet, though i do LOVE all of them don't get it twisted), and yet another intimidating but hot and deliciously sassy dark haired leading man in a position of power, but fuck it. its always been easy for me to like things anyway. i can look past it and still have a blast. 4.25 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Sexual harassment, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Hate crime, Slavery
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual assault
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Death
Minor: Drug use, Slavery
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Silver Elite is a tense action-fueled dystopian that keeps you on your toes (and holding your breath) throughout the entire book. Compelling characters twists and turns and scorching hot romance made this truly a joy to read, and I cannot wait for the next installment! For fans of Divergent and X-Men.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Torture, Violence
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault
Minor: Drug use, Gore, Slavery, Vomit, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis