asims723 's review for:

Silver Elite by Dani Francis
4.75
dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
Silver Elite is a dystopian romantasy fantasy novel perfect for fans of the Shatter Me series, though I was also reminded of the rebellion in Mockingjay as well. Chosen one gets swept up in morally ambiguous politics, trains for a war of dubious loyalty, and kisses all the boys along the way. The pacing of this novel is FAST, but still steady. The characterization could be heavy handed in a "look how much we've changed!" kind of way, but the world building was quick and efficient. Wren Darlington is our feisty FMC (who has too many names, honestly...I counted 4) and she is delightfully competent in that role. She believably is adept at impossible things, and her impulsive nature is equally believable and consistent. She's flawed in the right ways, and her banter is at the tip top of hilarious snark. I read this massive book in two days because it was that interesting. 
While the packing was great, the plot fell flat around the 70% mark for me, picking up around 80%, crashing hard at 90%, when I wondered what the hell Wren was doing because despite the first person narration, I was baffled why she'd do something so stupid, and then finally the ending left me in a state of curious tension. I will be sat waiting for the next one, thank you. 
A word about the MMC, Cross Redden: He's no Aaron Warner. He lacks Warner's vulnerability. BUT he's legit.  Solid 8/10 on the "who hurt you, but also how can I support your success as an independent person?" Book Boyfriend Scale.
UPDATE: I've been thinking about this a lot, and I strongly suspect Cross is not endgame, but more of an Adam Kent than an Aaron Warner despite the vibe. I'm highly suspecting that hotshot pilot plays a bigger role in Book 2 💅👀🤔🫠
This one is for the romantasy girlies! 
Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC!
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