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estapinto 's review for:
Silvercloak
by L.K. Steven
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-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
Imagine if every magic spell you cast had to be paid for in ecstasy or agony. In this undercover detective meets queer magical crime noir with wands romantasy, power isn’t destiny, it’s how much joy you can wring out of life, and how much pain you can endure to build mana, aka your well of magic. No waving around magic wands haphazardly and shouting spells in Latin (although this also occurs).
Here, food, sex, love and even your emotional support cat can recharge you. Unless you live up north, where sadism and masochism are the batteries of choice. (Why refill on delicious pastries when you could nap on a bed of nails?)
Enter Saffron, magical detective, tragic backstory (is there any other kind?). She’s immune to spells, which makes her uniquely suited to infiltrate the Bloodmoons, the magical mafia who murdered her parents. The Bloodmoons are monsters, but the Silvercloaks also have the moral clarity of a politician. Which is to say none.
Anyway, it’s whimsical, horrifying and queer and I inhaled this like I inhale oxygen, which is to say, like my life depended on it. And given the divisive reviews, I was pleasantly surprised I enjoyed it so much. But reading is subjective and one person’s pleasure is another person’s pain. Fitting, really.
Speaking of which, this is definitely romantasy or fantasy romance, where the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers-to-enemies dynamic is a key driver of the plot and is complicated and morally compromised which made it far more interesting than your standard enemies to lovers fare. So if you see this being marketed as fantasy, be aware that the romance element is strong in this, complete with a couple of spicy scenes.
Add to that time-manipulation, which means it can be paused or rewoven, with caveats. I actually loved that, but if you think time travel is a cheap plot device, this book will probably feel unbearable to you... just a heads up.
Finally, don’t expect comfort in this romantasy-fantasy. It’s quite dark and gritty and throws torture, coercion, gambling addiction and debts, fantasy drugs and drug addiction, blackmail, organised crime, bigotry and historical genocide into the mix. Nobody comes out clean. I was never sure who the villains were. Probably everyone. Except for Rasso, the wolf/doggo, he is the purest and the best. We love Rasso.
I devoured this, then immediately questioned why I was so invested in magical gangsters and their BDSM power batteries.
Thank you so much to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey for the ARC.
Here, food, sex, love and even your emotional support cat can recharge you. Unless you live up north, where sadism and masochism are the batteries of choice. (Why refill on delicious pastries when you could nap on a bed of nails?)
Enter Saffron, magical detective, tragic backstory (is there any other kind?). She’s immune to spells, which makes her uniquely suited to infiltrate the Bloodmoons, the magical mafia who murdered her parents. The Bloodmoons are monsters, but the Silvercloaks also have the moral clarity of a politician. Which is to say none.
Anyway, it’s whimsical, horrifying and queer and I inhaled this like I inhale oxygen, which is to say, like my life depended on it. And given the divisive reviews, I was pleasantly surprised I enjoyed it so much. But reading is subjective and one person’s pleasure is another person’s pain. Fitting, really.
Speaking of which, this is definitely romantasy or fantasy romance, where the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers-to-enemies dynamic is a key driver of the plot and is complicated and morally compromised which made it far more interesting than your standard enemies to lovers fare. So if you see this being marketed as fantasy, be aware that the romance element is strong in this, complete with a couple of spicy scenes.
Add to that time-manipulation, which means it can be paused or rewoven, with caveats. I actually loved that, but if you think time travel is a cheap plot device, this book will probably feel unbearable to you... just a heads up.
Finally, don’t expect comfort in this romantasy-fantasy. It’s quite dark and gritty and throws torture, coercion, gambling addiction and debts, fantasy drugs and drug addiction, blackmail, organised crime, bigotry and historical genocide into the mix. Nobody comes out clean. I was never sure who the villains were. Probably everyone. Except for Rasso, the wolf/doggo, he is the purest and the best. We love Rasso.
I devoured this, then immediately questioned why I was so invested in magical gangsters and their BDSM power batteries.
Thank you so much to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey for the ARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, Classism