I had high hopes for this book after hearing so many great things, but unfortunately, I don’t think I was the right audience for it. There were several points where I wanted to put it down because I was completely exhausted by the main character and her love interest, but I kept pushing through just to see where it would go.

The premise itself had potential, a dystopian world ruled by an oppressive regime, where the protagonist, gifted with four hidden abilities, is given the opportunity to aid a rebellion in taking down the regime from within its elite military forces. It gave me strong 2000s dystopian vibes, which made me excited to dive in. But in the end, the execution just didn’t live up to its potential. The worldbuilding felt underdeveloped and needed more explanation. While the pacing was fast, not much actually happened, and the book could have been shorter since a lot of scenes felt repetitive and like filler.

There were several things that frustrated me, starting with the main character, Wren. Her entire character seemed to revolve around men—constantly thinking about them, obsessing over them, and even lusting after those tied to the very regime she’s supposed to be fighting. Her morals were all over the place, making her actions feel inconsistent. On top of that, she was insufferable. She came across as immature, impulsive, and prone to making incredibly reckless decisions, especially toward the end. The moment she removed her scar just to prove her love for Cross was downright ridiculous. Then, there were the side characters, who barely had any personality, including the love interest, Cross. Everyone in this book felt flat and one-dimensional, making them forgettable.

The romance didn’t help either. It wasn’t even romance. It was pure insta-lust with no emotional depth. Even when Wren and Cross declared their love for each other, it felt empty and unconvincing. If the author wanted to establish a long-standing connection between them since Cross had loved her for years, there should have been more meaningful development through their telepathic communication, but that aspect was barely explored. To make matters worse, some of Cross’s actions felt straight-up problematic, bordering on sexual harassment, which made me extremely uncomfortable. On top of all that, the twists were very predictable, making the story feel even more underwhelming.

Overall, this book just wasn’t for me. It had the potential to be a great dystopian read, but the lack of depth, frustrating characters, and forced romance made it a letdown.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Worlds - Del Rey for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The stakes? High. The tension? Thick. The plot twists? Relentless. My sleep schedule? Nonexistent. Silver Elite by Dani Francis had me hooked from the start, and every time I thought I had a handle on where things were going, another twist hit me out of nowhere. I remember one of the twists had me audibly gasping when I finally realized what was going on. Wren is a fierce, compelling lead, and Cross? Exactly the kind of morally grey disaster we all love. But let’s be honest, the side characters within this novel really steal the show. It also has a complex military academy setting with deadly assessments, shocking betrayals, blurred allegiances in a rebellion and are uprising. For a debut novel, I’m impressed. Was it predictable at times? A little. But honestly, I didn’t overly mind. The world-building is well-developed, making it easy to follow and immerse myself in. It had that nostalgic feel of the 2010s dystopian trend, but with a fresh, adult spin that I so desperately need right now. It reminded me of the Darkest Minds meets Divergent. However, the story stagnated a little about halfway through the book, I think it needed an extra bit of editing love to cut down on repetitiveness. I see so much potential in this storyline and I hope we're starting to see more Dystopian books released. I can’t wait to see how Dani Francis continues to grow. *Thank you to Del Rey for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As much as I don't like cliffhangers, this was one hell of a story! It had shades of Hunger Games, Red Rising, Game of Thrones, and Throne of Glass, but it was somehow still very original. I'm not even sure how the author pulled it off, and given this is the DEBUT novel (👀👀👀), I am genuinely pumped to see how the future books in this series are gonna turn out. Seriously, the twists and turns were a delight! 🥳