If you enjoyed Shadow and Bone or Fourth Wing you are going to love this book! Reminds me a bit of Divergent as well. Perfect for fans of any of those! Loved the setting and characters. Can’t wait to read more from this author. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read an advanced copy. Highly recommend - five stars !

I loved this book and just devoured it. For being such a long read I finished this one in a day. I couldn’t put it down and found myself with more time one day so cozied up to this one and buckled in for a wild and fun ride. Dystopian books can be so much fun, and this book was just that. I loved the world that the author created, and it was easy to get lost in. I also loved Wren and Cross, they were so fantastic and together they were perfect. There was so much tension, and it was great. The character development was well done, and they were fully developed characters. The side characters were also wonderful and nicely added to the story. There is so much action in this book, it was great and kept me on my toes the whole time. I cannot wait to see where this series goes, there is so much going on and so much promise.

If you’re looking for a great start to a new series, you won’t be disappointed with this read.

Silver Elite by Dani Francis was such a great story. I loved the world building, super unique and very interesting.

Thank you to Net galley and Delray for an ARC of the Silver Elite. I absolutley DEVOURED this book so fast. I couldn't put this book down. I was reading this book until the early mornings and I couldn't get enough of this freaking book. Silver Elite is definitely going to be a Top 5 book for 2025. I can see it now. The highstakes, the dystopian plot, the training and preparing for war is so so so good. Wren is a Modified or Mod, which is someone who can do things with their mind and shes rare because she has 4 abilities, shes sent in to the enemies territory where we meet our lovely Cross Redden who is the leader of the Silver Block which is an elite special ops group. Wren has to work her way in to help the uprising, but she also needs to keep her heart out of reach from Cross, but can she? Wren and Cross literally have my heart. The tension, the banter and swooning literally had me giggling and kicking my feet in bed. I absolutley loved their moments. That plot twist and the ending of book one has me wanting the second book now. Silver Elite will have you on the edge of your seat and you'll be wanting more. Go get preorder this book right now. Comes out May 6th 2025

Buckle up—this book is giving full-blown 13-year-old dystopian obsession vibes in the best way. The brutal training, the constant danger, the “trust no one” energy—it’s all here, but with a fresh, grittier twist that hooks you right in.

And the spice? Let’s just say it’s everything. The enemies-to-lovers tension between Wren and Cross is chef’s kiss. Every glance, every charged moment, every near-miss builds until the payoff leaves you absolutely reeling. Cross might come across as the cold, ruthless officer, but when it comes to Wren, he’s a total goner—and it’s so satisfying to watch.

The stakes, the heat, the drama—it’s like discovering dystopian romance all over again, but with a grown-up twist that just hits different. It’s everything I didn’t know I needed.

Wren is that FMC: bold, fearless, and just reckless enough to keep things interesting. She’s the kind of protagonist you root for, whether she’s throwing herself headfirst into danger or squaring off against someone twice her size. She’s feisty, flawed, and completely unforgettable.

And then there’s Cross Redden. Talk about the perfect mix of intimidating and secretly soft. On the surface, he’s all power and discipline—exactly the kind of guy Wren should stay far away from. But underneath? He’s such a simp for her, even if he won’t admit it. The push-pull between them is magnetic, and watching him slowly unravel as Wren chips away at his walls is absolutely addictive.

Now, about the 80% mark—things definitely start falling apart, but it feels fast. All the traps that had been set up earlier spring at once, and while it’s exciting, it’s a lot to take in. It feels like the story is rushing to tie everything up, which means some of those big, emotional moments don’t hit as hard as they should. A little more time to let things breathe would’ve made all the difference.

That said, it’s still a wild, satisfying ride with characters you can’t help but love. You’ll finish it and immediately want more—trust me.

An Empty Formula without Any New Details

This seems to be Dani Francis’ first book; I could not find any other bio details for her. Random House has done a good job on this cover’s design, though it is a bit general: a bird with wavy lines… The latter probably represent psychic communication lines? “The… hardcover will feature silver foil page edges, a premium dust jacket with foil…” There is also a map inside that clarifies the geography of this imagined world, with regions like the Red Post, Fairfield, Sanctum Point, and the Base Camp.
“In the first book of a… dystopian romance series, psychic gifts are a death sentence and there are rules to survival: Trust no one. Lie to everyone.” Why would anybody be able to “lie” in a world where lead characters are psychic and can tell when they are being lied to? “…And whatever you do, don’t fall for your greatest enemy.” The narrator ends up in “enemy territory”, and to make it out of there she sleeps with one of her captors? This is a very annoying pop trope. Women are regularly portrayed sleeping their way out of deadly situations. It’s rarely men who sleep their way out of equivalent situations, as men usually fight their own way out. No sane woman would seriously be aroused while in captivity. The opposite seems to be portrayed as propaganda to convince women that they should enjoy being dominated. In this case this captor is General’s son Cross Redden: “tall, tattooed”. Before speaking to this guy, she says, “I let my pulse race for him. I was attracted to him.” Such “romance” phrasing echoes across these books without any thought regarding if such pulse-racing has any relevance to what attracts people. A random tall tattooed guy would hardly be attracting in itself. Guys might have an immediate attraction to women based on their dimensions, but women are not wired for this. The dominance of men in publishing tends to create such unrealistic portrayals of women that fit their fantasies about this “other”, instead of attempting to speak with women to understand them.
“Wren Darlington has spent her whole life in hiding, honing her psychic abilities and aiding the rebel Uprising in small ways. On the Continent, being Modified means certain death—and Wren is one of the most powerful Mods in existence. When one careless mistake places her in the hands of the enemy and she’s forced to join their most elite training program, she’s finally handed the perfect opportunity to strike a devastating blow from inside their ranks. Lie to Everyone. But training for Silver Block can be deadly, especially when you’re harboring dangerous secrets and living in close quarters with everyone who wants you dead. And Whatever You Do, Don’t Fall for Your Greatest Enemy. As the stakes grow ever higher, Wren must prove herself to Silver Block. But that’s easier said than done when your commanding officer is the ruthless and infuriatingly irresistible Cross Redden, who doesn’t miss anything when it comes to her. And as war rages between Mods like her and those who aim to destroy them, Wren must decide just how far she’s willing to go to protect herself… and how much of the Continent is worth saving.”
“Chapter 1” opens with an attempt to horrify readers with a “suffocating darkness”, with a vague description of “the Blacklands” as full of “nightmares”, without any info other than that this place is full of “trees”. There is no reason for trees to be frightening. But the fantasy genre requires the author to introduce a death-threat to the main character in the opening lines to explain that readers should care about them because they are frightened. This brief horror-paragraph allows the author to then just do choppy dialogue with empty phrases, like the self-confessed “awkward conversations”: “Where are you going?” “Oh. Um. Nowhere. I was just getting dressed because I’m cold…” This was apparently a “lie”. Why would she like about where she is going, if she later confesses she was going to the village for a drink? Drinking can’t be illegal, if there’s a whole bunch od people doing it in the described pubs. The point is that she has to be “lying” to meet the promise in the blurb that she is lying to survive. This writer could have put in a bit more labor to figure out the big things that she’d have to lie about, but instead she just used this cheap reason. This is just a deeply terrible book. Yayks…
—Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Fall 2024: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-fall-2024

Silver Elite is an EXPLOSIVE, action packed start to what I’m certain will be the next big dystopian trilogy. We follow FMC Wren through her life of hiding her psychic abilities for fear of death by Command. When she gets the opportunity to try out for the most exclusive covert ops group there is, she sees her chance to make a difference for the Resistance from within.

The pacing of this book was fantastic. I stayed up way too late two nights in a row to finish! Every part was thoroughly entertaining and easy to understand - from the magic system to the dystopian society, it was a smooth transition into this world.

FMC Wren is feisty, doesn’t back down, strong, and sarcastic. I loved seeing the hard exterior in juxtaposition to her inner struggles, trying to battle loneliness and purposeless.

MMC General Cross Redden is a character I cannot wait to learn MORE of. This shameless flirt is stunning on the outside, but the air of mystery hovers strongly over him and I am so curious to see what is unveiled in books to come. I am also wanting to connect deeper in the romance relationship - the physical attraction is electric, but so many things have an opportunity to go deeper!

I absolutely adored the Program setting - thoroughly entertaining! The author did a wonderful job of building up the the cast of characters who come together within Silver Elite and also helping the audience understand the social climate. I really adored the side characters, particularly Kaine… and that is all I can say. There is so much more to unpack and I cannot wait to see where this story goes. Please discover for yourself how wonderful this book is!

Great for fans of: Red Rising, Divergent, The Hunger Games

Thank you so much Delrey and Netgalley for my very first e-arc ! My friends have been RAVING about this book, so I knew I had to skip my TBR line and dive right in.

This is like Shatter Me meets Divergent meets Fourth Wing (minus the dragons). It has all those vibes and fits in with those sort of books style-wise and plot-wise.

This book is set in a dystopian world where those with powers, called the Modified, are hunted down or turned traitor for the government by those with no power, called the Prime. We follow a young Modified woman named Wren who has secret psychic and devastating abilities. She finds herself dragged into a Prime war college (of sorts) where she must hide her true thoughts, feelings, and motivations in the truest of senses. Naturally the brooding, mysterious commanding officer is intrigued by her and watching her every move.

This was highly entertaining in the same way that Fourth Wing was. Though I won't be lauding either as masterpieces, they definitely were entertaining if you can look past the flaws and embrace the chaos. I feel like the magic system was a weaker point for me since I never had a really clear picture on all of the different abilities and how exactly they worked. But some suspension of disbelief never hurt anyone, so I was able to brush past it.

Again, this was simply turn-my-brain-off entertaining fun. If you're looking for an adult (yes, there are intimate scenes. This is not YA) dystopian fantasy world with a mix of the vibes of Shatter Me x Fourth Wing x Divergent then you may love this!

A huge thanks to Del Ray and @netgalley for the eARC, I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! It had all the thrilling vibes of Divergent, but with a fresh, upgraded twist that made it feel entirely unique. The lore of the "mods" and their telepathic abilities was so creative and fascinating—I couldn't get enough of it. The world-building felt immersive and effortless, pulling me in from the very first page.

What really sealed the deal for me was the delicious tension between the dangerous and powerful MMC and our equally strong FMC. Their mentor/mentee dynamic was irresistible, with just the right mix of steam and intensity to keep me glued to the pages. The chemistry between them was palpable, and their dynamic added so much depth to the story.

I genuinely believe this book is destined to take BookTok by storm. The age of steamy sci-fi fantasy romance is officially here, and I’m so here for it! If you’re a fan of Divergent or The Host, this is a must-read. It’s the perfect blend of action, romance, and sci-fi intrigue. Highly recommend!

I DNF’d this book. The writing is very juvenile. The FMC annoyed me pretty much right away with her “I’m soooo special I’m not like other girls” energy. From what I managed to read there is no originality or creativity in this story.

4.75 ⭐️

*mic drop* what in the actual hell that was a truly scrumptious read.

i felt like a kid again reading divergent and the hunger games. i forgot how much i love dystopian books. my inner child was healed but also this was so much better because it’s an adult book if you get my drift… *wink wink 😉 🔥*

now listen here, i am fully in love with Cross Redden. I Love Kaine. I love Xavier. Dani Francis you write some fabulous men !!

the concept of the aberrants powers is super cool and i love how there’s even more that we will get to learn about it in the next books. i’m on tender hooks here. i need to know what happens. ASAP. PLEASE.

the only reason this isn’t a solid 5⭐️ (which pains me to say as i was convinced it would be) was just because i guessed the major plot twist super early on (Amy can vouch for me on that one). i also feel like the last 20% was quite rushed and while i was sad that that one thing happened nearish the end, i didn’t cry… if i cried maybe i would’ve rated this just a smidgen higher. but tbf… i did not see that final plot twist coming. heckin hotshot pilot SLAYYYY.

anyway. anyone reading this- read this book now (or when it comes out because i did get this as an ARC THANK YOU DEL REY 🫶🏼🫶🏼)

I’d been searching for a great dystopian read, and Silver Elite delivered! While the first 10% was a bit slow, once the story picked up, I couldn’t put it down. It’s the kind of book that hooks you and doesn’t let go.

This book gave me Divergent vibes with its thrilling challenges, a gripping romance, and a dystopian world. The characters felt dynamic, and the twists kept me on my toes.

If you’re a fan of dystopian romance with sizzling chemistry and high stakes, this book is definitely worth picking up. I can’t wait for the next one in the series!

4.5/5⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

If you are looking for a dystopian romantasy with science fiction elements, then look no further, because this is it!

I‘m saying romantasy as the romance is heavy throughout the whole book.
The forbidden love between a Captain and a Recruit as they give in to the undeniable attraction between each other.
Wren Darlington is an amazing main character. She is smart, tough, she owns the ability of telekinesis, and she knows what she‘s doing (most of the time).
After loosing her uncle who was a Aberrant, Wren is forcefully enrolled in the training to become a soldier.
Hiding her real identity, especially from the attractive captain of the Silver Block, turns out to be way harder than expected.
The chemistry, the attraction and the tension between the two love interests was done so well!

The story has so many surprising twists and turns, it had me silently screaming more than a couple times!
I would have wished for a bit more world building, especially in the beginning.
All we know is that there‘s different Blocks, split in A,B,C etc.. We know there‘s a generell who tries to eliminate all Aberrants, but I would have wished for a better understanding of the world, more details how it works and the effects of a corrupt government.

Altogether this book is absolutely entertaining, it‘s perfectly paced, and there wasn‘t even one second during the story that had me bored. The opposite actually, I was hooked!

I can‘t believe I have to wait so long for the sequel now!

I am HOOKED on this series, and this is only the first book. I read the description of this book and did not hesitate requesting an ARC. I am not joking when I said I could not put this book down. I don't know if it was from growing up on dystopian series or what, but I loved the characters and the plot of this book. Wren is an amazing character, and the romance - yes please! I can't wait for the next one!!

Did I like the concept? Absolutely! Was the approach what it could have been. Unfortunately not.

The initial world building was a little wonky, but the development definitely smoothed out over time. It took a bit to get over the idea of “Mods” not being actually physically modified after birth in some way. It just didn’t seem like a very effective word for what they are and the abilities they possess, “Aberrant” made more sense to me.

One irritating aspect was that often when the characters “spoke” to one another it was difficult to distinguish if they were communicating telepathically or speaking out loud. Both occurred in the same font, and often one conversation was interspersed in between the other.

The author relied heavily on the full stop after each word in what should be a sentence to try make a point. It. Didn’t. Work. When it’s overused like that it takes away from the urgency of what’s being conveyed, and it makes the character sound immature.

The FMC and MMC did end up being well rounded characters. The major twist was far-fetched but predictable, however there were turns that were surprising. Overall an adequate outing in the fantasy genre.

I don't think I've ever read a book where so. much. happens! And I'm not complaining. This is a very impressive debut, and I'm really hoping for a second book in the future. The world building was so well done and easy to follow. I love our FMC Wren, she's fierce, stubborn, resilient, and fearless. I enjoyed the romance between her & Cross and I think the spice was wonderful. This is the perfect example of how you don't have to use gross words to describe spicy scenes. There's a plot twist that I guessed very early on, but it didn't make the story any less enjoyable for me. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys enemies to lovers romantasy in a dystopian world with sci fi vibes. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the ARC!

Shatter Me meets Divergent with a bit of The Darkest Minds

Entertaining read, I binged it during exam week
Wasn't expecting this much spice (the level is giving Fourth Wing/acotar?)
It had a lot of tropes I like (telepathy, enemies to lovers, dystopian, etc)

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with an arc. All opinions are my own.

Wow, what a wild ride. The debut book for author Dani Francis and it’s just the beginning as this is set to be a trilogy. I was engrossed from page one, could not put the book down. I had to know what happened next, this is the definition of a “one more chapter” book. The authors world building was great, not confusing and straight forward which is amazing. The characters and supporting characters all seemed to be well fleshed out and very diverse in all the ways people can be, multi dimensioned no one felt flat or boring. This book really just has all the right things going. Dystopian world, magic, rebellion, enemies to lovers, military spec ops. I really couldn’t get enough. Congratulations to the author for debuting with a bang, can not wait to see how this story unfolds.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes:
⚔️ Dystopian romance
❤️‍🔥 Slow burn
😠 Enemies-to-lovers
🚫 Forbidden love
🤝 Captain x Recruit

It’s everything I needed and more. I have been deprived of the dystopian world in so long and this has been the perfect one for me to read. I loved every single bit of it and need the next book ASAP.

The story follows a world divided between normal people (Primes) and people with special abilities (Modified/Mods) where the government has been searching for Mods to execute. Wren is a girl who lives with her guardian, Uncle Jim, in Ward Z where they are living quietly as normal people and hiding their true identity as Mods. It started off strong and we already get to see the first meeting between Wren and Captain Cross Redden and let me tell you - the chemistry is burning hot. I am 100% here for this enemies-to-lovers kinda vibe.

Captain Cross Redden is the leader for the Silver Block which is the highest of the military blocks that deal with more covert operations. Him and Wren has me screaming, curling my toes and kicking my feet with their nicknames and banter towards each other. Wren got dragged into this training program for Silver Block after a tragedy and the world building to set up for this plot is insane. Not to mention that there is a special unit within Silver Block which is Silver Elite - responsible for more riskier operations.

The action, tension and drama really stood out to me, especially when there is a group called the Uprising that comprised of Mods who rebels against the current government who wants to protect their people from being treated unjustly. The romance factor in this book is also top-notch from the start to the end and I am greatly satisfied with it. But, everything is not as it seems as you delve deeper into this book when secrets and lies are revealed in such mysterious ways. A minute detail that I love in this book is the change of font when they are communicating through telepathy to let us know that they’re talking in their minds - it’s so cool. This brought back so many memories of the dystopian, sci-fi, fantasy world like Divergent, Maze Runner, etc. and so I can’t wait for the next one!

P.S. Thank you to NetGalley, Dani Francis and Random House Worlds for sending me this ARC!

Read if you: are able to sleep in tomorrow morning, need a balm for YA-dystopia nostalgia, wanted a pen pal as a child, or you never got over your crush on Four.

Wren is a Modified (a mutated human with the ability to connect to/read minds) in a world where they have been outlawed. Living incognito with her uncle at the edge of the Continent, all she wants is to join the Uprising to fight the Primes' (non-modified people) military for equality. When she unexpectedly catches said military's attention, she is forcefully recruited for an Elite training program and must survive and hide in the heart of enemy territory (while navigating tension with the very handsome captain of her unit).

I "just one more chaptered" this book until 2AM and ended up finishing it in one sitting. Despite the wonky magical system (where the psychic powers of the mutants range from mind reading to physical healing) and the haphazard development of Wren's various relationships, I had so much fun reading this book and would recommend it to anyone suffering a reading slump or book hangover. You will especially enjoy it if you liked Divergent, The Hunger Games, or Red Queen and want a non-YA story with a similar flavour.

Rating: 4

Thank you to Random House for providing me with an advanced copy!