I am not a huge fantasy book fan. It was different than what I normally enjoy. Overall, it was pretty good, I liked the way the story ties together at the end. I think the book was pretty good!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Wow. Just—wow! Where do I even start? Silvercloak is my first L. K. Steven book, but if her other works are anything like this, she’s about to become an automatic buy for me. This has, hands down, been my favorite read of 2025 so far.

Silvercloak gives Millennials a nostalgic nod to our younger days of reading Harry Potter, but with a fresh, adult twist—queer characters, a pain-and-pleasure-based magic system (that gets pretty steamy at times), and a gripping, high-stakes plot.

Saffron—aka Saff—is on the verge of completing her final exam to join the Silvercloaks (think magical detectives). But during the test, her unique powers are revealed, and instead of officially joining the force, she’s thrown into an undercover mission to infiltrate the city’s mafia, the Bloodmoons. The kicker? The Bloodmoons are the very reason she became a Silvercloak in the first place—they murdered her parents when she was a child. Just when things couldn't get more complicated, she has a prophetic vision: she will fall in love with the kingpin’s son… and then kill him.

The magic system is incredibly unique, blending time weaving, teleportation, necromancy, and even hints of possible dragons. Every moment of this book had me completely immersed—I wanted to race through it, yet I never wanted it to end.

I still can’t believe this book doesn’t release until July. How am I supposed to wait for who knows how long until book two?!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Inklore for the advanced copy. I absolutely loved it!

I dont think i can sum up how this book makes me feel in one video! At its core its a story of the lengths you will go for family, love and what you believe it right. Its a story of good people doing the darkest things for the chace of something good at the end of the tunnel. There so much more to this world then the little we see in the series debut and i cant wait to see how Laura expants this dark gritty world of magic, deception, and an all cusuming love that can change the fabric or reality and time.

This book is full of twists and turns! It follows our FMC Saffron, a mage who joins the Bloodmoons, only to take them down and avenge the deaths of her parents. This was a high fantasy story with intricate worldbuilding and complex magic systems, but I loved every minute of it!

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

Silvercloak follows Saffron, a mage who joins the Bloodmoons in order to take them down and avenge the deaths of her parents when she was a child.

It took a bit for me to figure out the world of Silvercloak and how magic worked but once I did I couldn’t put it down. The twists and turns were fascinating and I didn’t see any of them coming. I especially liked Saffron’s dynamic with Levan, as well as her friends from the first section in the book. I want to read so much more set in this world!

The only issue I had was that it was an extremely intricate world with a very complex magic system and while the first section helped me ground myself in the story, I would’ve loved some sort of guide or glossary of the terms of magic and a few of the workings of this world. But it wasn’t a big issue as I was able to follow the plot very well without one and enjoy the story very much.

Thank you Del Rey and NetGalley again for the chance to read this early.

oh fantasy is SO back!!! i loved steven’s YA book “our infinite fates” and this was the most pleasant surprise to receive!!! from the first page, it threw you headfirst into the story and as we followed saff through her adventures of subterfuge i was EATING IT UP. also can we talk about the romance because???? the warring sides?? this is delectable i’m obsessed to be frank. i need to read her grocery list asap

I really enjoyed learning about this world and it’s magic system, it was so unique and complex that there were always more layers to uncover. I loved the morally grey characters and the romance. It was written so perfectly that the plot twists really took me by surprise, especially that ending! I’m going to be thinking about Saffron and Levan for a LONG time!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Silvercloak is an adult debut fantasy by author L.K Steven/Laura Steven about a wand-wielding mage named Saffron Killoran who infiltrates a gang of Bloodmoons to get revenge for the murder of her parents. One of my most anticipated reads of the year, I finished the book in two days. The strength of this fantasy novel lies in its world. Rich, luxorious, dark, and alluring, the world of Ascenfall is incredibly well-written and seductive. The way the author describes every little detail is what makes the world unique and unlike any other fantasy world I have seen. The writing is palatable and the lore is also rich and fascinating. I felt myself drawn towards the pleasure and pain aspect, and how that translated to cultures and religions.

In the hopes that publishers are really looking at arc reviews so that they may edit the final copy before its release: I urge the publishers to consider changing the last name of Nissa Naszi to literally anything else. It's jarring to have a name that resembles and pronounces so similar to Nazi. Especially, because the book explores in depth genocide, torture, and branding. I'm surprised no one has pointed this out during the editing stage because it was disturbing every time I stumbled upon it and I believe the lack of attention to such a glaring detail is a disservice to readers.

i need you all to listen to me: those of you craving the wonder and nostalgia and thrill of wands-and-cloaks magic need look no further.

silvercloak is queer, diverse, morally chaotic, and has a pain-and-pleasure based magic system that is one of the most fascinating i've read in years, both in the way it shapes the world and the way it shapes the characters. laura steven's adult debut is achingly romantic, devastatingly vicious, endlessly fascinating, and pure magical adrenaline from start to finish. i promise you: none of you are ready for this.

silvercloak is the reckoning we've been waiting for.

I love this book. This author never misses. There’s so much I love about this, undercover agent?? the costumes for the event made me cry. The writing of this is fantastic. I cannot wait for book two please 😭

Harry Potter meets the Mafia.
Saffron has one goal: bring down the killers who murdered her parents. This is enabled when she is set a secretive mission after being falsely thrown out of the Silvercloak elite force academy so she can infiltrate the Bloodcloaks, branded but protected from their compulsion due to her immunity to magic.

Saf is not shy about getting her hands dirty and bloody. This is dark and gory with torture and brothels and drugs.

The romance is not rushed or forced or the centre of the plot. The magic system is interesting and there are limitations and costs.

<b>Oh, she thought, horrified and fascinated in equal measure. This is how villains are born.
</b>
What I didn’t like:
This had such a promising set up and start, yet I felt Saf’s time with the Bloodcloacks were lacklustre and her experience there felt too easy compared to everything we had previously heard about them and the cruelty they dished out.
I lacked emotional connections with the characters which didn’t help.

What really brought my rating down was the last 25%.
This incorporated a troupe I hate that I view as a cop out which greatly brought my rating down. This is a personal preference and I cannot state it without spoiling major parts of the book, but it is to do with magic and powers.

Physical Arc gifted by Random House Cornerstone.