This is one of my absolute favourites! Well done dani!!! Wow I was not expecting how good it was and for a debut. You’re going to go so far! I can’t wait to see what’s in your future. If you guys are looking for the next dystopian book this is it!

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy!

Sometimes, a book simply doesn’t have to be a great work of literature for me to adore it. To me, enjoyment is always going to be superior in my reading experience to any kind of technical prowess an author may have. Ultimately, I can forgive a lot of a book if I have fun when I’m reading it. And… Wow. This was genuinely one of the best experiences reading a book I have ever had. I was actively excited to get time that I could just sit and sink into this.

It was very heavy on exposition at the start, and I understand that it’s necessary to let a reader in on your world, but I definitely found it a bit of an info dump, and felt I was being told things rather than shown.

I also found the writing a little juvenile, and found this wasn’t aided by the use of first person. I understand this tends to be more of a personal preference thing, so others might love the use of first person, but I do tend to struggle with it. The writing wasn’t bad by any means, but the prose didn’t stick out to me as a particular positive.

Despite these problems, I LOVED this. Dystopian is SO back. I got the same feelings with this as I did when reading series like The Hunger Games and The Lunar Chronicles. It was a rollercoaster and I just can’t overstate how much fun I had. The characters were fun to get to know and spend time with, and the plot was action packed and exciting. I did find myself predicting some twists and reveals, but that’s not something I’ve ever considered a negative when reading.

Genuinely, I implore you to pick this up either when it comes out, or by begging for an ARC. It’s so worth it.

Probably the most fun, giddy 5* I’ve given in a long time. The thought of having to wait for a sequel is almost painful.

Thank you to Dani Francis, Random House UK, Cornerstone | Del Rey, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

It’s so easy to spot special edition book box fodder. This is insufferable. The characters are irritating and the prose and dialogue read like a bad american skit (sorry). This type of dialogue and inner character narration should never have escaped wattpad. Dnf.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review!

This book was INCREDIBLE. I literally could not put it down, and when I did it was all I thought about. Dystopian books remind me of my teenage years and this was so nostalgic to read! I loved the setting and the world building. Our main character Wren was also likeable and I enjoyed her character arc! Even the side characters were lovable! The romance and the spice were perfect too, and I loved the plot twists!

If this isn’t on your buy list for 2025, it totally should be.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, as it’s been a while since I’ve read a dystopian, but I am so glad I did!
This took me right back to reading books I loved as a teenager but with a slightly more adult feel.
It feels gripping and I struggled to put it down. It felt like every time I tried to stop, something would happen to keep me reading one more chapter. (I had some very late nights reading this which isn’t ideal when you have a toddler)
I am very much looking forward to reading the next one! It’s going to feel like a very long wait!

📚 Book Review 📚
Silver Elite| Dani Francis

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Themes:

💀Dystopian
🖤Enemies to Lovers
🔥Badass FMC
🫶Slow Burn
✨Secret Identities

Thank you @netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review

All the stars for Dani Francis. What an amazing read! It’s like The Hunger Games had a baby with Fourth Wing 😍

A biotoxin has caused some of the population to develop psychic powers, coining the term Modified. Primes are the none infected, they’re rounding up the Modified and either sending them to slave labour camps or killing them.


Wren is a modified living under the radar with her Uncle, when she’s rounded up and sent to a training facility against her will where she will compete to win a spot on the elite Silver Block.

From there Wrens goes through turmoil, now she has to work with and trust the very people who hate her kind. She finds herself embroiled in turmoil trying to figure out, which side is right when there’s casualties everywhere?

I flew through this in one sitting, the world buildings easy to follow, the tension and chemistry was exquisite.

I honestly believe this will be a huge hit and I am frothing at the mouth for the sequel already!


Overall: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Spice: 3/5

Well well well, looks like I’ve just found another favourite author because HOLY FUCK was that book fricken EVERYTHING!!!

First up, ignore how long it took me to read, I read like a page a night because I was soooo ill, but finally in the last day I just smashed it because I could not put it down!

Wren and Cross…. Where do I begin?! Great characters - some plot I guessed and some I really did not! Those twists at the end I didn’t see coming at all!

I was given this as an arc from NetGalley (thank you!!!) but these thoughts are my own. I honestly LOVED this book and will probably be stalking Dani forever to find out about the next one and anything else she’s written because - AMAZING!

Oh my god - this book was INCREDIBLE. 5 stars for me for sure. This is like a dystopian fourth wing with hunger games and Divergent vibes. Which I could not get enough of.

The story - the twists - the characters - the spice - honestly I was hooked.

And this is the first book in the series?? Wow.

I think this is going to be big!!

I can’t wait to see where the series goes, could not get enough of Wren and Cross - if you LOVED fourth wing then you NEED to read this.

Three and a half
Yes this certainly grabbed and held my attention but I'm not one who reads a lot of young dystopian fiction so for this reader it had a freshness. Wren is our protagonist and she has been born in a future when due to wars a biotoxin has changed the world irrevocably. The toxin gave some humans psychic powers and they are referred to as being Modified and those without abilities are known as Prime. It's clear that previously the Modified had held power but now they are hiding as its usually a firing squad that awaits them if discovered. Wren watches as her uncle is shot and struggles to help him but her actions both then and previously have got the attention of Cross the leader of the Silver Elite. Wren has zero interest in joining or helping the Prime military and will do all she can to sabotage her chances of being constricted but cannot deny there's a chemistry between her and Cross that is proving difficult to ignore !
Hmm this was definitely entertaining although if brutal the romance didn't quite work for me. Lots of hook ups between the couple but apart from that they didn't really seem to interact with each other very much. I'm a little conflicted with my opinion of Wren because whilst I enjoyed her willingness to help if she could towards the end she makes mistakes that simply bamboozled me. After all that has happened why do oops I cannot say more but yes a TSTL few moments. The ending however took a turn I hadn't expected so if as I believe this is a debut kudos to the author for the shock.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I didn't expect this book to sink its claws into me the way it did, but wow it exceeded my expectations. Its raw, smouldering tension between our two leads is all I've ever wanted and MORE. It might be slightly predictable and cringey, but undeniably addictive to know how their relationship develops over the course of the book.

The world is a battleground in Silver Elite - psychic-powered humans on one side, and those who fear them on the other. As tension continues to build in a tightly controlled rule under the Primes, the pacing is off the charts. It reads like a full throttle action film and I devoured every single scene. The world is sleek and gritty, and we occasionally glimpse the dark underbelly of outlawed pockets which I loved as a contrast to the sterile, hawkish new world that General Redden commands.

Our headstrong heroine squares off against her icy, enigmatic captain - a romance that just works, it felt indulgent and gratifying. The rest of the plot are complemented by our colorful side characters, and make you question your allegiance as Wren races her moral compass to seek justice and truth.

I really enjoyed the start of this one but sadly when it neared the middle it seemed to lose all steam and I found myself not wanting to pick it up anymore.

Firstly thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an E-arc for review.

This book started out so so good, you were thrown into the story from the get go which is so exciting when you start a new book, it's almost like you have no time to think because the action is just going and going. This also was quite an easy read in terms of not getting overwhelmed by the world building, it's a gradual info dump which I find a lot easier to process.

Overall I really like the concept of this book and the overarching plot, however I had to DNF at around 25-30% and it's purely because I think it just lost steam at this point. I think that there is sometimes a struggle to keep that fast pace going when a book starts out that way and I definitely felt it around this point, so much that I didn't even want to pick it up and any progress felt like none at all. I'm disappointed by this but I do still think that for some people it will be a great read that is just a bit slower than anticipated.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for this eARC.

I’m still wondering how I feel about this book. On the one hand I’m desperate to read a sequel, having loved the last 60% of it, on the other, the first 40% was pretty slow going with lots of plodding info dumps I could have done without. Wren at first was also a tough character to like, making some poor decisions but I was ultimately won over by her later development. I’d recommend this to fans of “Powerless” and anyone who likes a strong female lead, the action is well written and the romance spicy. I decided to give it a 4⭐️, because despite its flaws, it still enjoyed my time reading.

3.5 stars rounded down.

Silver Elite does nothing new, has a plot twist I predicted on page 30, and a protagonist who makes some of the most idiotic decisions I've seen in a while. Despite that, I found it hard to put down.

The writing style is nothing special (first person, present tense by the way) but not grating either. The romance bored me: it's based entirely on physical attraction until near the end, and without getting into spoilers, we still don't get to see how most of their emotional bond developed. The love interest's personality is also completely unchanged from the usual dominating romantasy archetype. There really was nothing interesting or original about him.

After listing all that it sounds like I didn't like this book at all, but after getting through the first 50 pages or so I flew through it. I think if you turn your brain off and just go along for the ride you can have a fun time with this. That said, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who really can't stand romantasy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

SYNOPSIS:

Wren Darlington is Modified - enhanced by a biotoxin that gives her psychic abilities - and in her world, that means she is in danger from the Primes - those without abilities. Keeping her head down has kept her safe, but when her emotions get the better of her, Wren is forced to join the military, trying out for Silver Block. Can she defeat her enemy from the inside? Her commander Cross Redden stands in her way…

REVIEW:

Dani Francis’ debut, Silver Elite, is a fast paced novel full of twists and turns - once it’s hooks are in, it doesn't let go. Set in a dystopian future, this book hits all of the beats that I would expect from the genre and despite that being a little predictable, I really enjoyed it. This is the nature of the genre, particularly if you are someone like me who has read a LOT of YA dystopian over the years - however, it's what I expected and even wanted from this story.

Main character Wren is a fierce heroine, lifted from wanting to keep to herself to fighting for her people. She's fun and feisty and complemented by a great host of side characters. I particularly enjoyed the sarcastic Kaine and his ‘banter’. There's a huge amount of chemistry between Wren and other characters in this book, not just with her forbidden captain - though if you enjoy the enemies to lovers trope you certainly won't be disappointed!

Fast paced action in a dystopian future - 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the review copy. Silver Elite by Dani Francis is out 6th May.

This book was such an incredible debut—I’m so grateful I got the chance to read it early! Romantasy has been my go-to genre lately, and this one completely sucked me in. I devoured it in no time. The world-building, the characters, the romance—it all just *worked*.

I’m already counting down the days until this author releases more. If this is what they can do with a debut, I can’t wait to see what’s next. Absolutely amazing! 📖✨

The new Divergent. It brought back so many feelings I had being a teenager reading Divergent, but with a darker, adult twist. Sexy & smart, this book had me hooked.

My first 5 star read of 2025!
Silver Elite starts off running and doesn’t stop, its fast paced and entertaining, the dialogue and characters are engaging and the writing flows really well, its gripping and makes you not want to put it down!

In a dystopian world where some people have been modified by radiation after the Last War we follow Wren who is modified, certain things happen and she ends up in military training to become Silver Elite all while hiding her powers.

It is high stakes and will have you on the edge of your seat but also swooning at the budding romance.

I will definitely be continuing this series!

I didn't realise how ready I was for an amazing dystopia read.
Before starting Silver Elite, I was having difficulties sticking with a book because my mood reader self was restless. This book changed that.
I loved it! It hooked me and I cannot wait to find out what happens next.
I absolutely devoured this book, I enjoyed every second of reading it and I hope so many more people read and love it too.
I 100% get the hype surrounding it!

This book was so good! It took a minute to get into with all the new information on this new world and how it all works. But once that was done I was in for the ride!