One of my favorite things about fantasy books is reading about different kinds of magic systems. Silvercloak caught my eye because magic is fueled by pleasure and pain! I’ve never read a book like that before, so I sat down and read this one. Keep on reading to find out what the book is about and my thoughts!
A big thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for my eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
In this addictive new fantasy series set in a world where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain, an obsessive detective infiltrates a brutal gang of dark mages—knowing that one wrong move will get her killed. . . .
Two decades ago, the Bloodmoons ruthlessly murdered Saffron Killoran’s parents, destroying her idyllic childhood. Hell-bent on revenge, she lies her way into Silvercloak Academy—the training ground for her city’s elite order of detectives—with a single goal: to bring the Bloodmoons to justice.
But when Saff’s deception is exposed, rather than being cast out, she’s given a rare opportunity: to go undercover and tear the Bloodmoons down from the inside.
Descending into a world where pleasure and pain are the most powerful currencies, Saff must commit some truly heinous deeds to keep her cover—and her life. Not only are there rival gangs and sinister smuggling rings to contend with, but there’s also her growing feelings for the kingpin’s tortured son, with his vicious pet fallowwolf, his dark past, and the curious prophecy foretelling his death at Saffron’s hand.
With each day testing her loyalties further, Saff finds her web of lies becoming harder to spin. And when one false step could destroy everything and everyone she’s ever loved . . . the detective who’s dedicated her life to vengeance just might die for it.
Review
L.K. Steven wrote one of my favorite YA books (The Exact Opposite of Okay) and since then I’ve been reading everything she writes. Silvercloak caught my attention immediately because the idea of magic being fueled by pleasure and pain sounded very interesting. I will say that Laura’s writing is beautiful and makes you want to keep on reading.
Silvercloak started off really strong. I was intrigued about the academy and Saffron who isn’t affected by magic. She doesn’t know why and her father, who knew why, is dead. The mission they wanted to send her on with the Bloodmoons sounded like it was going to be very intense. This group is harsh and cruel. That being said, that’s where it kind of felt a bit boring to me? Some things felt repetitive. They didn’t seem as cruel as expected and things seemed to go a bit too easy? I was expecting more stakes and more to happen. The last 25% brought that back and had me wanting to know how it would all play out. There were definitely a few twists I didn’t see coming! I have quite a few questions I hope get answered in the sequel.
I will say the romance in this was enjoyable. There was a time when I was starting to expect a bit of a love triangle, but it didn’t go as I predicted. Levan is a very interesting character and I feel like we’re just on the surface of what he’s all about. The tension between him and Saffron as well as things they find out about the other were very interesting. I do feel like I could’ve used a few chapters from his POV. That would’ve given me just a bit more depth that I was missing. Their relationship was something that made it clear that not everything is as black and white as Saffron thinks.
Even though I did have some struggles with Silvercloak at times, I do want to see where this story will go.
Have you read any books with unique magic systems recently? Let me know in the comments. I’m always looking for new fantasy books to read!
