Book Review: Silver Elite by Dani Francis
Title: Silver Elite by Dani Francis
Release Date: 6th May 2025
Publisher: Del Rey
RRP: $34.99
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
Twenty-year-old Wren Darlington is not your ordinary Mod. She’s one of the most powerful in existence.
But her world is divided. On the Continent, being a known Modified means certain death, as the Primes—those immune to the biotoxin that nearly wiped out the population 150 years ago—want nothing more than to eliminate those who were enhanced by the toxin and developed psychic powers.
Wren has survived all these years by concealing her abilities and keeping a low profile while doing what she can to aid the rebel Uprising in fighting against the Primes’ oppressive rule. But one careless mistake places her in the crosshairs of the Continent’s military, and she is forced to join their most elite program: Silver Block. Unwittingly, her enemy has given her—and the Uprising—the perfect opportunity to strike a devastating blow from inside their ranks.
That is, if she can keep her powers hidden, survive training, and prove herself to Cross Redden, her cocky, maddeningly attractive commanding officer.
Despite the explosive chemistry between them, Wren cannot let Cross get in the way of her mission. But as war rages between Mods like her and those who aim to destroy them, emotions run high and secrets are revealed, forcing Wren to decide how far she’s willing to go to protect herself . . . and how much of the Continent is worth saving.
Review:
FULL REVIEW FOUND ON MY GOODREADS PAGE HERE
a massive thank you to the lovely penguin team for sending over an ARC <3
this book has everything you would expect in a fast-paced and addicting dystopian novel — a reckless fmc with all the gifted talents, high stakes, trials to prove yourself worthy of an elite program, and an insanely good looking and broody captain of the program who drives her insane (and he her).
these tropes gave me major fourth wing and divergent vibes for sure. it’s got all the OG dystopian formulae we all know makes for a very addicting story, so while it isn't perfect and at times can be exasperating, it ALSO kept me staying up at night, devouring 250 pages in mere hours (read this between 9:30 pm to 12:30 am for two back to back nights, taking me a total of 2 sittings or 6 hours of reading time to finish this book?!?!?) and got me tabbing all the rare and refreshing moments that were genuinely sweet and tender and gave me goosebumps!!
i personally wish there were more sweet and vulnerable moments between the main characters rather than constantly emphasising how physically attracted they were with each other. the deaths, the backstabs, the unprecedented compassion between each other, these are what i look for in a book that (in my opinion) screams OG dystopia!!!
i also thought the writing and world-building were great and, most importantly, accessible! this was a 500+ page long novel and, seeing as i devoured this in two sittings, says a lot about how easily it reads!
it's not a perfect book but it was a LOT of fun. very nostalgic for sure. even if you're not a dystopian fan, this is the book you pick up if you want something quick and light that will get you staying up till the wee hours of the night either giggling, gaping, cringing, eye-rolling (all four at once?) - because no matter your feelings, you will not want to put this book down.
