I really don't know what to say on this one to be honest. I did not connect with this at all. I'm on the fence, I didn't love it but I also didn't dislike it. If anything, I'm underwhelmed.

Whilst there was bits I liked and enjoyed, I was waiting for it to get better or something to happen or for it just to be over.

I loved the world and the plot but it just didn't quite hit the mark for me. I found the pain/pleasure thing both interesting and weird.

I adored Levan and I kind of wish we got more of his POV. I really hoped for a different outcome between him & Saff which I'm a little disappointed in but I'm assuming it'll come in book two.

I also need a Rasso in my life.

Silvercloak, is a dark blend of espionage, revenge, and morally complex magic and characters. Set in a world where power is fueled by pleasure and pain, the story follows Saffron Killoran, a fierce double agent infiltrating a deadly academy to bring down the gang that destroyed her family.

“Let me tell you something about loss, sweetling. You can either yield to grief, or you can use it. Those are the only two choices, in the end.”

I think my expectations were a little too high after our infinite fates. Although I enjoyed this book and the writing is fantastic, I didn’t find it particularly gripping. This book took me an embarrassingly long time to get through, to the point where I had forgotten characters and what the spells meant! That being said I could still establish the plot and had a good time while reading this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK (Cornerstone) for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely devoured every word of this book & when I was done I had to sit staring into space for a few minutes processing.

This is an urban fantasy, following Saffron, who is in training to become a Silver Cloak - essentially, a magical police force - driven to one day get revenge against those responsible for the murder of her parents 20 years ago, a crime syndicate known as the Bloodmoons. So, when she is offered the opportunity to go undercover in the Bloodmoons, she takes it, along with the blows this deals her personal life; it will all be worth it to take them down, she is sure. But Saff didn't account for what she would have to do to maintain her cover, or for the mysterious and intriguing son of the Kingpin, and how the experience would change her.

'There is no good or evil, only evil and greater evil. And you still have to pick a side'

Going in I wasn't sure that I was the ideal reader for this, as urban fantasy isn't my usual fare, but I had previously enjoyed other work by this author so was keen to give it a go and I am so, so glad I did because it absolutely blew me away. I will be urging all of my friends to pick this up and it will definitely be a contender for my top read of 2025.

The magic system, fuelled by pleasure and pain, was so unique, and I could tell the author had not only thoroughly mapped their magic system but also considered the way it would shape their world, it's history + politics, and how it would affect people's day to day lives and motivations. I found it so refreshing to read a queer normative, body positive and sex positive fantasy world, and that world felt so incredibly full.

This was fast paced; as a reader we are constantly moving forward and learning new information. I had to pick my jaw up off the flaw multiple times. The romance is not only essential to driving this story, but it is full of delicious tension and that bittersweet dread of irreconcilable differences and looming tragedy. I was falling in love right beside Saff to be honest, which just made the gut punch moments hit all the harder. The choices Saff makes are critical, and always impossible.

I did find some sections at the beginning a bit exposition heavy, but I cannot bring myself to let this affect my rating because it didn't diminish my reading experience, and I do think in this kind of book it is necessary in order to let the reader catch up to the main character.

Overall a brilliantly executed, well written, refreshing fantasy. I am already desperate for the sequel.

Thoroughly enjoyed this first part of what I assume is going to be a series (though I hope it isn't too long). Why only three stars, then? Well, I'm taking one star off for the absolutely trope-y romance: the whole mysterious, "bad" boy, with painful secrets, and oh-so-beautiful, who the (female) main character manages to draw out and fall in love with. (The only good thing about the romance was that everyone in the world seems to be pansexual.)

Aside from that, loved the world-building and the magic system. Saffron's undercover assignment at the Bloodmoons' seemed a bit lacklustre given the build-up of how dangerous it was going to be. There were also many, many coincidences that set up some of the storylines very conveniently. That said, I'm very invested, and will be waiting for book 2.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve encountered a fantasy read that has surprised me but, Silvercloak by L.K. Steven most definitely did! Steven has delivered a new world, magic system and plot that truly welcomed me into a story with its roots in tragedy and its present filled with intrigue, backstabbing and undercover investigation, all without making me feel info-dumped on and totally engaging me from start to end.

The FMC Saffron witnessed the brutal murder of her parents when she was 6 years old and when found after this event by the Silvercloaks (detectives and keepers of the peace,) she dedicates her life to becoming a Silvercloak and rooting out the Bloodmoons (her parents’ murderers and the dark mafia type body in this world.) From this perspective Steven introduces and brings to life this ingenious magic system and the world in which the story is set fuelled by pleasure and pain.

The story picks up from Saffron and her cohort’s final assessment pre-graduation, providing a textbook example of ‘Show NOT tell,’ that provides additional insight into the magic system and Saffron’s world, and the challenges that the Silvercloaks face in their efforts to eradicate the Bloodmoons, establishing Saffron’s path into the dark world of the Bloodmoons.

Steven has truly developed an intriguing and layered world of a multitude of shades of grey, interpersonal relationships, and a culture founded in the fuelling of magic through pleasure and pain. Alongside which the plot itself is so darned onion like – there are layers upon layers and twists that will blow your mind and as a reader shred your nerves. I didn’t want to put this book down but, the life necessities intruded so rudely that I was truly devastated to have to part from this book and counted the time until I could return.

The dark romance was also truly enticing and intriguing; it meshed so well with the development of the plot and the twists and turns that pulled Saffron down such dark paths that it didn’t feel at all forced. As an adult fantasy romance, this enemies to lovers path truly satisfies all those dark grey character cravings I have held for past reads and it all provided a nostalgic element (a la Harry Potter,) that was comforting and satisfying.

Will I read the rest of this series – Absolutely! I was totally pulled into Saffron’s world and journey into darkness, and I am intrigued about what Book 2 will bring next.

What an utterly brilliant start to a new series! I was hooked straight away! Silverclock throws you headfirst into a dark, magical world where pleasure and pain fuel your magical power. People have different levels of abilities and draw on magic from their well/store (if I remember the term) but each person has a limit on how much magic they have access to. A really interesting aspect I found of this book too is that you can create permanent spells which take a piece of your magic forever, I've never come across a concept like that and it's great!

Back to the pleasure and pain bit, when you spend all of your magical power, you need to refill it. This is done either through pleasure or pain or both in some instances. Their city caters for this with various things to bring you the thing you need to refill your well/store. Whether that be music, sex, food etc. There's a vice for everyone. Oppositly, and useful in battle is the ability to cause pain to yourself which will also refill your magic. Such a brilliant and surprising twist on magic systems. It's refreshing!

Saffron is our main protagonist whose life was torn apart as a child and has since been plotting her revenge (no additional details for spoilers). She is calculating and clever, not one for a quick and easy revenge, she has planned and methodically worked her way to where she is. She is a morally grey character, as are many of the characters in this book you’ll come across which I think leads you to distrust certain aspects and almost makes you feel part of their world. The Silverclocks are almost like 'magic police' they follow up on crimes and bring people to justice and are marked by their silver cloaks. It's a great accolade to be part of this organisation and Saffron is determined to be one of them, infact she needs it! There's a prophecy, some of them have come to pass and the one that hasn't could spell ruin for this whole world, and Saffron might be part of it.

The opposite of the Silvercloaks are the Bloodmoons. They are bad characters with vicious reputations. They commit crimes and murder at their whim and coming across one pretty much guarantees your death.

The worldbuilding itself is beautiful, it’s rich and layered and you feel completely immersed within the story as you read.

While the story isn't technically 'romantasy' there is romance within, how could there not when your magic can be refilled through pleasure? It's slow burning and does serve a plot point, so keep with it.

The world is beautiful, characters a bit questionable, a prophecy to be fulfilled and revenge to be had.

All in all, I cannot fault it. It’s a great read and not long or overly drawn out. I was in a bit of a reading slump and this brought me straight back out.

I cannot wait for the next instalment to see where this goes. Brilliant.

Ahhh Laura Steven never fails to impress me with her work, so I'm not surprised at all that I loved this!

Our Infinite Fates was a hit for me so when I saw she was doing an adult novel I was so excited to get this arc copy. I really enjoyed how this story was very much written for an adult audience, but how Laura kept a lot of her writing style the same from her other books of read and enjoyed. She didn't totally restyle it, just altered it for a more adult audience.

And the way she played with pleasure and pain to tell this story and make it feel gripping and real? Ugh, perfection!

For a long time after starting this I wasn't sure if this was gonna be another to add to the dnf pile, and it took me far longer to finish than I anticipated.

I generally love a wickedly enticing enemies to lovers plot, so I'm not sure why this in particular wasn't my cup of tea. I'm struggling to put my finger on it but I'll admit the last third of the book really ramped up my interest as I stayed up til the early hours to finish it. Initially though I found my interest drifting a lot, and had to restart the book once or twice.


The main character Saffron was intriguing at least. Saffron is a Silvercloak who ends up tasked with infiltrating the Bloodmoon faction after she's mistakenly thrown out of the elite academy she attends. This also aligns with her own goal to take revenge on the Bloodmoon member who murdered her parents. She then meets Levan, a notorious Bloodmoon member, who she then proceeds to try and win the trust of to complete her mission.

However I didn't really feel the chemistry between Levan and Saffron, even though there were some rather seemingly intense scenes between the two. As a result the romance felt a bit low-key, which was fine but I prefer my romantic scenes to be a bit more impactful.

The idea of magic being fuelled by pleasure and pain was certainly an interesting one but I felt like it was only slightly executed throughout the book.
I can't be overly critical though as it's the first in a series, so I imagine there's a lot more to look forward to in the future.

While this book sounded thrilling for me in context after reading the synopsis, the execution didn't entirely land for me, and maybe it was because I felt the stakes didn't really feel that high in my opinion, at least at first.

With that being said the last quarter of the book managed to ramp up the events, and as a result, my interest. So until the next book comes out I guess I'll be leaving this at a generous 3.5 stars (rounded down).

This gave everything it needed too tbh! I was hooked from the very first chapter and remained hooked throughout. Adore Saff and Levan and their development. Loved seeing even more so Saff and how her choices play out, inc the time weaving. I enjoyed the world building, it felt like just the right amount and I wasn’t overwhelmed by everything. Sometimes in books like this the world building drags and I almost want to skip pages but this wasn’t one of them. Slightly upset this is an arc review as I need the second one NOW!! 🥲✨

This book is dark, gritty and does not fluff things up which I love.

I was hooked from the first sentence, the worldbuilding was amazing and had such a unique twist as well as continuing to reveal things as the story continues. The politics and corruption had me intrigued especially when certain things were revealed.

The stakes were very high and both of the main characters are very determined to finish their task and not let anything get in the way, which I loved so much.

Saf’s vengeance was so strong we can see how it affects her actions and what leads her down the path of joining the Bloodmoons.

The tension between Saf and Levan was intense, I loved their chemistry and interactions.

A stunning enemies to lovers fantasy that had undertones of dark academia and urban fantasy to create a unique and enthralling romantasy that I simply could not pull down.

There were so many elements that stood out to me in this book: the romance, the magic system, the religious stories, and probably mainly of all: the villains.

Whilst Saffron, the main character in the book, and Levan, the love interest/enemy are hell bent on being the undoing of each other, they simultaneously undone me as a reader. I was like putty in this authors hands as my allegiances kept changing throughout the book.

A very easy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book completely exceeded my expectations, I knew I would love it as I have with Laura Stevens other books but I absolutely devoured this book and cannot wait for the second book in the series.
The world building and magic system were so unique, I couldn't have even guessed the ending if I tried, the characters were all so well written and I struggled to put the book down

Riveting Start to a New Fantasy Genre

L K Steven's, or Laura Steven's, first adult fantasy novel sets the bar very high indeed. Silvercloak, Book 1 of the Saga by the same title, builds a new world of fantastical magic, pleasure, pain and alliances.

Saffron Killoran witnesses the brutal murder of her parents at the hands of the infamous Bloodmoons when she is just a little girl. Sworn to keep secrets, hers and others', she decides to become a Silvercloak, a highly specialised elite force similar to police or maybe the FBI, in order to get revenge on the people who murdered her parents. But Saff's own secrets mean she fails the examination her training culminates in, shattering her dreams of righteous vengeance. Instead, she lets herself be drafted into an undercover scheme to expose the Bloodmoon's kingpin and bring him to justice. If it wasn't for a prophecy and the kingpin's mysterious and (kind of REALLY) attractive son..

First things first, I ordered my copy of this book after reading the first page of the ARC. No kidding. It is that awesome.
Steven builds a magic system based on pleasure and pain and really stretches the system to its limits in the book, which was a nice touch and shows she understands the cost and pay-off that is so satisfying to read. She borrows heavily from the Harry Potter-ish magic by having people use wands and wear cloaks of different colours (for different professions and family allegiances), but really, even her spells are quite different. Plus there is this long-lost magic called timeweaving, that is completely different again.. But I digress. Silvercloak is set in pretty much one city but within an empire and Steven occasionally gets a little carried away describing all the nations and their particularities (body jewelry, magic use, just to name a few). This does pull you out of the flow quite a bit and feels somewhat self-indulgent, especially since none of it is really very relevant to the plot at that point. The exposition is front heavy and I think could do with slimming down. There is so much depth to the worldbuilding that I had to put the book down more than I wanted to. This improved in the second half significantly.
I did, however, fall in love with the small, whimsical details of the magic and of Saff's parental home. Saff herself is also not a good person, as in goodie-two-shoes, but she has likeable traits.
Laura Steven's book are very body-positive in general and this being an adult novel, she really goes all the way, which I thought was absolutely wonderful and very commendable (and kinda hot..). She opens a lot of topics and boxes and does not get around to addressing all of them in this novel, but that leaves room for the rest of the series.
While some of the twists were foreseeable, many of them came as an utter surprise and even the easily recognisable ones were always topped with something different to take the plot in a direction I had not foreseen - the handiwork of a master plotter, if you ask me!

I had some issues with the naming and certain terms that to me sound like from my culture but I had a wonderful chat with the author about those and can assure people that there is absolutely no purpose in the naming conventions towards any real culture in particular.
There is a somewhat gimmicky obsession with novels within the universe that felt a bit meh and that I was tempted to skip over but the book is so strong that none of those things were bad enough to alter my 5-star rating!

Overall, I really, really, REALLY recommend you pick up this book. Especially if the magic in Harry Potter seemed a bit too convenient and without consequences. There are also some animal companions, book nerdery and all-round queerness that are very affirming and enjoyable to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, I can't wait to have my own copy!

Enjoyed!‎‎‎‎‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ₊⊹⁀➴ 4.5
─..★.──────────

A strange concoction of violence and whimsy with a sprinkle of magical cats.

I wasn't sure about this one in the beginning. Saffron and her friends read a little younger than I expected, and there is no denying they don't make the smartest choices. But once I was settled into the story the worldbuilding and the writing ultimately won me over.

This is the diverse, queer-normative, 'wizarding world' of my dreams. It's gritty, dark, hostile, and bloody. Magical, playful, and charming. Make sure you look into the content warnings for this one, because I didn't and it was so much more gory than I expected.

Steven does a wonderful job of bringing this type of setting into the adult readership space without losing its magic. I absolutely ate up her descriptive prose of the city and its culture. I really hope future instalments dive deeper into some of the locations featured and that she's able to maintain this unusual balance of whimsy and horror. It's difficult to make a book with these tropes refreshing but this one really worked for me.

I do have some complaints about the plot, it was messy and lacked direction, but I found that it didn't really impact my enjoyment in the end. The characters are compelling and fun, with a touch of Arcane storytelling about them, and they are all fighting a losing battle with morality in a world where the most potent forms of power are are built on the sufferings of others. I'm glad the author didn't pull her punches.

The animal companions were a welcome addition. +10 points for the healing power of cat rumbles. I loved the way the magic system blended language, intention, and genetic inheritance.

The romance wasn't of interest to me and I personally think that Silvercloak shines brighter in its exploration of familial relationships and blood ties. But I did like the bi4bi energy and will always endorse enemies-to-lovers dynamics where sex DOESNT solve all of their problems.

Overall I had a good time with this one. It kept my interest despite its flaws and I am excited to pick up book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and Cornerstone for providing an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────
✦ CW: scenes of torture, mild descriptive gore
✦ Rep: queernormative world, m/f bi4bi romance, f/f relationship
✦ Mood: dark, whimsical, nostalgic

After reading our infinite fates, I was extremely excited to read this. This had such a promising story to it and the author definitely lived up to that.
I was constantly kept interested by this unique story and loved how the characters developed throughout this.

I actually DNFed this book because I got bored, I don’t know if that’s because I wasn’t in the right mood for it or if I am just not enjoying the story. There’s nothing wrong with it, I just wasn’t interested.

I loved this! It definitely took me a little while to get my head around the world and the magic system but once I got it I was absolutely hooked and I could not stop thinking about this book! It’s such unique and interesting premise and Levan is absolutely EVERYTHING! I am obsessed with him! This definitely has the potential to be an amazing series and I cannot wait to read what happens next!

LOVED this book. Kept getting better and better.

The world is so interesting, I would love some short stories of Joran's whimsical magic, hopefully we learn more about Saff's parents and their back stories in the next book.

Loved this, get out there and pick it up !

3.5/5
I know theres a lot of buzz around this one, i found it a little bit tricky to love because of some of the ways magic worked (or didnt). It was just enough to knock me out of the page and make me want to investigate what had been mentioned before to try and figure out how some of the things would have been possible to get away with or how they'd work over the course of a lifetime.
I still finished it, but not sure ill carry on with the series.

This is the first fantasy book in a long time that has surprised me with being refreshingly new. Despite being a whole new world and magic system this was surprisingly easy book to get into which is not very common at all with fantasy.

The authors choice to drop us in on the cohort of 6 students before their final assignment, after a quick tragic backstory, meant we instantly got a feel for what the magic system and politics are, without having it be explained in confusing and not very practical ways. Show, don’t tell as they say. 10/10 world building. Some may compare this book to a certain well known series but in my opinion that’s only cause the author used wands.

Saffron after witnessing her parents brutal murder at 6 years old and found by the Silverclokes (the detectives of the world) she makes it her life mission to become one and take down the bad wizards mafia/ cult (Bloodmoons ).

Cut to her and her cohort of 5 other people just before their final practical assessment before they graduate. Gives us another practical look at how the magic works and well not everything goes to plan and secrets are revealed. Setting us up for our fmc Saffron to go deep undercover to the cult/ mafia crime bosses Bloodmoons to get evidence the silvercoats need, to get granted a warrant from the magical legal system. But she’s going to have to get her hands dirty if she doesn’t want to be found out and killed before justice can take place. How far will she go?

Then plot stuff happens (no spoilers here)

Something I really enjoyed about the setting and politics. It didn’t feel like thinly veiled description of the uk. Even the brutal north, didn’t feel the way other series have described Scotland. This felt more I want to say Russian? And the main city felt like more a Roman or central european location than thinly veiled london. Of course it’s a fantasy world so it’s ‘old timey’ of horse and carts etc but yeh felt more central, even eastern european compared to Uk. which honestly again was a refreshing change of pace for a fantasy world.

I think this has an amazing potential to be a very strong series believed my many. I really cannot wait to read book 2.