I can’t help but sing “this is how villains are made” as I write this.

While I loved the premise of the book, the world-building and magic system, I just wanted a little more. The magic system was fascinating and utterly unique, and I think my desire to understand it better is what kept me intrigued throughout the story.

I didn’t quite get the connection I was hoping for with all the characters. While I enjoyed how the relationship between the MMC and FMC developed—and the shared history they had—there was just something slightly surface-level about it. I’m hoping that deepens in book two and really comes full circle.

Levan, the MMC, completely broke my heart and was easily my favourite character. He had the emotional depth I was craving from our FMC, Saffron. In some ways, I felt like he carried the book, while she sometimes came across as a bit juvenile in her approach to things.

That said—I’m very curious to see where the story goes next, because that ending? Chaotic is an understatement.

Trigger Warnings: Torture, suicide, murder
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, time control, morally grey MMC, magical institute

If you loved Harry Potter growing up and now crave a similarly detailed magic system—just with adult themes like organised crime, drugs, gambling, and pleasure houses—this might be one to add to your list.

I cannot wait for book two.

Thank you to L K Steven and Random House UK for the E-Arc and the opportunity to review.

My feelings about this book are complicated. I loved the beginning and the end. Both had me gripped. The middle felt like the story was going in circles. 

The main FMC was supposed to be one of the best in her year, but she didn't feel like it. She felt useless at points. I did like her though. She was a well rounded main character who had tough decisions to make. I just hate when books take a strong character and put her in situations where she needs saving all the time.

I love the relationship between the MMC and FMC. There was a lot of tension and build up. Perfect for slow burn and enemies to lovers fans.

The ending is wow! I can't wait to read book two after that ending!

Laura (LK) Steven has written a complex character driven fantasy where our two main characters are doing what they think is right for the memory of their family.
Using wands to cast magic and enchanting objects rather than relying on wholly inherited powers brings something fantastical and innocent to the magic system. However, there is inherited traits and there is a clear divide between between the good (silvercloaks) and the bad (bloodmoons), yet when reading this the lines get blurred, if you inherently wish for morally grey then you’ll love this and you’ll finish with no doubt more questions but a definite love for the damaged and broken characters of Saff and Levan and Laura Steven’s compelling storytelling
I received this book as an ARC and provide an honest review

Silvercloak pulled me in with its unique magic system and morally grey world, and while it wasn’t a flawless read, it definitely kept me hooked.

Saffron’s obsession with revenge made her a gritty, driven protagonist, and I appreciated how far she was willing to go to achieve her goals—even when it got messy. The undercover element added a great layer of tension, and the world of the Bloodmoons was dark, sensual, and brutal. The pleasure-and-pain magic concept was intriguing, though I would’ve liked a bit more exploration and clarity at times.

The romance subplot added a good emotional pull, though it occasionally felt a bit rushed. The plot had some pacing issues and a few moments where things felt a little too convenient, but overall, it was an enjoyable, fast-paced read that left me curious about what’s coming next.

If you enjoy dark fantasy with undercover stakes, danger around every corner, and a touch of forbidden romance, Silvercloak might be worth a spot on your TBR.

I have been trying to find the words for this review since I finished. Please be wary there are spoilers - nothing major but read on at your own will!

I enjoyed this book so much. Were there parts that annoyed me? Yes but when I take a step back and consider the fact that this is book 1 in a trilogy - I am okay with it! And I am obsesssed.

Our female main character is Saffron and she tragically loses her parents in an attack when she is just 6 years old. Since witnessing this attack, Saffron vows to get revenge on the group of people who orchestrated the attack - the Bloodmoons. Saffrons only way of getting anywhere near the Bloodmoons is by joining the Silvercloaks - a prestigious group who live to protect and care for their world. In a turn of events, Saffron is presented with an opportunity to go undercover with the Bloodmoons and she jumps at it.

This world has magic - you learn about spells and the use of wands in this world which for a Harry Potter fan I LOVED. It wasnt a direct copy and paste - it has its own mark which I really liked learning and reading about.

Character wise, we were introduced to a few different characters and yes you arent given immediate emotional ways of connecting with these characters straight away but I feel like this was done on purpose as remember this is book 1 - we have plenty of time to build more connections. The main connection we needed to make was with Saffron and I think it was great and even though there were times I wanted to shake some sense into her - it didnt annoy me like it does some other characters and I think this is because I knew how deep Saffrons want / need to make her parents proud - I really did like her character journey.

Now as for our primary male character - Levan - well. I love him. He made my heart swell and there were moments where I was smiling like a loon and I couldnt cope with how cute he could be. I also really enjoyed his character journey and I hope the next book follows / focuses on him a little more as I would love to learn more about him and his magic.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin / Cornerstone / Del Rey for allowing me an Advanced Early Copy of this book. I enjoyed every moment and I honestly cannot wait for book 2.

A bold and refreshing fantasy debut with a brilliantly original magic system and a richly built world. With compelling characters and a gripping slow-burn romance, it’s an exciting start to a series that promises even more to come, I cant wait!

Oh wow! Is this the adult alternative to HP that I've been looking for?! Because I really think it is (except with *so* much more diversity, hell yeah).

While this book started off quite slow, it's understandable due to the world-building that's needed with a new fantasy book. Once I hit the 50% mark, I absolutely breezed through this and found myself always wanting to read "just one more chapter"!

I loved the world-building and the magic system, the diverse cast of characters and the story itself. While at times it feels familiar and reminiscent of other fantasy stories I've read, it also felt fresh and new.

The book contained a few spicier scenes, but it didn't feel like gratuitous sex just for the hell of it, especially given how people's magical wells are restored. It also didn't feel like the current trends that focus more on the romance than the plot - this definitely felt like a fantasy with romance elements rather than a full on romantasy, which is quite refreshing.

It was great to see an older FMC with strength and courage of her own, rather than a fresh 18-year-old who is so weak and defenseless who flies by the seat of their pants (although there were definitely times where Saff got out of or through a situation with sheer dumb luck).

Overall, a really fantastic new fantasy story, and I can't wait for book 2 (whenever that may be!)

The prologue was amazing, but unfortunately the rest of the story wasn't as enjoyable for me. There were too many characters and I wasn't really sure how I should feel about them. I didn't like the main character. The magic system was interesting but not easiest to follow.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I REALLY wanted to love Silvercloak. Unfortunately I didn't feel connected to the characters. I enjoyed the world and the fact that the author just threw you into it.

However, the FMC is described constantly as being intelligent and quick thinking yet this is literally proven wrong every single time.

I also found she has a very easy time of it despite the gang supposedly being the scariest most ruthless one around.

And it didn't read adult at all. At best it's new adult because of the themes but r ally could be a YA book. The characters are nearly 30 but read as 18-20 in my opinion. I feel like Silvercloak is a bridge book to transition the author into adult whilst still appealing to her ya fans.

It's not a bad book and I do feel there's lots of people who will enjoy it. But I personally struggled to want to pick it up.

3.75 Stars. I loved the magic system in this book. The morally grey characters were engaging and witty too. I am looking forward to the next book.

I loved the concept for this book and the fact that the magic was fueled by pleasure and pain. It’s a creative idea which is something that’s been hard to find in fantasy lately, and that really helped the story feel fresh even when the plot decided to take a predictable route.

Silvercloak is a freaking masterpiece! Laura Steven’s adult fantasy debut is everything—wildly original, brutally addictive, and packed with heart. The magic system alone is next-level genius: power fueled by pain and pleasure, woven so deeply into the world that every society twists it to their advantage. It’s dark, it’s sexy, and it makes the politics explode with tension.

Saffron Killoran is the kind of heroine you’d follow into hell—driven by vengeance, ruthless in her mission, and yet so damn human. When she infiltrates the Bloodmoons, the danger is electric, but nothing compares to the slow-burn chaos of her relationship with Levan, the kingpin’s tortured son. Their chemistry? Unreal. The way Steven writes morally grey characters ,everyone’s got secrets, everyone’s flawed—makes the story impossible to put down.

And can we talk about the queer rep? It’s not just there—it’s celebrated, natural, and so damn refreshing in a gritty fantasy like this. No tokenism, just vibrant, messy, glorious characters living their truths.

The last act? Pure. Chaos. I finished this book with my heart in my throat, already desperate for the sequel. If you love dark fantasy with razor-sharp worldbuilding, enemies-to-lovers that hurts so good, and twists that leave you gasping, Silvercloak is your next obsession.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC!

I gave this book 4.75 stars. absolutely everything about silver cloak was right up my street. magic (with wands!!), parental grief, avenging fallen family members & undercover work. the romance between the fmc and the mmc was really well done and i loved the whole prophecy aspect of it. i felt nearer the end of the book my attention started to drop off a little bit as a lot was going on but all in all an amazing book and i can’t wait to talk to everyone about it in july! thank you so much for letting me read this

Im sorry but I’m afraid I had to dnf it at 70% , for some reason I just couldn’t stay connected with the story or the characters. I don’t know why. It started off really well & after 50% kept picking it up & putting it back down.
I think it had really good potential but just didn’t go well in the second half. I do think it read more like YA rather than adult fantasy. Again I don’t know why but j just couldn’t get to grips with it .

Set in a world where magic is fuelled by pain and pleasure, Saffron is training to become a Silvercloak (magical detective) so that she take down the Bloodmoons (magical criminals who murdered her parents. However, when her unique magical gift is exposed, she takes a secret undercover mission to infiltrate the Bloodmoons.

The world itself is really cool and unique (we need more fantasy books with wands!) and, despite this being over 500 pages long, I would have loved for it to be longer just to get more world exploration and world building.

The romance is slow burn and I really enjoyed it. There is queer rep in this book - although the main romance is m/f enemies to lovers, the MC is bi and one of the secondary characters who plays an important role in the story is her ex girlfriend.

My main critiques are that I saw the plot twists coming and despite this being an adult fantasy book it read quite upper YA to me. Overall, I did really enjoy this book I'll definitely be picking up the rest of the books in this trilogy!

As a fan of Laura’s YA books I’ve been looking forward to reading this and it did not disappoint!

If you like fantastic world building, complex characters, unique magic systems (this one is based on pleasure and pain), revenge, deceit, political intrigue and forbidden romance then Silvercloak is for you!

It’s dark, gritty and violent, full of twists and turns, well plotted, well paced and the writing is stunning.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, will be recommending it to everyone and I already can’t wait for book 2

Loved this one!!!!! I have seen this book everywhere and it deffo didnt dissapoint!

I loved the magical elements to this book, it was very clever. I loved Saffs character and really felt all of her emotions!

The writing was easy to read and the plot was easy to follow! I really enjoyed the mafia vibes and the gangs!

Will deffo be reading anything that Laura writes!!

Silvercloak surprised me in the best way. It starts off feeling a bit YA, and I wasn’t sure I’d stick with it—but the worldbuilding and writing completely won me over. It’s dark, gritty, and surprisingly whimsical (magical cats included), with a wizarding world that feels fresh yet brutal.

Saffron is a strong, morally grey protagonist—an orphan who fakes her way into a magical detective academy, only to end up infiltrating the gang that murdered her parents. The magic system is unique, and the enemies-to-lovers subplot was actually done well. While the book ends on a cliffhanger, it wraps up enough to feel satisfying.

Steven blends horror, whimsy, and emotional depth in a way that feels truly original. Definitely worth a read if you’re into undercover missions, magic, and messy anti-heroes.

Saff witnessed the murder of her parents as a child, and since has done everything she can to take her revenge. When the opportunity presents itself to go undercover with the organisation that killed them, she jumps at the chance. But she soon finds herself out of her depth ...

I liked the world building and magic system in this book, although it did feel like there was a lot to pick up on. Its definitely a dark and gritty book, and sometimes that worked whilst other times it didn't. I'm struggling to put into words exactly why this book didn't blow me away, but I found myself keen to finish it and confused as to exactly what was happening towards the end. I'm really not sure if I'd recommend it to others!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Absolutely loved this, this felt like reading Harry Potter for the first time all over again as a child. I really enjoyed the world building, the school setting and characters.