Review--Silver Elite by Dani Francis

 

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In the first book of a sizzling dystopian romance series, psychic gifts are a death sentence and there are rules to survival: Trust no one. Lie to everyone. And whatever you do, don’t fall for your greatest enemy.

TRUST NO ONE.
Wren Darlington has spent her whole life in hiding, honing her psychic abilities and aiding the rebel Uprising in small ways. On the Continent, being Modified means certain death—and Wren is one of the most powerful Mods in existence. When one careless mistake places her in the hands of the enemy and she’s forced to join their most elite training program, she’s finally handed the perfect opportunity to strike a devastating blow from inside their ranks.

LIE TO EVERYONE.
But training for Silver Block can be deadly, especially when you’re harboring dangerous secrets and living in close quarters with everyone who wants you dead.

AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T FALL FOR YOUR GREATEST ENEMY.

As the stakes grow ever higher, Wren must prove herself to Silver Block. But that’s easier said than done when your commanding officer is the ruthless and infuriatingly irresistible Cross Redden, who doesn’t miss anything when it comes to her. And as war rages between Mods like her and those who aim to destroy them, Wren must decide just how far she’s willing to go to protect herself . . . and how much of the Continent is worth saving.

Curiosity and a desire to read a good dystopian novel had me picking up Dani Francis' Silver Elite! The book that is sweeping the social media realm by storm! What is it about this book that has everybody talking about it? I honestly don't go looking for drama, hype or things like that but I had seen a post or two that brought this book onto my radar that had me thinking it would be a good match!

Silver Elite definitely gave me some Divergent vibes, what with the whole dystopian setting and basically having a particular "kind/type" of person who is to be hated and feared and destroyed. The Mods or Aberrants are people who have "silver veins" or silver blood, and basically have psychic powers. It varies as to what kind of ability they have, such as mindreading or incite--the rarest type and can basically force someone to do something. I can see where being fearful of the wrong kind of Mod would come into play, but naturally, we deal with mostly "good" Mods.

Wren is a Mod with several psychic abilities, including incite, and has been in hiding for all of her life. She was raised by her guardian, Jim, and has lived a pretty contented life. Until the day, Jim is taken by the authorities and is slated to die leaving Wren to attempt a rescue. It's during this chaos that she's taken prisoner and though she is abled to hide the giveaway signs that she's a Mod, a particular captain known as Cross Redden, doesn't quiet believe her and in order to keep an eye on her signs her up for the Command. She's being forced to train as a soldier who also hunt down the Mods.

And so begins the school setting, so to speak, with a military academy vibe. But Wren isn't interested in being a good little soldier, she much rather rile up Cross and make things difficult for the man who is making her life difficult. So yes, we have a bit of an enemies to lovers vibe going on here. I've always been a fan of bantering and quips, so I kind of enjoyed their engagement in the beginning, before things so obviously heat up between them.

There were a few other interesting developments along the way. Big things are coming and you can feel the tension rising from the pages. As to what will eventually happen, who's to say at this point. There was one shocking reveal that I totally pegged down from the first instance on the page! It's always so validating to be right about these things! Lol. 

All the gossip going around this book has me with mixed emotions. Many speculations are going around regarding this new author who just kind of popped up one day it seems. I try to keep an open-mind when it comes to books but if one particular rumor is true, I am going to be very disappointed with the publisher. Time will tell, I suppose and that's all I say on that matter.

As far as writing style goes, I thought it was done very well. It wasn't trying too hard, but then at the same time things felt simple. Perhaps I'm just getting over my fantasy marathon where everything was big and detailed, so the simplicity of this world-building kind of threw me, but it was a nice break that's for sure! While set in a dystopic future, I felt like the world was fairly easy to understand. Sure there's a new regime in town kind of thing but concept wise, it wasn't overly detailed to give me a headache so that was a plus.

All in all, Silver Elite was a fun and entertaining read! The characters were well developed and enjoyable and the storyline itself was a wild ride as well. If you were a fan of the dystopian books of old, I would say you would have a grand time with this adult styled one! I'd also say go into it with an open mind and try not to let the previous comments and reviews influence you too much if you have any spark of interest in this storyline. While it wasn't the most down-right perfect book I've ever read, it was still an incredibly enjoyable one that had me entertained and guessing things from the get-go! Definitely keeping my eyes out for its sequel that's for sure!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars