Review: Readers Are Calling This Book the New ‘Fourth Wing’

I am no stranger to hype trains. Listening to the new Taylor album and nothing but the new Taylor album? Sign me up. Oh, we’re seeing Sinners in theaters again? Great, snag me a ticket too. I’m not afraid to be like other girls. But when it comes to books, I am always a little wary when readers start throwing around big-name comparisons for new titles. Is this new romance author really as good as Emily Henry? Is that new romantasy series really the next ACOTAR? When statements like that get tossed around, it gives me pause. The most recent victim of this phenomenon is Silver Elite by Dani Francis.

In late April, I started seeing more and more people talking about Silver Elite in the book world. One reader called it “the next big thing,” while another said it was going to become “Fourth Wing-level big.” Those are some big words. As a proud early member of the Fourth Wing fan club, I had to see what the fuss was all about. Here’s my full review of Silver Elite, including whether it deserves a coveted place next to Fourth Wing and ACOTAR on your bookshelves.

Dani Francis

Silver Elite

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.

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What is Silver Elite about?

150 years ago, a biotoxin separated citizens of the Continent into two categories: Primes, who are immune to the toxin’s effects, and Modifieds, who are enhanced by the toxin, given unique psychic abilities that range from mind-reading to precognition and healing.

Today, the Continent is ruled by the General, a Prime who has criminalized the gifts Mods possess, forcing them to either swear loyalty to his regime, become slaves, or die. Wren Darlington has spent her entire life in the shadows, hiding her impressive psychic gifts to the best of her ability, with the aid of her Uncle Jim. She’ll occasionally run small ops for the Uprising, but for the most part, keeping her identity a secret is her main objective.

When a regular night out goes awry, Wren’s uncle is taken away, and she finds herself in the military’s clutches. Forced to join the Continent’s elite Silver Block forces or face a life of imprisonment, Wren uses her new position to infiltrate the General’s regime and help the Uprising. There are only two things standing in her way—her fellow recruits would kill her if they found out she was a Mod, and she can’t get Cross Redden, her strictly off-limits commanding officer, out of her head.

My review of Silver Elite

I haven’t read much dystopian since I was a teen, save for the new Hunger Games books Suzanne Collins has been giving us recently. Truthfully, when characters are walking around sending each other texts and holstering guns, I lose interest quickly. With Silver Elite, those more modern aspects kept me from fully connecting with the story early on. I like my worlds fantastical, my weapons sans bullets, and my main characters of the magical variety. The real world is scary enough as it is; I don’t want my fictional ones to imitate it. As I kept reading, though, I became less and less bothered by the modern elements and more engaged in Wren’s story. At around the 30 percent mark, I couldn’t put the book down.

Full transparency: Wren’s bravado gets old quickly, as do some of her actions in the first part of the book. What kept me reading, however, was seeing how she maneuvered as she became more enmeshed in the den of vipers that is Silver Block. Every single day, she is confronted with people who would happily kill her if they knew her true identity, but at the same time, she can’t help but develop friendships and soft spots for her fellow recruits. While I found the social commentary I expect from dystopian fiction mostly lacking in Silver Elite, the real-world applications of Wren finding common ground with those who hold fundamentally different beliefs than she does are hard to ignore, if not wholly relatable.

“Silver Elite is one hell of a fun ride, and I have no doubt that it will quickly become a favorite in the book community.”

Around halfway through the book, my experience shifted, as did Wren’s. The first part of the story felt a little aimless as Wren struggled and repeatedly failed to find a way out of her predicament. But when she finds her footing, you can’t help but root for her. At the same time, I found myself cheering for the friends she made in Silver Block and for the developing relationship between Wren and Cross.

Wren and Cross have eyes for each other from the very beginning. This is not a slow-burning, developing romance. The moment they meet and every interaction they have after is laced with tension. But what I love about the romance in Silver Elite is that it’s multidimensional. Wren shamelessly flirts with a fellow recruit, and Cross is often seen with other women hanging around him. In fact, when they do eventually get together, there are no earth-shattering declarations of love or fate bringing them together. They’re just two hot people who are hot for each other. Sure, real feelings start to develop towards the end, but their relationship feels real in a way others in this genre do not.

At the end of the day, I thoroughly enjoyed Silver Elite and am anxiously awaiting the next book. I can also definitely see why other readers are comparing it to Fourth Wing and calling it the next big thing. Silver Elite has all the makings of a blockbuster series, and I’m 100% along for the ride.

So, should you read Silver Elite?

If you want an action-packed, thrilling, sexy read, Silver Elite is exactly the book for you. Like other readers, I foresee it reaching Fourth Wing-level popularity—it has all the necessary ingredients. However, I would caution against thinking that this book being labeled as dystopian puts it into the same category as The Hunger Games.

The world, while engaging, is not nearly as fleshed out as I would have liked it to be. I’m still not fully sure how the Continent came to be, but I am hopeful more of that will be revealed in later books as we explore more of the world. As I mentioned earlier, the social and political commentary I would expect from a book in this genre isn’t especially poignant. What this book is, though, is fast-paced, electric, and gripping. Silver Elite is one hell of a fun ride, and I have no doubt that it will quickly become a favorite in the book community.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Garri Chaverst, Senior Managing Editor

As Senior Managing Editor of The Everygirl, Garri oversees the pitching, planning, and creation of all content. You might also find her name pop up as a contributor throughout the site, though she mostly works behind the scenes, leading the team in their creative efforts and ensuring they have everything they need to create top-quality content for our audience.

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