Silvercloak by L K Steven

Silvercloak by L K Steven

Silvercloak is Laura Steven's fist foray into adult fantasy, written under the name L K Steven. She has written several young adult fantasy and romance novels, including Our Infinite Fates, which has been on my list forever because the cover page looks super cool - although I didn't realize the authors were the same person. Silvercloak is an Amazon Editor's Pick for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy and it kicks off The Silvercloak Saga, which is supposed to have three books when all is said and done. This is our review of Silvercloak, but if you are looking for a summary of the book or a spoiler free study guide, check out our series page here. It deals with addiction, bullying, animal death, child abuse, torture, vomit, death, physical abuse, grief, death of parents, murder, fire and being burned, and injury detail.

Saffron Killoran's parents were killed when she was six years old, and she had the misfortune of watching it happen. Ever since then, she has had her eye on revenge. Her time growing up, going to university, and now, lying her way into the training corps for the Silvercloaks, all of it has been leading her to bringing down the group that killed her parents - the Bloodmoons. She is closer to that goal than ever before, taking her final test to become a Silvercloak, when her lies are exposed. But instead of being tossed out of the Silvercloaks, Saffron is given a unique opportunity to infiltrate the Bloodmoons and bring them down from the inside. But once Saffron goes undercover, she realizes that black and white are not quite so starkly contrasted, her loyalties are tested constantly, and her lies become harder to track. Just one wrong move on her part could ruin everything she's worked so hard for and destroy everyone that she loves.

I've not heard too much about this series, but there's few things I love in life than a woman with a real grudge and a point to prove, so I knew I had to give it a shot. And I enjoyed it. The magic system is quite interesting, with magic being rejuvenated through both pleasure and pain, the whole world is designed to be pleasing to the people inside of it. Beautiful murals, musicians busking, food carts full of delicious smells confront you on the streets. The characters were pretty well put together, although I did think the main character Saffron was naive and incredibly short sighted. It's something she commented on several times, so I'm hoping to see more character progression in the next book. The plot was fun and interesting, although I do hope that the author has a general timeline for all three books already charted and written down, because it could quickly descend into chaos if not. I don't want another George R. R. Martin situation on my hands.

I'm giving Silvercloak by L K Steven 4 stars out of 5. Spice rating of 1.5. All in all, it was an interesting first book that had a good ending, but I'd say there is a lot riding on the next novel. I'm interested to see where the story goes and I'm hopeful for the second book, which the author has already turned in (according to Instagram).

For more from L K Steven, check out their website at https://www.laura-steven.com/

Pairs well with torrone and a great cloak that billows behind you. I'd wear one all the time. I'd wear one to clean the house.

My favorite quotes:

"Pleasure was magic, and magic was pleasure. But pain was also magic, and magic was also pain, and therein lay the problem."

"A thunderclap of terrible understanding. 'Oh,' she thought, horrified and fascinated in equal measure. 'This is how villains are born.'"