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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Drug use, Infertility, Vomit, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Abandonment, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Could not put this book down! It was chaotic at times but the world building was amazing and I can’t wait for the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another romantasy with a stubborn FMC and a dark emo morally grey MMC and I still really liked it!🤷🏻♀️
Look I know this trope is done a lot and that did make this book predictable at every turn, but I still enjoyed it! Tropes are tropes for a reason and I thought they were done really well in this one.
This was enough of a slow burn for me personally. I really liked Saeris and Kingfisher together in general.
The side characters were awesome, they had great personalities and felt important to the story. I would die for Onyx!
The world building did get confusing some of the time though.
The end got wild and crazy with lots of lore being thrown at you, I had to read some parts a couple times to make sure I had it all straight.
Once Kingfisher became a softie for Saeris I couldn’t help but love him. I thought they were really good together and I enjoyed their dynamic a lot by the end.
Look I know this trope is done a lot and that did make this book predictable at every turn, but I still enjoyed it! Tropes are tropes for a reason and I thought they were done really well in this one.
This was enough of a slow burn for me personally. I really liked Saeris and Kingfisher together in general.
The side characters were awesome, they had great personalities and felt important to the story. I would die for Onyx!
The world building did get confusing some of the time though.
The end got wild and crazy with lots of lore being thrown at you, I had to read some parts a couple times to make sure I had it all straight.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infertility, Classism
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Quicksilver is an explicit open-door romantasy that takes a lot of popular tropes and jumbles it into a mostly coherent story that occasionally feels like it has too many elements thrown in. There's the sassy, scrappy female lead - Saeris Fane - who starts the book by stealing from the police force of her city's despotic immortal tyrant. She's from the roughest part of town, orphaned, with a reckless younger brother and a broken-down foster father figure to look after. Luckily, she grew up with rebels who taught her how to fight and steal to survive in this dystopic desert city.
She's also got a magical affinity for metals, which comes in handy when her luck runs out. Finally captured by the Queen's guardians, she escapes almost certain death thanks to a mysterious sword and a man that looks like Death itself, but is actually just the male lead - the book cover's shadow daddy and (for many) the star attraction - Kingfisher. He's tall, brooding, muscled, and intensely abrasive, because of his dark past. But since we know this book is a romance and often called an enemies-to-lovers story, we know he'll eventually show his soft spot to the female lead, and there will be several spicy scenes along the way from make-out sessions to hours-long sex marathons.
Plot-wise, this book is a series of escalations. At first, it seems like it's about rebelling against the tyrant Queen of Saeris's home city. Then it's about Saeris trying to get home to fight said tyrant after she's roped into another war in a Fae kingdom. Eventually the plot spans multiple worlds and multiple wars, and it's all really one big battle to save the universe if you think about it. But the book is a romance, so it's really about Saeris and Kingfisher. Everything else starts to feel like loosely connected random challenges the author thought to throw at the couple.
To the couple's credit, they only do the "I'm doing X that you disagree with to save you" and "I'm going to be mean for a good reason that will be explained later" a few times before they learn to stop acting in ways that just infuriate each other. But I'd stay away from this book if you want couples that clearly communicate and don't snark at each other every other sentence.
Both leads are abrasive, and while it makes sense for how their characters developed, it becomes exhausting how most of their dialogue with each other and everyone else is combative, snarky, and/or rude. Several side characters are also equally or more abrasive, and if it weren't for a handful of side characters who tended on the gentler side, I would think that snark and attitude are the default for this setting. It doesn't help that this book is narrated in first person by Saeris, who is generally cranky and impulsive.
Regarding the setting and worldbuilding, it's a hodgepodge. We start with a desert city under strict water rations and quarantine, which seemed like it could be an interesting place to set a story in, but we are quickly brought to a wintery Fae kingdom. Saeris, whose life was dictated by water rationing, constantly describes the wintery Fae kingdom in terms of how much water she can't believe it has. Somehow, taverns are common to both settings, so Saeris can get a stiff drink regardless.
The Fae live hundreds of years and have pointy ears, which made me wonder why they weren't just called elves. The Fae can't lie if they swear not to, and seem to function just like humans but prettier and older, which just sounds like elves by another name to me. The Fae also have fangs, but they don't drink blood - that's what the vampires are for. I'm not sure why this is thrown into the mix. The fangs are used for sexy scenes with biting, but it's an odd trait to give to Fae, especially when the story then has to make it clear that Fae fangs are for sex, while vampire fangs are for feeding. This is where I started to feel like the author had a grab-bag of popular tropes that they shoehorned into the story - sexy biting, fated mates, Fae courts, enemies-to-lovers, broody male with shadow powers - but doesn't really do anything particularly new or interesting with them.
Overall, I'm not sure how I finished reading this book. I thought about dropping it several times, but I would give it another couple pages because one of the side characters would say something funny. The lead couple was not compelling to me, but I found Saeris's preoccupation with Kingfisher's attractiveness funny. It's funny how thirsty she is despite her circumstances.
I don't plan on reading the sequel.
She's also got a magical affinity for metals, which comes in handy when her luck runs out. Finally captured by the Queen's guardians, she escapes almost certain death thanks to a mysterious sword and a man that looks like Death itself, but is actually just the male lead - the book cover's shadow daddy and (for many) the star attraction - Kingfisher. He's tall, brooding, muscled, and intensely abrasive, because of his dark past. But since we know this book is a romance and often called an enemies-to-lovers story, we know he'll eventually show his soft spot to the female lead, and there will be several spicy scenes along the way from make-out sessions to hours-long sex marathons.
Plot-wise, this book is a series of escalations. At first, it seems like it's about rebelling against the tyrant Queen of Saeris's home city. Then it's about Saeris trying to get home to fight said tyrant after she's roped into another war in a Fae kingdom. Eventually the plot spans multiple worlds and multiple wars, and it's all really one big battle to save the universe if you think about it. But the book is a romance, so it's really about Saeris and Kingfisher. Everything else starts to feel like loosely connected random challenges the author thought to throw at the couple.
To the couple's credit, they only do the "I'm doing X that you disagree with to save you" and "I'm going to be mean for a good reason that will be explained later" a few times before they learn to stop acting in ways that just infuriate each other. But I'd stay away from this book if you want couples that clearly communicate and don't snark at each other every other sentence.
Both leads are abrasive, and while it makes sense for how their characters developed, it becomes exhausting how most of their dialogue with each other and everyone else is combative, snarky, and/or rude. Several side characters are also equally or more abrasive, and if it weren't for a handful of side characters who tended on the gentler side, I would think that snark and attitude are the default for this setting. It doesn't help that this book is narrated in first person by Saeris, who is generally cranky and impulsive.
Regarding the setting and worldbuilding, it's a hodgepodge. We start with a desert city under strict water rations and quarantine, which seemed like it could be an interesting place to set a story in, but we are quickly brought to a wintery Fae kingdom. Saeris, whose life was dictated by water rationing, constantly describes the wintery Fae kingdom in terms of how much water she can't believe it has. Somehow, taverns are common to both settings, so Saeris can get a stiff drink regardless.
The Fae live hundreds of years and have pointy ears, which made me wonder why they weren't just called elves. The Fae can't lie if they swear not to, and seem to function just like humans but prettier and older, which just sounds like elves by another name to me. The Fae also have fangs, but they don't drink blood - that's what the vampires are for. I'm not sure why this is thrown into the mix. The fangs are used for sexy scenes with biting, but it's an odd trait to give to Fae, especially when the story then has to make it clear that Fae fangs are for sex, while vampire fangs are for feeding. This is where I started to feel like the author had a grab-bag of popular tropes that they shoehorned into the story - sexy biting, fated mates, Fae courts, enemies-to-lovers, broody male with shadow powers - but doesn't really do anything particularly new or interesting with them.
Overall, I'm not sure how I finished reading this book. I thought about dropping it several times, but I would give it another couple pages because one of the side characters would say something funny. The lead couple was not compelling to me, but I found Saeris's preoccupation with Kingfisher's attractiveness funny. It's funny how thirsty she is despite her circumstances.
I don't plan on reading the sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, War
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Infertility, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There are a ton of romantasy books on the market right now, but this one is my favorite! There is a lot of storyline and action, yes the romance and spice is there but it isn’t the biggest thing happening. And the way that it ends!! I can’t wait to read the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, War
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide, Rape, Suicide attempt
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: War
Minor: Infertility, Death of parent, Classism
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Secrets have a way of unraveling themselves in the end. 24-year-old Saeris Fane would know, having kept secrets as precious as the ounces of water she can steal in the desert wasteland of her home kingdom all her short life. Secret fighter, secret pickpocketer, secret weapons forger with extra abilities that would have her at the pointy end of a soldier's sword, Saeris is flesh and bone wrapped in secrets - until a theft, a discovery, and a sentence of death (which turns out to be more of a falling into the arms of Death - who also goes by Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate) spill her like so many grains of sand through a doorway into the forgotten legendary realm of the Fae, where more danger than she could ever imagine awaits. As Saeris struggles to understand a world that was supposed to be the stuff of children's nightmares - including her role as the Alchemist, a magical being with the power to change the course of a centuries-long conflict in the Fae kingdom of Yvelia - she must quickly discover what it will cost to get her home - and if she really wants to go there at after all.
If you have any sort of predilection for books in the realm of the ACOTAR series, with a splash of Carissa Broadbent thrown in for good measure, you're REALLY going to like this book, and it promises to be an interesting series. There are all manners of banter, creepy crawly creatures, war, magic and alchemy, infighting and outfighting, opportunities for betrayal, parent trauma, sassy FMCs, secrets galore, quests, big reveals, and spicy spice to be found for those who are interested, and I was impressed with how much lore and exposition was crammed into this book. I fear Rhysand and the Bat Boys are going to have to fight for the place of "BookTok's Favorite Book Boyfriend" in 2025 with everyone's new brooding problematic love interest, Kingfisher (which is objectively a cool name, not going to lie), and I wish everyone a clean, fair fight. There is a Maas-ive (couldn't help myself since I already went this direction with my review) cliffhanger here at the end, so I hope Saeris hangs on, because you're in danger girl!!!
If you have any sort of predilection for books in the realm of the ACOTAR series, with a splash of Carissa Broadbent thrown in for good measure, you're REALLY going to like this book, and it promises to be an interesting series. There are all manners of banter, creepy crawly creatures, war, magic and alchemy, infighting and outfighting, opportunities for betrayal, parent trauma, sassy FMCs, secrets galore, quests, big reveals, and spicy spice to be found for those who are interested, and I was impressed with how much lore and exposition was crammed into this book. I fear Rhysand and the Bat Boys are going to have to fight for the place of "BookTok's Favorite Book Boyfriend" in 2025 with everyone's new brooding problematic love interest, Kingfisher (which is objectively a cool name, not going to lie), and I wish everyone a clean, fair fight. There is a Maas-ive (couldn't help myself since I already went this direction with my review) cliffhanger here at the end, so I hope Saeris hangs on, because you're in danger girl!!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, War
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail