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Fae & Alchemy #1
Quicksilver
ŷ Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Romantasy (2024)From global phenomenon Callie Hart comes a highly addictive enemies-to-lovers Romantasy with razor-sharp banter, heart-stopping action, and blistering hot romance that you won't be able to put down!
Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate.
In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn't much a girl wouldn't do for a glass of water.
Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember.
But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.
When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently re-opens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares... but it turns out they're real, and Saeris has landed herself in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.
The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist's magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him . . . or her.
Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he's the only way Saeris is going to make it home.
Be careful of the deals you make, dear child. The devil is in the details . . .
N.B. Quicksilver contains depictions of graphic violence/adult situations and is therefore recommended for readers 17+. For a full list of tropes and TWs, please visit the author's website.
Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate.
In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn't much a girl wouldn't do for a glass of water.
Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember.
But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.
When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently re-opens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares... but it turns out they're real, and Saeris has landed herself in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.
The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist's magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him . . . or her.
Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he's the only way Saeris is going to make it home.
Be careful of the deals you make, dear child. The devil is in the details . . .
N.B. Quicksilver contains depictions of graphic violence/adult situations and is therefore recommended for readers 17+. For a full list of tropes and TWs, please visit the author's website.
624 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2024
82.2k people are currently reading
495k people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55,835 reviews
December 27, 2024
2.5 �'s
This was a little bit of a mess. It wasn't all bad but it definitely could've been better.
Quicksilver technically has the puzzle pieces for a fantasy romance but they feel randomly thrown together. Some things work, other things doesn’t. As a whole it was just jumbled, confusing and spectacularly ordinary.
Whilst I see the potential for this book, I feel incredibly frustrated at how it was executed.
It's like someone tried to analyse what made other romantasies a success but have no idea on how to actually accomplish that.
For example, I recognise that they tried hard to create that badass, sassy, strong fmc in Saeris - which normally is my favourite type of fmc. The end result ended up simply being just that; try-hard. Her comebacks constantly felt weak, forced and ultimately became quite cringe. I don't think I've ever been more unintrigued by a fmc in a long time. The love interest, Kingfisher(I know, the name is absolutely atrocious) was at least a tiny bit more interesting. It's unfortunate the only perspective we got in the book was by the least fascinating character. 🥲
Over to the romance. This author has not heard of slow burn or building tension.
They never had enough chemistry for their heated moments, it was always so sudden without any sort of build up. Their "banter" was him smelling how aroused she was around him and him being overly cocky about that.
I prefer my fictional men well and truly obsessed, please and thank you - but as we never got his perspective we didn't really get to see that, now did we.👎 I did enjoy some scenes between them, especially in the second half. However, exactly everything felt too rushed when it came to their romance and I think you just have to accept that if you want to enjoy this.
Over to the writing. It consisted of run-on sentences, an overuse of the word 'fuck'*, long-ass chapters and plot holes on top of plot holes. One of my favourite thing about reading a fantasy romance is the world building and the magic systems.
For me that is where the story truly comes alive.
In this book that was an afterthought and doesn't seem particularly thought through. We get no explanation on how their magic works or what powers they have. Based on reading this, it seems as if there are absolutely no limitations to it, which is such a lazy move on the author's part.
The writer constantly chose convenience over clarity or logic, and it angered me every time.
Trying to end this on a somewhat positive note, this definitely gave me those fae fantasy vibes I've been longing for.🧚 I do think the overall story is interesting enough, even if it's incredibly overhyped in my opinion. For me this book was carried by the side characters; Onyx, Wendy, Carrion, Lorreth & Ren. All my love goes to them. I'd be fine if they kill off Saeris in the next one tbh.
*The word fuck(or versions, e.g. fucking) was used 387 times according to my kindle.
_________
⌞p-:�
I am in desperate need of a real good fantasy rn. I've seen this absolutely everywhere lately, so praying to all the bookgods out there that this lives up to the hype 😩
This was a little bit of a mess. It wasn't all bad but it definitely could've been better.
Quicksilver technically has the puzzle pieces for a fantasy romance but they feel randomly thrown together. Some things work, other things doesn’t. As a whole it was just jumbled, confusing and spectacularly ordinary.
Whilst I see the potential for this book, I feel incredibly frustrated at how it was executed.
It's like someone tried to analyse what made other romantasies a success but have no idea on how to actually accomplish that.
For example, I recognise that they tried hard to create that badass, sassy, strong fmc in Saeris - which normally is my favourite type of fmc. The end result ended up simply being just that; try-hard. Her comebacks constantly felt weak, forced and ultimately became quite cringe. I don't think I've ever been more unintrigued by a fmc in a long time. The love interest, Kingfisher(I know, the name is absolutely atrocious) was at least a tiny bit more interesting. It's unfortunate the only perspective we got in the book was by the least fascinating character. 🥲
Over to the romance. This author has not heard of slow burn or building tension.
They never had enough chemistry for their heated moments, it was always so sudden without any sort of build up. Their "banter" was him smelling how aroused she was around him and him being overly cocky about that.
I prefer my fictional men well and truly obsessed, please and thank you - but as we never got his perspective we didn't really get to see that, now did we.👎 I did enjoy some scenes between them, especially in the second half. However, exactly everything felt too rushed when it came to their romance and I think you just have to accept that if you want to enjoy this.
Over to the writing. It consisted of run-on sentences, an overuse of the word 'fuck'*, long-ass chapters and plot holes on top of plot holes. One of my favourite thing about reading a fantasy romance is the world building and the magic systems.
For me that is where the story truly comes alive.
In this book that was an afterthought and doesn't seem particularly thought through. We get no explanation on how their magic works or what powers they have. Based on reading this, it seems as if there are absolutely no limitations to it, which is such a lazy move on the author's part.
The writer constantly chose convenience over clarity or logic, and it angered me every time.
Trying to end this on a somewhat positive note, this definitely gave me those fae fantasy vibes I've been longing for.🧚 I do think the overall story is interesting enough, even if it's incredibly overhyped in my opinion. For me this book was carried by the side characters; Onyx, Wendy, Carrion, Lorreth & Ren. All my love goes to them. I'd be fine if they kill off Saeris in the next one tbh.
*The word fuck(or versions, e.g. fucking) was used 387 times according to my kindle.
_________
⌞p-:�
I am in desperate need of a real good fantasy rn. I've seen this absolutely everywhere lately, so praying to all the bookgods out there that this lives up to the hype 😩
July 12, 2024
I did have a lot of fun with it but I can't ignore some of the issues I had with it especially in the first 65% of the book. I did like the concept and plot as an overall but the way it was executed felt chaotic to me.
To me it came across as we're just thrown into the story. I had some trouble getting a handle on the world building and although things are happening at a fast pace to Saeris, it was too wordy. The library bits felt repetitive and could have been edited better. The fae world intrigued me a lot tho, especially the whole thing with gods and quicksilver. I believe quicksilver as a whole could have been explained better rather than giving tid bits, it lacked clarity for me especially when things slowed down immensely in the middle.
The banter between Saeris and Kingfisher 🤢😭 was nice. I had a hard time seeing him being called Kingfisher the WHOLE time, so am sticking with Fisher. The chemistry between the two is pretty good in the second half. The enemies to lovers vibes were pretty good. Them together in the first half was rushed and there was a lack of emotional depth, it came across as shallow and maybe that's because of their personalities. I liked Fisher more than Saeris, but she won me over in the end. The spice was hot and the romance towards the end thankfully matured. Idk if it's just me but this is the sort of book that should have been in dual pov. I feel like giving just Saeris' pov, made it boring at parts and it was like I only got half of the information.
The found family trope is set up so sweet in this one, I ate it up. The side characters, Ren in particular interest me a lot. I would like to see that trope fleshed out a bit more in the next one.
The ending was wild. I loved it. The action and the cliffhanger was chef's kiss. But it did remind me a bit of ACOTAR, not that am complaining. I liked the twist a lot. Am eager to read the next book but I really hope it's much better edited.
Thanks to beautiful Lindsey for reading it with me 🥺🩷
•~•~
The cover is gorgeous😍😍
To me it came across as we're just thrown into the story. I had some trouble getting a handle on the world building and although things are happening at a fast pace to Saeris, it was too wordy. The library bits felt repetitive and could have been edited better. The fae world intrigued me a lot tho, especially the whole thing with gods and quicksilver. I believe quicksilver as a whole could have been explained better rather than giving tid bits, it lacked clarity for me especially when things slowed down immensely in the middle.
The banter between Saeris and Kingfisher 🤢😭 was nice. I had a hard time seeing him being called Kingfisher the WHOLE time, so am sticking with Fisher. The chemistry between the two is pretty good in the second half. The enemies to lovers vibes were pretty good. Them together in the first half was rushed and there was a lack of emotional depth, it came across as shallow and maybe that's because of their personalities. I liked Fisher more than Saeris, but she won me over in the end. The spice was hot and the romance towards the end thankfully matured. Idk if it's just me but this is the sort of book that should have been in dual pov. I feel like giving just Saeris' pov, made it boring at parts and it was like I only got half of the information.
The found family trope is set up so sweet in this one, I ate it up. The side characters, Ren in particular interest me a lot. I would like to see that trope fleshed out a bit more in the next one.
The ending was wild. I loved it. The action and the cliffhanger was chef's kiss. But it did remind me a bit of ACOTAR, not that am complaining. I liked the twist a lot. Am eager to read the next book but I really hope it's much better edited.
Thanks to beautiful Lindsey for reading it with me 🥺🩷
•~•~
The cover is gorgeous😍😍
Read
July 29, 2024dnf 30%
The review contains spoilers!
If I had a nickel for every time I read a book where a human girl ends up in a fairy world, I'd have a lot of nickels, but if I had a nickel for every time I read a book like that that was actually good, I don't know if I'd even have two nickels.
I’m honestly too lazy to write a proper review, so let me show you, based on the tropes, why Quicksilver didn’t work out for me.
Enemies to lovers? Their "hate" was some of the most bland and unoriginal I have ever read about.
Boring. I fear I've read quotes like this so many times that they no longer have any effect on me.
Slow-burn? Who is she? They kissed at thirty percent, and this is just the first book in the series.
Romantasy? I think you mean, Lust-asy, or Insta-lust-asy.
Great banter? Where?
Hahaha so funny. I’m dying of laughter.
� � � � � �
Grumpy hero? No no no.
Insufferable and mean hero? Yes.
Hungry needy bitch in heat? No comment needed here.
I don't know what else to say, I'm just disappointed. I was hopeful this book would be something just for me, but sadly, it didn’t live up to my expectations.
The review contains spoilers!
If I had a nickel for every time I read a book where a human girl ends up in a fairy world, I'd have a lot of nickels, but if I had a nickel for every time I read a book like that that was actually good, I don't know if I'd even have two nickels.
I’m honestly too lazy to write a proper review, so let me show you, based on the tropes, why Quicksilver didn’t work out for me.
Enemies to lovers? Their "hate" was some of the most bland and unoriginal I have ever read about.
"I hated this male. Hated him with every fiber of my being. But curse me, I wanted him just as bad."
Boring. I fear I've read quotes like this so many times that they no longer have any effect on me.
Slow-burn? Who is she? They kissed at thirty percent, and this is just the first book in the series.
Romantasy? I think you mean, Lust-asy, or Insta-lust-asy.
Great banter? Where?
“Pants and a shirt,� I said dryly. “And a pair of boots with really good soles. Do you have any idea what those boots cost me?�
“Let me guess. Your virginity.�
“Fuck you, Fisher.�
“Sure.� He smirked. “But I'm afraid I don't have any new boots to trade you for your time.�
Hahaha so funny. I’m dying of laughter.
� � � � � �
Grumpy hero? No no no.
Insufferable and mean hero? Yes.
“Maybe the issue is that you asked me a question about my cock like a hungry little bitch in heat and didn't ask me something that mattered.� Gods, but he kept surprising me."
"My jaw was screaming, I was clenching my teeth so hard.
“FܳЯdz—�
“There you go again. Hungry, needy little bitch in heat, begging to be fucked...� he taunted.
“Let. Go!�
“LIIIIISTENNN!!� Kingfisher's roar snatched my breath away."
Hungry needy bitch in heat? No comment needed here.
I don't know what else to say, I'm just disappointed. I was hopeful this book would be something just for me, but sadly, it didn’t live up to my expectations.
January 30, 2025
The girl version of Aladdin steals an expensive glove and almost gets her dumb brother killed. She’s arrested and then a hot guy comes out of the floor and kidnaps her. She recovers from a stomach wound and finds out that she’s been transported (via the floor thing) to a land of fae where her Magneto powers could be of use. The hot guy talks about his penis size and is sarcastic a lot. The girl is incredibly annoying and everyone has a really stupid name. I went into this book fully expecting to hate it so when I realized I was enjoying myself, I just stared at the wall in disbelief for a while. 4/5 I guess whatever I don’t even care anymore.
full highlights/notes on Patreon ⬇️
full highlights/notes on Patreon ⬇️
August 12, 2024
this is my EXACT taste in fantasy i don’t even care
December 30, 2024
ABSOLUTELY FUCKING INCREDIBLE. Yes yes yes, I loved this from page 1 and from now on all I want to read is romantacy...
November 11, 2024
4.5 🌟 MYYY GODDDD OKAY THIS SLAYED SO HARD WOW
that ending!!!!!! i’m so happy with how it ended. it had so many chances to piss me off and it DIDNT and for that i’m thankful. i kept expecting to have one of those endings that makes u wanna die waiting for the next one (i’m looking at u twisted sisters) BUT THIS WAS JUST *CHEFS KISSSSSS*
kingfisher the man that you are!!!!
i’ll be SAT waiting for the rest of the books. when i tried reading this in september it wasn’t the right time, so I paused and waited for the audio. and omg that was my best decision!!! the duet narration was SOOO GOOD. ate it up.
i will say personally, ✨carrion swift is my favorite�
that ending!!!!!! i’m so happy with how it ended. it had so many chances to piss me off and it DIDNT and for that i’m thankful. i kept expecting to have one of those endings that makes u wanna die waiting for the next one (i’m looking at u twisted sisters) BUT THIS WAS JUST *CHEFS KISSSSSS*
kingfisher the man that you are!!!!
i’ll be SAT waiting for the rest of the books. when i tried reading this in september it wasn’t the right time, so I paused and waited for the audio. and omg that was my best decision!!! the duet narration was SOOO GOOD. ate it up.
i will say personally, ✨carrion swift is my favorite�
August 3, 2024
DNF @32%-FRTC
I've been hearing about this book NON- STOP in many of my book groups. High, high praise for it. The first few chapters - the writing though?
Might Will likely trash this book in my review... idk. Still working on this one.
I've been hearing about this book NON- STOP in many of my book groups. High, high praise for it. The first few chapters - the writing though?
September 23, 2024
I feel so bad for all talented fantasy authors because how is this popular. The dialogue and writing are so derogatory millennial.
November 4, 2024
4.75 ⭐️ Trust me, this book is worth the hype!
"I am the thing that exists on the other side of the dark. I'm the thing that puts the fear of the gods into the monsters who would eat you bones and all."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
� gritty romantasy
� humans, fae, vampires, gods, magic, fates
� she's a human with a secret gift
� he's a tattooed, damaged and dangerous fae shadow daddy
� bargains and oaths
� hate to love
� forced proximity
� delicious banter
� lots of lust and sexual tension
� 3.5/5 spice (open door, explicit)
� "she's mine"
� badass FMC
� grumpy MMC
� found family
� shocking twists and turns
� minor cliffhanger that sets up for book 2
� TW: war, violence, gore, torture, mentions of SA
� single POV
My Thoughts:
I have not enjoyed a lot of of the popular romantasy book recommendations lately, so I am pleased to say that this was fucking fantastic!
Okay, so what did I like about this story???
The world-building and magic system is intriguing. It all felt familiar in the sense that if you dabble in the fantasy or paranormal genres, you've probably read plenty of stories with fae, vampires, gods, portal magic, etc. However, this was done in a unique way so it felt like a fresh concept. I don't want to say anything more because it would spoil things, but I am curious to learn more about the Quicksilver and dive deeper into the politics of these worlds and other forms of magic.
Saeris Fane is a breath of fresh air. She is strong-willed, scrappy, straight-forward, and persistent: a survivor. Since Saeris is the main character in a world with magic, she does have a secret gift that gets explored throughout the story, but it's developed in a realistic way. Yes, Saeris is unique, special, and powerful, but not in the obnoxious 'Chosen One' sort of way that's been repeatedly done. I also liked how she can be snarky and sassy at times without coming off as immature. Saeris is definitely one of my favorite FMCs and I'm so excited to see how her character develops in book 2!
Kingfisher. Powerful, intimidating, dangerous, and, of course, sexy. At first, I really hated him. 😂 He was SUCH a dick to Saeris with no explanation why. However, as the story progresses, you realize he's also fiercely loyal, protective, and selfless. There's nothing he wouldn't do for the people he loves and those he's responsible for. I liked that this story is single POV so we learned more about Kingfisher and ended up falling in love with him along with Saeris. The ONLY thing I didn't love was his name. I'm glad most people call him Fisher instead of Kingfisher (which is a bird), but I am almost positive the author chose this name as some sort of foreshadowing. From my research, kingfishers in literature symbolize the rise and fall of civilizations, which is definitely relevant to this story.
The romance ATE! There's amazing banter, delicious tension, and the spice is *chef's fucking kiss*! Almost every interaction between Saeris and Fisher had me kicking and screaming in a giddy sort of way. You never knew if these two were going to fight or fuck and I was living for it. I loved how Saeris would try to brush off her attraction to Fisher with rude or snarky comments but he'd always turn it around on her and she'd leave the conversations hot and bothered.
For example:
And of course, the actual spice had me in a chokehold! These scenes are open door, explicit and very detailed. Like, pages and pages worth of smut. 🔥 And Fisher's dirty talk is superior. I'm legit getting sweaty just glancing over some of the things he says.
Once Fisher and Saeris stop denying their attraction for each other, they share a few sweet and tender moments between. Whenever he calls her 'little Osha' my stomach flutters with butterflies. 🦋 The scene where he takes her hands and puts it on her heart so she can feel it beat, had me in my feels. 🥺 💕 And the note. 😭 Their love made me emotional and horny all at the same time.
The premise / plot is exciting! The beginning starts off with a bang as Saeris runs from one of the Queen's guard, and from that point on, there's always something going on whether it's political intrigue, developing romance, training, or fights. I liked how there's a relatively equal focus between the romance and story plot so that one doesn't overwhelm or take away from the over.
And that ending!!!! Oh my gosh!!!! I genuinely did not see those reveals and the turn of events coming! Again, can't say much without spoiling, but just prepare to experience a kaleidoscope of emotions.
Two things to note: the story is a bit long and it may take a second to get into. However, I didn't think the length was a problem since it all felt relevant to the plot and world development. There’s so many layers to this story and the more you read, the more invested you’ll find yourself. Also, I typically have to read 10% of a fantasy story to figure out if I'm going to enjoy it or not. These things weren't issues for me, but I want to mention them since I've seen a few reviews talking about these points.
Overall, Quicksilver is a captivating, swoon-worthy romantasy that swept me off my feet. Depending on the next books in the series, it could easily become one of my all-time favorite series! I wish I could read the next book immediately, and I’m so sad we have to wait an entire year for it. But also, kudos to Callie Hart for having this book get picked up by a publisher! Well deserved!
Favorite Quotes:
Dedication: "For those who live their nightmares so that others may have their dream."
_______
I hadn't seen many beautiful things in my short life. But, of all the beautiful things I had seen, Fisher was the most beautiful of all.
_______
"I can smell you, Little Osha, and I'm thinking about drinking the sweet nectar you're making for me straight from the fucking cup."
_______
Kingfisher was smart. He could be an angry, arrogant, half-mad, outrageously handsome piece of shit and an intelligent tactician at the same time. Turned out the two weren't mutually exclusive.
_______
"I don't enjoy hurting people. I don't like it at all. But that doesn't mean it isn't necessary. To avoid far more serious pain, sometimes we have to endure a little sting. Sometimes, some of us have to inflict it."
_______
We were either going to kill each other or fuck each other, and I was glad we were both opting for the latter option.
_______
"Let your knees fall open," he demanded.
"I-"
"No arguments, Osha. I've driven myself half-crazy wondering what you look like. I need to fucking see. Put me out of my misery."
_______
"Don't call her Sunshine."
"Why not?"
"Because she is moonlight. The mist that shrouds the mountains. The bite of electricity in the air before a storm. The smoke that rolls across a battlefield before killing stars. You have no idea what she is. What she could be. You should call her Majesty."
_______
"Every warrior in Innir will smell me on you. I'm going to make you hoarse from screaming my fucking name. I'm going to mark you in every way imaginable, so that everyone knows you're fucking mine."
_______
"Make me forget that I've ever suffered. Make me forget that I will again."
_______
I was going to have a heart attack. Or my heart was going to break in two. Either way, my heart was in trouble, and there was no protecting it now.
_______
"I am the thing that exists on the other side of the dark. I'm the thing that puts the fear of the gods into the monsters who would eat you bones and all."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
� gritty romantasy
� humans, fae, vampires, gods, magic, fates
� she's a human with a secret gift
� he's a tattooed, damaged and dangerous fae shadow daddy
� bargains and oaths
� hate to love
� forced proximity
� delicious banter
� lots of lust and sexual tension
� 3.5/5 spice (open door, explicit)
� "she's mine"
� badass FMC
� grumpy MMC
� found family
� shocking twists and turns
� minor cliffhanger that sets up for book 2
� TW: war, violence, gore, torture, mentions of SA
� single POV
My Thoughts:
I have not enjoyed a lot of of the popular romantasy book recommendations lately, so I am pleased to say that this was fucking fantastic!
Okay, so what did I like about this story???
The world-building and magic system is intriguing. It all felt familiar in the sense that if you dabble in the fantasy or paranormal genres, you've probably read plenty of stories with fae, vampires, gods, portal magic, etc. However, this was done in a unique way so it felt like a fresh concept. I don't want to say anything more because it would spoil things, but I am curious to learn more about the Quicksilver and dive deeper into the politics of these worlds and other forms of magic.
Saeris Fane is a breath of fresh air. She is strong-willed, scrappy, straight-forward, and persistent: a survivor. Since Saeris is the main character in a world with magic, she does have a secret gift that gets explored throughout the story, but it's developed in a realistic way. Yes, Saeris is unique, special, and powerful, but not in the obnoxious 'Chosen One' sort of way that's been repeatedly done. I also liked how she can be snarky and sassy at times without coming off as immature. Saeris is definitely one of my favorite FMCs and I'm so excited to see how her character develops in book 2!
Kingfisher. Powerful, intimidating, dangerous, and, of course, sexy. At first, I really hated him. 😂 He was SUCH a dick to Saeris with no explanation why. However, as the story progresses, you realize he's also fiercely loyal, protective, and selfless. There's nothing he wouldn't do for the people he loves and those he's responsible for. I liked that this story is single POV so we learned more about Kingfisher and ended up falling in love with him along with Saeris. The ONLY thing I didn't love was his name. I'm glad most people call him Fisher instead of Kingfisher (which is a bird), but I am almost positive the author chose this name as some sort of foreshadowing. From my research, kingfishers in literature symbolize the rise and fall of civilizations, which is definitely relevant to this story.
The romance ATE! There's amazing banter, delicious tension, and the spice is *chef's fucking kiss*! Almost every interaction between Saeris and Fisher had me kicking and screaming in a giddy sort of way. You never knew if these two were going to fight or fuck and I was living for it. I loved how Saeris would try to brush off her attraction to Fisher with rude or snarky comments but he'd always turn it around on her and she'd leave the conversations hot and bothered.
For example:
"I wouldn't fuck you - if you were the last living -"
"Don't bother." The words held bite. "Lying is pointless with your heart betraying you so loudly."
"It's beating fast because I'm afraid," I snapped.
"Of me?" Kingfisher huffed a blast of laughter down his nose. "No, you're not. You should be, but you're not. That's one of the things I like most about you. . . You want to touch me the way I'm touching you, don't you? To feel the weight of me beneath your palms. The heat of me . . ."
"You're wrong."
He shook his head. "I'm not. . . I can smell you, Little Osha, and I'm thinking about drinking the sweet nectar you're making for me straight from the fucking cup."
And of course, the actual spice had me in a chokehold! These scenes are open door, explicit and very detailed. Like, pages and pages worth of smut. 🔥 And Fisher's dirty talk is superior. I'm legit getting sweaty just glancing over some of the things he says.
Once Fisher and Saeris stop denying their attraction for each other, they share a few sweet and tender moments between. Whenever he calls her 'little Osha' my stomach flutters with butterflies. 🦋 The scene where he takes her hands and puts it on her heart so she can feel it beat, had me in my feels. 🥺 💕 And the note. 😭 Their love made me emotional and horny all at the same time.
The premise / plot is exciting! The beginning starts off with a bang as Saeris runs from one of the Queen's guard, and from that point on, there's always something going on whether it's political intrigue, developing romance, training, or fights. I liked how there's a relatively equal focus between the romance and story plot so that one doesn't overwhelm or take away from the over.
And that ending!!!! Oh my gosh!!!! I genuinely did not see those reveals and the turn of events coming! Again, can't say much without spoiling, but just prepare to experience a kaleidoscope of emotions.
Two things to note: the story is a bit long and it may take a second to get into. However, I didn't think the length was a problem since it all felt relevant to the plot and world development. There’s so many layers to this story and the more you read, the more invested you’ll find yourself. Also, I typically have to read 10% of a fantasy story to figure out if I'm going to enjoy it or not. These things weren't issues for me, but I want to mention them since I've seen a few reviews talking about these points.
Overall, Quicksilver is a captivating, swoon-worthy romantasy that swept me off my feet. Depending on the next books in the series, it could easily become one of my all-time favorite series! I wish I could read the next book immediately, and I’m so sad we have to wait an entire year for it. But also, kudos to Callie Hart for having this book get picked up by a publisher! Well deserved!
Favorite Quotes:
Dedication: "For those who live their nightmares so that others may have their dream."
_______
I hadn't seen many beautiful things in my short life. But, of all the beautiful things I had seen, Fisher was the most beautiful of all.
_______
"I can smell you, Little Osha, and I'm thinking about drinking the sweet nectar you're making for me straight from the fucking cup."
_______
Kingfisher was smart. He could be an angry, arrogant, half-mad, outrageously handsome piece of shit and an intelligent tactician at the same time. Turned out the two weren't mutually exclusive.
_______
"I don't enjoy hurting people. I don't like it at all. But that doesn't mean it isn't necessary. To avoid far more serious pain, sometimes we have to endure a little sting. Sometimes, some of us have to inflict it."
_______
We were either going to kill each other or fuck each other, and I was glad we were both opting for the latter option.
_______
"Let your knees fall open," he demanded.
"I-"
"No arguments, Osha. I've driven myself half-crazy wondering what you look like. I need to fucking see. Put me out of my misery."
_______
"Don't call her Sunshine."
"Why not?"
"Because she is moonlight. The mist that shrouds the mountains. The bite of electricity in the air before a storm. The smoke that rolls across a battlefield before killing stars. You have no idea what she is. What she could be. You should call her Majesty."
_______
"Every warrior in Innir will smell me on you. I'm going to make you hoarse from screaming my fucking name. I'm going to mark you in every way imaginable, so that everyone knows you're fucking mine."
_______
"Make me forget that I've ever suffered. Make me forget that I will again."
_______
I was going to have a heart attack. Or my heart was going to break in two. Either way, my heart was in trouble, and there was no protecting it now.
_______
July 16, 2024
im convinced everyone is being held at gunpoint rating this 5 stars
July 11, 2024
“For those who live their nightmares so that others may have their dreams.�
Where do I even BEGIN??? Without a doubt one of my favorite reads of the year! Obsessed is actually the biggest understatement. Everything I want out of a fantasy romance book and them some! I am truly blown away that this is the authors first book in this genre, it was PERFECTION and I will be making it my entire personality.
The world building is very easy to digest and I was immediately sucked in from the second I started reading. I found it actually impossible to put this book down. The perfect balance of plot and romance. The magic system was unlike anything I’ve ever read before and I love how it plays such an integral role in the overall story. There were times where I thought I knew where things were going, then I was absolutely gob smacked by how wrong I was. The last 200 pages had me white knuckling my book. The action and battles scenes were absolutely INCREDIBLE!
Don’t even get me started on shadow daddy Fisher� this man�. THIS MAN!! Let’s just say my top 10 book boyfriends have some serious competition. He is so grumpy and territorial and possessive and a little bit toxic but in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE!! I mean he’s Fae, what do you expect? His mouth???!! Every time he spoke all the feminism left my body. Such a shameless flirt and I ate up every second of it. I surprisingly loved not getting his POV because it added to the mystery and intrigue of him as a character, and trust me this man has secrets. I need him on a level that probably isn’t healthy and I don’t care. His nickname for her means “most sacred� I MEAN COME ON.
“I'll happily kiss all of your aches and pains better for you once we strike camp. I've been told my mouth has healing properties. Especially when administered between a pair of thighs.�
“She is moonlight. The mist that shrouds the mountains. The bite of electricity in the air before a storm. The smoke that rolls across a battlefield before the killing starts. You have no idea what she is. What she could be. You should call her Majesty.�
“I'll be grateful for every second that I can say that I belong to you, Saeris Fane. Eighty years or eighteen hours. It doesn't matter to me. It'll still be the highest honor of my life.�
Our FMC Saeris is such a confident badass but not in an annoying, “pick me� way. She knows what she wants and goes after it but actually thinks her decisions through and doesn’t act on pure emotion, shocking I know. And her overall mindset is so empowering! I cannot wait to see her character grow throughout the series!
THE ROMANCE!!!! You can feel the chemistry oozing out of the pages. The banter between Saeris and Fisher is chefs fucking kiss, the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. It’s giving soulmates and I will find you in every lifetime. It’s advertised as enemies to lovers but I personally wouldn’t describe it as enemies to lovers i would say it’s more “I really don’t like you and I don’t know why to lovers�, but I still ate it up.
The side characters were so well flushed out and impossible not to fall in love with! The found family was EVERYTHING, I’m already so emotionally attached to them and it’s only book 1!!!
“Be unrelenting and unmerciful in the face of the wicked dead. And if you should find your soul sundered from flesh, order a drink for us at the first tavern you come across in the afterlife. We’ll settle the tab when we get there.�
This book is for you if you love:
✔️found family
✔️enemies to lovers
✔️grumpy shadow daddy MMC
✔️unique magic system
✔️delicious banter and tension
✔️slow burn
✔️fated mates
✔️badass FMC
✔️spicy spice
Where do I even BEGIN??? Without a doubt one of my favorite reads of the year! Obsessed is actually the biggest understatement. Everything I want out of a fantasy romance book and them some! I am truly blown away that this is the authors first book in this genre, it was PERFECTION and I will be making it my entire personality.
The world building is very easy to digest and I was immediately sucked in from the second I started reading. I found it actually impossible to put this book down. The perfect balance of plot and romance. The magic system was unlike anything I’ve ever read before and I love how it plays such an integral role in the overall story. There were times where I thought I knew where things were going, then I was absolutely gob smacked by how wrong I was. The last 200 pages had me white knuckling my book. The action and battles scenes were absolutely INCREDIBLE!
Don’t even get me started on shadow daddy Fisher� this man�. THIS MAN!! Let’s just say my top 10 book boyfriends have some serious competition. He is so grumpy and territorial and possessive and a little bit toxic but in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE!! I mean he’s Fae, what do you expect? His mouth???!! Every time he spoke all the feminism left my body. Such a shameless flirt and I ate up every second of it. I surprisingly loved not getting his POV because it added to the mystery and intrigue of him as a character, and trust me this man has secrets. I need him on a level that probably isn’t healthy and I don’t care. His nickname for her means “most sacred� I MEAN COME ON.
“I'll happily kiss all of your aches and pains better for you once we strike camp. I've been told my mouth has healing properties. Especially when administered between a pair of thighs.�
“She is moonlight. The mist that shrouds the mountains. The bite of electricity in the air before a storm. The smoke that rolls across a battlefield before the killing starts. You have no idea what she is. What she could be. You should call her Majesty.�
“I'll be grateful for every second that I can say that I belong to you, Saeris Fane. Eighty years or eighteen hours. It doesn't matter to me. It'll still be the highest honor of my life.�
Our FMC Saeris is such a confident badass but not in an annoying, “pick me� way. She knows what she wants and goes after it but actually thinks her decisions through and doesn’t act on pure emotion, shocking I know. And her overall mindset is so empowering! I cannot wait to see her character grow throughout the series!
THE ROMANCE!!!! You can feel the chemistry oozing out of the pages. The banter between Saeris and Fisher is chefs fucking kiss, the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. It’s giving soulmates and I will find you in every lifetime. It’s advertised as enemies to lovers but I personally wouldn’t describe it as enemies to lovers i would say it’s more “I really don’t like you and I don’t know why to lovers�, but I still ate it up.
The side characters were so well flushed out and impossible not to fall in love with! The found family was EVERYTHING, I’m already so emotionally attached to them and it’s only book 1!!!
“Be unrelenting and unmerciful in the face of the wicked dead. And if you should find your soul sundered from flesh, order a drink for us at the first tavern you come across in the afterlife. We’ll settle the tab when we get there.�
This book is for you if you love:
✔️found family
✔️enemies to lovers
✔️grumpy shadow daddy MMC
✔️unique magic system
✔️delicious banter and tension
✔️slow burn
✔️fated mates
✔️badass FMC
✔️spicy spice
October 10, 2024
“For those who live their nightmares, so that others may have their dreams.�
� � � � � � � � � � . � . � 2.2-2.4 � � . � . �
� � � � � � � � ╰┈➤˗ˏˋㅤmight contain spoilers �
� � � This served me as the biggest lesson to never trust booktokor people ever again, because I was genuinely excited for this book; I really thought I was about to find my second 5-star read of the year and I was looking forward to starting this book after how much it's been praised again and again everywhere around me. I was wrong; because what was this even supposed to be? I might be slightly overreacting, this was not such an awful book, it was pretty ok (as it can also be seen from my rating), but I guess my expectations were a bit too high, and I was, therefore, left rather disappointed.
� � � "Quiksilver" is the typical romantasy book that you will find around lately; a lot of very popular tropes, a lot cliches that are unfortunately not suitably adapted to the book's characters and action and a really dark MMC who wants to be morally grey.
� � � The story of the book follows Saeris a thief with a noble heart who is struggling to survive together with her brother in the city of Zilvaren, whose heartless queen rules without mercy or compassion. Once forced to be brought in front of the said queen to be judged, Saeris finds the true depths of the queen's malice, but fate has other plans for her and when a mysterious, dark and brooding man saves her just in time, she finds herself in the middle of the political intrigues of an unknown kingdom. Of course, the brooding man is none other than Kingfisher who, despite his very unfortunate and horrible name, is the most beautiful man Saeris has ever laid her eyes on. Oh, did I say man? My apologies, I meant to say male because, as you probably already guessed, he is fae. From here starts the whole adventure of loyalty, misunderstood heroes and brave companions, all revolving around the funny, even though a bit childish at times, banter between our main characters. Spice could not be missed from such a recipe of a story, even though I, at least, would have appreciated it way more if 80% out of it was indeed missed. But it is all leading towards the very ending of the book where the FMC might find herself in a very different, very new, and very intriguing position.
� � � I will just proceed with my analysis below without wasting any more time.
� � � � � � -ˋˏ � world-building, writing and action � ˎˊ-
� � � The world-building in this novel is really excellent, and it is probably the only aspect of it that I found completely satisfactory. There are hardly any extraneous details, and the world is intriguingly and fairly well-constructed, revealing more and more information to you as the reader as the novel goes on. It really did seem a little unique, which was exactly what I needed to keep me intrigued.
� � On the other hand, I genuinely have nothing to say about the writing. It is not bad, it is not good either. It was basic, a touch bland, and sometimes even a little fanfiction-ish. It had no business having such long chapters in the first half of the book.
� � � There is not much to say about the action in the book either. The action was pretty captivating, a bit slow at times, and gave the appearance that it was focused on insignificant issues, but overall, it was very adequate and even entertaining at moments.
� � � � � � � � � � � � � -ˋˏ � characters � ˎˊ-
� � � I refuse to believe these characters' ages vary between the range of 24 and 1800. These people acted like teenagers more than once and it was becoming so hard for me to remember that they are adults in so many instances.
� � � ❀ Saeris - I want to make this very clear, I do not like this character. I do not think there is something specific wrong with her, but I just couldn't, for the love of God, appreciate her as a main character. I am not sure if it was due to the manner in which she was presented in the book, but she was so uninteresting, and it was so hard to relate to her through the novel. She does not evolve in any special way; she, somehow, already possesses every attribute that may make every single person she meets fall for her, and she just does not elicit empathy.
� � � ❀ Kingfisher - Apart from having one of the worst names ever given to a MMC, there isn't really much to say about him either. He is the dark, brooding, and misunderstood, yet absolutely noble hero who suffered time and time again for the good of his people. He is, by far, way more intriguing as a character than Saeris, but once you really try to go deeper into his character, you do not really find much apart from the sexual/funny banter and his constant willingness to sacrifice for everything and everyone around him. There was way more potential behind this character.
� � � � I really need writers to stop promoting everything as enemies to lovers and slow-burn; because these two tropes lasted for about 20 pages after the characters met and that simply does not fulfil the requirements for any of these elements. This was very insta-love(lust?) and despite having about 500 pages of these characters together, I could not feel any real chemistry or genuine feelings between them by the end of this book. There was real potential for this romance, but unfortunately it got buried under unnecessary tropes. Not to mention that the ending opens the possibility towards a really...strange..thing.
ㅤㅤ ❀ Ren, Lorreth, Everlayne - They were genuinely really fun side characters. I loved them to be honest. Not much to say about them, but I loved them.
ㅤㅤ ❀ Carrion - thank you for your service, king!!! This book would have genuinely been so much worse without his jokes and funny banters with...well, everyone.
� � � � � � � � � � � � -ˋˏ � ending and conclusions � ˎˊ-
� � � Now, I am not sure what could be said about the ending of this book so it could perfectly encompass what I truly felt about it, but I will try to describe it using a question:is there any plot left for the rest of the books in this series, because why did so many different events have to be compressed into such a short span of pages? The ending seemed rushed, and there were so many disclosures and events happening at once that I became overwhelmed. Not to add that the finale, due to how it was constructed, fails to ignite your interest in reading the rest of the series. There may have been many fewer details supplied in this ending, which could have been left for the second book and piqued the reader's interest significantly.
� � � I don't think there is much to say as a conclusion for this book. It was not a bad novel, but it was really far from being the amazing piece of literature so many people advertised it as. If you want a quite entertaining, slightly long book that will give you some of the most popular book tropes right now, then absolutely go for this. But do not go into it expecting too much, because I made that mistake, and now, I am left slightly disappointed.
� � � I will be reading the second book as well, but it would be solely due to my curiosity regarding the plot and its direction. Apart from that, this is not really a read that piqued my interest.
┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶
� � � � � pre-reading � � � � � yes, it is finally time 🙌🏻 i don't even need to mention how many amazing things I've heard about this, so needless to say, I am so excited!!!
� � � � � � � � � � . � . � 2.2-2.4 � � . � . �
� � � � � � � � ╰┈➤˗ˏˋㅤmight contain spoilers �
� � � This served me as the biggest lesson to never trust booktok
� � � "Quiksilver" is the typical romantasy book that you will find around lately; a lot of very popular tropes, a lot cliches that are unfortunately not suitably adapted to the book's characters and action and a really dark MMC who wants to be morally grey.
� � � The story of the book follows Saeris a thief with a noble heart who is struggling to survive together with her brother in the city of Zilvaren, whose heartless queen rules without mercy or compassion. Once forced to be brought in front of the said queen to be judged, Saeris finds the true depths of the queen's malice, but fate has other plans for her and when a mysterious, dark and brooding man saves her just in time, she finds herself in the middle of the political intrigues of an unknown kingdom. Of course, the brooding man is none other than Kingfisher who, despite his very unfortunate and horrible name, is the most beautiful man Saeris has ever laid her eyes on. Oh, did I say man? My apologies, I meant to say male because, as you probably already guessed, he is fae. From here starts the whole adventure of loyalty, misunderstood heroes and brave companions, all revolving around the funny, even though a bit childish at times, banter between our main characters. Spice could not be missed from such a recipe of a story, even though I, at least, would have appreciated it way more if 80% out of it was indeed missed. But it is all leading towards the very ending of the book where the FMC might find herself in a very different, very new, and very intriguing position.
� � � I will just proceed with my analysis below without wasting any more time.
� � � � � � -ˋˏ � world-building, writing and action � ˎˊ-
� � � The world-building in this novel is really excellent, and it is probably the only aspect of it that I found completely satisfactory. There are hardly any extraneous details, and the world is intriguingly and fairly well-constructed, revealing more and more information to you as the reader as the novel goes on. It really did seem a little unique, which was exactly what I needed to keep me intrigued.
� � On the other hand, I genuinely have nothing to say about the writing. It is not bad, it is not good either. It was basic, a touch bland, and sometimes even a little fanfiction-ish. It had no business having such long chapters in the first half of the book.
� � � There is not much to say about the action in the book either. The action was pretty captivating, a bit slow at times, and gave the appearance that it was focused on insignificant issues, but overall, it was very adequate and even entertaining at moments.
� � � � � � � � � � � � � -ˋˏ � characters � ˎˊ-
� � � I refuse to believe these characters' ages vary between the range of 24 and 1800. These people acted like teenagers more than once and it was becoming so hard for me to remember that they are adults in so many instances.
� � � ❀ Saeris - I want to make this very clear, I do not like this character. I do not think there is something specific wrong with her, but I just couldn't, for the love of God, appreciate her as a main character. I am not sure if it was due to the manner in which she was presented in the book, but she was so uninteresting, and it was so hard to relate to her through the novel. She does not evolve in any special way; she, somehow, already possesses every attribute that may make every single person she meets fall for her, and she just does not elicit empathy.
� � � ❀ Kingfisher - Apart from having one of the worst names ever given to a MMC, there isn't really much to say about him either. He is the dark, brooding, and misunderstood, yet absolutely noble hero who suffered time and time again for the good of his people. He is, by far, way more intriguing as a character than Saeris, but once you really try to go deeper into his character, you do not really find much apart from the sexual/funny banter and his constant willingness to sacrifice for everything and everyone around him. There was way more potential behind this character.
� � � � I really need writers to stop promoting everything as enemies to lovers and slow-burn; because these two tropes lasted for about 20 pages after the characters met and that simply does not fulfil the requirements for any of these elements. This was very insta-love(lust?) and despite having about 500 pages of these characters together, I could not feel any real chemistry or genuine feelings between them by the end of this book. There was real potential for this romance, but unfortunately it got buried under unnecessary tropes. Not to mention that the ending opens the possibility towards a really...strange..thing.
ㅤㅤ ❀ Ren, Lorreth, Everlayne - They were genuinely really fun side characters. I loved them to be honest. Not much to say about them, but I loved them.
ㅤㅤ ❀ Carrion - thank you for your service, king!!! This book would have genuinely been so much worse without his jokes and funny banters with...well, everyone.
� � � � � � � � � � � � -ˋˏ � ending and conclusions � ˎˊ-
� � � Now, I am not sure what could be said about the ending of this book so it could perfectly encompass what I truly felt about it, but I will try to describe it using a question:is there any plot left for the rest of the books in this series, because why did so many different events have to be compressed into such a short span of pages? The ending seemed rushed, and there were so many disclosures and events happening at once that I became overwhelmed. Not to add that the finale, due to how it was constructed, fails to ignite your interest in reading the rest of the series. There may have been many fewer details supplied in this ending, which could have been left for the second book and piqued the reader's interest significantly.
� � � I don't think there is much to say as a conclusion for this book. It was not a bad novel, but it was really far from being the amazing piece of literature so many people advertised it as. If you want a quite entertaining, slightly long book that will give you some of the most popular book tropes right now, then absolutely go for this. But do not go into it expecting too much, because I made that mistake, and now, I am left slightly disappointed.
� � � I will be reading the second book as well, but it would be solely due to my curiosity regarding the plot and its direction. Apart from that, this is not really a read that piqued my interest.
┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶┶
� � � � � pre-reading � � � � � yes, it is finally time 🙌🏻 i don't even need to mention how many amazing things I've heard about this, so needless to say, I am so excited!!!
February 2, 2025
2⭐️
Dare I say that this is probably one of the most overhyped books I have seen from social media? Yes, yes it is. This is going to end up being more of a rant review so here we go.
First off, I didn't like really any of the characters, besides Carrion. That man single-handedly carried the entire book and I wish we got more of him. The FMC was fine, but that's not saying much cause there wasn't really anything deep or meaningful about her. First going into this book I thought that the FMC's brother, Hayden, would be more a part of the plot seeing how the beginning went. However, this man was basically forgotten about 25% through the book LMAOO. Saeris would go on and on and on about needing him....just to forget about him and completely change her motive. I hope this man is living his best life cause no one else is thinking about him. 💀
Secondly, I was hearing everyone say, "Omg I loved Fisher so much he's such a book boyfriend,"....DUDE WHERE?? This man was absolutely diabolical to read about. There's a fine line between a grumpy, difficult MMC, but Fisher was one of the WORST characters I've had the displeasure of reading about. Some of the things he would say to Saeris were so...disgusting. You couldn't PAY ME to be around this man for a minute. I'll stick with keeping him at a ten-foot pole's distance thank you very much.
Finally, what the fuck was up with this plot? It was literally EVERYWHERE. As someone who reads a lot of fantasy, this was just lacking soooo bad and doesn't even compare or stand up to the biggest names in the fantasy genre. The magic system and overall plot was so poorly explained and I mean that in the most brutally honest way. Nothing made sense. Trying to add 2 and 2 together was giving me 25. Make it make sense.
I should know better by now than to listen to books that absolutely dominated TiktTok, and I don't know why I didn't go with my gut on this one. 600+ pages and all I wanted to do was rip my hair out and scream. I have never read a hyped up book be this bad. I have zero interest in continuing this series. While I did enjoy the ending and I liked how it wrapped up, that is nowhere near enough to make up for the dumpster fire that was this book. Save yourself if you haven't read it, truly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Late to the party but I hope I'll be glad I arrived 🙂↔️�
Dare I say that this is probably one of the most overhyped books I have seen from social media? Yes, yes it is. This is going to end up being more of a rant review so here we go.
First off, I didn't like really any of the characters, besides Carrion. That man single-handedly carried the entire book and I wish we got more of him. The FMC was fine, but that's not saying much cause there wasn't really anything deep or meaningful about her. First going into this book I thought that the FMC's brother, Hayden, would be more a part of the plot seeing how the beginning went. However, this man was basically forgotten about 25% through the book LMAOO. Saeris would go on and on and on about needing him....just to forget about him and completely change her motive. I hope this man is living his best life cause no one else is thinking about him. 💀
Secondly, I was hearing everyone say, "Omg I loved Fisher so much he's such a book boyfriend,"....DUDE WHERE?? This man was absolutely diabolical to read about. There's a fine line between a grumpy, difficult MMC, but Fisher was one of the WORST characters I've had the displeasure of reading about. Some of the things he would say to Saeris were so...disgusting. You couldn't PAY ME to be around this man for a minute. I'll stick with keeping him at a ten-foot pole's distance thank you very much.
Finally, what the fuck was up with this plot? It was literally EVERYWHERE. As someone who reads a lot of fantasy, this was just lacking soooo bad and doesn't even compare or stand up to the biggest names in the fantasy genre. The magic system and overall plot was so poorly explained and I mean that in the most brutally honest way. Nothing made sense. Trying to add 2 and 2 together was giving me 25. Make it make sense.
I should know better by now than to listen to books that absolutely dominated TiktTok, and I don't know why I didn't go with my gut on this one. 600+ pages and all I wanted to do was rip my hair out and scream. I have never read a hyped up book be this bad. I have zero interest in continuing this series. While I did enjoy the ending and I liked how it wrapped up, that is nowhere near enough to make up for the dumpster fire that was this book. Save yourself if you haven't read it, truly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Late to the party but I hope I'll be glad I arrived 🙂↔️�
March 26, 2025
˖ � ⟡� 4 stars ˚� � ˖
the way i DNF’ed this the first time at 120 pages� what was i on? i’m glad i decided to try again, because this was really good.
� writing �.˚
the writing isn’t amazing, but it also isn’t terrible. the author doesn’t use a lot of metaphors so everything is pretty understandable. sometimes the dialogue would feel kind of immature and i would get cringed out while reading it, but for the most part it was okay.
� world-building �.˚
the world building is there and for the most part it is explained really well. we find things out at the same time as the main character so while there is a bit of confusion, everything ties together perfectly in the end. on top of that, there isn’t a lot of info dumping. the only thing i am not super sure about is everything to do with the quicksilver. i feel like it could’ve been explained a little bit better because i’m still not sure about it.
additionally, i did feel like there were some aspects of this book that were very heavily inspired by one of booktok’s favorite romantasy books. it made me cringe and it definitely made me lower my rating.
� characters �.˚
� Saeris, at first i found her kind of annoying, but after spending some time with her i’ve really grown to like her. she’s a very confident, selfless, and empathetic character. i loved that even after constantly arguing with her brother, she’d still do absolutely anything for him.
her relationship with Everlayne, Ren, Lorreth, and Carrion was so sweet. they’re her true found family and i was constantly smiling during their scenes.
� Kingfisher, i still can’t believe that’s his actual name. ugh. it’s so ugly. anyways, he’s a lot better than i initially thought. he’s your classic booktok boyfriend type of MMC that’s tall with dark hair and shadow powers. in the beginning he really does hate Saeris, but he doesn’t bully or abuse her, which was something new, as 95% of booktok’s favorite romantasy books go that way. the bar is literally on the floor, but i indeed did appreciate it (it should be the standard). he was so so sweet in the end. he truly cared about Saeris.
� tropes �.˚
� human FMC x fae MMC
� 1st person POV
� fae, vampires, witches, spirits
� strangers (?) to lovers
� found family
� forced proximity
� animal companion
� hidden magical abilities
� traveling between realms
� court politics
� spice level: 🌶️🌶️
� final thoughts �.˚
overall, i’m really glad i gave into the booktok hype and decided to give this book another go.
i’m very excited for the next one!
the way i DNF’ed this the first time at 120 pages� what was i on? i’m glad i decided to try again, because this was really good.
� writing �.˚
the writing isn’t amazing, but it also isn’t terrible. the author doesn’t use a lot of metaphors so everything is pretty understandable. sometimes the dialogue would feel kind of immature and i would get cringed out while reading it, but for the most part it was okay.
� world-building �.˚
the world building is there and for the most part it is explained really well. we find things out at the same time as the main character so while there is a bit of confusion, everything ties together perfectly in the end. on top of that, there isn’t a lot of info dumping. the only thing i am not super sure about is everything to do with the quicksilver. i feel like it could’ve been explained a little bit better because i’m still not sure about it.
additionally, i did feel like there were some aspects of this book that were very heavily inspired by one of booktok’s favorite romantasy books. it made me cringe and it definitely made me lower my rating.
� characters �.˚
� Saeris, at first i found her kind of annoying, but after spending some time with her i’ve really grown to like her. she’s a very confident, selfless, and empathetic character. i loved that even after constantly arguing with her brother, she’d still do absolutely anything for him.
her relationship with Everlayne, Ren, Lorreth, and Carrion was so sweet. they’re her true found family and i was constantly smiling during their scenes.
� Kingfisher, i still can’t believe that’s his actual name. ugh. it’s so ugly. anyways, he’s a lot better than i initially thought. he’s your classic booktok boyfriend type of MMC that’s tall with dark hair and shadow powers. in the beginning he really does hate Saeris, but he doesn’t bully or abuse her, which was something new, as 95% of booktok’s favorite romantasy books go that way. the bar is literally on the floor, but i indeed did appreciate it (it should be the standard). he was so so sweet in the end. he truly cared about Saeris.
� tropes �.˚
� human FMC x fae MMC
� 1st person POV
� fae, vampires, witches, spirits
� strangers (?) to lovers
� found family
� forced proximity
� animal companion
� hidden magical abilities
� traveling between realms
� court politics
� spice level: 🌶️🌶️
� final thoughts �.˚
overall, i’m really glad i gave into the booktok hype and decided to give this book another go.
i’m very excited for the next one!
April 22, 2025
I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Quicksilver snuck up on me. I had fun. It’s the kind of romantasy that feels like an ode to tropes, but it reveres its predecessors without parroting them.
There’s intent here, and a nice amount of heart.
I caught hints of ACOTAR, the lore leaning towards Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air series, and even some Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin energy. Plus some Excalibur vibes.
The fae lore hit Holly Black beats for me. No lying, the weight of oaths, the power of true names. And they weren't just constraints for the plot but metaphors for power, consent, and identity.
Similarly, while there’s romance, the story digs deeper with layers of choice, power, fate and free will. Who we are when we’re being used... and who we become when we push back. It’s thoughtful in ways I didn’t expect.
Carrion Swift is a supporting side character who was someone I fully expected to be reduced to a plot device, angst bait or cannon fodder but ended up being handled with care and kind of became one of my favourite characters? I was ready to be mad about his unfair character arc, but he turned out exceptional.
Likewise, Kingfisher, the broody, troubled MMC grew on me. He started off a bit insufferable, got punched (deserved), and then morphed into someone worth rooting for. Even his nickname for Saeris, which I was fully prepared to loathe, I'll allow, given all the emotional gravitas there.
So, yes. The cover gave me mild secondhand embarrassment. I get the critiques the story has, in particular, the female friendships (why did the one female friendship have to be tied to the love interest? Also, the role and depiction of Danya).
But I also get the hype. And in the end, I loved it.
˦️˦️˦️
Me: “I don’t trust hype.�
Also me: starts reading Quicksilver
There’s intent here, and a nice amount of heart.
I caught hints of ACOTAR, the lore leaning towards Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air series, and even some Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin energy. Plus some Excalibur vibes.
The fae lore hit Holly Black beats for me. No lying, the weight of oaths, the power of true names. And they weren't just constraints for the plot but metaphors for power, consent, and identity.
Similarly, while there’s romance, the story digs deeper with layers of choice, power, fate and free will. Who we are when we’re being used... and who we become when we push back. It’s thoughtful in ways I didn’t expect.
Carrion Swift is a supporting side character who was someone I fully expected to be reduced to a plot device, angst bait or cannon fodder but ended up being handled with care and kind of became one of my favourite characters? I was ready to be mad about his unfair character arc, but he turned out exceptional.
Likewise, Kingfisher, the broody, troubled MMC grew on me. He started off a bit insufferable, got punched (deserved), and then morphed into someone worth rooting for. Even his nickname for Saeris, which I was fully prepared to loathe, I'll allow, given all the emotional gravitas there.
So, yes. The cover gave me mild secondhand embarrassment. I get the critiques the story has, in particular, the female friendships (why did the one female friendship have to be tied to the love interest? Also, the role and depiction of Danya).
But I also get the hype. And in the end, I loved it.
˦️˦️˦️
Me: “I don’t trust hype.�
Also me: starts reading Quicksilver
March 31, 2025
Those of you who told me to finish this are BAD HUMANS 🤣 watch the reading vlog and very detailed rant review here:
I need a palette cleanser, stat 😳
I need a palette cleanser, stat 😳
December 4, 2024
2 STARS for the ending � Most of my critique is due to poor writing and editing. The book should have been 200 pages shorter, and there were typos, run-on sentences, and plot inconsistencies throughout.
Though no fault of the author, BookTok seems cursed with the inability to correctlycategorize tropes because this was nothing more than a mediocre romantasy. It is NOT enemies-to-lovers, nor is it a slow burn. The found family was neverfound and the supposed razor-sharp banter was more akin to a dull knife. The character names were an interesting choice as well. Her nickname is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and his "real name" is Kingfisher.
Was tempted to DNF at the 25-30% mark, but it's difficult to fullyevaluate without finishing. So I persevered, and can now confirm that while things did pick up slightly in the very end, it's not worth reading 500 pages of insta-lust in exchange for 100 pages of fantasy plot points that are done better elsewhere.
Though no fault of the author, BookTok seems cursed with the inability to correctlycategorize tropes because this was nothing more than a mediocre romantasy. It is NOT enemies-to-lovers, nor is it a slow burn. The found family was neverfound and the supposed razor-sharp banter was more akin to a dull knife. The character names were an interesting choice as well. Her nickname is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and his "real name" is Kingfisher.
Was tempted to DNF at the 25-30% mark, but it's difficult to fullyevaluate without finishing. So I persevered, and can now confirm that while things did pick up slightly in the very end, it's not worth reading 500 pages of insta-lust in exchange for 100 pages of fantasy plot points that are done better elsewhere.
July 13, 2024
5 MFN� STARS!!!
I. AM. SCREAMING.
This book is worth all of the hype. ALL OF IT. It deserves MORE!!!
It has it all. Magic I’ve never read about before, found family that I suspect will continue to get better and better as the next two books come, an EMO SHADOW DADDY!!!!, a badass FMC that has survived by the skin of her teeth, and plot twists GALORE.
For all those comparing it to ACOTAR� this series may end up being even better. I SAID IT. So freaking good, no boring moments, and I’m CHOMPING AT THE BIT for the next book.
This is one of my favorite books of the year and it will not move from that position.
Also� FISHER. I LOVVVVEEEE HIM.
10/10 recommend. Read it.
I. AM. SCREAMING.
This book is worth all of the hype. ALL OF IT. It deserves MORE!!!
It has it all. Magic I’ve never read about before, found family that I suspect will continue to get better and better as the next two books come, an EMO SHADOW DADDY!!!!, a badass FMC that has survived by the skin of her teeth, and plot twists GALORE.
For all those comparing it to ACOTAR� this series may end up being even better. I SAID IT. So freaking good, no boring moments, and I’m CHOMPING AT THE BIT for the next book.
This is one of my favorite books of the year and it will not move from that position.
Also� FISHER. I LOVVVVEEEE HIM.
10/10 recommend. Read it.
July 23, 2024
DNF 30%
Another viral booktok book doesn’t live up to the hype for me. Shock.
If you’re happy with fantasy on Ozempic, not getting the full picture with detail, but heavy on romance, you might like this. Providing you can get past the clunky writing and cringey dialogue. Oh and the MMC being called Kingfisher, who is not a Pokémon with that name.
Politics form such a huge part of a fantasy plot and if I don’t understand the world and why it’s the way it is, I���m out. I actually prefer romance as a subplot I’m realising. It should elevate a fantasy, but in these popular romantasy books, the fantasy is sacrificed to give way for the romance, by which point idgaf about.
The world. Why does the queen oppress civilians from The Third? Rather than ration their water and food if she’s afraid rebels from The Third are working with the fae, why doesn’t she just wipe them out already? How did she even become queen? She rations water but not alcohol? Why would the Queen do that 😭 how is a tavern packed if there’s a water ration? How are they making the alcohol 🤣 why would the Queen allow it?! No sense was made!!
Passage between The Hub and The Third is forbidden due to The Third being infected with a plague yet our FMC is easily scaling a wall to cross the two??
She also kept saying at the start before she stole the gauntlet that she had a plan. What was it 😂 was never answered.
How is the FMC murdering 2 trained queen guards and throwing down 3 of them when she’s dehydrated, doesn’t eat properly and was kicked in the ribs in the previous chapter? I’m expected to accept this and THEN it will make sense when I find out she’s got powers or she’s half whatever magical creature at 80%, I can almost guarantee it.
The FMC 🤦🏽♀� she didn’t know when to STFU. Utterly insufferable she needed a mute button. I couldn’t connect with her at all. She had zero internal struggle, sure she grew up in poverty and wished for a better future but because it wasn’t fleshed out enough it didn’t make her relatable or humble? Instead she yapped on and thought she knew best. I barely understood her actions, her behaviour was confusing. Like she opened that portal because ‘what’s a bit more suffering� WHAT 🤣🤣 also super selective on when she gave af about her brother.
Kingfisher didn’t talk like a fae who was thousands of years old. The banter he had with the FMC was immature and became sexual so quickly?
Saying ‘he was knocked for six� (a cricket reference), ‘super� and ‘cliff notes� took me right out of the story. It wasn’t appropriate given the setting of the book.
There was soooo much telling over showing. I couldn’t get on with it.
Not a vibe.
Another viral booktok book doesn’t live up to the hype for me. Shock.
If you’re happy with fantasy on Ozempic, not getting the full picture with detail, but heavy on romance, you might like this. Providing you can get past the clunky writing and cringey dialogue. Oh and the MMC being called Kingfisher, who is not a Pokémon with that name.
Politics form such a huge part of a fantasy plot and if I don’t understand the world and why it’s the way it is, I���m out. I actually prefer romance as a subplot I’m realising. It should elevate a fantasy, but in these popular romantasy books, the fantasy is sacrificed to give way for the romance, by which point idgaf about.
The world. Why does the queen oppress civilians from The Third? Rather than ration their water and food if she’s afraid rebels from The Third are working with the fae, why doesn’t she just wipe them out already? How did she even become queen? She rations water but not alcohol? Why would the Queen do that 😭 how is a tavern packed if there’s a water ration? How are they making the alcohol 🤣 why would the Queen allow it?! No sense was made!!
Passage between The Hub and The Third is forbidden due to The Third being infected with a plague yet our FMC is easily scaling a wall to cross the two??
She also kept saying at the start before she stole the gauntlet that she had a plan. What was it 😂 was never answered.
How is the FMC murdering 2 trained queen guards and throwing down 3 of them when she’s dehydrated, doesn’t eat properly and was kicked in the ribs in the previous chapter? I’m expected to accept this and THEN it will make sense when I find out she’s got powers or she’s half whatever magical creature at 80%, I can almost guarantee it.
The FMC 🤦🏽♀� she didn’t know when to STFU. Utterly insufferable she needed a mute button. I couldn’t connect with her at all. She had zero internal struggle, sure she grew up in poverty and wished for a better future but because it wasn’t fleshed out enough it didn’t make her relatable or humble? Instead she yapped on and thought she knew best. I barely understood her actions, her behaviour was confusing. Like she opened that portal because ‘what’s a bit more suffering� WHAT 🤣🤣 also super selective on when she gave af about her brother.
Kingfisher didn’t talk like a fae who was thousands of years old. The banter he had with the FMC was immature and became sexual so quickly?
Saying ‘he was knocked for six� (a cricket reference), ‘super� and ‘cliff notes� took me right out of the story. It wasn’t appropriate given the setting of the book.
There was soooo much telling over showing. I couldn’t get on with it.
Not a vibe.
July 30, 2024
This is the age of Romance authors dabbling in fantasy, and Romance readers 4/5-staring them
What is wrong with that????
Because it gives us shit like this book
I'm judging everyone who liked this book
Please unfriend me immediately
Stop making mediocre authors famous.
Romance authors, either leave the fantasy genre to its people or, for God's sake, work on your books!!!!
GOD! Just another Fourth Wing and Reckless wannabe... not that either of those was good
Next thing you'll tell me, Colleen Hoover is writing a fantasy
What is wrong with that????
Because it gives us shit like this book
I'm judging everyone who liked this book
Please unfriend me immediately
Stop making mediocre authors famous.
Romance authors, either leave the fantasy genre to its people or, for God's sake, work on your books!!!!
GOD! Just another Fourth Wing and Reckless wannabe... not that either of those was good
Next thing you'll tell me, Colleen Hoover is writing a fantasy
March 28, 2025
‘I wanted to remember this. In the years to come, when I looked back at this moment, I would be glad that I’d taken the leap and jumped. This was the kiss to end all kisses. Demanding, urgent, and carnal.
I hated this male. Hated him with every fiber of my being. But curse me, I wanted him just as bad.�
Another day, another popular fantasy romance book was reviewed. I do have to say, after reading Quicksilver by Callie Hart, I get why. This was a fresh breath of fresh air because it was different when it comes to Fae. I can easily say that it is one of my favorite fantasy reads of 2024.
My only real complaint is that it just dragged a little in areas where I wonder if it could have been edited out. But all in all, it was good and I wouldn’t change a thing.
As you are reading, the world is starting to unfold and reveal itself to you which makes this fantasy book easier to digest when it comes to world building. As the main character sees it, so do you. But I do see more potential for the world to unfold more because throughout the story, it is revealed there is a lot going on.
I really love the dry humor banter from Fisher to Saeris. It was fun and I really love the dynamic between them throughout the story. I would say, they did come together a little too quick where it felt a little insta lovey. But the way it unfolded made sense and I was here for their relationship from the very beginning.
Read My Honest Book Review on My Blog:
There are great side characters, adorable animal sidekicks, and a great balance between the romance and the action. This book has it all and I love it.
The ending of this book is what made this story super incredible and this makes me want the second book immediately. It ended well. So if you are debating on if this book is for you, I highly recommend reading this book to the very end before decided if this is for you or not.
Connect With Me:
BLOG � � �
I hated this male. Hated him with every fiber of my being. But curse me, I wanted him just as bad.�
Another day, another popular fantasy romance book was reviewed. I do have to say, after reading Quicksilver by Callie Hart, I get why. This was a fresh breath of fresh air because it was different when it comes to Fae. I can easily say that it is one of my favorite fantasy reads of 2024.
My only real complaint is that it just dragged a little in areas where I wonder if it could have been edited out. But all in all, it was good and I wouldn’t change a thing.
As you are reading, the world is starting to unfold and reveal itself to you which makes this fantasy book easier to digest when it comes to world building. As the main character sees it, so do you. But I do see more potential for the world to unfold more because throughout the story, it is revealed there is a lot going on.
I really love the dry humor banter from Fisher to Saeris. It was fun and I really love the dynamic between them throughout the story. I would say, they did come together a little too quick where it felt a little insta lovey. But the way it unfolded made sense and I was here for their relationship from the very beginning.
Read My Honest Book Review on My Blog:
There are great side characters, adorable animal sidekicks, and a great balance between the romance and the action. This book has it all and I love it.
The ending of this book is what made this story super incredible and this makes me want the second book immediately. It ended well. So if you are debating on if this book is for you, I highly recommend reading this book to the very end before decided if this is for you or not.
Connect With Me:
BLOG � � �
January 29, 2025
I muscled through 6 half hours of this audiobook and simply couldn't stomach a moment more.
What book are y'all reading? Cause I haven't heard of her. This book, however, was trash.
You want me to swoon for a man that calls it 'wet folds'? Not once, not twice, but multiple times?? I'd rather peel my skin own off and staple it back on inside-out. Thanks though 😘
Also, the typos alone are an army too big and powerful for me to conquer. Publishing has been deteriorating by-and-large as literary consumerism has began to supersede it's capitalism. This, and Fourth Wing alike, show the discredit showed toward editing.
Sorry, let me shut my mouth, and allow those who feast to enjoy their harvest.
To those who celebrate, be merry.
To those who fester, I am in the dark crevices beside you, longing and willing to draw the deepest hate at a moment's notice. All who gather here, be ware.
What book are y'all reading? Cause I haven't heard of her. This book, however, was trash.
You want me to swoon for a man that calls it 'wet folds'? Not once, not twice, but multiple times?? I'd rather peel my skin own off and staple it back on inside-out. Thanks though 😘
Also, the typos alone are an army too big and powerful for me to conquer. Publishing has been deteriorating by-and-large as literary consumerism has began to supersede it's capitalism. This, and Fourth Wing alike, show the discredit showed toward editing.
Sorry, let me shut my mouth, and allow those who feast to enjoy their harvest.
To those who celebrate, be merry.
To those who fester, I am in the dark crevices beside you, longing and willing to draw the deepest hate at a moment's notice. All who gather here, be ware.
July 12, 2024
Made it 25%. I just can’t do it. This was…underwhelming.
If you’ve read any romantasy book in the past 2 years, you’ve already read this one.
There’s obviously a reason so many people are enjoying this book. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.
I don’t normally rate books that I dnf’d, but the average rating for this is very misleading.
If you’ve read any romantasy book in the past 2 years, you’ve already read this one.
There’s obviously a reason so many people are enjoying this book. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.
I don’t normally rate books that I dnf’d, but the average rating for this is very misleading.
July 9, 2024
This is terrible. There's no way anyone with a developed prefrontal cortex can enjoy this unless you're into dumb dialogues and even dumber MCs.
Don't get me wrong - the start is great. The idea and the world in which this is set is actually quite interesting. But as with many books in this genre, our independent, self sufficient and strong FMC turns into a useless, horny buffoon when she meets her eventual love interest.
The MMC? You're telling me you're 1000+ years old and you talk and act like a fucking moody teenager? In his emo stage? What grown ass woman finds that attractive?
Also, dear authors, respectfully, please don't gaslight the readers about the MCs being funny. It doesn't work. Just write funny scenes and dialogues to make us laugh. Don't write cringy 'jokes' and 'quips' that are not funny at all, and then have the side characters finding the MC hilarious as if that's going to make us think the joke was good. The FMC was making dreadful comebacks throughout which would have her be laughed out of a high school cafeteria, let alone in an adult setting.
It makes sense that this book is 'recommended for readers 17+'. Not because of TW or violence, but because the dialogue is on a level of 15-18 year olds.
Don't get me wrong - the start is great. The idea and the world in which this is set is actually quite interesting. But as with many books in this genre, our independent, self sufficient and strong FMC turns into a useless, horny buffoon when she meets her eventual love interest.
The MMC? You're telling me you're 1000+ years old and you talk and act like a fucking moody teenager? In his emo stage? What grown ass woman finds that attractive?
Also, dear authors, respectfully, please don't gaslight the readers about the MCs being funny. It doesn't work. Just write funny scenes and dialogues to make us laugh. Don't write cringy 'jokes' and 'quips' that are not funny at all, and then have the side characters finding the MC hilarious as if that's going to make us think the joke was good. The FMC was making dreadful comebacks throughout which would have her be laughed out of a high school cafeteria, let alone in an adult setting.
It makes sense that this book is 'recommended for readers 17+'. Not because of TW or violence, but because the dialogue is on a level of 15-18 year olds.
July 24, 2024
✨Thank you to ml SK for the amazing buddy read�
I am still debating on how I want to rate this and I might even come back and change it later. The beginning started off strong and had me completely intrigued. It had so much potential, but the middle 200 or so pages I struggled with. I found myself not really knowing where the plot or story was going. The pace was a little off and nothing was really happening. At this point I was going to rate it a 3 maybe 3.5 Hearing such amazing reviews I decided to keep reading and see where it would take me�. Then the ending came and BOOM BAM...WHAT???👀👀👀....You know those moments where you just look at your book/kindle like What just happened?🤣That ending completely made up for it.
� I can not wait for the second one to come out in October!!�
*:･ﾟ�Plot*:･ﾟ�
Saeris Fane is a human girl living in a desert land who is good at two things: keeping secrets and stealing. She steals to survive and to take care of her younger brother who constantly finds himself in the middle of trouble. One day, Saeris finds that her stealing catches up to her and the guards have come to take her to the Queen. After her and her family are sentenced to death, a mysterious man in a pool of quicksilver rescues her and takes her to another realm. When she wakes up, she realizes she has been thrown into a world of fae and war, and the only way she can get back home is to help the King.
*:･ﾟ�Tropes*:･ﾟ�
✨Unique Magic System
✨Magical Creatures
✨Found Family
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Fated Mates
✨Bad-Ass FMC
✨Grumpy MMC
✨Banter and Tension
✨Forced proximity
✨S辱
*:･ﾟ�Saeris Fane*:･ﾟ�
I really enjoyed Saeris, from the very beginning, she was a survivor. Sassy, smart, and quick-witted, she was not afraid to accept a challenge or defend those she loved. With no living parents, it was up to her to take care of herself and her younger brother. Saeris is different and she knows it but doesn't quite understand these unusual abilities.
*:･ﾟ�Kingfisher*:･ﾟ�
Kingfisher moved with the shadows, dark, mysterious and half-insane. He was a brooding MMC, labeled as a traitor, and disliked by many. Deep down though, its a facade to block others out. He is extememly loyal and would battle the world for those he cared about.
*:･ﾟ�Side Characters*:･ﾟ�
The found family trope was my favorite in this book. Carrion was hilarious and helped bring humor to the story. Everlayne is the sweetest and was a friend to Saeris with no questions asked. Ren and Lorreth, I loved their undying loyalty to Kingfisher and their backstories that made them all so close.
*:･ﾟ�Saeris & Kingfisher*:･ﾟ�
Enemies to lovers, tension, and banter. This romance was a little of everywhere. One minute they hated each other and then the next minute it was insta-lust that lacked emotional depth. However, towards the end of the story it did develop much better.💓
Pre-Read:
�Buddy Reading with my Beautiful SK!�
So excited about this one!
Magic, Kings/Queens, Fae, vampires, magical creatures--give me all the feels!
I have heard amazing things about this one, so fingers crossed that it delivers!🤞💓
I need all the vibes this cover is giving!😍
"Of course Death was beautiful. How else would anyone chose to go with him without putting up a fight?
I am still debating on how I want to rate this and I might even come back and change it later. The beginning started off strong and had me completely intrigued. It had so much potential, but the middle 200 or so pages I struggled with. I found myself not really knowing where the plot or story was going. The pace was a little off and nothing was really happening. At this point I was going to rate it a 3 maybe 3.5 Hearing such amazing reviews I decided to keep reading and see where it would take me�. Then the ending came and BOOM BAM...WHAT???👀👀👀....You know those moments where you just look at your book/kindle like What just happened?🤣That ending completely made up for it.
� I can not wait for the second one to come out in October!!�
*:･ﾟ�Plot*:･ﾟ�
Saeris Fane is a human girl living in a desert land who is good at two things: keeping secrets and stealing. She steals to survive and to take care of her younger brother who constantly finds himself in the middle of trouble. One day, Saeris finds that her stealing catches up to her and the guards have come to take her to the Queen. After her and her family are sentenced to death, a mysterious man in a pool of quicksilver rescues her and takes her to another realm. When she wakes up, she realizes she has been thrown into a world of fae and war, and the only way she can get back home is to help the King.
*:･ﾟ�Tropes*:･ﾟ�
✨Unique Magic System
✨Magical Creatures
✨Found Family
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Fated Mates
✨Bad-Ass FMC
✨Grumpy MMC
✨Banter and Tension
✨Forced proximity
✨S辱
*:･ﾟ�Saeris Fane*:･ﾟ�
I really enjoyed Saeris, from the very beginning, she was a survivor. Sassy, smart, and quick-witted, she was not afraid to accept a challenge or defend those she loved. With no living parents, it was up to her to take care of herself and her younger brother. Saeris is different and she knows it but doesn't quite understand these unusual abilities.
"The rebels my mother had helped before her death had done more than hide in our attic. They had trained me. Taught me how to steal. How to survive. How to fight. And now I fought like hell's own fury made flesh."
"My vision flickered red, a lifetime of rage and injustice finally demanding retribution. Hell had already been unleashed upon this place centuries ago. What was a little more suffering?
*:･ﾟ�Kingfisher*:･ﾟ�
Kingfisher moved with the shadows, dark, mysterious and half-insane. He was a brooding MMC, labeled as a traitor, and disliked by many. Deep down though, its a facade to block others out. He is extememly loyal and would battle the world for those he cared about.
"Humans are usually weak, fickle creatures, but I'll admit, I admire this one's loyalty. She values her family over everything else. There's something to be said for that."
*:･ﾟ�Side Characters*:･ﾟ�
The found family trope was my favorite in this book. Carrion was hilarious and helped bring humor to the story. Everlayne is the sweetest and was a friend to Saeris with no questions asked. Ren and Lorreth, I loved their undying loyalty to Kingfisher and their backstories that made them all so close.
*:･ﾟ�Saeris & Kingfisher*:･ﾟ�
Enemies to lovers, tension, and banter. This romance was a little of everywhere. One minute they hated each other and then the next minute it was insta-lust that lacked emotional depth. However, towards the end of the story it did develop much better.💓
"Death has come for me, with wavy black hair and wicked green eyes."
"You're not ready for me, human. I don't come with a training mode.
"I hated him, I did. But you couldn't hate something without caring about it just a little, too."
"He sat there, his bare, inked chest not moving, his black waves tumbling into his face, so perfect, so handsome, and that cursed fucking thing deep in the basement of my soul ached and said mine."
"He was the first thing I saw. Always. My heart and my soul knew exactly where to find him.
"He was a part of me. I sensed that in my bones. If I wanted him to be, he would be the axis around which I revolved. I would be his. Two counterparts, independent of one another. Already whole, but together stronger than we could ever be apart."
Pre-Read:
"For those who live their nightmares so that others may have their dreams."
�Buddy Reading with my Beautiful SK!�
So excited about this one!
Magic, Kings/Queens, Fae, vampires, magical creatures--give me all the feels!
I have heard amazing things about this one, so fingers crossed that it delivers!🤞💓
I need all the vibes this cover is giving!😍
October 12, 2024
4.25!! the beginning was good, the middle was looooooong, the almost end was a 5 & the end was a 6 that i would legit have me selling my right arm to get the second book asap� do with that what u will :�)
September 8, 2024
� 3.75�
˚₊� ͟͟͞͞➳❥ read this if you like:
� enemies to lovers
� found family
� forced proximity
� fated mates
� banter and tension
� grumpy mmc
� spicy scenes
� unique magic system
”Even the strongest warrior’s heart can break. His soul can still be crushed.�
˚₊� ͟͟͞͞➳❥ read this if you like:
� enemies to lovers
� found family
� forced proximity
� fated mates
� banter and tension
� grumpy mmc
� spicy scenes
� unique magic system
this book is so hard to explain, so forgive me in advance, but istg i’ll try my best! i’m still confused about my thoughts😭
� plot
Saeris lives in the Third, under the reign of the undying queen, stealing and fighting every day for a glass of water in the scorching desert. but she also harbors a secret. when she finds herself face to face with death, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to the fae realm, and in the middle of a war. there, she meets a handsome shadowy male with pointed ears and silver eyes. Kingfisher has secrets of his own and is willing to do whatever it takes to save his people, even if it means binding himself to a human. the oath is clear: she must work for him in exchange for her freedom once the task is done. but the devil is in the details�
� Saeris Fane🦋
she’s the epitome of a survivor, LITERALLY. you’ll know it when you’ll read it🤣
she’s indeed survived all her life, trying to protect those she loves, especially her brother. she’s always up for a challenge and knows her way with a sword. she’s different somehow but doesn’t know what makes her so special.
i liked saeris, she’s strong but i wouldn’t say she’s a badass fmc. yes, she always accepts a challenge but that hardly makes her one� i feel like her character is incomplete, it lacks something. that spark that makes her special.
� Բھ⚔️
first of all, sorry–but what kind of name is Kingfisher😭 i couldn’t take him seriously at first. thank god he goes with fisher i’m still hoping he has another name�
he’s shadows and mystery and hotness and half-insane all at once. he has a grumpy side and dirty mouth (and mind� iykyk👀). he has a torturous past and his secrets are a burden on his shoulders.
i liked him but–again–the character feels incomplete.
� Saeris & Fisher🦋⚔️
i liked them as a couple, somehow they make sense. their banter was entertaining and the tension did its job. they remind me sm of rhys and feyre tbh.
tho, the slow burn wasn’t slow burning at all. not that i minded, but you can’t call this a slow burn. yes, there was tension, but it didn’t last for too long. tho, i appreciated the spicy spice🌶�!!
sorry let’s take a minute to mention the one and only�
� Carrion Swift�
i bet his back hurts bc he fucking carried the book. dare i say my fav character?💅🏼 he was hilarious and the funniest! every time he had a line, he nailed it. i hope to god i’ll have the chance to read more of him bc i love him!!!
overall, i’d say i enjoyed it and liked it but not loved it. this book is good. is it perfect? no, but you can easily enjoy it. the writing is not the best tbh, it’s sometimes confusing but it’s not too hard to read. the pace was kinda slow in the beginning and, i must admit, it took me almost the 50% to truly get into the story. the second half was more fast paced and i loved it. the magic system is unique, i’d never encountered it before. the ending was meh. it happened so much that i really, truly don’t know what could be possibly happening in the next ones.
i think i need to read the second one to really understand whether i’d recommend this series or not.
if you’ve read it, pls let’s have a chat💅🏼
It was harsh, but sometimes the cruel things we said served the kindest purpose.
“Should we, uh... knock?�
An arrogant smile curled up at the corner of his mouth. “Sure,� he said, as if this was a charming suggestion made by a single-brain-celled idiot. A second later, he slammed the sole of his boot against the wood, and then the door was on the ground in pieces. “Knock knock.� He stepped to one side, holding his hand out in a mockery of manners, gesturing for me to go ahead of him. “I don't think anyone's home.�
I hadn't seen many beautiful things in my short life. But, of all the beautiful things I had seen, Fisher was the most beautiful of all.
“I don't hate your kind. I'm just disappointed by how breakable you are. If I held you down and fucked you the way I'm imagining fucking you right now, I doubt that you’d survive it.�
This was the kiss to end all kisses.
To me, Kingfisher was a surly, foul-mouthed bastard who I wouldn't piss on even if he was on fire. To everyone inside this tavern, he was a living fucking god.
“We are nothing alike,� he said quietly. “You nearly died from a scratch that would have been a mild irritation to me. You are soft. You are fragile. You are vulnerable. You are a newborn fawn, stumbling around in the dark, surrounded by predators with very sharp teeth. I am the thing that exists on the other side of the dark. I’m the thing that puts the fear of the gods into the monsters who would eat you bones and all.�
Every warrior in Innìr will smell me on you, Fisher's voice rumbled in my mind. I'm going to make you hoarse from screaming my fucking name. I'm going to mark you in every way imaginable, so that everyone knows you're fucking mine.
“You’re making a weird face,� Carrion whispered loudly. “Are you talking to it?�
“Yes, I'm talking to it. What do you think I'm doing?�
“I don't know. You look constipated.�
“Then we do as all dying things do. We return to the dirt, and the sea, and the sky. We sleep. We evolve. We change. We transcend.�
“I just love it when you disappear into tense conversations with creepy portal metal,� Carrion quipped, hoisting himself up to sit on the bench. “It's fascinating watching you do all of those facial gymnastics.�
You're the chink in my armor, Saeris. The soft spot where the knife slides in.
“It’s the most beautiful thing a person can experience in this lifetime. They glow blue and pink and silver, with an ethereal light. They have music, though no one knows how. A sweet, soft song that’s capable of healing. The Oshellith mate and lay their eggs, but once that’s done, they fill the air, and they dance. Protecting them while they live is considered a sacred rite that many die in order to perform. That’s what Oshellith means in Old Fae, Saeris. Most Sacred.�
“I am selfish, Saeris. I wanted something quiet and small and special for the both of us. Something we could keep.�
There were moments that were gifts, meant to be cherished only for as long as you could remember them.
“I'll be grateful for every second that I can say that I belong to you, Saeris Fane. Eighty years or eighteen hours. It doesn't matter to me. It'll still be the highest honor of my life.�
Carrion held the sword, turning it this way and that. After much consideration, he said, “It looks like a Simon.�
ˏˋ°�*⁀� “For those who live their nightmares so that others may have their dreams.�
January 12, 2025
oh friends, i’m so sorry! I truly did want to love this so badly. and the reason i picked this story up was because so many friends on goodreads have given this five stars and put it on their best books of 2024 list (with many having it be their #1 fave of the year)! so if you’re interested in this book, please still pick it up, because i am for sure in the minority with my feelings on this!
saeris lives in a world where water is the most precious resource and is being rationed to only 6oz a day by a seemingly immortal evil queen. she is also trying to give her brother a better life, by secretly being a blacksmith who forges weapons, and by doing anything else she can in secret, too. but at the start of this book, she has an altercation with a guard, and quickly realizes that she is able to manipulate a special blade. and i probably shouldn’t say too much more than that, but she is teleported to a new world with the fae she only knew about from storybooks.
listen, i love anything with a forge and blacksmithing, and you add alchemy to that and being able to transmute some metals? oh, i’m living for it actually. you all also know that i love anything fae! I also have a very big soft spot for magical foxes! and fae gods and their backstories! and the mc’s friend, carrion, was absolutely amazing. but those are truly the only things i really loved about this. like, i feel like so many good and solid building blocks are here, but it just kept getting worse and worse as i would read on.
saeris was a little insufferable to read from. and i do enjoy a “unlikeable� character, especially one willing to do anything for her family in a fae realm, but she was just so annoying and her banter with everyone made me cringe constantly. and kingfisher was just someone i never wanted to root for until the very end when we were getting 500 reveals of the villains just saying their evils deeds. it was instalove trying to not be instalove, under a wild power dynamic because saeris was forced to stay in the fae realm, with dirty talk that made me want to jump out a window. in my opinion, the plot just kept getting more away from the original cool concept and just pieces of all these really popular romantasy plots. and then the ending�
this next paragraph is going to include a spoiler for the ending of this book, that also discusses a type of trauma related to sa that is implied - please use caution while reading: i am always going to be here for authors writing queer characters, villains for sure included in that, but implying that the villain of this first book is queer, and was sexual assaulting someone over decades in the past as part of a "plot twist", is just something that is always going to make me very uncomfortable to read. i feel like this is a very harmful message that our very real world is constantly trying to criminalize queer people with. also, upon finishing, even though carrion was my favorite character, he is still portrayed as a pan or bi character who wants to have sex with anyone and everyone. and i never want to shame that, especially as a pan person, but it also contributes to a negative real world stereotype! and i normally would look past carrion, because that experience can be a real and valid experience too, but after how malcom’s “my love� and “playground� and many more implications made me feel�., it just feels extremely bad to me. but i also recognize that maybe i am being too sensitive about it, because i haven’t seen anyone else say this in any review, so maybe my reading comprehension just imagined those missing 47 years of abuse being insinuated for the entire ending? but it was loudly giving outlander (in 2025 !!) to me.
yeah, i think that’s all i want to say. I am sorry if this is your favorite book, it just didn’t work for me the way that i wish it did. and please don’t let this review make you completely not read this, because i really am the outlier with these feelings (at the time of writing this, i don’t have a single moot who has given this under three stars)! and if you do pick it up, i just hope you have happier reading than i did, friends!
trigger + content warnings: exploiting resources, extreme dehydration, torture, unwanted touching, talk of sickness, loss of mother in past, loss of children, murder, violence, gore, vomit, blood, self harm to get blood, magical compulsion, anxiety, drinking, assault, kidnapping, threat of sa, talk of rape in past, insinuation of sa in past, genocide, war, slavery, spider-like creature, imbalance of power dynamics
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saeris lives in a world where water is the most precious resource and is being rationed to only 6oz a day by a seemingly immortal evil queen. she is also trying to give her brother a better life, by secretly being a blacksmith who forges weapons, and by doing anything else she can in secret, too. but at the start of this book, she has an altercation with a guard, and quickly realizes that she is able to manipulate a special blade. and i probably shouldn’t say too much more than that, but she is teleported to a new world with the fae she only knew about from storybooks.
listen, i love anything with a forge and blacksmithing, and you add alchemy to that and being able to transmute some metals? oh, i’m living for it actually. you all also know that i love anything fae! I also have a very big soft spot for magical foxes! and fae gods and their backstories! and the mc’s friend, carrion, was absolutely amazing. but those are truly the only things i really loved about this. like, i feel like so many good and solid building blocks are here, but it just kept getting worse and worse as i would read on.
saeris was a little insufferable to read from. and i do enjoy a “unlikeable� character, especially one willing to do anything for her family in a fae realm, but she was just so annoying and her banter with everyone made me cringe constantly. and kingfisher was just someone i never wanted to root for until the very end when we were getting 500 reveals of the villains just saying their evils deeds. it was instalove trying to not be instalove, under a wild power dynamic because saeris was forced to stay in the fae realm, with dirty talk that made me want to jump out a window. in my opinion, the plot just kept getting more away from the original cool concept and just pieces of all these really popular romantasy plots. and then the ending�
this next paragraph is going to include a spoiler for the ending of this book, that also discusses a type of trauma related to sa that is implied - please use caution while reading: i am always going to be here for authors writing queer characters, villains for sure included in that, but implying that the villain of this first book is queer, and was sexual assaulting someone over decades in the past as part of a "plot twist", is just something that is always going to make me very uncomfortable to read. i feel like this is a very harmful message that our very real world is constantly trying to criminalize queer people with. also, upon finishing, even though carrion was my favorite character, he is still portrayed as a pan or bi character who wants to have sex with anyone and everyone. and i never want to shame that, especially as a pan person, but it also contributes to a negative real world stereotype! and i normally would look past carrion, because that experience can be a real and valid experience too, but after how malcom’s “my love� and “playground� and many more implications made me feel�., it just feels extremely bad to me. but i also recognize that maybe i am being too sensitive about it, because i haven’t seen anyone else say this in any review, so maybe my reading comprehension just imagined those missing 47 years of abuse being insinuated for the entire ending? but it was loudly giving outlander (in 2025 !!) to me.
yeah, i think that’s all i want to say. I am sorry if this is your favorite book, it just didn’t work for me the way that i wish it did. and please don’t let this review make you completely not read this, because i really am the outlier with these feelings (at the time of writing this, i don’t have a single moot who has given this under three stars)! and if you do pick it up, i just hope you have happier reading than i did, friends!
trigger + content warnings: exploiting resources, extreme dehydration, torture, unwanted touching, talk of sickness, loss of mother in past, loss of children, murder, violence, gore, vomit, blood, self harm to get blood, magical compulsion, anxiety, drinking, assault, kidnapping, threat of sa, talk of rape in past, insinuation of sa in past, genocide, war, slavery, spider-like creature, imbalance of power dynamics
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