*I try to avoid spoilers, but still read with caution!*
Link to book at the bottom of this review!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🌶️🌶️🌶️
624 pages
Genre: Fantasy/Romantasy
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Tropes and themes:
🗡️Enemies to lovers
🗡️Political intrigue
🗡️Grumpy shadow daddy
🗡️Stubborn badass FMC
🗡️Lovable side characters
🗡️Fae, witches, vampires and humans
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This is the first book in the Fae and Alchemy series - this first book Quicksilver by Callie Hart has already been released. The second book, Brimstone, is due for release on the 18th November 2025. The date for the third is yet to be announced (as of today, 4th May 2025).
My favourite quote: "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 the killing starts. You have no idea what she is. What she could be".
Characters: This story follows Saeris, a skilled thief and the very definition of a strong and brave FMC. Saeris is a thief who hides her magical ability to avoid her life being forfeited.
The grumpy shadow daddy MMC, Kingfisher, is a dreamy and scary as heck warrior. He is easily one of the broodiest MMCs I have read about ... and I loved it!
One thing I adored about this story were the side characters, specifically: Carrion, Lorreth, and Ren. They had developed personalities and actually felt important to the story; to me, this shows how good Callie Hart's writing actually is.
Plot: I was hooked on the plot from the beginning! It flowed well and at no point did I find myself bored. Aspects of the plot you can expect are separate magical worlds, centuries-long conflicts, complex magic systems, life or death situations, plot twists, and lots of good looking warriors. I would say that even though romance was very much a part of this story, it was a side-line to the actual plot.
Emotions: This book tossed me about so much. I did cry at one point, but the rest of the time I was thrown between shock, excitement and anger on the characters' behalf's. The romance was well written, and I felt emotions of the turmoil and challenges the characters faced.
World-building: There is quite heavy and complex world-building in this story, however it is well paced and you learn about the world as the story progresses. At no point did I feel overwhelmed with information.
Ending: CLIFFHANGER ALERT! Not a huge one, you kind of know what is coming in the next book, but if you are like me, you will just want to continue the story immediately. The ending left me in shock and satisfied, with a whole bunch of questions that need to be answered!
Spice: This was a slow-burn kind of romance, with well-written spice scenes. The spicy scenes were open-door, but not overly detailed or adventurous. I loved that they weren't overly repetitive or boring, and you can tell there was a lot of chemistry and passion between the characters.
Overall, the book was an outstanding five stars for me, with three spicy peppers.
Please keep in mind that the above notes are my opinion and your experience with Quicksilver may differ to mine. That being said, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did.