Pain and Pleasure Indeed
Silvercloak
The Silvercloak Saga
Fantasy
Del Rey
July 29, 2025
464
In this addictive new fantasy series set in a world where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain, an obsessive detective infiltrates a brutal gang of dark mages—knowing that one wrong move will get her killed. . . . Two decades ago, the Bloodmoons ruthlessly murdered Saffron Killoran’s parents, destroying her idyllic childhood. Hell-bent on revenge, she lies her way into Silvercloak Academy—the training ground for her city’s elite order of detectives—with a single goal: to bring the Bloodmoons to justice. But when Saff’s deception is exposed, rather than being cast out, she’s given a rare opportunity: to go undercover and tear the Bloodmoons down from the inside. Descending into a world where pleasure and pain are the most powerful currencies, Saff must commit some truly heinous deeds to keep her cover—and her life. Not only are there rival gangs and sinister smuggling rings to contend with, but there’s also her growing feelings for the kingpin’s tortured son, with his vicious pet fallowwolf, his dark past, and the curious prophecy foretelling his death at Saffron’s hand. With each day testing her loyalties further, Saff finds her web of lies becoming harder to spin. And when one false step could destroy everything and everyone she’s ever loved . . . the detective who’s dedicated her life to vengeance just might die for it.
Listen, what if that morally grey love interest loved your favourite book as much as you do? Just read it.
“He looked at her as though she had saved him, which she had, and as though she would be the death of him, which she would.”
Twenty years earlier, the Bloodmoons, the city’s deadliest gang, murdered Saffron’s parents and cemented her mission. She’d planned to do that by becoming a Silvercloak, an elite league of magically trained detectives, even if it meant lying her way into the program. When the truth is revealed, Saffron is offered an alternate path. Her unusual immunity to magic means she may be the only person who’ll be able to infiltrate the Bloodmoons and take them down from the inside. To keep her cover, Saff will have to become the kind of evil she’s always hated. But Levan, the kingpin’s son, makes her question if everything is so black and white as good and evil.
“She knew that she and Levan were at the center of something enormous and devastating, something that would end in mutual ruin. Something that would not just unmake them both—it would unmake everything. Of course, it was very possible she was just in love.”
L.K. Steven built a rich world here. At a glance, the magic system may seem simplistic, with some members of society having the aptitude to perform magic using a wand while others don’t. A magic user has a finite amount of magic at their disposal, which needs to be regenerated. This regeneration marks the first departure from a standard Harry Potter-esque style. Pleasure in any of its forms works to refill one’s supply of magic, while pain increases its potency. These two truths manifest in ways that range from deeply whimsical to lightly disturbing. Yes, yes, this lends itself to the inclusion of some colourful smut, but provides so much more. Like cat-like creatures whose breath fills casters with a happy peace that fills their well of magic, and discussions of the fact that often the worst pains sit somewhere much deeper than our skin. The society is thick with both complexities and teases of lore. Talk of dragons, prophecies and the manipulation of time itself abounds. Steven presents these details so artfully that, as a reader, it’s near impossible to differentiate between meaningful foreshadowing, general world building and immaculate vibe setting until way after the fact.
The depth of the world lends itself to its characters as well. Steven consistently straddles the line in creating characters that seem equal parts magical and real. I’m often quite a character-driven reader, and I loved spending time with these, both in the moments of badass magical prowess and the ever so slightly more relatable urge to fan girl over your favourite book. That said, I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel out of a desperation to see what happens next, not simply the desire to continue hanging out with my fictional friends.
Gabi grew up moving around the world with her family, making books in English a bit of a luxury that had to be rationed. Nowadays she lives in East London, where books can be read as voraciously as she likes. Fantasy books will forever be her first love, and she’s always looking for the next series to consume both of her brain cells. Her days generally consist of working as a software developer, squeezing in a chapter at her desk, and pining after the Picadilly Waterstones.
