Review: Quicksilver by Callie Hart
Blurb:
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!
The global phenomenon by Callie Hart--a highly addicting enemies-to-lovers Romantasy with razor-sharp banter, heart-stopping action, and blistering hot romance--now has an embossed cover, silver foiling, and an updated interior design.
Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate.
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. In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn’t much a girl wouldn’t do for a glass of water. 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 reopens 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 right 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.
Review:
“I am the thing that exists on the other side of dark. I’m the thing that puts the fear of gods into the monsters who would eat you bones and all.”
I was quickly sucked into Quicksilver after being on a short pause from fantasy reads. I was looking for exactly what this book is: a romantasy with all my favorite tropes, a dark and broody shadow daddy, and a chosen one of epic proportions.
Characters
A heady mix of both character-driven and plot-driven, I found myself falling in love with all the characters, even the villains. While some might find the over-indulgence of tropes cheesy, I melted right into them like a fondue made just for me. Saeris is strong-willed right from the start and doesn’t take a single shit from anyone, proud of who she is and where she comes from – so much it almost brings her to her own death. Little does she know her weakness for her family and a misunderstanding of her powers becomes a strength she feeds on. When she falls into the quicksilver, her life changes forever.
But she’s not alone. There to catch her in her fall from grace is the ever-feared and revered Kingfisher – many names follow him but one thing remains true: he doesn’t believe in himself nearly as much as he should. He’s a perpetual grump, but one Saeris can’t seem to stay away from.
Atmosphere
Who doesn’t love transcending worlds and a now-classic Fae Realm setting? I was enraptured by the beginning, where the reader is introduced to Zilvaren: a veritable wasteland with two blazing suns that never set, a deliciously evil Queen that never dies, and a rebellion forming right under her nose. Then, when we are thrust into the fae realm of Yvelia, it’s the exact ethereal setting, seasoned with the dangers any fantastical arena hides in its wooden depths. I felt all the feels, and want more of this setting. Plus, looking for a dark labyrinth and demonic creatures from your nightmares? Check. We got ‘em.
Writing Style
Hart is most certainly writing for an older crowd. There are graphic fight scene and explicit love scenes that are not at all geared toward a young audience, BUT the ease at which she writes sucks you into the pages. Quicksilver is all first-person POV, and brings the reader directly into the action.
Plot/Logic
“It isn’t disease that’s contagious in my ward, Captain. It’s dissent.”
Again, while this is a good mix of character and plot-driven, the plot is where the story shines, in my opinion. It’s rebellion, it’s fighting scenes, it’s love scenes, it’s trope-filled: but that’s what I enjoyed about it most. While I may feel like I had read this story before, it’s the comforting familiarity that wrapped me up. Alchemy is the name of the game within Saeris, and combined with the magical powers of Kingfisher, they are a wicked and combustible team against the forces of oppression from multiple worlds.
The two are pressured together, reluctantly at first, and then willfully. They make sense together.
Intrigue
From start to finish this book is filled with tension and absolutely intriguing. I’m very eager to continue on with the series, the next one coming out later this year. Saeris is about to embark on a completely new set of obstacles, and after this read: I need to know where it goes. A great example of “first of the series” excitement.
Excitement
I read this through the night, in one sitting. I’d say I was very excited by it, and have been telling people about it non-stop (with the caveat that it is not for people who prefer closed-door fantasy.) I couldn’t put it down, and Kingfisher has definitely made it onto my book boyfriend list. Absolute recommendation for anyone looking for a modern romantasy.
