Callie Hart has written several dark romance series and standalone books, but this is her first step into high fantasy. Set to be a trilogy, Quicksilver is the first novel in her Fae & Alchemy series. It has taken the world by storm, it is already a best seller and it was only released in September. We are dealing with romance and war here, so be ready for death, genocide, gore, suicidal thoughts, terminal illness, violence, blood, grief, the death of a parent, murder, and injury detail, plus some sexual content that was maybe not as consensual as I would have liked. Oh, and someone vomits.
Saeris lives in the poorest part of town, the part that the rest of the citizens would like to just forget exists. They have to fight for food, for water, for a place to rest. When she steals the golden gauntlet of one of the Queen's Guard, she thinks she's smart enough to get away with it and can use it to buy food for a year or more! Instead, she finds herself in a jail cell, and has to fight for her life and the lives of her neighbors. Just as she's dealt a killing blow and she knows that she's failed, she is rescued by an incredibly good looking man who takes her to relative safety. But all is not as it seems, he's not a man at all, but a member of the Fae, and he needs something from her. It's time for Saeris to embrace the parts of herself that she's always kept hidden in order to save not only her own people, but the Fae as well.
I heard so much about this book that I was very excited to start it, and was pretty underwhelmed when I got to it. If you feel that way, push through the first couple chapters because it really picks up steam. Saeris, the main character, is mostly fine but can be a bit annoying at times. I feel like she has such a one track mind that she can't see anything outside of her goal. But the side characters are absolutely delightful. The story was interesting, it starts out as your basic political lobbying that you often get in stories of the High Fae, but it has a few twists that keep it interesting and a fun little puzzle to figure out towards the end. And let me tell you, this book has a twist that I never saw coming and it almost killed me. I gasped so hard that my husband thought I was dying. If you read this, send me an email, I want to talk about it.
I'm giving Quicksilver by Callie Hart 4.75 stars out of 5 with level 3 spiciness. It is my spiciest book so far. I really ended up enjoying this book and I can't wait for the second installment, due out some time in 2025. We've got enemies to lovers, we've got forced proximity, we've got found family and snarky comments. What else do you need?
Pairs well with honey glazed carrots and going to your local town festival.
For more information on the author, check out her website https://calliehart.com/
If you're looking for a summary of the book, please check our page for the Fae & Alchemy trilogy here.
I was curious about this book, now I think I need to read it!