Lilibet Bombshell's Reviews > Quicksilver

Do you believe in fate?

After seeing several social media posts and videos extolling the virtues of author Callie Hart’s first book in The Fae & Alchemy series I decided to take the day off from my normal ARC reading/reviewing schedule to give it a read. What can I say? I had bad FOMO. I’ve come to realize that while I’ve been spending most of my time doing trad pub ARC reading, I’ve been missing out on a lot of great releases from the indie publishing world. I decided not to miss out on this one.

I’m so happy I took the day off for Quicksilver. I haven’t felt like this about a romantasy in a long time. Have I loved other romantasies as much as this? Yes, but in a different way. Quicksilver is the type of romantasy I love best: quick-witted, fast-paced, action-packed, spicy, funny, rude, two grumpy and traumatized main characters/love interests, no love triangle, tortured hearts, sexual tension and chemistry for days, protective streaks for days, stubborn and self-sacrificing idiots, and a healthy amount of snark.

🩶 What to expect 🩶

🍒 Enemies to lovers
💣 Fish out of water
🍒 (Very) reluctant allies
💣 Working together for the greater good
🍒 Violent/slightly instant Fae MMC
💣 Strong/multifaceted FMC
🍒 Portal fantasy
💣 Pretty unique magic system (IMO)
🍒 Forced proximity
💣 Touch her & die
🍒 Touch him & die
💣 Slow burn but some serious UST
🍒 Filthy talk
💣 Addictive banter
🍒 Ends on a quasi-cliffhanger
💣 Parents suck
🍒 Protective older siblings
💣 Found family
🍒 Really cool alchemy stuff

You won’t be able to stop yourself from falling in love with our main characters and the main supporting cast. Kingfisher is holding onto a lifetime’s worth of pain and secrets. He’s carrying more guilt within him than any one person should ever be asked to. He’s had to see unspeakable things and been forced to do unspeakable things to save the realm. It’s all been done for a larger and greater purpose, but he’s had to wait for so long. He’s so angry with good reason. Saeris has been through more trauma in her short life than anyone should be expected to go through. Her father was killed early in her life and then she had to basically raise her brother while her mother worked as best she can while spiraling in her anger until she was killed, leaving Saeris and her brother orphaned and homeless in a now-quarantined ward of the city where water is rationed to a small amount a day and food is scarce. She’s desperate to get herself and her brother out of their ward. Like Icarus, her hubris leads her toward death, which leads her to someplace she thought was only a children’s story. These two are very similar once they realize they’ll need to work together. They go on as trapped people always have, rolling up their metaphorical sleeves and working the problem in front of them. One problem at a time.

Watching the relationship between these two develop is like capturing lightning in a bottle. A lot of books are marketed as enemies-to-lovers but aren’t really when you examine the dynamic. Kingfisher and Saeris are truly enemies-to-lovers: It’s mutual loathing at first sight that continues for a good chunk of the first act before it starts to evolve. Kingfisher hates the fragility of humans and doesn’t care about anything Saeris is invested in. Saeris was raised in a kingdom where the Fae were only bedtime stories and now she’s being held captive by their king. They also make her wear dresses. With corsets. But there’s an invisible string between these two from the start, and that tension is so nice. It’s even nicer once they start to thaw toward one another. When the spice starts to kick in? It’s so worth every bit of angst and conflict that came before. An unbelievable payoff.

If you love adult romantasy I recommend you take the time to read this before a smart trad pub house picks it up for publication. It’s amazing and you won’t regret it. I’m going to be waiting with baited breath for the sequel, which is supposed to come out in fall 2024.


File Under: 5 Star Review/Adult Fantasy/Book Series/Dark Fantasy/Romantasy/Fantasy Series/First Book in Fantasy Series/Found Family/Kindle Unlimited/Spice Level 2