Quicksilver (The Fae & Alchemy Series Book 1)

AAAAAAHHH this book is definitely gonna be at the tippy top of my Top Reads of 2024 list!

Typically, I'm in a mad dash to get a book read but I tried to take my time with this one, to savor it...and yet still finished it in less than 2 days because.... BECAUSE.

Let me start off by giving comparisons...things that people will resonate with or recognize in order to sway them into reading this masterpiece:

ACOTAR meets A Crown of Oaths and Curses meets FBAA.

Also, imagine a story that seems to take inspiration from The Sword and the Stone and Rumpelstiltskin.

And then make it Dystopian...with Fae.

😅 Am I losing you?

I hope not!

But these were all things that popped into my head, at one point or another...and I wanted to encourage all of these little thoughts in my head because I knew within 50 pages of reading this, that I'd be running here to write a long blubbering review.

So let's take all of my ramblings so far and convert it to a tropes list:

• Fated mates
• Reluctant allies
• Forced proximity
• Fae x human
• Dystopian
• Magic system
• Found family
• Chosen one
• Tortured hero
• Shadow daddy
• Slow burn but not...about halfway through 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Now, let's talk about the plotline.

I won't go into much detail but, as I previously mentioned, this is a dystopian tale. You'll find a well described political system rife with corruption and greed.

Our FMC, Saeris, has been forged in those fires, through her pain and suffering . Right from the start, she emerges as a strong heroine that you will automatically find yourself invested in.

I truly loved everything about her. She was not only relatable but drew a lot of my empathy.

But, returning to the plotline: (I'm getting sidetracked)

I was amazed by how many twists and turns kept coming. Especially in the last 1/3 of the book. I think my jaw dropped to the floor at least a few times. I definitely had a lot of preconceived expectations that were quickly dashed and loved that! I much prefer being shocked and awed by not knowing the outcome of a story.

Kingfisher... he's my new book boyfriend 🫠

Nothing is hotter than a tortured soul with a dirty mouth. 🥵

He was undeniably naughty and even though he tried to be snarky and hateful...well 😏 that just added to his flavor.

And did I mention SHADOW DADDY? 🫠

One more thing I'd like to mention before dipping out.

The found family aspect. A lot of people love this trope and I'm happy to say, this is done very well here. I loved so many of the side characters. They really elevated the story and made it quite the epic read.

Especially Onyx 🥰

Ok! That's it! That's all you're getting from me 🤣👋

READ THE BOOK!!!! AAAAAAHHH!!!

I didn't know what to expect out of this book, I just knew on tik tok people were going crazy over it and I needed to find out for myself what this was all about and if it was something I would enjoy....

It was EVERYTHING and MORE!

I won't go into the books details, you'll just have to find out for yourself because I went in only knowing just a few details about the first few chapters and thats it, I loved that for the rest of it I went in blind.

This has become one of my favorite reads of the year! Honestly... I'd say maybe since I started reading again in 2020. There have been a lot of books and a lot of series I've enjoyed, but when I tell you I am going hunting for the physical copy of this book as soon as I am able to get it... you bet your ass I will be snatching this book and heading to the checkout ASAP! Same with the second book when it comes out! And seriously can't wait!

I fell in love with all the characters, every single one. And one of the questions I had when I started reading was, will Kingfisher find his way in my top 10 book boyfriends? Um YES he absolutely did! Where is he ranked? Thats a good question I haven't even begun to actually rank them into a spot but he is high on the list for sure!

This is a book you HAVE TO READ!! If your reading the reviews before starting the book, let this be the last review you see before you open it up and start it. If your looking for a sign.. then here it is. GET THE BOOK!

I was on the hunt for some spicy romance, even though I'm currently in a romantasy read-a-thon, and stumbled across this author. Then I found Quicksilver. One of the best fantasy romance novels I've ever read. It's original, well written and has spice! The story grabs you from page 1 and keeps you enthralled throughout, which is no small feat with over 600 pages!

Fisher...ugh omg he's everything. I adore him. He breaks your heart sometimes though. Saeris was SO refreshing. She was a real likable strong female lead with faults and character growth. The supporting characters were all so well written, too. You really felt the camaraderie between the wolves. And that twist at the end...omg, I did NOT see that coming at all! It's so rare that an author can actually surprise me with a twist in a romantasy book. Usually you can see them coming from a mile away.

Hart made the enemies to lovers trope enjoyable. I can't stand FMCs who have no depth and hate the MMC just for the sake of being able to claim that trope. This is NOT one of those books. I can't recommend this read enough. My only regret is that I was about 60% through the book before I realized it just came out, and it will be months before another installment. I guess that just means I'll have to re-read this in October. I'm not even a little upset about that bc THIS BOOK IS SO FRICKIN GOOD!

Holy moly… this has been by far my favorite read of the year. Quicksilver has my heart and soul and now Callie Hart has all of my money as I needed the ebook and two different physical copies for my shelf! This is a portal fantasy book with a blend of different magic systems (alchemy and fae), a slow burn/great payout romance, a more realistic version of a badass FMC, a grumpy but lovable MMC, political intrigue, an amazing cast of side characters, and some pretty crazy antagonists…. It’s sooo addictive and I’m so happy I stumbled upon this book. The writing, the world building, the characters, THE BANTER, the twists and turns that have you at the edge of your seat… Highly, highly recommend as your next romantasy read!💕

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ x ♾️ Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

This is my first book by Callie Hart and, as it turns out, this is her first book in the fantasy romance genre. It couldn’t be a more perfect time for her to be a “new to me” author.

I was absolutely blown away by her debut into fantasy romance and am anxiously awaiting the next book. The world building, the plot and the delicious slow burn/enemies -to-lovers romance completely held me captive for all 600 plus pages. Kingfishers’ character was flawlessly executed; he held the perfect amount of darkness that bled into a delicious possessiveness over Saeris. The banter between him and Saeris was some of the best that I’ve read. Their interactions were perfectly paced and the plot was so interesting that I didn’t mind the times that they were apart.

Lastly, but most importantly, the quality of writing deserves mentioning. I’m a reader that needs good writing in a book and Quicksilver held up to my standards. So many sentences had me pausing so that I could absorb what I just read only for me to quickly reread them a third and a fourth time because they were crafty so perfectly.

I give this one all the ⭐️. It should be a staple in all fantasy romance readers’ libraries.

One of my favorite reads of 2024, "Quicksilver" rekindled my love for fantasy romance.

Dialogue: Unlike many in the genre, "Quicksilver" excels in dialogue. The banter between the main characters is witty and sharp, using modern slang and euphemisms. If that’s a turn-off for you, consider this a heads-up.

Plot: The story is packed with tension, twists, and action, making the 670 pages fly by. It’s engaging and not entirely predictable, keeping me hooked throughout.

Magic and World: The world the FMC visits resembles Earth, allowing the author to focus on the story without heavy world-building. The magic system is well-developed, especially by the end, and we learn about it alongside the FMC.

Spice: The romance is a gradual build, with significant moments occurring after the halfway mark. It's detailed but not overwhelming, with several memorable scenes.

Humor: The book is genuinely funny. I laughed out loud multiple times and enjoyed the playful exchanges between the main characters, which added a nice balance to the heavier themes.

Tropes: While the story includes common tropes and some cliches like "touch her and die" and "he washes her hair," the originality of the plot made them less bothersome to me. Despite being skeptical about reading yet another fated mates, fae story, I ended up loving it.

Ending: The book ends on a "to be continued" note, but it’s not an extreme cliffhanger. Still, I’m left in book hangover hell, eagerly awaiting October for the next installment.

I've never read this author before. I was reading a book in a series I've been waiting on for months and it was just meh, so I went in search of something else to take a break. Omg!!!!! Im so glad I did! I was only about a quarter of the way through when I realized this was something special. I would categorize this as a high dark fantasy. I loved it. I loved all of the characters and the background and history. I loved the dialogue and pace of the story. There's twists and turns that I didn't see coming. The epic reveals feel meaningful and not anti-climatic. This is a different kind of story in terms of what happens. It was refreshing. It was clearly well thought out and planned. Another thing I really liked was that our FMC spends time with people other than our MMC. It seems in everything I read that as soon as the enemies era starts to pass, the clingy era picks up where it left off. The relationship in this story doesn't feel unhealthy. There's the perfect amount of spice and each scene is different. A common problem i see in a lot of my reading is that there's too much repetitive spice and after the 3rd scene you just start skimming. That doesn't happen here! This story reminds me of the Dirty Blood series. Which I LOVED. Kingfisher has Kingsnake vibes. One other thing, this book is exactly what it says it is. I hate when I read something that's marketed as one thing but it's actually YA or something. Just read this!!!! Im dying for the second one!!!!

From the very beginning this book had be HOOKED. The world itself was so interesting, Saeris is born into poverty, resorting to stealing to survive in a dystopian world. Water is a prized comodity. And then she comes face to face with death incarnate, and inadvertently opens a gate way to the world of the fae, who were supposed to be a myth.

The banter between Saeris and Kingfisher is chefs kiss. 😮‍💨 There’s tension, there’s hate, and there’s undeniable chemistry. Kingfisher is a top tier shadow daddy, and reading about the trials and hell he went through for the last hundred years was brutal. Not to mention that he is quite literally crazy, and tortured on a daily basis by the quicksilver. They are both such complex and strong characters, I love them both. The spice is spiceyyy. 🌶️

Don’t even get me started on the quicksilver. The magic is so interesting, but the alchemy aspects of the book set it apart from anything else I’ve ever read.

I didn’t see the ending coming. The entire book is action packed and what I would consider high fantasy, but the surprises were more interesting than I could have hoped for. I loved the side characters (especially Carrion and Lorreth).

The first maybe 1/4 of the book was slow and was hard to get into. But keep going I promise you will love the book after that. I couldn’t put it down. Saeris the heroine is written so well. I like that she’s not out there taking down fae warriors that are 1000 years old and she’s a human in her 20s. She can hold her own, is sassy and brave, and has her own special skill that is needed. I loved her. King is how you want your book boyfriend to be written. He is complex, strong and loves her fiercely. I can’t wait for the next book.