I usually don’t put too much stock in what BookTube/BookTok says, but since my recent foray into romantasy with Acotar and Fourth Wing, I was recommended QUICKSILVER by Callie Hart quite a few times by online readers. The book is billed as the first of a series, so I knew I would be committed to the Fae and Alchemy series if I wanted to finish the story.
In QUICKSILVER, Saeris Fane is a human who lives in the desert kingdom of Zilvaren, where water is a scarce commodity. There, she takes to some light thievery in order to survive the tyrannical reign of Queen Madra. When she is caught and taken to the palace, her main goal is survival and the protection of her brother. But, instead, she tangles with the castle guards and accidentally awakens a powerful magic. In this crucial moment, Saeris meets a creature she assumes is Death, and is transported to a new world – a fae kingdom called Yvelia. There, she is pressed to use her newly discovered alchemist powers to awaken the Quicksilver, a peculiar metal that takes magical forms, in the hopes of getting back to her brother and perhaps saving her world.
Saeris meets Kingfisher – a dark fae male with a dreadful disposition and eternally frustrating arrogance. Yet, she cannot stay away from an unexpected attraction to him. Kingfisher is a smoldering fae warrior with a complicated past – an outcast in his own world, and a lot of secrets. The fae kingdom is in a long war with vampires – ruled by the powerful and immortal vampire king Malcolm. The Quicksilver is the key to winning the war and freedom for Saeris.
This book has all the romantasy staples – enemies to lovers, longing, witty banter and the spice is on fire. I admit, I swooned. Hart doesn’t skimp out on the supporting characters – charming fae Everlayne, quick-witted and often annoying comic relief Carrion, loyal Lorreth and Ren. I grew to love them all – especially Saeris’ pet fox, Onyx.
If you like audiobooks, the audio for QUICKSILVER is well done – two great narrators bring the dialogue and the mysterious whisper of QUICKSILVER to life.
The second book in this series has been announced for November 2025 release – Brimstone. I will be waiting in line.
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.
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