I just recently finished the Booktok and Bookstagram sensation, Quicksilver. Everyone and their mother has been raving about this book, but was it worth the hype? Here’s what I think.
In Zilvaren, Saeris Fane lives and fights for her next drink of water. In the barren desert city, a sip is all there is between life and death. Good thing she’s been siphoning from the Undying Queen’s water stores for years. But she has another secret. She has a power that no one knows about, and it’s this power that accidentally opens a portal into another realm, a city called Yvelia, where Fae and other magical creatures live.
In Yvelia, Saeris’ fate becomes entangled with Kingfisher’s, a Fae warrior who will do anything to protect his people… even if that means using her power to turn the tides of war…. no matter the cost.
What I Liked
I have always been a huge sucker for stories that include fated love. Quicksilver definitely delivers on that front. I love how the book explored themes of survival and adaptation, since Saeris has to constantly fight to survive in both Zilvaren and Yvelia. Additionally, there are some very enjoyable characters in the book like Carrion Swift and Renris. I actually enjoyed these characters more than the mains. However, what I liked about the book pretty much ends there.
What I Didn't Like
Are my expectations just too high? Or do I just keep getting unlucky when it comes to my TBR? Quicksilver is only the second book I’m reviewing on this blog, and I gave the first book a low rating as well. Let’s get into why I rated it the way that I did.
The Pacing
The first 50% of this book was a slog to get through. I actually considered dropping it multiple times. I felt like virtually nothing happened. It was just a compilation of Saeris going to the forge, eating, and walking around with her pet fox that she somehow got to trust her. It wasn’t until the second half of the book that I felt like things were actually getting interesting.
The Characters
Everyone was so boring! Faeris and Kingfisher felt underdeveloped, with barely any defining traits to make me root for them or their relationship. The only character who I felt was less flat was Carrion Swift. Belikon, Madra, and Malcolm felt like caricatures of villains. They really had no bite to them at all.
And because Saeris and Kingfisher were so boring, their relationship was boring too! The “enemies to lovers” doesn’t work out when the love interests are barely enemies to begin with. I don’t consider a little bit of snarky conversation towards each other to really make them “enemies”. So the development of their relationship was boring, there were no moments that had me feeling like my heart was racing, and I wasn’t excited to see them get together. Am I just dead inside?
The Lack of Suspense
There was not a single point in this book where I was actually afraid for the lives of the characters. Maybe that’s because romantasy has become so predictable? Even then, Rebecca Yarros did include character death in Fourth Wing.
That was not the case with Quicksilver. I think that a shiny happy ending where everyone lives and characters are revealed to actually be magical Fae with poisonous blood at just the perfect moment are just a bit to cliché for me at this point in my reading journey.
The Spice
Can we please retire the growling and roaring during sex scenes? It yanks me right out of the moment — like, they aren’t animals! I’ve never in my life heard of men roaring in the bedroom in real life. I know it’s supposed to be fantasy, but can we at least make the sex a little realistic?
Final Thoughts
Some people love this book, which is great for them! It just was not the book for me. From the flat characters and slow pace, to the cringe-worthy sex scenes, I think my time would’ve been spent better reading a different book.
Have you read the book? What did you think about it? Let me know in the comments below!
