Silver Elite

by Dani Francis

“I’m not like you. I can’t just ‘accept my fate,’ ” I say, quoting his own words back to him. “I have to think about it first.”

Except she is like that! all she's done throughout the story so far is accept her fate. her THINKING about wanting to escape doesn't mean anything if she doesn't actually plan one! the only attempt she's done was reckless and half assed, and she knew it was a trap! I don't read often but I'm starting to learn that I despise stories that write their characters as one thing and then try to make them seem like another thing. for example, Wren is a stupid impulsive girl who doesn't take action in her life but through dialogues and self-glazing the story wants us to believe she's the opposite

I unclip it from my belt and set the small black device on the counter. Slide it toward him.

I'm just now realizing if Wren was smart she could've easily escaped this chapter. she has a fucking jammer that stops the cameras and alarms from working... SHE COULD'VE ESCAPED LONG BEFORE THIS! she's JUST now decided to get the jammer??

“Good. He deserves it. If someone is that unobservant, they should be punished accordingly. In fact, every single guard whom I waltzed right past tonight should be reprimanded. Whoever came up with the sentry schedule, too, because it’s predictable as hell. A couple of nights of recon and anyone can figure out their routines. When Soldier 4615 is going to smoke his euca joint. When Soldier 380 will take a leak in the tunnel behind South Plaza.”

...she's supposed to be a spy, in case anyone forgot. smart to tell Cross that his guards are incompetent...

If I’m to destroy this place from within, maybe I need to better understand its players. His long fingers wrap around the whiskey glass. His hands are mesmerizing. Large. Radiating strength. I watch his throat dip as he swallows. And his chest is taunting me. Why does he have so many muscles?

she goes from thinking about destroying the system there to immediately thinking about how hot he is. also for someone who believes they're in enemy territory, she's all too trusting in accepting a drink from him

I’m really, really trying to remember that the Command is an enemy institution and I’m here to destroy it from the inside. But…this is fucking amazing.

her kind are being killed and enslaved, but you don't understand, she's trying oh so very hard not to like being there 🥺 this book is so very obviously written by someone who has never faced oppression before

“Fuck! Why did I think Silver Block would be a good idea?”

...this entire time I thought Lydia was forced to join silver block because she's a staple (a child with high ranking parents)?? so Lydia ACTIVELY chose to join the block that hunts down Mods and the no-technology group whose name I forgot, and Wren thinks she's kind hearted?? and we, the readers, are expected to see her as this sweet girl?!

Ford, Hadley, and Cross are waiting for us when we walk up.

ngl, a bit confused as to why Cross joins them a lot. isn't he supposed to be the captain of this place? how does he have so much free time to spend with recruits? it's not like there aren't other silver block squads that are on missions that need his attention.

Without a word, I enter the stall next to his and get undressed there. It’s a pointless stab at modesty—he’s so tall, he can see right into my stall. I could have chosen one that wasn’t right beside him, but I’m pretending to be unaffected.

WHY why even do that?? is she 20 or 16??

As I tip my head back to soak my hair, I turn to face him fully and enjoy the way his eyes flash with heat. But then that hot gaze rakes over my body, branding every exposed inch, and my heart gives my rib cage a beating under his scrutiny.

they're in full view of the camp fire, btw. everyone is still by the camp fire and can see them doing this, btw

My impulsive nature chafes against the confines of those mission parameters. The desire for action will always burn like a wildfire inside me.

and this is why Wren fails as a character, and why this story is a pain to read. she acknowledges that she's impulsive yet thinks she's smart and strategic. in a world where doing things without a plan as a Mod will lead to her death or enslavement, she acts impulsively. the stakes don't matter because despite her nature everything works out for her.

For a second, I experience a twinge of fear, but I push it away, because I don’t have time to worry about whether Jayde may or may not have visions about me. There are far more pressing dangers in my life right now.

what the HELL is she talking about?? Jayde being able to see the future IS a pressing danger in her life right now. Any plans she makes now need to take in account of whether or not it'll put other silver block soldiers in danger/killed. it seems that's what Jayde is keeping an eye out for. if Wren were smart she'll realize this and make sure her plans steered clear of that, but ofc Wren is stupidly impulsive like she keeps mentioning now all of a sudden

Seeing the future isn’t something I’d personally enjoy, but the worst damage I could do with it is, what? Tell someone they’ll die in a horrible fashion? Shatter a recruit’s dreams of serving the Command?

or how about using that ability to, oh I dont know, keep an eye on visions about someone suspicious LIKE YOU?? like look into the future to see if you're for or against the general?? I dont understand Wren's reasoning for dismissing Jayde's foresight??

“Always making me chase you.” His low voice breaks the silence, sending a shiver down my spine.

every time I get sucked into the shitty dystopia, the shitty romance rears its head reminding me that it's there

Well, I don’t get involved with guys whose fathers are responsible for killing thousands of people like me. I don’t get involved with guys who think I’m defective and wouldn’t want me if they knew the truth.

funny how she only remembers what happens to her kind in this world when trying to resist the lust she feels for Cross but has FUN during the training designed to hunt and kill her kind

I hate that he can see right through me.

yea because you make it incredibly OBVIOUS. anyone on that base can read you like a book

And then, in an explosion of pent-up need, the dam breaks and I’m reaching for him, my fingers twisting the fabric of his shirt as I yank him toward me.

mere paragraphs ago she was thinking about how his father killed and enslaved her kind. let's also not forget that HE IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE ELITE SQUAD IN THE ARMY WHO CAPTURES HER KIND AND SENDS THEM TO EITHER DEATH OR ENSLAVEMENT

I edge away from Jordan and return to the group, where Kaine raises an eyebrow in question.

what the fuck was that conversation?? the guy who was a part of ratting her out and capturing her uncle, and she's having a normal conversation with him?? where's the anger?!

Struck shakes her head. “You’ve been assigned to Hadley.” Ugh. Great. I turn my head so she can’t see me making a face.

the way Wren despires characters doesn't make sense. She hates the general but wants to fuck his son who is a high ranking captain. She hates Hadley for selling out his mother, but is perfectly fine with Jordan the guy who had a hand in capturing her uncle. She doesn't like the Uprising, but is having a grand time in the general's army academy; she doesn't like how strict and cold the Uprising is, but doesn't voice how the army academy works in the same way...??

It’s an illegal brothel masking itself as city lodgings with a pub downstairs.”

jfc I know the whole academy was built around getting Wren and Cross to fuck, but can the author make it LESS obvious??

“Enough about me,” I blurt out. “Tell me about you, Captain. Do you like your father?” The abrupt subject change startles him. “What kind of question is that?” “Just

YOU DON'T KNOW HIM! THE TWO OF YOU NEVER HAD AN ACTUAL CONVERSATION! ALL YOU TWO DO IS SNARK FLIRTS AT EACH OTHER! of course he never talks about his dad to you!! this story does this a lot where Wren has a normal conversation with someone that doesn't match the previous interactions the characters had.

I’m surprised you haven’t figured out by now what matters to me.” “Yeah?” He raises a brow. “And what matters to you?” “Loyalty.” That gets me a snort. “Do you truly believe any of these people are loyal to you?” “Some of them.” I know Lyddie is, without a doubt. Kaine, too. Yes, he left me today in the hallway, but I know in a real-life crisis he wouldn’t.

it's like she or the author forgets that Wren is a mod, or maybe Wren is that stupid

I run my fingers along the contours of the scars, a clear, indisputable reminder of why I can’t give in to Cross again. Even if I wanted to forget who I am and who he is, I can’t. My body won’t let me.

this scene would be impactful to her character if she continued to resist Cross instead of sleeping with him...

The black caches are weapons sites whose coordinates we had to memorize last week. They’re totally off the books. Secret reserves of weapons that could arm the Uprising if they wanted to use them, or cripple Silver Block if they chose to destroy them.

I hope Wren told the Uprising about these locations. she does has a way to tell them telepathically without anyone knowing

Sure, my mother worked in Human Services, but it wasn’t Mom’s fault the General developed a liking for her. Wasn’t her fault he knocked her up. Birth control wasn’t even mandatory back then.” Roe makes a derisive sound. “He’s the one who couldn’t keep it in his pants.”

I was about to criticize how dumb this sounded, because his mom wasn't an angel in the affair unless she was raped, but then I remembered this is Roe and it seems to fit his character to think this

The three instructors leave the room, and I frown at the empty doorway. This whole affair feels incredibly anticlimactic. Congratulations, you’re in Silver Block, see you later.

no shit, you just joined a tyrant's army. ofc it's not a happy lovey place

That’s how I end up walking into the warehouse that night wearing a slinky red dress with a neckline so dangerous it would probably send me to the stockade if Cross weren’t my captain.

I've mentally checked out to stuff like this chaptera ago. I have 2 days left on my Libby and I'm just pushing through everything, especially the romance parts

But I’m equally determined. I need this. I need it for Uncle Jim. Need it if I want my revenge against the people who killed him. If I’m going to bring this entire organization down from the inside.

BUT YOU FUCKED THE GENERAL'S SON AND YOU'RE HAVING FUN IN THE ACADEMY??

I figured Elite was responsible for assassinations, but his confirmation makes me uneasy. I wonder how many people Cross has ordered to be killed. How many times he followed orders to do the General’s bidding.

SHE'S JUST NOW FUCKING REALIZING THIS??? REALLY???

“This stays between us, Darlington. I’m your CO. Nobody can know that I’m—” “Servicing your subordinate?” He snorts. “Don’t worry, Captain. Your secret is safe with me.

THE WHOLE FUCKING BASE KNOWS?! THEY'VE BEEN SO OBVIOUS, PRACTICALLY HAVE NEON SIGNS OF THEM FUCKING ABOVE THEIR INDIVIDUAL HEADS!! I'm angry right now. I keep failing Good Pizza Great Pizza level 11 bonfire event 😭 this story isn't helping lmao

He smiles as he releases me. Hands shaking, I open the door to let him out. Cross steps into the hall just as Ivy walks up. We all freeze. His expression shutters, shoulders straightening. After a long, uncomfortable moment, he nods at Ivy and strides off. She stares at me, then scans her thumb on the keypad at the door across from mine. I had no idea her quarters were right there. Shit. Face devoid of emotion, she walks through the door and shuts it with a firm click.

"we need to keep this a secret" as he walks out of her room not even bothering to visit her when everyone is asleep so there's a chance someone will see him leaving her rooms AND THAT JUST HAPPENED. SO DAMN STUPID

He was on Elite business. The knowledge that there’d been eyes on us for six months makes me sick to my stomach. Griff uses the tunnels to smuggle Mods out of the labor camps. Tana works at the inn and provides intel to the network. They’re both in deep with the Uprising. “Your helo leaves in an hour. You should go now.” I glare at him. “What?” he says. “I prefer you when you’re making me come.”

jfc every time she acknowledges that he's one of those in charge of what happens to her kind she still wants him. for ONCE can she use her head?? I can already guess that she's not going to have a proper reaction to the type of man he is until one of her friends in Hamlet are killed on his orders. it's so painfully obvious that's the direction this story is going to go. like come the fuck ONNNNN

I forget my objective. The mission.

...

I don’t know how I manage to stay upright when there’s a wave of emotion threatening to knock me to my knees.

she's so fucking stupid. having this conversation in full view of her teammate and CO when she clearly can't control her damn emotions. she's reacting so much Kaine is comforting her and ofc their OC can see her reactions too even though he's not doing anything in this scene. JUST MAKE IT MORE OBVIOUS, WREN

Despite my nerves, I can’t help but notice how good he looks. Command fatigues and a black T-shirt cling to his tall frame, and the sweat glistening on his brow speaks of how hot it is tonight.

at the beginning she says the sight of the soldiers in uniform fills her with disgust (that doesnt stop her from fucking them when they're out of uniform) yet here she is salivating over Cross in his uniform WHILE on a mission that's investigating her friends. a mission he's in charge of, btw

But my attempt to link yields no response. She’s being watched, then.

??? NO SHIT

I reach out to her again, hoping maybe Anson stepped out to urinate, but her link remains closed.

STOP TRYING TO LINK WITH HER, OMG

It’s a real one. You know I would never screw you over.”

...and she actually believes that. as if the general is a reasonable man? as if Cross, his own son, will not follow orders even if it hurt her?

and he understands what my pointed look means.

why are you giving pointed looks when your team is watching your every move? I'm sure just the words alone could've been enough for Griff to understand?? ALSO you bringing attention to getting a headache at the same time Tana's veins are glowing is not smart, despite being in two different locations! especially when she begged to be the one to interrogate Griff, it will just add more suspicion

I step into the hall at the same time Cross rounds the corner. The way his eyes smolder at the sight of me, you’d think I was naked rather than in full uniform. “I haven’t seen you all day,” he accuses. “You’ve been off base all day,” I remind him. “You’re right. It’s my fault.” He inches me toward the wall, his voice lowering to a wicked pitch. “I’ve been a bad boy.” The moment his body touches mine, my brain completely melts and I forget my own name.

"oh em gee, I wonder why his brother suspects me and Cross are together! Cross visits my room often to fuck and we do shit like this in public. oh hmmm someone must've ratted us out! but no worries, my over explanation on why Cross would never sleep with me (instead of just saying we're not together and that being it) will throw his brother, the Colonel, off!"

Sometimes I forget that I’m surrounded by Primes who actually like and respect General Redden.

it's only been 2 months since your supposed best friend and her father were sent to enslavement...HOW does she keep forgetting the type of people she's surrounded by??

With my head taken care of, Ellis proceeds to run his hands over my body. I hear a low noise from Cross’s vicinity.

"we have to keep our relationship a secret"

“Is this a date?” The question pops out of my mouth before I can stop it. For a second, I hope he didn’t hear me over the sound of the rotors and rush of the wind at the open sides of the helicopter. But then he chuckles, and embarrassment warms my cheeks. Cross glances over at me. “No.” “Then why am I wearing a dress?” “Did I ask you to wear a dress?” I falter as I realize that no, actually, he didn’t. All he’d said was, We’re going off base. You don’t have to wear your uniform. I smother a groan, but it slips out anyway. “Hellfucker. I made it into a date.”

how on earth can she move on that easily?? her supposed best friend is enslaved to work at a mines and here Wren is doing stuff like THIS, carefree as if her kind aren't currently suffering!

My throat tightens with longing. For my ranch. My horse.

but not her supposed best friend??

It’s also nice when he reaches over and covers my hand with his. The pads of his fingers are rough as they stroke my knuckles. I tip my head toward him. “What are you doing?” “Touching your hand…Is that allowed?” “I suppose.”

FOUR SENTENCES ago she was just thinking about her ranch and horse that were taken from her, on Cross's orders btw cause she was announced innocent and he wanted her in the program to fuck her, and she's not even hating him? she never hated him from the start so I shouldn't be surprised but damn is this annoying lmao

You’re my enemy. Your father hates me. You would kill me if you knew who I was. We could never have a future. We will never be together. I slide my hand out from under his and fold both of mine in my lap. I refuse to check what his expression is.

she dresses up for him, fucks him, yet still think they haven't crossed that boundary?? she has leaped across that line a LOOOOONG time ago

And there’s only a tiny twinge of guilt as I reach out to Adrienne in the car at the airfield. It feels wrong sitting beside Cross and using telepathy to report to his enemy, but I silence my conscience and capitalize on the moment.

...

I’m still bitter that they left me to rot for three weeks. If Betima wasn’t killed and there’d been no hole to fill, they’d probably still be ignoring my SOSs.

BECAUSE YOU NEVER OFFERED TO HELP! The only times she tried to have Tana reach out to the Uprising on her behalf was to get the Uprising to rescue her!

She doesn’t want to simply pull the weeds. She wants to plant something new in their place. I suppose I can admire that.

YOU SUPPOSE?? You SUPPOSE you can admire someone who wants to free mods??

I wander through the first floor, and while I’m sure cameras are capturing my every move, I don’t care all that much. The curiosity has taken hold.

...the curiosity has taken hold...I know it's established that she's stupid, reckless, and impulsive, but can she NOT be that while at the heart of enemy territory??