Book Review: ‘Quicksilver' by Callie Hart (your next spicy romantasy obsession)

‘Quicksilver' by Callie Hart was both in and out of my life faster than I could blink. It was suddenly on my radar from Booktok, I then saw it in Waterstones (and gagged at the price), checked prices online, and snapped it up on Kindle Unlimited.

I wasn't expecting much, I'd see that people review it as spicy, and I was in a fantasy kind of mood, so it ticked all the boxes. What I could not predict was how perfect a match this book was for me! Here's the summary:

“In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn't much a girl wouldn't do for a glass of water.

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.

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 re-opens 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 herself 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 . . .”

This book is a wild journey, and the path it takes while not necessarily “surprising” per se (I'm an old, boring reader now, it takes a lot to truly catch me off guard), I loved how it kept doubling down on the plot decisions. Like, I thought it couldn't get any more bonkers/dramatic/spicy/heartfelt/swordy and it kept giving me more.

Speaking of swords…

For me this was a massive sell. I LOVE swords. And I especially loved how the swords had a kind of personality in this book, or at least, they were attributed personality through the weilder? I guess? And they had names.

Gimme swords.

Character-wise I think Saeris was a grower. Initially I was concerned she would conintue to be very pick-me and brash to a fault (as in, you're literally putting hundreds of lives at stake here, maybe take a breath?) but the more time we spent with her the more I liked her.

Kingfisher, however? Well. He's the quintessential romantasy misunderstood edgy bad boy love interest, isn't he? And you know he's going to look good clad head-to-toe in leather (it's ARMOUR ok? It's essential).

I thought their relationship developed at a good pace, and the promise of some spicy content was not a lie. Some of those scenes are scorching! Perfectly balanced between the explicitly sexy and intense romance. I was here for it.

You what else I truly appreciated? A merry band of secondary characters. I think there were a couple who were clearly just pawns to push the plot forward in certain places, but for the most part I felt a connection to all of them. The men, in particular, are written to create a real kind of kinship towards. I didn't always feel like the women received the same treatment. They do seem to end up either villainised or victimised, which is a very simplistic interpretation, but I didn't feel the same empathy or kinship towards the women in ‘Quicksilver', which is a little sad because there are some really interesting characters!

Overall, I found ‘Quicksilver' entirely unputdownable. It scorches and then it soothes, it pulls you in to push you away again, and above all, it's expertly paced!

It left me desperate for book two (which thank goodness comes out later in 2025), and I defy anyone who is a fan of the usual romantasy titles, especially involving the fae, to not be completely won over by ‘Quicksilver’.

Written by Sarah