Quicksilver by Callie Hart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate.

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 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 herself 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…

A Dark and Beautiful Fae

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🩷❤️💙💚
Spice/Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍
Character development: 🤓😟🤯😎
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Duet Narration

Characters and Plot Dynamics

Saeris Fane has always understood the danger of crossing a guardian, the armored soldiers who serve Queen Madris. She learned that lesson early when she watched a neighbor beaten and her own mother murdered. She also spent eight unforgettable minutes in the palace prison after being caught stealing. So, when a guardian confronted her in the alleys of her district, she refused to give her real name. Instead, she claimed to be from the third district, knowing he would assume she carried the infection that plagued that area.

Saeris escaped and took the guardian’s golden gauntlet with her. The metal alone could keep her and her brother Hayden fed for months. She brought it to her workplace the next morning. She worked for Elroy, a glassmaker and blacksmith who had loved her mother and still tried to protect Saeris in his own quiet way. Elroy urged her to return the gauntlet, but Saeris refused. She had Hayden to look after, and Hayden had a talent for finding trouble.

The siblings lived above a tavern and were well known in their district. Hayden often gambled with Carrion Swift, a tall and charming thief with auburn hair and a reputation for being both irresistible and unreliable. Carrion had promised Saeris he would stop taking advantage of Hayden, but he broke that promise, took Hayden’s money, and beat him. When Saeris confronted him, she learned that Carrion was searching for the stolen gauntlet. He feared that if the guardians traced it to the third district, they would storm the ward and kill innocent people.

When Saeris returned outside, Hayden was gone, and so was the gauntlet. She feared he had found it in her bag and taken it to sell. A distant cry confirmed her fear. She found Hayden held by guardians who demanded the armor. Saeris stepped forward and confessed that she was the thief. She fought the guardians with surprising skill and defeated three before being captured. As she was dragged away, she told Hayden to find the old man who would protect him. She knew she would be executed for killing guardians, but she also knew she would face the queen first.

Queen Madris was infamous for her cruelty and her hatred of the lowborn. She accused Saeris of murder and theft and demanded to know who had trained her. The queen insisted the fae must have taught her, even though Saeris had never met one. When Saeris denied it, the queen called her a liar and sentenced her to death. She also threatened to kill Saeris’s family and then everyone in the third district.

Saeris was executed by Harrin, the captain of the guard. He stabbed her repeatedly, but one dagger refused to pierce her skin. Magic stopped the blade, which was illegal for humans. A voice inside Saeris urged her to unmake the dagger, and she did. She was dying, but she dragged Harrin with her as she fell. When she pulled the sword from her stomach, she knew she had only seconds left.

Death arrived, but not as she expected. Death was a fae, a vampire ex-prince called Kingfisher. Saeris woke in a luxurious room with clean water and soft bedding, cared for by a kind fae girl named Everlane. Everything she had been taught about the fae was wrong. They were not myths, and they were not the monsters she had been warned about.

Highlights

• A powerful heroine. Saeris is sharp, sarcastic, and far more capable than anyone expects. Her transformation from a desperate survivor to someone with real power is one of the strongest elements of the story.
• A morally complex love interest. Kingfisher is a layered fae warrior with a dangerous past and a compelling presence.
• Beloved romantasy tropes. The story leans into enemies to lovers, morally grey characters, and a romance between two powerful people who want to change their world.
• Unique magic and worldbuilding. The quicksilver alchemy, portal magic, and fae courts feel fresh. Saeris’s ability to manipulate metal and quicksilver becomes central to the plot and draws the attention of rulers like Malcolm, the blood king.
• High stakes. Saeris’s growing power and her connection to Kingfisher create tension that builds steadily throughout the story.

Limitations

• Dense worldbuilding. The world is rich but often explained in long, technical passages that can feel overwhelming. Some descriptions are so detailed that the meaning becomes unclear.
• A very slow burn romance. The romantic arc does not truly begin until well past the halfway point. In a long book, that means readers wait more than three hundred pages before the relationship gains momentum.
• Information overload. The story shifts quickly from action to heavy exposition, which can make it difficult to absorb everything on the first read.

Narration

The audiobook uses duet narration by Stella Bloom and Anthony Palmini. Stella Bloom delivers an expressive and emotionally grounded performance that captures Saeris’s fear, determination, and sharp wit. She excels at portraying tension and vulnerability without ever sounding forced. Anthony Palmini brings strength and nuance to the male characters, especially Kingfisher. Together, they create a vivid listening experience that heightens the emotional impact of the story.

Final Opinion

This audiobook delivers a gripping blend of danger, magic, and slow-building romance anchored by a heroine who refuses to break and a fae warrior with a haunting past. The world is intricate and sometimes overwhelming, but the emotional core of the story is strong enough to carry you through the dense lore. Saeris’s journey from hunted thief to someone with the power to reshape kingdoms is compelling, and the narration elevates every moment. If you enjoy morally grey characters, complex magic systems, and romances that take their time to ignite, this is a rich and rewarding listen that stays with you long after the final chapter.

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