Silver Elite: Chapter 9
Jul. 30th, 2025 01:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaHaving made a new...friend? Having made the acquaintance of Lyddie, presumably the new obligatory supportive female side character these books always have, Wren is assigned to Black Cell. Luckily, Hadley, the traitorous son we learned about in the last chapter, is assigned elsewhere.
Wren immediately starts whining internally that she doesn't do well in a classroom environment. She needs fresh air and to be outside so she can do whatever she wants?
Hasn't Wren been in hiding her entire life because if the government knew about her they would kill her? Yet she was allowed to create problems at school that would, theoretically, have drawn attention to her? Also, is class being boring really your most important concern right now, Wren? Your only family is dead and you're under suspicion by at least one high-ranked military officer and you could literally die if you slip up.
Oh, god, it gets worse. This first page is absurd.
God, our protagonist is an idiot. I guess this isn't really a flaw of the book. In the right hands this can be our protagonist's character flaw and this can be a source of interesting conflict that will drive the book. For example, if Wren had spent her life pretending to be incompetent to avoid attention, and secretly longed to stand out or excel, we could see how she might be tempted here. But I can't even comprehend, based on what exists in the book, how she can be enticed by anything right now. Soldiers literally shot Julian in front of her a chapter or two ago. Why doesn't "Interrogation Tactics" make her sick to her stomach at the thought of Julian--or hell, herself--being tortured?
I know this is technically sci-fi but this is such romantasy bullshit, this protag whose biggest problem is hiding how amazing she is at everything. Ugh.
Why else would you need four days to recover?
Wren talks to Lyddie, who is a nepo baby, or as they are called in this book, a staple. Lyddie explains to Wren that staples are guaranteed to be in Silver Block, perhaps even Silver Elite, which is the title of this book, a special forces unit within Silver Block, and also where our protagonist will inevitably end up. Yay.
Wren then admits to Lyddie she knows nothing about Silver Block, and has to bullshit a reason why because that's obviously suspicious as hell. She then ruminates on how she's so impulsive and how it's always getting her in trouble. Yeah, I've noticed, Wren. We're a quarter of the way through the book, so I hope you will try to address that at some point.
We then meet a bunch more of the recuits. The flood of names and descriptions, plus this clunky explanation of Silver Block, is once again giving big Fourth Wing vibes.
Oh, god, one of these guys is hot, as Wren rushes to assure us. In fact, he's too hot to be from mining country, but it turns out he was spared having to work the mines because of his mild asthma.
Two questions:
1. Why didn't the same mild asthma disqualify him from this elite military unit?
2. Why did his mild asthma disqualify him from mining work? Apparently in the ward he's from it's common to pull kids out of school if there's not enough adults to work. So they're pro-child labor, but only for healthy kids?
What an accepting, generous dystopian government this is!
In a reasonable world I wouldn't nitpick this stuff. But your world is supposed to be unjust, so where is all the injustice?
After being hit on by hot asthmatic, Wren gets to go to her new bunk, where she gets a bag of new uniforms, underwear, and toiletries. She's weirded out by the fact they included bras that fit, and like...I doubt someone personally selected a bra for you, Wren, you just said they had your measurements on file. Computers in this world exist.
Okay, so while Wren is getting settled, a nervous recruit discovers that there's twenty-three beds and twenty-four recruits. Some other recruits immediately start mocking her. I recognize one of them because he's been heavily telegraphed by the book as an evil rapist. The others, I think we were given in a long list of people a page or two ago, but I didn't retain that shit because it was boring.
Okay, first off, this is a weird thing to tangent about during this relatively tense scene where a girl is getting bullied. Why are we focusing on Ivy's legs right now? She sucks, she's literally bullying someone in this same scene.
Second, your world is so dystopian that only the 1% can have pinstripe pajamas, but asthmatic kids don't have to toil in the mines?
It is worth noting that the bullies immediately start calling this recruit "little lamb" and Wren immediately also starts calling her that in her internal monologue.
Wren immediately gives the lamb, aka Pera, her bed.
Now, you might be thinking that Wren sees an opportunity to immediately get herself cut from Silver Block and therefore a chance at escaping. After all, she literally said in an earlier chapter that her plan was to fail at everything so she could go home. But...
It's like Wren knows Captain Cross is her love interest. It's like she's read the book and knows she is the protagonist.
Wren crawls into bed with the mining kid who hit on her earlier. Chapter end.
Wren immediately starts whining internally that she doesn't do well in a classroom environment. She needs fresh air and to be outside so she can do whatever she wants?
Hasn't Wren been in hiding her entire life because if the government knew about her they would kill her? Yet she was allowed to create problems at school that would, theoretically, have drawn attention to her? Also, is class being boring really your most important concern right now, Wren? Your only family is dead and you're under suspicion by at least one high-ranked military officer and you could literally die if you slip up.
Oh, god, it gets worse. This first page is absurd.
Ford calls for a break, and while the other recruits use the time to chat among themselves, I find a quiet spot against the wall and study the schedule on my source. This week is labeled section 1 and primarily involves weapons training, which intrigues me. Long range, short range, moving targets.
Damn it, and the other sections are equally intriguing. Interrogation Tactics. Intelligence Gathering. Knives. Hand-to-Hand Combat. Undercover Operations. Basics of Flight.
I hate the tickle of excitement I feel in my stomach. I’m not allowed to enjoy myself. And I’m certainly not allowed to be good at anything. My goal is to fail so they send me back to the wards. Back to the ranch. No matter how enticing some of these sections are, I can’t let myself excel at them.
God, our protagonist is an idiot. I guess this isn't really a flaw of the book. In the right hands this can be our protagonist's character flaw and this can be a source of interesting conflict that will drive the book. For example, if Wren had spent her life pretending to be incompetent to avoid attention, and secretly longed to stand out or excel, we could see how she might be tempted here. But I can't even comprehend, based on what exists in the book, how she can be enticed by anything right now. Soldiers literally shot Julian in front of her a chapter or two ago. Why doesn't "Interrogation Tactics" make her sick to her stomach at the thought of Julian--or hell, herself--being tortured?
I know this is technically sci-fi but this is such romantasy bullshit, this protag whose biggest problem is hiding how amazing she is at everything. Ugh.
I continue scrolling, noting the four days of rest that seem to be arbitrarily scheduled between two sections. They come directly after a class labeled RTI.
Although I have no intention of making friends, I’ve already been friendly to Lyddie, so I wander back to our workstation and lean against the edge of the desk.
“Do you know what RTI is?” I ask her. “It’s in Section 7.”
She lifts her head from her source. “Oh. Resistance to interrogation.”
My brow furrows. “Are we the ones resisting the interrogation?”
Why else would you need four days to recover?
Wren talks to Lyddie, who is a nepo baby, or as they are called in this book, a staple. Lyddie explains to Wren that staples are guaranteed to be in Silver Block, perhaps even Silver Elite, which is the title of this book, a special forces unit within Silver Block, and also where our protagonist will inevitably end up. Yay.
Wren then admits to Lyddie she knows nothing about Silver Block, and has to bullshit a reason why because that's obviously suspicious as hell. She then ruminates on how she's so impulsive and how it's always getting her in trouble. Yeah, I've noticed, Wren. We're a quarter of the way through the book, so I hope you will try to address that at some point.
We then meet a bunch more of the recuits. The flood of names and descriptions, plus this clunky explanation of Silver Block, is once again giving big Fourth Wing vibes.
Oh, god, one of these guys is hot, as Wren rushes to assure us. In fact, he's too hot to be from mining country, but it turns out he was spared having to work the mines because of his mild asthma.
Two questions:
1. Why didn't the same mild asthma disqualify him from this elite military unit?
2. Why did his mild asthma disqualify him from mining work? Apparently in the ward he's from it's common to pull kids out of school if there's not enough adults to work. So they're pro-child labor, but only for healthy kids?
What an accepting, generous dystopian government this is!
In a reasonable world I wouldn't nitpick this stuff. But your world is supposed to be unjust, so where is all the injustice?
After being hit on by hot asthmatic, Wren gets to go to her new bunk, where she gets a bag of new uniforms, underwear, and toiletries. She's weirded out by the fact they included bras that fit, and like...I doubt someone personally selected a bra for you, Wren, you just said they had your measurements on file. Computers in this world exist.
Okay, so while Wren is getting settled, a nervous recruit discovers that there's twenty-three beds and twenty-four recruits. Some other recruits immediately start mocking her. I recognize one of them because he's been heavily telegraphed by the book as an evil rapist. The others, I think we were given in a long list of people a page or two ago, but I didn't retain that shit because it was boring.
Ivy unbuttons her trousers and pushes them down to expose her bare legs. She reaches for a pair of drawstring pants she must have brought from home, their pale-blue pattern with its thin pinstripes telling me she comes from means, likely from an elite family in the Point.
Those types of fabrics are beyond rare. General Redden’s philosophy is all about functionality. Efficiency. The fabrics that roll out of his textile mills are utilitarian—solid grays, blacks, blues. You won’t find many ward shops that carry patterns or prints, but if you have the credits, you can easily procure custom-made goods in Sanctum Point. All the pinstripes and florals your heart desires.
Okay, first off, this is a weird thing to tangent about during this relatively tense scene where a girl is getting bullied. Why are we focusing on Ivy's legs right now? She sucks, she's literally bullying someone in this same scene.
Second, your world is so dystopian that only the 1% can have pinstripe pajamas, but asthmatic kids don't have to toil in the mines?
It is worth noting that the bullies immediately start calling this recruit "little lamb" and Wren immediately also starts calling her that in her internal monologue.
“I told you, don’t bother.” Ivy sounds annoyed. “They won’t care. They do this on purpose.”NO. No, please, not this again. I just finished Onyx Storm, I cannot read another book about a military unit that pits everyone involved against each other but somehow produces a cohesive unit. Please.
“To what end?” asks a guy whose name I can’t remember. Ford and Hadley barked out far too many names today.
“They do it to identify the bleeding heart,” Ivy says with a shrug. “Every session, someone inevitably gives up their bed, then gets cut from the Program the next morning.”
A hesitant Lyddie speaks up. “Why are they cut?”
“They’re considered a weak link because of their compassion.”
Wren immediately gives the lamb, aka Pera, her bed.
Now, you might be thinking that Wren sees an opportunity to immediately get herself cut from Silver Block and therefore a chance at escaping. After all, she literally said in an earlier chapter that her plan was to fail at everything so she could go home. But...
“They’re not going to cut me.” I’m confident of it, considering Captain Cross said he wanted to keep me close.
And if they do cut me, then, fuck yes, sign me up. I’d love nothing more than to leave this base.
It's like Wren knows Captain Cross is her love interest. It's like she's read the book and knows she is the protagonist.
Wren crawls into bed with the mining kid who hit on her earlier. Chapter end.
