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Fire & Metal #1
Metal Slinger
Not yet published
Expected 3 Feb 26Brynn has spent the better part of her life waiting for the chance to attend the annual market hosted by the Kenta, the very same people who exiled the Alaha to live a life over the sea. A rite of passage for all young guards, she’s not sure what to expect from it, but breaking a century- long peace treaty certainly isn’t on her map.
Neither is the encounter with an enemy soldier.
Returning home to Alaha, she’s confronted with the aftermath of the day’s events. The future is uncertain as the threat of hunger looms over the people. With rumors of a growing rebellion, Brynn and her closest friends promise to stick together.
When an unexpected visitor arrives, Brynn’s loyalty will be tested as she learns of a world of magic and treachery. Once her enemy, always her enemy, right? But the dark, knowing eyes of a stranger make her question everything…
…including her heart.
Neither is the encounter with an enemy soldier.
Returning home to Alaha, she’s confronted with the aftermath of the day’s events. The future is uncertain as the threat of hunger looms over the people. With rumors of a growing rebellion, Brynn and her closest friends promise to stick together.
When an unexpected visitor arrives, Brynn’s loyalty will be tested as she learns of a world of magic and treachery. Once her enemy, always her enemy, right? But the dark, knowing eyes of a stranger make her question everything…
…including her heart.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2024
14975 people are currently reading
209582 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Schneider
7 books3,123 followersRachel Schneider lives in South Louisiana with her husband and daughter. She loves curse words, crawfish, and all things romance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 16,661 reviews
February 28, 2025
EDIT: Metal Slinger is being traditionally published AND has an audiobook coming this year!! I can’t wait to re-read and will come back to update my review once released. The review below is for the original indie version.
My jaw is on the ground and I’m going to need 2-3 business days to process this story.
The blurb doesn’t do this book justice, the story is so much more. This book is extremely fast paced so it might not be for everyone, especially as it can get ahead of you at times. For me this was exactly what I needed to read at the right time and it gave me all of those five star feelings.
I’m obsessed with all of the characters and their dynamics. The world and politics were so interesting to me and I ate up everything to do with the magic system. It was all so entertaining I had to physically restrain myself to put the book down at times because I just kept wanting to read on. I spent so much of this book feeling giddy, kicking my feet and screaming!
So many twists and turns, never a dull moment. The way everything connects at the end is quite frankly, insane. The ending?? The. Ending. You’ll either love or hate it and I absolutely devoured it. The author is a mastermind. Romantasy is back!!!!
I already need more!!!!
*Update: It has been over 1 month and I still think about this book every single day. One of my favourite reads EVER.*
My jaw is on the ground and I’m going to need 2-3 business days to process this story.
The blurb doesn’t do this book justice, the story is so much more. This book is extremely fast paced so it might not be for everyone, especially as it can get ahead of you at times. For me this was exactly what I needed to read at the right time and it gave me all of those five star feelings.
I’m obsessed with all of the characters and their dynamics. The world and politics were so interesting to me and I ate up everything to do with the magic system. It was all so entertaining I had to physically restrain myself to put the book down at times because I just kept wanting to read on. I spent so much of this book feeling giddy, kicking my feet and screaming!
So many twists and turns, never a dull moment. The way everything connects at the end is quite frankly, insane. The ending?? The. Ending. You’ll either love or hate it and I absolutely devoured it. The author is a mastermind. Romantasy is back!!!!
I already need more!!!!
*Update: It has been over 1 month and I still think about this book every single day. One of my favourite reads EVER.*
November 21, 2024
This is unfortunately a little too unpolished for me to rate it any higher. The transitions between chapters jump time in ways that are confusing. The big twist/reveal in the final two chapters doesn’t logically make sense when considering character motivations/reactions from all the preceding events. It’s really unclear what it is that they are trying to accomplish, so it just comes across as being a twist for the sake of being a surprise twist. I won’t be continuing on with this series.
September 25, 2024
4.5⭐️ MY HEART IS IN SHAMBLES!! THAT ENDING?!!! What. The. Actual. Fuck. Give me all the painful cliffhangers every damn day of the week but holy hell, that one hurt DIFFERENT.
Listen, I’m not going to sit here and tell you I always see the ending of books coming and I am not easily fooled… because well that would be a lie. However, when I say I wouldn’t have seen this plot twist coming if my life depended on it… I mean it. Holy. Hell. THE SWEETEST BETRAYAL!!
Ending aside this book was truly such a fun and easy read. Fantasy romance as it’s finest. I was incapable of putting it down from the moment I picked it up. And I was in a mega slump so that’s saying something… it contains a lot of your classic romantasy tropes so it’s important to know that going in if that isn’t your favorite! But for me personally… GIVE ME ALL the tropes especially when executed perfectly like they were in this book and given their own unique flair!
The world building was so easy to digest without being too vague. I think this would also be a perfect romantasy for beginners! The world is divided by the Alaha, those who live on the water, and Kenta, those who live on land, who have being living in peace for centuries. So things get a bit dicey when our FMC Brynn threatens that peace at the very beginning of the book. When Brynn finds herself face to face with the mysterious dark haired enemy soldier she discovers that nothing in her life is as it seems. Her loyalty is tested when secrets are revealed and she is thrust into a world of magic and a looming rebellion….. god it was fun!
Our MMC is scrumptious…. The second I found out he had a nose ring. I folded. And that mouth…. There’s something about a man who’s subtly obsessed, like he keeps himself restrained but you can see the obsessiveness and possession in his little tells…. GIVE IT TO ME!
I loved our FMC as well, she was smart, sure of herself, and never backed down to the threats of a man. And I know she’s only going to get better in book two!!
This book is for you if you like
- Forced proximity
- Slow burn
- He falls first
- Elemental magic
- Touch her and die
- Plot twists
- Political intrigue
Not quite 5 stars just because I felt like the pacing was a bit slow in the middle, would have loved to see a bit more action there! But the ending made up for it!
Listen, I’m not going to sit here and tell you I always see the ending of books coming and I am not easily fooled… because well that would be a lie. However, when I say I wouldn’t have seen this plot twist coming if my life depended on it… I mean it. Holy. Hell. THE SWEETEST BETRAYAL!!
Ending aside this book was truly such a fun and easy read. Fantasy romance as it’s finest. I was incapable of putting it down from the moment I picked it up. And I was in a mega slump so that’s saying something… it contains a lot of your classic romantasy tropes so it’s important to know that going in if that isn’t your favorite! But for me personally… GIVE ME ALL the tropes especially when executed perfectly like they were in this book and given their own unique flair!
The world building was so easy to digest without being too vague. I think this would also be a perfect romantasy for beginners! The world is divided by the Alaha, those who live on the water, and Kenta, those who live on land, who have being living in peace for centuries. So things get a bit dicey when our FMC Brynn threatens that peace at the very beginning of the book. When Brynn finds herself face to face with the mysterious dark haired enemy soldier she discovers that nothing in her life is as it seems. Her loyalty is tested when secrets are revealed and she is thrust into a world of magic and a looming rebellion….. god it was fun!
Our MMC is scrumptious…. The second I found out he had a nose ring. I folded. And that mouth…. There’s something about a man who’s subtly obsessed, like he keeps himself restrained but you can see the obsessiveness and possession in his little tells…. GIVE IT TO ME!
I loved our FMC as well, she was smart, sure of herself, and never backed down to the threats of a man. And I know she’s only going to get better in book two!!
This book is for you if you like
- Forced proximity
- Slow burn
- He falls first
- Elemental magic
- Touch her and die
- Plot twists
- Political intrigue
Not quite 5 stars just because I felt like the pacing was a bit slow in the middle, would have loved to see a bit more action there! But the ending made up for it!
November 2, 2024
This book was almost a DNF at 30% and should have been. I don’t understand the hype at all. The writing is clumsy at best. World building is minimal despite it being a unique world that could be really interesting - your society lives in trees in the ocean, please tell me more about that! Sadly, no. A new character arrives and just explains the FMC’s mysterious backstory that we hadn’t gotten even a whiff of yet so feeling incredibly tell not show. It was reminiscent of Harry Potter’s beginning when Hagrid shows up to announce he’s a wizard, only with no pomp or flare in this case. This kind of storytelling continued throughout with incongruous details and conversations just haphazardly thrown in without any foreshadowing or justifying depth of explanation. A lot of repetition in the writing too. There are some fae vibes in the beginning that seem to be abandoned for the rest of the story. So many predictable tropisms that I rolled my eyes multiple times. And the FMC is the most bland character I have read in a long time with no defining personality characteristics, almost no internal conflict or reflection, poorly defined motivations, wavering skill sets (she’s a master swordsman at the beginning and then cowers the whole rest of the story), etc. She was boring to read and the MMC was only mildly more interesting. But no chemistry between the two despite so many opportunities to build some. The side characters were actually better developed than the main characters. The actual romance scenes were a bit too violent with him forcing her to kiss him while she resisted or grabbing her by the throat then tying her up and it was off putting.
But the twist at the end was unbelievable, as in actually could not believe that was even attempted. It negates so much of the rest of the story in a truly unrealistic way and made no sense. There needed to be WAY more work put into foreshadowing or time spent going back and explaining how so many things actually occurred since the reader was misled for 95% of the book to make that work. It’s not the twist itself that bothers me, although it does make the FMC an abhorrent person, but the execution! You can’t have a story from a single first person POV with internal monologue and then find out later that the entire POV was a lie to the reader because a whole plotline involving her is happening off page! Make it dual POV with Acker’s interpretation of things, or events related through journal entries so that twist could have been earned! A reveal like that needs to at least have breadcrumbs throughout the story that suddenly make sense at the end or account for those enormous plot holes differently or else is just a poorly constructed story, and that’s what this was. I wanted to like this one but the storytelling fell so flat for me and the ending failed/made it a completely different story that I hated.
But the twist at the end was unbelievable, as in actually could not believe that was even attempted. It negates so much of the rest of the story in a truly unrealistic way and made no sense. There needed to be WAY more work put into foreshadowing or time spent going back and explaining how so many things actually occurred since the reader was misled for 95% of the book to make that work. It’s not the twist itself that bothers me, although it does make the FMC an abhorrent person, but the execution! You can’t have a story from a single first person POV with internal monologue and then find out later that the entire POV was a lie to the reader because a whole plotline involving her is happening off page! Make it dual POV with Acker’s interpretation of things, or events related through journal entries so that twist could have been earned! A reveal like that needs to at least have breadcrumbs throughout the story that suddenly make sense at the end or account for those enormous plot holes differently or else is just a poorly constructed story, and that’s what this was. I wanted to like this one but the storytelling fell so flat for me and the ending failed/made it a completely different story that I hated.
March 12, 2025
How is this the book everyone is talking about right now? This book needs to be actually edited so badly, It read like a first draft that hadn't gone through any kind of editing yet. Also the pacing is so off it made the book read even worse, SO much happened in the first 100 pages to the point I got whiplash but for the next 100 pages nothing at all happened?..
This book also relied on bad plot twists every 50 or so pages to keep the reader engaged because both the plot and romance was dull and she had no chemistry at all with him. Both characters were so boring.
The plot twist at the end was terrible and made literally no sense whatsoever given the story we were just told. It was pure shock factor and was not thought through or executed well.
This book also relied on bad plot twists every 50 or so pages to keep the reader engaged because both the plot and romance was dull and she had no chemistry at all with him. Both characters were so boring.
The plot twist at the end was terrible and made literally no sense whatsoever given the story we were just told. It was pure shock factor and was not thought through or executed well.
January 5, 2025
4.5! the scream i screamt with this ending…. no i will not recover thank youuu
April 29, 2025
Wait, wait, wait—
What just happened??? Hello??
Okay, so I guessed something suspicious was going on with him… but that ending??? 👀 That was definitely unexpected 🤯
Second book 👀 hey!!! Care to release it soon? 👀 PLEEEEEASEEE!!! That cliffhanger is cliffhangering me 😔
My mind can’t even focus on anything else other than that cliffhanger 😭 My eyes were in wide shock—dayummm… 🤯
Pinterest, thank you 🙂↕️✨🫶
Guyssss, if this is on your TBR, then I seriously can’t wait to read your reviews 🤭 But if this isn’t on your TBR, pleeeeease add it 🙏 (If you love Romantasy with some adventure, Enemies-to-Lovers muheheheh, Forbidden Love, a Strong Female Lead 🙂↕️, Hidden Identity/Secrets 👀, Magic of course, aaaaaaaand… ughhhh—I can’t write it because it’ll spoil you 😭 but yeah, the ending is WORTH it). I’m having a sudden urge to reveal that trope 😭 BUT I DON’T WANT TO SPOIL YOU 👀 SEE!? I’M GOOD AT CONTROLLING MYSELF 🤭 (Nah I’M NOT 😭 I’M BARELY HOLDING IT TOGETHER!!!) Me to my fingers: please please please don’t write the last trope (definitely a spoiler-kind-of trope) 😭
Time to write about something else because I’m definitely losing it…. 😭
Okay okay okay, so ACKER… heeeeeeey 👀 Oh btw lovies, the Slowburn is Slowburning & the Angst is Angsting 🙂↕️ Okay, back to ACKER… heeeeeey again 👀 (I think my “heeeeeeys” are enough to let you know my feelings… heheheh).
I forgot the FMC's name 💀 help—wait, lemme go back to check 💀 Hey, I’m back—yes, BRYNN… dayummm not gonna lie, she’s a strong woman 🫡 Girlie got that charm…
MESSER, ahhhhhh he’s my favorite side character muhehehh 🤭 I swear—Miss Author, if you’re gonna do something emotional to him then I’ll… (tbh I can’t do anything other than cry or get sad, so yeah) I’ll cry 😭 So please, for the sake of my tears 😔 give him a good fate. I think I love him more than Acker 🤭
BEAU, ooooh I love her too 👀 She’s so cool 🤭✨ I’m definitely interested in her character and have so many questions about her… 👀
Uhh, who else…!?!? My mind is going back to that spoiler-kinda-trope 😭 help… Guess I’ll end my review here… It’s already so long 😭 (There was another character who was good too 👀 umm… I think his name was Hallis… yeah, I think so)
A MUST READ!!! 🫶✨
WAAAAAAAITTTT— I just read this THEORY OR RUMOR OR WHATEVERRRRRR… 🤯 WHAAA—OH.EM.GEE… If that theory/rumor is correct 👀 I’m gonna lose my mind (in a good way, of course) because I love both 🙂↕️ If you’ve already read Metal Slinger, then check this theory on Reddit omg…
⚠️ If you’re gonna read this book (whenever you want to), I just wanna say my DMs are always open & I would really love to hear your thoughts, so feel freeeee to drop a text ⚠️
OKAY BYE!! (Truly sorry for the long review—or more like a rant 😔)
___________________
Pre-Read
✨Pinterest✨ sparked my interest in reading this book 😌😌 so let’s see…
Second book 👀 hey!!! Care to release it soon? 👀 PLEEEEEASEEE!!! That cliffhanger is cliffhangering me 😔
My mind can’t even focus on anything else other than that cliffhanger 😭 My eyes were in wide shock—dayummm… 🤯
Pinterest, thank you 🙂↕️✨🫶
Guyssss, if this is on your TBR, then I seriously can’t wait to read your reviews 🤭 But if this isn’t on your TBR, pleeeeease add it 🙏 (If you love Romantasy with some adventure, Enemies-to-Lovers muheheheh, Forbidden Love, a Strong Female Lead 🙂↕️, Hidden Identity/Secrets 👀, Magic of course, aaaaaaaand… ughhhh—I can’t write it because it’ll spoil you 😭 but yeah, the ending is WORTH it). I’m having a sudden urge to reveal that trope 😭 BUT I DON’T WANT TO SPOIL YOU 👀 SEE!? I’M GOOD AT CONTROLLING MYSELF 🤭 (Nah I’M NOT 😭 I’M BARELY HOLDING IT TOGETHER!!!) Me to my fingers: please please please don’t write the last trope (definitely a spoiler-kind-of trope) 😭
Time to write about something else because I’m definitely losing it…. 😭
Okay okay okay, so ACKER… heeeeeeey 👀 Oh btw lovies, the Slowburn is Slowburning & the Angst is Angsting 🙂↕️ Okay, back to ACKER… heeeeeey again 👀 (I think my “heeeeeeys” are enough to let you know my feelings… heheheh).
I forgot the FMC's name 💀 help—wait, lemme go back to check 💀 Hey, I’m back—yes, BRYNN… dayummm not gonna lie, she’s a strong woman 🫡 Girlie got that charm…
MESSER, ahhhhhh he’s my favorite side character muhehehh 🤭 I swear—Miss Author, if you’re gonna do something emotional to him then I’ll… (tbh I can’t do anything other than cry or get sad, so yeah) I’ll cry 😭 So please, for the sake of my tears 😔 give him a good fate. I think I love him more than Acker 🤭
BEAU, ooooh I love her too 👀 She’s so cool 🤭✨ I’m definitely interested in her character and have so many questions about her… 👀
Uhh, who else…!?!? My mind is going back to that spoiler-kinda-trope 😭 help… Guess I’ll end my review here… It’s already so long 😭 (There was another character who was good too 👀 umm… I think his name was Hallis… yeah, I think so)
A MUST READ!!! 🫶✨
WAAAAAAAITTTT— I just read this THEORY OR RUMOR OR WHATEVERRRRRR… 🤯 WHAAA—OH.EM.GEE… If that theory/rumor is correct 👀 I’m gonna lose my mind (in a good way, of course) because I love both 🙂↕️ If you’ve already read Metal Slinger, then check this theory on Reddit omg…
⚠️ If you’re gonna read this book (whenever you want to), I just wanna say my DMs are always open & I would really love to hear your thoughts, so feel freeeee to drop a text ⚠️
OKAY BYE!! (Truly sorry for the long review—or more like a rant 😔)
___________________
Pre-Read
✨Pinterest✨ sparked my interest in reading this book 😌😌 so let’s see…
December 9, 2024
this sh*t was devoured in less than 24 hours. WHAT DO YOU MEAN RACHEL???? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THATS HOW IT ENDS?????? never EVER have I been so thoroughly bamboozled. I feel winded. I could easily commit a homicide or sacrificial act for the 2nd book to be in my hands rn <3
aside from the ending…….. this book slapped so unbelievably hard. I feel like non-stop fantasy girl fall had me slumping a bit, and metal slinger SLUNG me out of that slump so hard I went through the wall like that guy with the bowlcut in The Incredibles. you get the vision????
Acker has my whole entire heart rn. I was genuinely giggling & kicking my feet over him every single second of this book, if they mess with his character integrity in book 2 I’m starting a riot. xoxoxo. AND MESSER! MY LOVE! UGH. our FMC… too many layers to unpack rn. I think, I love her? but I KNOWWWW her arc is about to be juicy af. UGH.
The pacing, the setting, the romance, the dialogue, all of it was chefs kiss. I’m so upset and elated at the same f**king time.
aside from the ending…….. this book slapped so unbelievably hard. I feel like non-stop fantasy girl fall had me slumping a bit, and metal slinger SLUNG me out of that slump so hard I went through the wall like that guy with the bowlcut in The Incredibles. you get the vision????
Acker has my whole entire heart rn. I was genuinely giggling & kicking my feet over him every single second of this book, if they mess with his character integrity in book 2 I’m starting a riot. xoxoxo. AND MESSER! MY LOVE! UGH. our FMC… too many layers to unpack rn. I think, I love her? but I KNOWWWW her arc is about to be juicy af. UGH.
The pacing, the setting, the romance, the dialogue, all of it was chefs kiss. I’m so upset and elated at the same f**king time.
November 26, 2024
Honestly I can't trust Goodreads ratings anymore after booktok has taken over. 4.3 stars are you JOKING? Nothing about this book was good; the dialogue was so stilted and the characters' reactions to certain conversations/events just made no sense.
A twist ending is not SMART when it makes no sense looking back through the book! Yeah sure you couldn't see the ending coming, but that's just because it doesn't fit AT ALL with the prior narration, plot and notices in general. This ending just shows the author wanted to have a shock twist without taking the time to think about the story as a whole and make the ending fit into the rest of the book. Absolutely ridiculous, made no sense at all - sometimes the book's ending saves it and (for me at least) gives it another extra star. This ending pissed me off so much I would've rated the book 0 stars if I could have.
Sloppy writing, truly poor dialogue, nonsensical plot, no chemistry between the MCs and extremely poor development of the side characters. All in all definitely not worth its hype or its rating - booktok please go read other books, just caus the MMC has dark hair and kills people doesn't mean it's a good book.
A twist ending is not SMART when it makes no sense looking back through the book! Yeah sure you couldn't see the ending coming, but that's just because it doesn't fit AT ALL with the prior narration, plot and notices in general. This ending just shows the author wanted to have a shock twist without taking the time to think about the story as a whole and make the ending fit into the rest of the book. Absolutely ridiculous, made no sense at all - sometimes the book's ending saves it and (for me at least) gives it another extra star. This ending pissed me off so much I would've rated the book 0 stars if I could have.
Sloppy writing, truly poor dialogue, nonsensical plot, no chemistry between the MCs and extremely poor development of the side characters. All in all definitely not worth its hype or its rating - booktok please go read other books, just caus the MMC has dark hair and kills people doesn't mean it's a good book.
December 28, 2024
I just consumed this in 48 hours and loved every second of it. This is exactly what I want in a Romantasy!!! The ending.. BLEW ME AWAY and left me itching for the next book immediately but now we wait!! 😭😭
This captured me right from the start! If you enjoy an easy (beginner) Romantasy, this is for you!! The magic system is so freaking cool. I will say, it did start to get a tad slow from 50-70% but I just loved the entire concept and storyline of this book so much, I simply cannot give it anything less than 5 stars. This is one of my favorites this year!
“She has beautiful eyes,” he says softly, like he’s lost to memory. “They’re brown and green and amber, like every color of every season. I’ve looked everywhere for eyes like hers, and nothing has ever been able to compare.”
-elemental magic
-romantasy
-enemies to lovers
-fated mates
-slow burn
-touch her & die
This captured me right from the start! If you enjoy an easy (beginner) Romantasy, this is for you!! The magic system is so freaking cool. I will say, it did start to get a tad slow from 50-70% but I just loved the entire concept and storyline of this book so much, I simply cannot give it anything less than 5 stars. This is one of my favorites this year!
“She has beautiful eyes,” he says softly, like he’s lost to memory. “They’re brown and green and amber, like every color of every season. I’ve looked everywhere for eyes like hers, and nothing has ever been able to compare.”
-elemental magic
-romantasy
-enemies to lovers
-fated mates
-slow burn
-touch her & die
October 31, 2024
I wanted to love this novel. At first, I did. I was fully enraptured by the ending, how it fooled me, the crazy wild ride, it was great. Then, once I had finished the novel and really started thinking about it, I couldn’t help but find more and more plot holes throughout the novel. Many of these can be rectified within the next novel, and I’d be so happy if they were, but there were also a series of inconsistencies throughout that took me out of the novel.
What I liked:
-I enjoyed the romance and I liked the whole “match” connection that they had (for the most part).
-I think this book did something that not many romance novels do a good job of: actively demonstrating how these two fell in love. The forced proximity, the special moments, the banter. I actively saw (read) these two fall in love and it was beautiful.
-The writing is really easy to read and understand. It’s fast paced and it doesn’t stop.
-The ending did have me fooled. I didn’t see it coming. I was very shocked.
Inconsistencies:
-Our heroine’s eyes are described as hazel, then she’s told they’re blue later on when she’s with Merrow, she says “your eyes are blue now” and he responds “so are yours.” Then they’re hazel again by the end of the novel.
-In a conversation with another couple, we’re told the woman was disinherited because she was awakened and married a commoner and then two pages later the prose states she actually hadn’t awakened. So now I’m confused. That whole conversation was also pointless and made me mad because they were supposed to be getting more information on their match and got no new information.
-There is a reveal with Grenadine that doesn’t make sense because wouldn’t Acker have recognized Grenadine when he was on the same ship as her, living right next to her, and when they pay her off before they depart the ship?
-There are a lot of times when the characters’ movements or actions aren’t explained well and it’s clear the author changed something but didn’t change everything around that.
-There are some moments of dialogue, especially at the end, that don’t make sense. The characters dialogue clearly changed and the author didn’t change the dialogue around it.
-In the beginning of the novel it’s established Jovie can call her knife TO her. So, wherever the knife is, it goes from that point, to Jovie. Later on in the novel, Jovie says she will call her knife TO her after 3 days. 3 days later she has a scene where she has to GO TO the knife to get it and then come back, ultimately so that we get a scene where her Mother gets to see her. But that makes no sense with the magic system established.
Questions I needed answered:
Assuming Jovie knew everything about her heritage while living aboard that ship with Wren, I need to know:
-Why she elected to stay there that entire time?
-Who actually kidnapped her or was she kidnapped? How did she actually end up there now that we know she’s aware of her parentage?
-What actually happened with Wren and why were they all exiled if Wren is supposedly a good guy?
-Why does Jovie claim to be the leader of the resistance? And what resistance is she leading? Is it -Wren’s or is it her own or is it Kai’s?
-Why her Mother didn’t do shit to get her back once she knew where her long lost daughter was?
With regards to the evil king:
-We have a King who’s been in power for hundreds of years and yet knows nothing about matches or the power that yields?
-Ok we have two people who have this incredible ability, because they are matched, to be invisible and in whatever place their match is at and the King 1. Doesn’t realize that the match leads to extra incredible powers and 2. Doesn’t realize the potential that would give to his son and ultimately to him and his quest for world domination? Seriously? This King doesn’t realize that these powers would make Jovie and Aleck incredible spies among other uses?
-The ending arc where we have the King who just wants Jovie to be a concubine but that neglects the fact that 1. He needs her Mother as an ally and this would do nothing to win back favor and 2. Jovie’s Mother has the bigger army. Why would this King, who again isn’t stupid, do something so politically dumb?
With regards to the world:
-What is this heir system? It didn’t make any sense to me whatsoever.
-I’m going to need to know what is actually going on with Wren and if he’s a bad guy or a good guy because why he was pushed out and why they’re exiled to the ships now makes no sense.
-Who is the rebellion against? Everyone? Just the king? Wren? Who?
-How the heck did Jovie convince Beau to do that? The fact that it happened off page and we didn’t see an ounce of it doesn’t make sense. I would love to see this explained more in the second book. The fact that this is first person narrative but now we have an unreliable narrator is kind of insane to me.
What I didn’t like in the Romance:
-First I’d like to say that I don’t recall Jovie actually ever trying to actively demonstrate how horrible Aleck’s Father was to him or trying in any way to sway him to see through his Father’s lies. She didn’t even try with him yet somehow managed to convince Beau in .5 seconds.
-The actions at the end? He hits her? No. No I don’t care but no. He literally said he “would never hurt her ever not for any reason” and then this happens and he is beating up on her? No thanks.
-The “I don’t trust you” argument is so repetitive and this couple has the same argument 5x.
-The whole “concubine” arc at the end makes no sense in the world or in the political machinations developed.
Ultimately, yes I’ll be reading the second book because I do want to know what happens. I do. I also want these plot holes filled and I want better development. I want to see what happens. I’m also incredibly frustrated by this read because it had so much potential, but did not live up to it in my opinion.
What I liked:
-I enjoyed the romance and I liked the whole “match” connection that they had (for the most part).
-I think this book did something that not many romance novels do a good job of: actively demonstrating how these two fell in love. The forced proximity, the special moments, the banter. I actively saw (read) these two fall in love and it was beautiful.
-The writing is really easy to read and understand. It’s fast paced and it doesn’t stop.
-The ending did have me fooled. I didn’t see it coming. I was very shocked.
Inconsistencies:
-Our heroine’s eyes are described as hazel, then she’s told they’re blue later on when she’s with Merrow, she says “your eyes are blue now” and he responds “so are yours.” Then they’re hazel again by the end of the novel.
-In a conversation with another couple, we’re told the woman was disinherited because she was awakened and married a commoner and then two pages later the prose states she actually hadn’t awakened. So now I’m confused. That whole conversation was also pointless and made me mad because they were supposed to be getting more information on their match and got no new information.
-There is a reveal with Grenadine that doesn’t make sense because wouldn’t Acker have recognized Grenadine when he was on the same ship as her, living right next to her, and when they pay her off before they depart the ship?
-There are a lot of times when the characters’ movements or actions aren’t explained well and it’s clear the author changed something but didn’t change everything around that.
-There are some moments of dialogue, especially at the end, that don’t make sense. The characters dialogue clearly changed and the author didn’t change the dialogue around it.
-In the beginning of the novel it’s established Jovie can call her knife TO her. So, wherever the knife is, it goes from that point, to Jovie. Later on in the novel, Jovie says she will call her knife TO her after 3 days. 3 days later she has a scene where she has to GO TO the knife to get it and then come back, ultimately so that we get a scene where her Mother gets to see her. But that makes no sense with the magic system established.
Questions I needed answered:
Assuming Jovie knew everything about her heritage while living aboard that ship with Wren, I need to know:
-Why she elected to stay there that entire time?
-Who actually kidnapped her or was she kidnapped? How did she actually end up there now that we know she’s aware of her parentage?
-What actually happened with Wren and why were they all exiled if Wren is supposedly a good guy?
-Why does Jovie claim to be the leader of the resistance? And what resistance is she leading? Is it -Wren’s or is it her own or is it Kai’s?
-Why her Mother didn’t do shit to get her back once she knew where her long lost daughter was?
With regards to the evil king:
-We have a King who’s been in power for hundreds of years and yet knows nothing about matches or the power that yields?
-Ok we have two people who have this incredible ability, because they are matched, to be invisible and in whatever place their match is at and the King 1. Doesn’t realize that the match leads to extra incredible powers and 2. Doesn’t realize the potential that would give to his son and ultimately to him and his quest for world domination? Seriously? This King doesn’t realize that these powers would make Jovie and Aleck incredible spies among other uses?
-The ending arc where we have the King who just wants Jovie to be a concubine but that neglects the fact that 1. He needs her Mother as an ally and this would do nothing to win back favor and 2. Jovie’s Mother has the bigger army. Why would this King, who again isn’t stupid, do something so politically dumb?
With regards to the world:
-What is this heir system? It didn’t make any sense to me whatsoever.
-I’m going to need to know what is actually going on with Wren and if he’s a bad guy or a good guy because why he was pushed out and why they’re exiled to the ships now makes no sense.
-Who is the rebellion against? Everyone? Just the king? Wren? Who?
-How the heck did Jovie convince Beau to do that? The fact that it happened off page and we didn’t see an ounce of it doesn’t make sense. I would love to see this explained more in the second book. The fact that this is first person narrative but now we have an unreliable narrator is kind of insane to me.
What I didn’t like in the Romance:
-First I’d like to say that I don’t recall Jovie actually ever trying to actively demonstrate how horrible Aleck’s Father was to him or trying in any way to sway him to see through his Father’s lies. She didn’t even try with him yet somehow managed to convince Beau in .5 seconds.
-The actions at the end? He hits her? No. No I don’t care but no. He literally said he “would never hurt her ever not for any reason” and then this happens and he is beating up on her? No thanks.
-The “I don’t trust you” argument is so repetitive and this couple has the same argument 5x.
-The whole “concubine” arc at the end makes no sense in the world or in the political machinations developed.
Ultimately, yes I’ll be reading the second book because I do want to know what happens. I do. I also want these plot holes filled and I want better development. I want to see what happens. I’m also incredibly frustrated by this read because it had so much potential, but did not live up to it in my opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2024
4.5* YOU’RE JOKINGGGGGG
this book was so much fun! interesting world and politics, amazing tension and banter, and the entire time I was reading it I could feel *something* was coming. but when I tell you I NEVER could’ve predicted that plot twist!!! truly shocked me like besties I felt my heart DROP.
the only reason it’s not a 5 star is the middle suffered some pacing issues. I still overall enjoyed this book so much though and need book 2 more than life. gonna go stare at a wall now bye!
this book was so much fun! interesting world and politics, amazing tension and banter, and the entire time I was reading it I could feel *something* was coming. but when I tell you I NEVER could’ve predicted that plot twist!!! truly shocked me like besties I felt my heart DROP.
the only reason it’s not a 5 star is the middle suffered some pacing issues. I still overall enjoyed this book so much though and need book 2 more than life. gonna go stare at a wall now bye!
August 26, 2025
Ok, so did anybody else get this as a Throne of Glass retelling?????
Spoilers ahead if you have not read either one (they should be blurred out and you can tap to read them).
I need talk to someone about this!!
The story would have been good had it been more original, although the writing needs some clean up and polishing. The story lacks buildup for bigger events and sometimes things just roll through from one thing to another with no processing time in between for the characters. I had to re-read more than a few times to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
I DID like the banter and humor in this. I also appreciated the very muted romance part, until it got to the smut. The very un-romantic smut. Just not my thing. Some of the other storyline was good, just wish the whole book was original instead of small parts.
But the whole thing screams TOG retelling to me because of the sequential order of things that happen that mirror TOG. I can’t get past it and it’s annoying. If you’ve never read the AMAZING series, I can see how someone would like this book.
Spoilers ahead if you have not read either one (they should be blurred out and you can tap to read them).
I need talk to someone about this!!
The story would have been good had it been more original, although the writing needs some clean up and polishing. The story lacks buildup for bigger events and sometimes things just roll through from one thing to another with no processing time in between for the characters. I had to re-read more than a few times to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
I DID like the banter and humor in this. I also appreciated the very muted romance part, until it got to the smut. The very un-romantic smut. Just not my thing. Some of the other storyline was good, just wish the whole book was original instead of small parts.
But the whole thing screams TOG retelling to me because of the sequential order of things that happen that mirror TOG. I can’t get past it and it’s annoying. If you’ve never read the AMAZING series, I can see how someone would like this book.
November 21, 2024
5 stars
What the fuck just happened
I get the hype. It’s worth the hype. Oh my god this was so good.
All you need to know is that there are two groups of people, the Alaha, who have been exiled to live on the water, and the Kenta, who live on land to do the exiling. There is a VERY fragile peace treaty between the Alaha and the Kenta. Brynn, our FMC gets to go to the Market on land (something for soldiers and it only happens once a year, if I’m remembering correctly). She unintentionally stomps all over that peace treaty and shit starts stirring from there.
HOLY SHIT THIS WAS SO GOOD. I’m mad for putting it off for so long. You’re thrown right into the story, and it has super easy yet unique world building and magic. The side characters were great (the bird is still my favorite). Brynn was SUCH a great FMC. I really really liked being in her head. She wasn’t annoying at all and honestly sometimes that’s hard to do. Acker, the MMC, hot man with a nose ring and plenty of secrets, I adore him.
I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil, but just know that ending will make you GASP. I didn’t see it coming from a mile away.
Fabulous. Can’t wait for book 2!
What the fuck just happened
I get the hype. It’s worth the hype. Oh my god this was so good.
All you need to know is that there are two groups of people, the Alaha, who have been exiled to live on the water, and the Kenta, who live on land to do the exiling. There is a VERY fragile peace treaty between the Alaha and the Kenta. Brynn, our FMC gets to go to the Market on land (something for soldiers and it only happens once a year, if I’m remembering correctly). She unintentionally stomps all over that peace treaty and shit starts stirring from there.
HOLY SHIT THIS WAS SO GOOD. I’m mad for putting it off for so long. You’re thrown right into the story, and it has super easy yet unique world building and magic. The side characters were great (the bird is still my favorite). Brynn was SUCH a great FMC. I really really liked being in her head. She wasn’t annoying at all and honestly sometimes that’s hard to do. Acker, the MMC, hot man with a nose ring and plenty of secrets, I adore him.
I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil, but just know that ending will make you GASP. I didn’t see it coming from a mile away.
Fabulous. Can’t wait for book 2!
January 31, 2025
safe to say I did NOT see that ending coming??
March 14, 2025
Starting off strong: But this book has got to have the worst plot twist I have ever read. Will I still be reading the next book? You bet your mama I will.
Everything about the way this book began was everything. The premise was strong, I was completely enthralled, and I didn’t want to put it down—even though the first third had a pretty slow pace. I loved the world, I loved the characters, I loved the stakes—I was really enjoying myself. Sure, I’ll admit it wasn’t the most unique story ever; it had plenty of familiar tropes common in romantasy books. But as more and more was revealed, things just kept getting more interesting, and I was fully along for the ride, eager to see how it all played out.
At first, I was obsessed with the sexy, confusing, complex romance—but after a while, I was like, Okay, guys, wrap it up! Do you like each other or not? Are you meant to be together or what? Still, I loved it, and I can’t wait to see more of them in the next book.
Now, please tell me if I missed some foreshadowing—or better yet, a whole couple of chapters—because what?! Look, I love being blindsided, but plot twists still need to make sense. It felt like the author tried way too hard to shock us, and while I can see how some people might enjoy that, I want to be able to connect at least some dots. I’m really hoping the next book will explain a few things because right now… I’ve got questions.
Everything about the way this book began was everything. The premise was strong, I was completely enthralled, and I didn’t want to put it down—even though the first third had a pretty slow pace. I loved the world, I loved the characters, I loved the stakes—I was really enjoying myself. Sure, I’ll admit it wasn’t the most unique story ever; it had plenty of familiar tropes common in romantasy books. But as more and more was revealed, things just kept getting more interesting, and I was fully along for the ride, eager to see how it all played out.
At first, I was obsessed with the sexy, confusing, complex romance—but after a while, I was like, Okay, guys, wrap it up! Do you like each other or not? Are you meant to be together or what? Still, I loved it, and I can’t wait to see more of them in the next book.
Now, please tell me if I missed some foreshadowing—or better yet, a whole couple of chapters—because what?! Look, I love being blindsided, but plot twists still need to make sense. It felt like the author tried way too hard to shock us, and while I can see how some people might enjoy that, I want to be able to connect at least some dots. I’m really hoping the next book will explain a few things because right now… I’ve got questions.
August 20, 2025
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ✦ . ⁺ . 3.1 - 3.3 ☆ . ⁺ . ✦
ㅤ ㅤ ˋ°•*⁀➷ㅤmight contain spoilers ❗
ㅤ What I need authors to do is to quit advertising their books wrong: this is not an enemies-to-lovers book, but more like some strange, awkward friends-to-lovers thing going on here; one that isn't as great as everybody made me believe and one that could have used some huge improvements in terms of, well, quite everything. The only thing memorable about this book for me was literally that wicked glass scene (my jaw was on the floor and i was feeling HOT all of a sudden), and, indeed, the very ending of the book with the very popular cliff hanger that, sadly, apart from the shock factor, brings nothing else.
ㅤ ㅤ “The only way through it is through.” - big words here
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ short summary
ㅤ Brynn is one of the exiled Alaha (sea‑bound folk who are only allowed to set foot on land once a year). At Kenta’s market, she manages to accidentally sparks a century‑old treaty disaster. Therefore, enter Acker: broody Kenta soldier, wielder of mysterious metal magic, exasperatingly handsome, and now bound tantalisingly to Brynn via some magical bond and a shared murder treaty.
ㅤ They escape Alaha on a boat. Beware—they spend a LOT of time on that boat. Magic awakens, territory shifts, and secrets tumble. Betrayal is teased at. And then you get a plot twist so wild it leaves you checking if your Kindle rebooted mid‑chapter. The world is rich, but not entirely explored. The magic is fresh, but apparently too fresh to be offered any serious attention. And the narrative pacing? It floats… then sinks when you least expect it.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ honest thoughts
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ The pacing in this book is a complete whiplash. One minute we’re mid-battle, the next we’re two weeks into a sea voyage with zero explanation for what just happened. I know the author made use of these time jumps to offer some sort of idea of the time passing meant to bring the characters together and justify whatever was happening between them; but they didn’t deepen character bonds — they deleted the moments that could’ve built them.
ㅤ Not to mention that these time jumps also did no justice to the romance. Like, what happened on that boat? Or all that time in the forest? Or in the camp? I honestly don't know, but apparently it included enough off-screen development to justify suddenly trusting each other with their lives.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ The world-building? Gorgeous in theory, foggy in execution. The magical system—metal slinging, shape shifting, aura sensing (?)—is undeniably cool. There’s political drama simmering beneath the surface, and some truly compelling lore trying desperately to be heard. But instead of showing us this world, the book drops tantalising crumbs and then sprints away before elaborating. I didn’t want more info dumps; I wanted more moments living inside this world. The base information is clearly there. We just never got to sit with it long enough for it to mean anything.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I didn't initially mean to talk about this, as I mostly don't really care about this aspect as long as it is kept under control, but this book felt like it skipped the copyedit stage entirely; wrongly written words, jumbled phrasing, weird line breaks and sentences that just… didn’t work. It pulled me out of the story constantly at one point because I was noticing them a little bit too much. This wasn’t just “oops, a few mistakes!” — this was “Did no one read this all the way through?” territory.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I truly did not enjoy the romance in this very much. And plot twist: not even mainly because of the love interest or because of the completely wrongly advertised relationship.
ㅤ The truth is I just could not stand Brynn because she simply lacked emotional nuance, and the last chapters literally blew her character entirely away. Everything she did felt either unjustifiably stupid or frustratingly passive, with no real development between the two extremes.
ㅤ Don't get me wrong, Acker was also more than occasionally dull, yes, but he had his moments. The whole “romance” went from attempted murder to sexual tension so fast I got dizzy. This could’ve DEFINITELY been enemies to lovers (and I am hoping book two will finally bring this trope into play). But for now, we only got some sort of emotionally something acquaintances who I have no idea what they are trying to do.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Now we are getting to the interesting part and you can definitely get some popcorn for this: the ending of the book. This was somehow both the most irritating and most compelling part of the book. Yes, we’re talking about the infamous plot twist—the one that supposedly makes you reevaluate your entire life.
ㅤ Did it somehow surprise me? Yes.
ㅤ Did it make me feel tricked, a little gaslit, and vaguely betrayed? Also yes.
ㅤ Did it seem like complete bullshit and made absolutely no sense for a book written in freaking 1st person narrative? DEFINITELY YES.
ㅤ The only thing this plot twist did was create even more plot holes for this story; and it already had enough plot holes as it is! It’s one of those twists that might’ve worked beautifully if the book had been written in third person. I am not mad at the plot twist itself, but I am furious at how incredibly badly it was executed. I only ended up hating the FMC even more and I badly hope the next book will manage to solve something from whatever happened there.
ㅤ And for those people who say "there was no foreshadowing for any of these things", that's not true. There were moments of foreshadowing — but they were tossed in so sloppily and inconsistently that the twist still felt like a narrative prank.
ㅤ Not to mention that this entire plot twist made absolutely no sense in what concerns the MMC because the poor guy has been nothing but nice and fair (with some small moments that made me scream, "Just do something/stand up, my guy!!!"), and it was clear he shared the same views as all the others involved.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ At this point I feel like I only like Messer in this book.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ characters
ㅤ You know those kind of books where the characters seem bland, but in the end they prove to be really amazing and intriguing? Yeah, this is NOT one of those books. These characters are bland and they stay bland.
ㅤ ⚔︎ Brynn – Our protagonist, who can’t decide upon anything. She spends most of the book stumbling through identity crises like it’s her full-time job—because it is. Brynn has the setup for an epic arc... and then proceeds to do almost nothing with it. She reacts to everything but initiates little, and instead of showing actual growth, she spirals deeper into inner monologues, tantrums, and lashing out at people who try to help her.
ㅤ Yes, the trauma is real. But emotional regression is not a character arc. Especially when it's dressed in cryptic lines and magic that we barely understand. Is she supposed to be some magical light bulb? God-blessed flame of something? We don't know.
ㅤ ⚔︎ Acker – The brooding Prince of Kenta. Wields metal, commands armies, and unfortunately, has the emotional availability of a puppy. He’s a duty-bound cinnamon roll, if the cinnamon roll were forged in a little bit incapacity to stand up for something and indecision. He’s not unlikable, per se; he has moments of charm, and his quiet defiance adds some much-needed depth, but most of the time he feels like a checklist of “fantasy love interest” tropes: possessive, grumpy, hot, broody, allergic to emotional conversations.
ㅤ There are some glimpses of nuance in him, but they’re fleeting, buried under all the glowering. Like Brynn, he’s a character that could have been complex if the story let him breathe instead of shove him into another forced intimacy scene.
ㅤ ⚔︎ Messer – The real MVP. Playboy, stealth master, emotionally grounded, and somehow still loyal to Brynn despite her constant spiraling. He’s clever, competent, and capable of reading the room, which is something most of the leads desperately lack. Messer simply carries this book for me.
ㅤ ⚔︎ Kai – I hate him. But I guess he was nice for the entirety of the 5 chapters he was there or something.
ㅤ ⚔︎ Beau – Warrior, aura-reader, emotional compass. Beau is sharp, grounded, and refreshingly honest in a sea of vague nonsense. She’s the one person who consistently sees through the bullshit and calls people out—especially Brynn. Her loyalty (?) is fierce, and her scenes with Hallis cured my suffering for this book.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ should you read this?
ㅤ If you adore intriguing magic systems, political intrigue, and twisted reveals—and can stomach this FMC and major pacing hiccups—"Metal Slinger" might be pretty good for you. It is a pretty fast and easy read as long as you get over the constant writing errors. But if you crave emotionally grounded romance or tightly constructed character arcs? Maybe pass this; or at least wait for the second book to see whether it is worthy or not.
ㅤ Honestly? I’m exasperated and intrigued in equal measure. The world is compelling, the magic is original, and that twist is both maddening and stupid enough that I must see book two. But I’ll be definitely going in with trust issues and some revised expectations.
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ᯓ ✿ pre-reading ⪼ ㅤ started ┆25-July-2025┆
ㅤ ㅤ ⤿ starting this because I want to see if I can predict the insane plot twist everybody is talking about when it comes to this book
ㅤ ㅤ ˋ°•*⁀➷ㅤmight contain spoilers ❗
ㅤ What I need authors to do is to quit advertising their books wrong: this is not an enemies-to-lovers book, but more like some strange, awkward friends-to-lovers thing going on here; one that isn't as great as everybody made me believe and one that could have used some huge improvements in terms of, well, quite everything. The only thing memorable about this book for me was literally that wicked glass scene (my jaw was on the floor and i was feeling HOT all of a sudden), and, indeed, the very ending of the book with the very popular cliff hanger that, sadly, apart from the shock factor, brings nothing else.
ㅤ ㅤ “The only way through it is through.” - big words here
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ short summary
ㅤ Brynn is one of the exiled Alaha (sea‑bound folk who are only allowed to set foot on land once a year). At Kenta’s market, she manages to accidentally sparks a century‑old treaty disaster. Therefore, enter Acker: broody Kenta soldier, wielder of mysterious metal magic, exasperatingly handsome, and now bound tantalisingly to Brynn via some magical bond and a shared murder treaty.
ㅤ They escape Alaha on a boat. Beware—they spend a LOT of time on that boat. Magic awakens, territory shifts, and secrets tumble. Betrayal is teased at. And then you get a plot twist so wild it leaves you checking if your Kindle rebooted mid‑chapter. The world is rich, but not entirely explored. The magic is fresh, but apparently too fresh to be offered any serious attention. And the narrative pacing? It floats… then sinks when you least expect it.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ honest thoughts
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ The pacing in this book is a complete whiplash. One minute we’re mid-battle, the next we’re two weeks into a sea voyage with zero explanation for what just happened. I know the author made use of these time jumps to offer some sort of idea of the time passing meant to bring the characters together and justify whatever was happening between them; but they didn’t deepen character bonds — they deleted the moments that could’ve built them.
ㅤ Not to mention that these time jumps also did no justice to the romance. Like, what happened on that boat? Or all that time in the forest? Or in the camp? I honestly don't know, but apparently it included enough off-screen development to justify suddenly trusting each other with their lives.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ The world-building? Gorgeous in theory, foggy in execution. The magical system—metal slinging, shape shifting, aura sensing (?)—is undeniably cool. There’s political drama simmering beneath the surface, and some truly compelling lore trying desperately to be heard. But instead of showing us this world, the book drops tantalising crumbs and then sprints away before elaborating. I didn’t want more info dumps; I wanted more moments living inside this world. The base information is clearly there. We just never got to sit with it long enough for it to mean anything.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I didn't initially mean to talk about this, as I mostly don't really care about this aspect as long as it is kept under control, but this book felt like it skipped the copyedit stage entirely; wrongly written words, jumbled phrasing, weird line breaks and sentences that just… didn’t work. It pulled me out of the story constantly at one point because I was noticing them a little bit too much. This wasn’t just “oops, a few mistakes!” — this was “Did no one read this all the way through?” territory.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I truly did not enjoy the romance in this very much. And plot twist: not even mainly because of the love interest or because of the completely wrongly advertised relationship.
ㅤ The truth is I just could not stand Brynn because she simply lacked emotional nuance, and the last chapters literally blew her character entirely away. Everything she did felt either unjustifiably stupid or frustratingly passive, with no real development between the two extremes.
ㅤ Don't get me wrong, Acker was also more than occasionally dull, yes, but he had his moments. The whole “romance” went from attempted murder to sexual tension so fast I got dizzy. This could’ve DEFINITELY been enemies to lovers (and I am hoping book two will finally bring this trope into play). But for now, we only got some sort of emotionally something acquaintances who I have no idea what they are trying to do.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ Now we are getting to the interesting part and you can definitely get some popcorn for this: the ending of the book. This was somehow both the most irritating and most compelling part of the book. Yes, we’re talking about the infamous plot twist—the one that supposedly makes you reevaluate your entire life.
ㅤ Did it somehow surprise me? Yes.
ㅤ Did it make me feel tricked, a little gaslit, and vaguely betrayed? Also yes.
ㅤ Did it seem like complete bullshit and made absolutely no sense for a book written in freaking 1st person narrative? DEFINITELY YES.
ㅤ The only thing this plot twist did was create even more plot holes for this story; and it already had enough plot holes as it is! It’s one of those twists that might’ve worked beautifully if the book had been written in third person. I am not mad at the plot twist itself, but I am furious at how incredibly badly it was executed. I only ended up hating the FMC even more and I badly hope the next book will manage to solve something from whatever happened there.
ㅤ And for those people who say "there was no foreshadowing for any of these things", that's not true. There were moments of foreshadowing — but they were tossed in so sloppily and inconsistently that the twist still felt like a narrative prank.
ㅤ Not to mention that this entire plot twist made absolutely no sense in what concerns the MMC because the poor guy has been nothing but nice and fair (with some small moments that made me scream, "Just do something/stand up, my guy!!!"), and it was clear he shared the same views as all the others involved.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ At this point I feel like I only like Messer in this book.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ characters
ㅤ You know those kind of books where the characters seem bland, but in the end they prove to be really amazing and intriguing? Yeah, this is NOT one of those books. These characters are bland and they stay bland.
ㅤ ⚔︎ Brynn – Our protagonist, who can’t decide upon anything. She spends most of the book stumbling through identity crises like it’s her full-time job—because it is. Brynn has the setup for an epic arc... and then proceeds to do almost nothing with it. She reacts to everything but initiates little, and instead of showing actual growth, she spirals deeper into inner monologues, tantrums, and lashing out at people who try to help her.
ㅤ Yes, the trauma is real. But emotional regression is not a character arc. Especially when it's dressed in cryptic lines and magic that we barely understand. Is she supposed to be some magical light bulb? God-blessed flame of something? We don't know.
ㅤ ⚔︎ Acker – The brooding Prince of Kenta. Wields metal, commands armies, and unfortunately, has the emotional availability of a puppy. He’s a duty-bound cinnamon roll, if the cinnamon roll were forged in a little bit incapacity to stand up for something and indecision. He’s not unlikable, per se; he has moments of charm, and his quiet defiance adds some much-needed depth, but most of the time he feels like a checklist of “fantasy love interest” tropes: possessive, grumpy, hot, broody, allergic to emotional conversations.
ㅤ There are some glimpses of nuance in him, but they’re fleeting, buried under all the glowering. Like Brynn, he’s a character that could have been complex if the story let him breathe instead of shove him into another forced intimacy scene.
ㅤ ⚔︎ Messer – The real MVP. Playboy, stealth master, emotionally grounded, and somehow still loyal to Brynn despite her constant spiraling. He’s clever, competent, and capable of reading the room, which is something most of the leads desperately lack. Messer simply carries this book for me.
ㅤ ⚔︎ Kai – I hate him. But I guess he was nice for the entirety of the 5 chapters he was there or something.
ㅤ ⚔︎ Beau – Warrior, aura-reader, emotional compass. Beau is sharp, grounded, and refreshingly honest in a sea of vague nonsense. She’s the one person who consistently sees through the bullshit and calls people out—especially Brynn. Her loyalty (?) is fierce, and her scenes with Hallis cured my suffering for this book.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ should you read this?
ㅤ If you adore intriguing magic systems, political intrigue, and twisted reveals—and can stomach this FMC and major pacing hiccups—"Metal Slinger" might be pretty good for you. It is a pretty fast and easy read as long as you get over the constant writing errors. But if you crave emotionally grounded romance or tightly constructed character arcs? Maybe pass this; or at least wait for the second book to see whether it is worthy or not.
ㅤ Honestly? I’m exasperated and intrigued in equal measure. The world is compelling, the magic is original, and that twist is both maddening and stupid enough that I must see book two. But I’ll be definitely going in with trust issues and some revised expectations.
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ᯓ ✿ pre-reading ⪼ ㅤ started ┆25-July-2025┆
ㅤ ㅤ ⤿ starting this because I want to see if I can predict the insane plot twist everybody is talking about when it comes to this book
September 30, 2024
RUN, DON’T WALK. READ THIS RIGHT NOW. It’s so much better to go into this book completely blind for the ultimate experience! You won’t regret it.
This actually reminds me of the feelings I had reading ACOMAF for the first time, but without feeling like a lesser version of it. The tension, the forced proximity, the magic system, the banter, the slow burn—it’s all there. Yet, this story felt completely original in its own right. I fell in love with Kai, but fell even harder with Acker!!! It’s always the dark mysterious guy right? But also, Messer is something else! The magic system is so unique, with the added mystery of the matching bonds, plus all the political intrigue and rebellions—this book has it all. This is enemies-to-lovers, romantasy at its best! Give me 14 of them right now.
And then… THIS BOOK DID A COMPLETE 180! I didn’t see that plot twist coming at all. And it made this reading experience so much special. The author is a real mastermind!!!!! This book is insane. It’s even mind-blowing that everything was right in front of me the whole time, hidden in the little details that weren’t so little after all, and I never figured it out. I feel so deceived—I’ve never felt this fooled! Now I’m completely wrecked. Jaw on the floor, tears flowing, heart shattered. It’s been so long since a book’s ending gripped me this hard! I was left staring at the wall, contemplating everything I just read. I can’t wait to re-read this knowing what I know now.
Also, am I about to witness the greatest, most flawlessly executed enemies-to-lovers story ever written in the next book?!
This actually reminds me of the feelings I had reading ACOMAF for the first time, but without feeling like a lesser version of it. The tension, the forced proximity, the magic system, the banter, the slow burn—it’s all there. Yet, this story felt completely original in its own right. I fell in love with Kai, but fell even harder with Acker!!! It’s always the dark mysterious guy right? But also, Messer is something else! The magic system is so unique, with the added mystery of the matching bonds, plus all the political intrigue and rebellions—this book has it all. This is enemies-to-lovers, romantasy at its best! Give me 14 of them right now.
And then… THIS BOOK DID A COMPLETE 180! I didn’t see that plot twist coming at all. And it made this reading experience so much special. The author is a real mastermind!!!!! This book is insane. It’s even mind-blowing that everything was right in front of me the whole time, hidden in the little details that weren’t so little after all, and I never figured it out. I feel so deceived—I’ve never felt this fooled! Now I’m completely wrecked. Jaw on the floor, tears flowing, heart shattered. It’s been so long since a book’s ending gripped me this hard! I was left staring at the wall, contemplating everything I just read. I can’t wait to re-read this knowing what I know now.
Also, am I about to witness the greatest, most flawlessly executed enemies-to-lovers story ever written in the next book?!
December 24, 2024
Really enjoyed this book…until the ending.
Spoilers
It’s not that I mind an unreliable narrator or an unexpected villain. It’s the execution that ruined this for me. The big reveal was equivalent to the ending of Lost (they were dead the whole time? Really?). I think the plot twist could have worked with more attention to how it was achieved. The book was entirely in first person from Jovie’s POV. This format just doesn’t work for such a plot twist in the last 2 chapters of a 400+ page book. There weren’t enough hints crafted throughout the 50+ chapters of her thoughts and experiences. And we get a lot of her worries and concerns and sense of betrayal of Kai. When this is all revealed to be totally untrue, it just feels like a cheap trick. This always comes off as the author being heavy handed vs. the character being an unreliable narrator. It left the plot twist feeling unidimensional and unbelievable…just a major plot device that felt forced for shock value. I wish there was more attention paid to how to properly craft an unreliable narrator. There’s no shortage of masterful examples out there. And, I know it’s hard to achieve but I think the author has the writing skill to have achieved it (she needed some better feedback on her drafts)! The last 2 chapters were honestly a 1 star read for me, while the rest of the book was 5+ stars! Rating as 2 stars because it’s ultimately the craft that was my complaint. A twist executed like that takes away from the whole reading experience.
Spoilers
It’s not that I mind an unreliable narrator or an unexpected villain. It’s the execution that ruined this for me. The big reveal was equivalent to the ending of Lost (they were dead the whole time? Really?). I think the plot twist could have worked with more attention to how it was achieved. The book was entirely in first person from Jovie’s POV. This format just doesn’t work for such a plot twist in the last 2 chapters of a 400+ page book. There weren’t enough hints crafted throughout the 50+ chapters of her thoughts and experiences. And we get a lot of her worries and concerns and sense of betrayal of Kai. When this is all revealed to be totally untrue, it just feels like a cheap trick. This always comes off as the author being heavy handed vs. the character being an unreliable narrator. It left the plot twist feeling unidimensional and unbelievable…just a major plot device that felt forced for shock value. I wish there was more attention paid to how to properly craft an unreliable narrator. There’s no shortage of masterful examples out there. And, I know it’s hard to achieve but I think the author has the writing skill to have achieved it (she needed some better feedback on her drafts)! The last 2 chapters were honestly a 1 star read for me, while the rest of the book was 5+ stars! Rating as 2 stars because it’s ultimately the craft that was my complaint. A twist executed like that takes away from the whole reading experience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2025
OHHHHH MYYYYYYY GOD!
5⭐️ CANNOT WAIT FOR BOOK 2
🙋♀️ Send help. I am not okay. Still recovering.
If you haven’t read the madness that is Metal Slinger, I genuinely don’t know what you’re doing with your life. It’s giving that part of A Court of Mist and Fury where your jaw hits the floor and you have to physically go pick it up (iykyk) People warned me about the twists—I still wasn’t ready. One of my top reads of 2025 and I am still trying to recover from the chokehold it had me in. This book devoured me whole.
⚔️ 🩷🩷🩷 🫣 🤫
I honestly want to say as little as possible because Metal Slinger is one of those reads where the less you know, the better the experience.
Here’s all I’ll say: it takes some of the most beloved fantasy and romance tropes (the delicious ones we all love and crave) and absolutely flips them on their head. Just when you think you’ve seen this song and dance before, the story pulls the rug out from under you. And no, that’s not a spoiler—you won’t see it coming.
🫠 🫠 🙃
The magic system and worldbuilding are unlike anything I’ve read before—fresh, layered, and genuinely fascinating. Every piece of the puzzle feels intentional, and the deeper you go, the more rewarding it becomes.
THE ROMANCE ARC🩷 Chef’s kiss. Emotional, addictive, and so well-developed. It’s not just there to check a box—it’s woven into the heart of the story in a way that makes every moment count.
We’ve got:
🌶️ Spice
🏠 Forced proximity
✨ Magic
👑 Political intrigue
💖 Found family
It has everything!!! I won’t list all the tropes—because again, no spoilers—but trust me, they’re absolute perfection. The way they’re executed 💯 You’ll be head over heels.
Add it to your TBR (if you have not already). Read it. Experience it. Obsess over it like the rest of us. Then come back and chat with me about theories 👀
Honestly, I’d give this book infinity stars if I could, but there’s one tiny thing still bothering me (I’m hoping it gets addressed in Book 2). I’ll only tell you what it is in my inbox though—because, again, I refuse to spoil this masterpiece for anyone 🤐🩷😘
5⭐️ CANNOT WAIT FOR BOOK 2
🙋♀️ Send help. I am not okay. Still recovering.
If you haven’t read the madness that is Metal Slinger, I genuinely don’t know what you’re doing with your life. It’s giving that part of A Court of Mist and Fury where your jaw hits the floor and you have to physically go pick it up (iykyk) People warned me about the twists—I still wasn’t ready. One of my top reads of 2025 and I am still trying to recover from the chokehold it had me in. This book devoured me whole.
⚔️ 🩷🩷🩷 🫣 🤫
I honestly want to say as little as possible because Metal Slinger is one of those reads where the less you know, the better the experience.
Here’s all I’ll say: it takes some of the most beloved fantasy and romance tropes (the delicious ones we all love and crave) and absolutely flips them on their head. Just when you think you’ve seen this song and dance before, the story pulls the rug out from under you. And no, that’s not a spoiler—you won’t see it coming.
🫠 🫠 🙃
The magic system and worldbuilding are unlike anything I’ve read before—fresh, layered, and genuinely fascinating. Every piece of the puzzle feels intentional, and the deeper you go, the more rewarding it becomes.
THE ROMANCE ARC🩷 Chef’s kiss. Emotional, addictive, and so well-developed. It’s not just there to check a box—it’s woven into the heart of the story in a way that makes every moment count.
We’ve got:
🌶️ Spice
🏠 Forced proximity
✨ Magic
👑 Political intrigue
💖 Found family
It has everything!!! I won’t list all the tropes—because again, no spoilers—but trust me, they’re absolute perfection. The way they’re executed 💯 You’ll be head over heels.
Add it to your TBR (if you have not already). Read it. Experience it. Obsess over it like the rest of us. Then come back and chat with me about theories 👀
Honestly, I’d give this book infinity stars if I could, but there’s one tiny thing still bothering me (I’m hoping it gets addressed in Book 2). I’ll only tell you what it is in my inbox though—because, again, I refuse to spoil this masterpiece for anyone 🤐🩷😘
October 12, 2024
⊹ ⁺ ₊ ✧
Metal Slinger
┊
3 stars
✧ ₊ ⁺ ⊹
☆₊⋆ → thoughts┊I had such high hopes for this. For the first 50% I was hooked and I did not want to put it down. Then I got the ick.
☆₊⋆ → characters┊Listen to me when I tell you they had potential! But the pace of the romance was off and it went from 0 to 100 in a fucking blink. I wasn’t feeling it. A random love confession was thrown in there for absolutely no reason and it wasn’t even addressed.
⋆╰┈✩ Brynn my sweet girlie pop… please my darling you need to get a backbone and stand up to that piece of trash man you’re stuck with. Be so for real, he does not deserve you. I just needed her to have a bit more emotional complexity and I don’t know… a personality? She did not even think about the information she was given and just accepted it.
☆₊⋆ → plot/world-building┊The story had promising elements and I was interested in the world-building, but the execution of the plot was messy and inconsistent. The plot-twist I hear people raving about? No thanks. It didn’t match up with her first-person narration and it made the FMC unreliable, it just did not fit the story at all. There was no hints whatsoever prompting at the plot-twist. However, it was refreshing to have it the other way around cause I’m sick of the MMCs always being to one to betray the FMCs, and honestly this MMC deserved it.
౨ৎ happy reading ౨ৎ
☆₊⋆ → thoughts┊I had such high hopes for this. For the first 50% I was hooked and I did not want to put it down. Then I got the ick.
☆₊⋆ → characters┊Listen to me when I tell you they had potential! But the pace of the romance was off and it went from 0 to 100 in a fucking blink. I wasn’t feeling it. A random love confession was thrown in there for absolutely no reason and it wasn’t even addressed.
⋆╰┈✩ Brynn my sweet girlie pop… please my darling you need to get a backbone and stand up to that piece of trash man you’re stuck with. Be so for real, he does not deserve you. I just needed her to have a bit more emotional complexity and I don’t know… a personality? She did not even think about the information she was given and just accepted it.
☆₊⋆ → plot/world-building┊The story had promising elements and I was interested in the world-building, but the execution of the plot was messy and inconsistent. The plot-twist I hear people raving about? No thanks. It didn’t match up with her first-person narration and it made the FMC unreliable, it just did not fit the story at all. There was no hints whatsoever prompting at the plot-twist. However, it was refreshing to have it the other way around cause I’m sick of the MMCs always being to one to betray the FMCs, and honestly this MMC deserved it.
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄☆⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧
౨ৎ happy reading ౨ৎ
September 24, 2024
IVE BEEN REVIVED!! This is for the Romantasy girlies!! A MUST READ!! Honestly this is criminally underrated?! Full of banter, twisty turns (like I’m talking I’m actually unwell with the ending?! And I need the next book pronto!!) the tension between the fmc and mmc was DELICIOUS to say the least and I foamed at the mouth multiple times because they were so HOT!! He’s her enemy, so obviously I was sat! I loved what I got to see for the magic in this and I can’t wait to see more of it!
I’ve been hella slumpy and nothings been holding my attention BUT this grabbed me by the neck! It was so incredibly fast paced and just the best time! Probably a fav fantasy read for me this year!! Brb while I go stare at a wall while I recover.
4.5⭐️ 2🌶️
I’ve been hella slumpy and nothings been holding my attention BUT this grabbed me by the neck! It was so incredibly fast paced and just the best time! Probably a fav fantasy read for me this year!! Brb while I go stare at a wall while I recover.
4.5⭐️ 2🌶️
August 3, 2025
⭐️⭐️ | Not for me—but you might feel differently 😬
Read My Honest Book Review on My Blog:
Metal Slinger
Okay, I’ll be honest—I really wanted to like Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider. The premise? So cool. Metal-manipulation magic, a gritty fantasy world, and the promise of high-stakes action? I was ready. But unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to the potential for me.
Between the odd pacing (why were we at sea for SO long?), the lack of foreshadowing, and characters that didn’t really tug at my heartstrings, this one just didn’t hit. And I still don’t know what was up with the phrase “Dang Rabbits”… it pulled me out of the world every time.
BUT—I know I’m in the minority. So if you’re curious and want the full, unfiltered tea (including spoilers), I wrote a much more detailed breakdown over on my blog!
👉 Read my full review with spoilers:
HERE
I get into:
💥 The plot points that confused me
🐇 The infamous “Dang Rabbits”
🚫 Why the romance didn’t work (for me)
🌊 And yes—the long, long sea voyage
But if you’re curious what didn’t work (or just love reading spoiler-filled rants 👀), come hang out on the blog!
Connect With Me:
BLOG ⟫ INSTAGRAM ⟫ NEWSLETTER ⟫
Read My Honest Book Review on My Blog:
Metal Slinger
Okay, I’ll be honest—I really wanted to like Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider. The premise? So cool. Metal-manipulation magic, a gritty fantasy world, and the promise of high-stakes action? I was ready. But unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to the potential for me.
Between the odd pacing (why were we at sea for SO long?), the lack of foreshadowing, and characters that didn’t really tug at my heartstrings, this one just didn’t hit. And I still don’t know what was up with the phrase “Dang Rabbits”… it pulled me out of the world every time.
BUT—I know I’m in the minority. So if you’re curious and want the full, unfiltered tea (including spoilers), I wrote a much more detailed breakdown over on my blog!
👉 Read my full review with spoilers:
HERE
I get into:
💥 The plot points that confused me
🐇 The infamous “Dang Rabbits”
🚫 Why the romance didn’t work (for me)
🌊 And yes—the long, long sea voyage
But if you’re curious what didn’t work (or just love reading spoiler-filled rants 👀), come hang out on the blog!
Connect With Me:
BLOG ⟫ INSTAGRAM ⟫ NEWSLETTER ⟫
October 28, 2024
DNF at 22% (page 105 of 490). Should’ve DNF’d sooner. The FMC is bland, the world building is lacking, the writing is clumsy at best, the only other female character is not the FMC’s friend… I grew out of this type of book this year.
January 30, 2025
"insane plot twist" "guys u will never expect this ending" "i am shook" ok fuck u tiktok girlies u guys r a bunch of lying hoes this book is about as entertaining as watching paint dry how are u so easily wowed this was so so bad and honestly i wish i could take back the precious time i spent reading this bullshit
December 11, 2024
UMMMM EXCUSE MEEE???? I BEG YOUR VERY FINEST PARDON??????????????????????? guys. guys. i’m not okay. genuinely not. this was- WHERE IS BOOK 2 IM SCREAMING. how rude to put this book out into the world WITHOUT BOOK 2 AT THE READY????? when’s the release date?? huh?? guys im sick. i’m gonna be sick. what. i need retribution RIGHT NEOW☝🏼☝🏼☝🏼😭😭😭
literally such a banger. the bangerest of bangers to banger if im being honest with myself. this was straight fire. i have not read TENSION like this in so long i needed that. this was spectacular🤓☝🏼 ALSO CAN WE TALK ABT HOW THAT WAS WRITTEN??? I HAD NO CLUE. not a clue. THAT. is how. you write. a PLOT TWIST people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i’m still screaming. i swear i was reading the last 10% with my jaw on the floor my throat is sore from mouth breathing.
acker. ace. the man that you are. feral. absolutely feral at the thought of him. new blueprint unlocked if i’m being real. i know what im asking for for christmas🤭🤭🤭 (him btw) i need fanart of him asap to frame thanks guys.
b/brynn/jo- honestly icon i hate u and i love u. i wanna say you’re a b!tch but you really did that and i cant lie it was 💅🏼💅🏼 kind of slayed this book despite me HATING YOU FOR IT.
kai- first time i met a kai i didnt like. FCK THAT BEACH! get off my lawn rn bro im not kidding.
beau- queen you ate this up. period.
hallis- BIGGGGGG ELM ENERGY OVER HERE. wuv dis dude teehee i feel like he’ll have such a big part in the next one☝🏼😗
messer- cutie pie i could never hate u bsffr.
everyone else- probably fck off i don’t have the energy for u rn.
this was so good im not kidding tho like this is what i expect out of romantasies people!!!!! THIS. i will say be prepared i had a couple chapters there that lagged a bit but it was so good overall idgafrick!!!!!!!! read this if u love urself okay byeeeeeeee😗😗❣️❣️
literally such a banger. the bangerest of bangers to banger if im being honest with myself. this was straight fire. i have not read TENSION like this in so long i needed that. this was spectacular🤓☝🏼 ALSO CAN WE TALK ABT HOW THAT WAS WRITTEN??? I HAD NO CLUE. not a clue. THAT. is how. you write. a PLOT TWIST people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i’m still screaming. i swear i was reading the last 10% with my jaw on the floor my throat is sore from mouth breathing.
acker. ace. the man that you are. feral. absolutely feral at the thought of him. new blueprint unlocked if i’m being real. i know what im asking for for christmas🤭🤭🤭 (him btw) i need fanart of him asap to frame thanks guys.
b/brynn/jo- honestly icon i hate u and i love u. i wanna say you’re a b!tch but you really did that and i cant lie it was 💅🏼💅🏼 kind of slayed this book despite me HATING YOU FOR IT.
kai- first time i met a kai i didnt like. FCK THAT BEACH! get off my lawn rn bro im not kidding.
beau- queen you ate this up. period.
hallis- BIGGGGGG ELM ENERGY OVER HERE. wuv dis dude teehee i feel like he’ll have such a big part in the next one☝🏼😗
messer- cutie pie i could never hate u bsffr.
everyone else- probably fck off i don’t have the energy for u rn.
this was so good im not kidding tho like this is what i expect out of romantasies people!!!!! THIS. i will say be prepared i had a couple chapters there that lagged a bit but it was so good overall idgafrick!!!!!!!! read this if u love urself okay byeeeeeeee😗😗❣️❣️
October 16, 2024
After taking a few days to sort my feelings, I’ve decided that I absolutely hate this book and I won’t be reading the next one. I probably won’t read anything else this author decides to do.
Until I reached page 475/490 in my kindle version, which was 97% of the way thru the book, it was a solid 4.5. The last 15 pages the author decided it would be a fun twist to light her book on fire and throw it in the trash can. The ending was so unacceptable and unrealistic. Sure it’s a book about magic and pirates but that doesn’t overthrow the nuance of the human experience.
Here’s what happened with as few spoilers as possible. The story is told by the FMC in first person. You go on a journey with her as she sorts out her feelings and grapples with the truth and travesty of her life. She fights to make it back to the home she was taken from. She builds relationships with the MMC and his circle while trying to find her place in the world. She struggles with the MMC keeping important things from her and her love for him made more complicated by a true mate bond. At the end we find out that all of this is a lie and everything the FMC was plotting off page was revealed, including major betrayal of lifelong best friends and we didn’t get to see any of it. It’s like reading Crescent City from Bryce’s POV but Bryce is actually Danika.
1. It’s a cheap thrill meant to stun and ensnare the reader. Unfortunately, it fell completely flat. You expect me to believe that? Oh A and B are so close and suddenly with no build up or little hidden bits to click into place, B betrays A? Sure, Jan.
2. The concept of everything that took place off page is very enticing. How did she convince B to do that? What truly was the plan between her and K? How does M fit into that? It would have taken a 4.5 to a 6/5. This could have been a lifetime achievement book.
3. This is harsh and I’m sorry. It portrays a lack of writing skill and ability. It makes me think the author isn’t capable of the story she wants so she uses this little gotcha as a way to make it happen. They have potential but are not at a level to make a plot like this work. If she did, we wouldn’t have a gotcha “twist” and the love would have made more sense. She would have had to figure out how to write a badass FMC who is well educated in war strategy, which would entail her doing basic research on the topic, that has the gumption to give up her heart for her people. We would have seen her push Acker more and try to expose him to the truth so she wouldn’t have to lose him. If he refused to see it and deny her skill and expertise on the matter and then she betrayed him, wow. We would get to see the beginning of her villain era. That would have been beautiful and heart wrenching and perfect.
Until I reached page 475/490 in my kindle version, which was 97% of the way thru the book, it was a solid 4.5. The last 15 pages the author decided it would be a fun twist to light her book on fire and throw it in the trash can. The ending was so unacceptable and unrealistic. Sure it’s a book about magic and pirates but that doesn’t overthrow the nuance of the human experience.
Here’s what happened with as few spoilers as possible. The story is told by the FMC in first person. You go on a journey with her as she sorts out her feelings and grapples with the truth and travesty of her life. She fights to make it back to the home she was taken from. She builds relationships with the MMC and his circle while trying to find her place in the world. She struggles with the MMC keeping important things from her and her love for him made more complicated by a true mate bond. At the end we find out that all of this is a lie and everything the FMC was plotting off page was revealed, including major betrayal of lifelong best friends and we didn’t get to see any of it. It’s like reading Crescent City from Bryce’s POV but Bryce is actually Danika.
1. It’s a cheap thrill meant to stun and ensnare the reader. Unfortunately, it fell completely flat. You expect me to believe that? Oh A and B are so close and suddenly with no build up or little hidden bits to click into place, B betrays A? Sure, Jan.
2. The concept of everything that took place off page is very enticing. How did she convince B to do that? What truly was the plan between her and K? How does M fit into that? It would have taken a 4.5 to a 6/5. This could have been a lifetime achievement book.
3. This is harsh and I’m sorry. It portrays a lack of writing skill and ability. It makes me think the author isn’t capable of the story she wants so she uses this little gotcha as a way to make it happen. They have potential but are not at a level to make a plot like this work. If she did, we wouldn’t have a gotcha “twist” and the love would have made more sense. She would have had to figure out how to write a badass FMC who is well educated in war strategy, which would entail her doing basic research on the topic, that has the gumption to give up her heart for her people. We would have seen her push Acker more and try to expose him to the truth so she wouldn’t have to lose him. If he refused to see it and deny her skill and expertise on the matter and then she betrayed him, wow. We would get to see the beginning of her villain era. That would have been beautiful and heart wrenching and perfect.
November 21, 2024
I’m sorry, WHAT?!?
I will not know peace until book 2 is in my hands
I will not know peace until book 2 is in my hands
September 23, 2024
If you take one romantasy book recommendation from me this year, make it this one. I haven’t stayed up reading into the wee hours in awhile. I could not put this down.
I am being very honest when I say I don’t read books like this often: ones that incite *very* mixed feelings about the characters, that genuinely surprise me with its grand reveals and wrap me up in a romance where I am unsure about my own feelings.
Needless to say: I am currently in a very big book hangover.
The pace is fast, but it doesn’t get away from you. The romantic relationship is built properly, the world is big and lush, but not overwhelming. And no large information dumps. THE CONFLICT MAKES SENSE. And every time you think something might not make sense or might be out of place…I promise it’s not, but you are about to get your socks blown off.
This is a perfect book club choice, there are lots of tensions to discuss and I guarantee you’ll have a 50/50 divide over the ending. THE ENDING from which I will never recover.
There’s a Flerken-type character, but bird form. Need I say more?
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy, I promise this glowing review is 100% my own opinions.
I am being very honest when I say I don’t read books like this often: ones that incite *very* mixed feelings about the characters, that genuinely surprise me with its grand reveals and wrap me up in a romance where I am unsure about my own feelings.
Needless to say: I am currently in a very big book hangover.
The pace is fast, but it doesn’t get away from you. The romantic relationship is built properly, the world is big and lush, but not overwhelming. And no large information dumps. THE CONFLICT MAKES SENSE. And every time you think something might not make sense or might be out of place…I promise it’s not, but you are about to get your socks blown off.
This is a perfect book club choice, there are lots of tensions to discuss and I guarantee you’ll have a 50/50 divide over the ending. THE ENDING from which I will never recover.
There’s a Flerken-type character, but bird form. Need I say more?
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy, I promise this glowing review is 100% my own opinions.
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