This sounded like a unique fantasy and the cover is very appealing. I was into it, while I was reading. I liked the idea of scarecrows being a line of defense. However, I dnfed this at 35% I really wanted to push through but I knew if I did it would have gotten a low rating. While I was reading, it was fine but I had been reading this for over 3 weeks and only reached 35%. I don't know why the pace was so slow when there was actually action happening. This just wasn't a story that I couldn't put down.

A thoroughly enjoyable page turner featuring a unique "magic" system (calling it that for lack of a better term), believable characters, and a heavy dose of corrupt religion-politics. Let me start with a disclaimer, though: the heroine here is flawed with a capital F. Passionate and headstrong, Charlotte Sand is a person who acts before she thinks. She makes so many mistakes and regrettable decisions, and the repercussions are anything but mild. This might be frustrating to some readers, but it is all handled with so much realism and truth that you can't help but empathize with her. You feel the ache of her regret and bitterness of her shame, and you burn for revenge along with her.

The rest of the cast is appropriately lovable or loathsome, and all are written with enough complexity and depth that they stand on their own. The relationships between them are dynamic and generally intriguing. I can't quite say I'm shipping the main maybe-romance, but I am certainly interested in seeing how these two sort everything out.

The plot starts at a steady pace that gradually quickens before really taking off in the latter half of the book. The last few chapters are bonafide page-turners that reach can't-put-down territory. Truly action packed and full of suspense. And while several of the book's twists are not exactly unexpected, they stick their landing-- satisfactorily hitting home and nailing their emotionally beats. I honestly can't wait for the sequel!

As for the world-building, I really love the concept of the spirits and Guardians. The lore re: the scarecrow's stuffing has me hoping for a full chart with the name of each Guardian, the herbs used for their scarecrow, and their abilities. As for the setting itself, I feel like some might wish for greater detail. We aren't told that much about the workings of the larger world or given explicit details about how each of the religions function, and indeed, I do have some questions. (For example, there are characters named something along the lines of Name St. Name. But neither religion mentions saints? So what's up with that?) But on the whole, I think Rodgers does a good job of giving us just enough information to set the stage and orient the story while also giving a sense of a wider, deeper world we've yet to explore. It's enough to feel on solid ground while also leaving room for the imagination. (No info dumps or excruciatingly detailed meal descriptions here.)

Overall, a suspenseful, if not heartbreaking, fantasy that treads some familiar territory, while being elevated by it's unique "magic" concepts and the complex relationships of it's characters. I'll anxiously be awaiting the next one.

“Lady of Steel and Straw” is a ya fantasy novel written by Erica Ivy Rodgers. A book with an intriguing premise that unfortunately did not convince me in its development. I don't know, I found the prose a bit cold and cumbersome, without particular sentiment, and this prevented me from connecting with the story. The narration gave me a sense of dragging, of heaviness, despite the many events present. I perceived several convenient situations, various plot holes, and more in general a sort of haste in dealing with the various situations. The setting fascinated me a lot, although I found it nebulous. Charlotte and Luc, protagonists with their respective third person povs, did not convince me. In theory they had all the potential to win me over with their load of torment, but in practice they seemed superficial and inexpressive, so much so that I was unable to become fond of them and their events. All in all, I found it a novel with fantastic ideas and a pleasant setting, which unfortunately did not convince me in its development.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Peachtree Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lady of Steel and Straw by Erica Ivy Rodgers is a Wizard of Oz-inspired YA fantasy that will appeal to adult readers as well. The story is told from a dual 3rd person POV, focusing on Lady Charlotte Sand and Captain Luc de Montaigne. Charlotte has the magical power to stop dead spirits who have turned into wraiths. Luc de Montaigne is from a rival religion and he meets Charlotte while on a mission to collect the hearts of guardians from Charlotte's religion. When the two meet, sparks fly, but since they are from rival religions, their relationship is absolutely forbidden. Will the pair learn to look past their differences or will they be killed by the wraiths around them?

Here is a beautiful excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from Charlotte's point of view:

""Every creature from here to town can feel the discontent rolling off you," called Grandmother. "You'll wake the wraiths on your own, if you aren't careful."
"It's not discontent," grumbled Charlotte. But Charlotte didn't know what to call it either-this feeling akin to emptiness. Maybe it was emptiness, just not the desolate kind. It was a vessel waiting to be filled. A place in her chest, wide open and ready for possibilities.
From the ground, a shard of white caught the sun, and Charlotte knelt to touch the bleached bone. The wraith inhabiting it gave a small shiver. Charlotte forced a smile, encouaging the wraith to rest. Its weak consciousness grasped greedily at the edges of the peace she offered before quieting as Charlotte pressed the bone deeper into the loam."

Overall, Lady of Steel and Straw is a YA fantasy that I think will appeal more to adult readers, especially fans of The Witcher. From the title and cover art, I was expecting something like Syfy's Tin Man mini-series or NBC's Emerald City series. Instead, the Oz references were far and few between, which was a bit disappointing. One highlight of this book is the premise. After reading the summary, I was so excited to dive into this fantasy world. I was so excited to start reading.

I did take off 1 star because I had to force myself to keep reading through a lot of this book. It's very long, for starters, which is one of the reasons why I think that this book would appeal more to adult readers in general. I took off another star, because I felt like I couldn't connect to any of the characters. The book is told from a dual 3rd person POV, focusing on the male and female leads. Although I prefer 3rd person when the POV has to be told from dual perspectives, I didn't particularly like Charlotte or Luc. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, you can check out this book when it comes out in June.

I have to say that this book definitely started slow and improved as it went along. I think that the prologue should have been reworked or cut. It introduced too much lore/world building in too short a period of time and did not do it well.

I very much enjoyed the characters of Luc and Charlotte as well as their dynamic as former childhood friends. However, this relationship and the relationship between Worth and Luc would've benefitted from a couple of flashback sequences giving them more depth. We generally needed more Luc POV chapters that were longer, particularly at the end as it made the pacing choppy during the climax.

We also needed more time spent with Worth and Charlotte building upon their bond since that is such an important component of Charlotte's journey as a character.

Also, I would've liked better explanations for the magic system and the two religions. They were all very vague which didn't help the story or its themes.

However, I liked the homages to the Three Musketeers as well as the themes of light vs. darkness and choosing what type of person you want to be. Charlotte's journey of moving on from her grief and rage was a highlight of the book. The whole concept of the guardians was also super cool. (And thank you thank you thank you for not having any romance develop between Worth and Charlotte).

I do want to see where this series goes, I want to see more guardians!

Reviews going live on goodreads, storygraph and Instagram on 4/16 and TikTok on 4/17

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a chance at reading this before release.

In High School Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers was my jam. I loved the book, I loved the 60's film. So, reading this was a real treat since it was inspired by the book.

Set in a fantasy world where guardians (in the form of scarecrows) bind themselves to a child within the family (or in on case, someone who is worthy), these scarecrows help their bound one vanquish wraiths. The wraiths are unset ghosts of those who passed on who feed off the vibes of anger and hatred from others. 10 years ago, our FL (Charlotte) had a father who was part of an elite guard of those who worked with their guardians. Then, one day, someone killed the King and Queen, leaving our FL's father the blame. He was killed, and in result the guardians were shut away for ten years as punishment.

In this new world regime 10 years later, the prince is now grown and is being plagued by nightmares and visitations of wraiths. The cardinal who serves the crown wishes to put an end to the guardians because of religious views that the wraiths are actually being controlled by the guardians and not put to rest. Charlotte becomes a guardian when her brother (who was next to take the role her father once had) is slain.
And so begins the story.

I liked the characters, the guardians were interesting and had good camaraderie with one another. You had one that was big and strong, another who was fast and flighty. And you had Charlotte's who is like a father figure. Each of them assist Charlotte while they are on a mission to protect the order / guardians and the throne from a person or persons who are up to no good.

You have the romance interest, a boy who had grown up once trained under her father, who then fell into the clutches of the cardinal who had grown up through the ranks and has become the second in command to the crown's army (and under the control of the cardinal). He has doubts regarding the faith (the gods who gave the powers to the guardians), his own faith, and the past / present history he has with his mentor's daughter. I enjoyed their moments together - lots 0f sexual tension and debate within himself.

Now why did I rank it a three star read? I wanted more world building, I wanted to know about the gods and the angst our ML (Luc) was having with himself. Why did he feel so dependent on the cardinal? Why did he believe that here was where he would put his life and oath? We really didn't really get that. Which is wrapped up in the whole story of the gods and their powers they entrusted on the guardians. The guardians have been around for hundreds of years. But yet, we never really understood the gods and their purposes. Which in turn, makes me not quite understand Luc's dedication to the cardinal.

I felt that while I enjoyed the group (the guardians), their roles felt kind of there as propping up the FML instead of having goals, dreams of their own. We didn't really get a strong backstory on them either besides what they tell you throughout the book. I just want to know more about them and for a book that requires such a backstory - especially one where the crown is in danger - of scarecrows coming to life and protecting the crown? Yeah. I want to care about the crown instead of feeling ready to off it because someone is telling me the cardinal's control is bad.

There is a villain that killed the FML father which spurs the story into motion. I liked him and it was sad that his role was only at the beginning and end of the book.

Overall, there is promise in the book and in the tale if it moves forward. While I did enjoy myself, and I am curious for book two, I want more than what I got. I don't know if the author is withholding or certain things are not to be told at all in the story, it does hurt when you have to fill in the blanks and or craft rules to a story that requires them.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this but this one is unfortunately a DNF for me. I tried but I couldn't get into the story.

I enjoyed this one! The expanse of its worldbuilding is impressive, and while I can't explain why, the lilac vibes throughout were entirely appreciated.

Though, I also found that I was a bit confused on how exactly the magic system worked and why, and I felt a bit bogged down with the details. It was a bit difficult to orientate myself. This is totally a me thing though, and there is so much good stuff about this book that I'm sure others are going to love it!

I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink | Peachtree Teen, in exchange for an honest review.

In her YA fantasy debut, Lady of Steel and Shadow, Erica Ivy Rodgers wrote a swashbuckling and captivating story inspired by the Three Musketeers. This brisk-paced adventurous novel follows two protagonists (and POV characters) whose stories and fates are intertwined: the feisty Lady Charlotte Sand and the pious but tormented (those things tend to go hand in hand) Captain Luc de Montaigne.

Both Charlotte and Luc are interesting and (more importantly for me) flawed characters and I enjoyed discovering more about them, the world they inhabit and seeing how they develop. Charlotte as a character was particularly interesting to follow. She was not portrayed as this perfectly capable infallible heroine, but (true to her age in the novel) as a young woman who is starting her life journey. Like almost every person her age, she has strong convictions and firm ideas about how the world is supposed to be, she can be impulsive and makes mistakes... This made following her journey relatable and interesting.

Luc's character development was equally intriguing to follow, despite some predictabilities in the themes there which did not bother me. His struggles and anguish regarding his past, faith, choices and actions he made in addition to his attraction to Charlotte were well written and captured the reader's attention.

Regarding the fantasy world and setting the author created, the inspiration from The Musketeers and 17th-century France is there, however, the author brings her ideas and imagination to the story and creates a fascinating world. However, the author chose not to burden the readers with a lot of details about the world, its history or the magic system. Keeping in mind the target audience - younger readers who might just be dipping their toes into the SFF genre, this is not something I would hold against the author.

Lady of Steel and Straw was a gripping and enjoyable novel that would be a good fit for (younger) readers who are making their foray into the SFF genre. The story and the characters are engrossing enough to keep the readers interested and more. However, by not providing huge amounts of lore the author managed to keep the pace and avoided overburdening the novel and her readers with lore and (other) details that would undeniably be interesting, but perhaps mess up the novel's pace.

I loved the world building. It takes a bit to get into the story but I found it to be a very enjoyable book.

"Run from the monsters, run from the dark, run toward the light, let it flicker and spark."

The kingdom of Niveaux has been overrun by wraiths and bone-wielders who seek to conquer the kingdom with anger and terror. The last members of the king's guard fight to protect the Tristan line, but they fall one by one. By making the ultimate sacrifice to save the princess, they rise again as wraiths of light to vanquish the darkness and reinstate the rightful heir to the throne, creating the Order of the Guardians.

Two hundred years later, we meet Charlotte Sand, who has a unique ability to put wraiths to rest with ease. Her family has been in charge of being a guardian companion for The Parson, one of the guardians. Ten years prior, the king and queen were killed, and the guardians fell to protect them, resulting in a ten-year banishment, making the Guardians go to sleep.

During this time, the Cardinal of The Silent Gods, Lorraine the Pure, has risen to power, and the followers of the Old Gods are dwelling. Charlotte knows that her job is crucial, but she is not convinced that it's what she wants to do. In some ways, she wishes she could do what her brother is meant to do and be a Guardian companion. This is where our story gets interesting.

The Cardinal sends her soldiers to retrieve the Guardians' hearts, saying that the banishment is not punishment enough, and they want to get rid of the Order, claiming it has no use anymore. When the Sands receive the soldiers, Charlotte becomes emotional, and her actions end up causing her brother's death. Now she has one week to return her Guardians' heart to the capital, or they will come back for it. In her desperation, Charlotte asks The Parson to wake up, and he does, choosing her as his new companion.

She wants vengeance, but there is something more sinister at play. William had received a vague letter warning him that something was going on with the Cardinal. So Charlotte and The Parson embark on a journey to find out what's happening.

Those are the bones of the story, and there's a lot more to it, but I don't want to spoil it. Our love interest is Luc de Montaigne, the captain of the Cardinal's Watch. He also has an affinity for the wraiths and is drawn to Charlotte. While doing his duty, he also wants to help her in a way. He will struggle with his view on religion and beliefs of what is right.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the idea of the scarecrows as vessels for the Guardians' Hearts. It gave me "Three Musketeers vibes" in a way, and the characters are very likable (most of them anyway). Rachel St. Clair was a tough one to like, but also hard to understand, and I wished I knew more about what drove her to the point she is at. Charlotte is a bit annoying at the beginning, but she is also very self-aware of her lack of control and does try to do better, which is refreshing in a Main character. Like many other stories, I feel like a lot of the trust issues and problems are communication problems and could be fixed if the characters talked to each other instead of holding everything in. But, what the hell, it makes a good story. Lorraine the Pure makes an incredible antagonist, and her POV in the book makes it even better. I enjoyed the struggles with religion, the power struggle, the manipulation, and how unpredictable it is.

I give this book a rating of 4 stars out of 5, mainly because I find some things quite confusing, and it's hard to understand why something is happening without any background or explanation. The characters are very likable, but they also act very childish in some instances that don't warrant it. However, it is a very entertaining book, and I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

Author and Title: The Lady of Steel and Straw by Erica Ivy Rodgers

Summary: Charlotte Sand was born with the innate ability to soothe the tormented spirits of the deceased. A new religion, The Silent Gods, has made her kind of magic less popular. Her family's Guardian has been asleep since Charlotte's father's death. The Order of the Guardians was once mighty and now are exiled politically, but Spirits are beginning to stir and turn into deathly wraiths. A devout servant of The Silent God religion has arrived at Charlotte's house to collect the magic sleeping heart of her Guardian, causing the old God to be purged from the kingdom forever. Charlotte's refusal incites conflict in the realm.

The story has very descriptive writing that hits all your senses. The herbal magic is something new I have not experienced in a story before. It is nice to have a fantasy story that has humorous banter. Charlotte and Worth's interactions and relationship were better than Charlotte and Luc's. I could have been fine without them being each other's love interest. I needed help connecting with the characters, which made it hard for them to resonate with me. I did enjoy the idea of the scarecrow guardians. It's not enough to make me forget about the lack of good world-building in the storyline. The pacing was fine; it just did not grip me.

This is my honest review based on an ARC copy of the ebook from Netgalley and Peachtree Teen. Thank you for the opportunity.

I love the worldbuilding in this. You can tell that a LOT of thought went into it. I appreciated how some seemingly innocuous events came full circle in the end. You can smell the oranges in the grove on the Sand Estate and feel the neverending grief of some of the characters. The idea of using someone’s bones to wield a wraith that wreaks havoc on your enemies—that’s horrifying. However, a force rises up to take on this threat, which you will learn about in the first few pages.

It did lag a bit in the middle, but I was hooked once the true action got going, and then I was metaphorically flipping pages like a madwoman (it’s an ebook 😄). I’m looking forward to see what Erica Ivy Rodgers comes up with next! I will definitely recommend that my library acquire some copies, and I’m curious to see what the finished product looks like! I think both teens and adults would enjoy reading this.

Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

(Psst…there’s a hint of romance in here, but I very much appreciate that the author kept it clean. I hope it stays that way!)

This is a debut book in the fantasy genre for this author.

It was a difficult read to get into for me, but once the action picked up it became a page turner.

Charlotte is a strong headed and not so levelheaded MFC. Thought the author does a good job of developing this skill in her throughout the story.

Luc is your run of the mill MMC "bad boy", though again the author did a decent job bring depth to his character.

The light vs dark theme in the book is very evident. The use of herbal magic was a great new twist in magic use in a fantasy.

Over all I enjoyed the story and look forward to more fantasy from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House / Peachtree for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Lady of Steel and Straw" by Erica Ivy Rodgers offers a rich and immersive YA fantasy world filled with intriguing characters and unexpected twists. Set against the backdrop of a society inspired by French history, the book introduces you to a unique blend of magic and political intrigue that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. I absolutely loved the unique world that Rodgers created. I have never read a book quite like this one before with the worldbuilding and the specific plot. While there were some cliché troupes throughout the book, the world in which they were established was so engaging and fresh that I fell in love with those troupes all over again.

I found this book to be a refreshing take on the YA fantasy genre. I’ve found myself growing a bit tired of YA fantasy books recently as they all seem the same. However, in this book, the use of scarecrow warriors imbued with magical powers adds a fresh twist to the story, offering something new to explore within the familiar landscape of fantasy literature. The characters, particularly Charlotte and Luc, had excellent depth and development throughout the story. As a reader, you were able to see these characters grow and transform before your eyes, and I absolutely loved the dynamic between these two. Also, the relationship between Charlotte and her parental figure, Worth, offered a welcome departure from the typical focus on romantic relationships, which I definitely enjoyed.

The pacing of the novel was on point as it was a fast read despite being over 400 pages long. At several points throughout the book, I found myself unable to put the book down as I found myself immersed in the worldbuilding while also still being engaged with the plot points. The story's twists and mysteries were well written. I did think the ending was a bit hasty, though that may be due to the author wanting to set up for a sequel, which I wasn’t expecting. I think a little more time could have been spent on the ending, but I am definitely eagerly waiting for the sequel.

Overall, "Lady of Steel and Straw" was such a fun and imaginative YA fantasy! Despite some familiar tropes, the book stands out as a must-read for fans of YA fantasy looking for a fresh take on the genre.

I want to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher to have this amazing opportunity to receive this arc.
When I first got this arc, I didn’t think I was even going to get one.
Now to my review.
I literally loved this book. I could not put this down. The different point of views, the strong minded and character of charlotte. Love.
To get to know more about Luc and Worth,
Can’t wait to actually get the physical copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and found myself eagerly turning the pages. I hadn't realised it was the start of a series though so had thought everything would be wrapped up although hastily admit I'd definitely read the next book. Apparently the author was inspired by the ideas behind the Three Musketeers by Dumas and having finished it I can quite see what she has tried to incorporate.
A world were once Spirits were trapped as Wraiths and controlled by those who understood the Dark. Yet into this came Immortals who literally gave their lives to lay those tormented and used to rest. Fast forward though and those of the Order ( imagine they are trapped as scarecrow while sleeping) are apparently not needed but about to have their hearts quite literally ripped out and given to the Prince and his Cardinal who advises him. Yet Worth, the first of these Immortals is woken by a grieving, vengeful Charlotte who saw the evil the Cardinals men are capable of and there fellow reader is were this story truly begins !
Yes things happen very quickly in the beginning and it held my attention but honestly the second half definitely ups the ante. I really enjoyed the banter and obvious affection between these characters and it was always obvious just who the big bad was but even then there's surprises waiting. Good versus evil is a definite theme and if you enjoy magic then the ideas here involving bone magic will most assuredly be entertaining. This ends with hope as heroes live to fight another day but there's about to be monumental change amongst those who protect although sadly my lips are sealed. Honestly I look forward so much to what happens next and hop the wait won't be too long.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

This was a brand new author to me and I was very intrigued by the description of this. I this this was a wonderful book and very well done. I loved the Wizard of Oz references and lore, and was really into the world created here. It had a great cast of characters and a plot that kept me hooked the entire time. I can see a lot of people loving this book and it becoming popular. Can't wait to see what this author does next!

I loved the fantasy elements to this book, it had that young adult element that I was hoping for. I enjoyed the idea that the main character had a dark gift and enjoyed the overall feel of Lady Charlotte. The plot was beautifully done and left me wanting to read more in this world. Erica Ivy Rodgers had a great writing style and can't wait for more. The cover was beautifully done and I'm glad I got to read this.

I enjoyed Lady of Steel and Straw. It contains many standard YA fantasy tropes, but the premise of the Guardians brings a wonderful freshness which makes it still manage to stand out from others in the genre. The idea of these spirit-powered scarecrow warriors really struck a chord with me: it was compelling and new and worked really well within the plot. Charlotte annoyed me a little at times as she caused so many issues simply by her own erratic behaviour, but her development within that sphere and her relationships with the other characters were well portrayed. Luc felt somewhat of a stereotype at first, but towards the end of the book we learnt more about his background which helped to flesh him out. Overall, the book held my interest from start to finish and when I closed the last page I was left wanting to read on in the series. As such, I am giving this one 4.5 stars and would recommend it to fans of YA fantasy looking for something with a new twist.