As a short person, I am begging authors to please stop making their characters 5 feet tall or shorter. Please. Not every ship needs a three-foot height difference.

Steel & Spellfire is a YA fantasy with elements of a murder mystery and court intrigue, and while I initially picked it up because of the Divine Rivals comp, I think it reminded me more of Kristen Ciccarelli's Heartless Hunter or, weirdly enough, Holly Webb's Rose series. I definitely think this book is more fitting for the younger audience of YA (12-15 range), but I think older teens might enjoy it too. It's fairly trope-y, and there are some details or jokes that I found a bit cringey, but overall it didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the story.
Pandora Small is perhaps the most powerful mage of her time, but she's been raised as a weapon by her mysterious patron. Determined to find whoever holds the key to her power, Pandora poses as an Ingenue - a young woman seeking patronage - to gain access to the royal court so she can find her secret patron. Once she arrives in court, the murder mystery aspect of the plot begins, as does the romance when Pandora meets Ellis Beacon, a young guard. The plot did feel a bit slower than I would've expected for a murder mystery, but that was because a lot of the scenes still focused on court intrigue. I also felt that there was a lack of tension/suspense in some parts because Pandora's magic feels a bit overpowering, in that the only thing that could probably hurt her is herself. There were a handful of action scenes and investigation scenes that I really enjoyed, and I did like watching the mystery play out, although I don't think it was too unpredictable. However, I also don't think the twist was foreshadowed too well, and I only sort of guessed it because I'm familiar with the shape of these kinds of stories and not the actual details of the story itself. Again, I think this will work for younger audiences, but older teens might not be as hooked by the story.
Additionally, I think some of the characters pulled me out of the story because they're even tropier than the plot. Pandora is your super tiny, super plain, super powerful protagonist who has a bit of a tragic backstory; also, the first chapter of the book is titled "Literally Not Like the Other Girls," which I think sets up the sense of humor this book tries to display. Pandora wasn't too bad as an FMC, she was just a bit bland. Beacon was also your typical YA love interest in that he practically worshiped the ground Pandora walked on, which meant the whole relationship was a bit insta-lovey on his side. He had his own POV, but he read more as a love interest than an actual main character. I didn't like Imogen at first, but I grew to like her by the end. Theo was enticing as a character from his introduction, and certain parts of his backstory somehow landed him a spot as one of my favorite characters in this book. Everyone except Pandora and Beacon was a bit flat, but I didn't mind it too much because they weren't in half the scenes.
Steel & Spellfire is a YA fantasy novel with elements of mystery, romance, and court intrigue that reminded me a lot of other popular books, including Sorcery of Thorns and Powerless.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.5/5

This fabulous YA Fantasy read combines lush world building, a unique and interesting magic system, and a sweet slow-burn YA romance between our two narrating characters, Pandora and Beacon. With well-developed supporting characters who add to the already-present humor and witty banter, this was a captivating and fun read. There's also a thriller/mystery aspect, with Pandora (and readers) not knowing who her powerful and malicious patron is, and it was fun to guess (even when my guesses were wrong).

Follow Pandora Smalls, a mage unlike any other as she navigates the royal court in search of a patron, someone she can bind herself to in order to control her magic and avoid being out to death for breaking the Queen’s Mage Laws. There’s just one problem, Pan is already bound to a patron who has turned her into a weapon with more magic than any mage should be capable of. Only as the girls in her class start turning up dead, their magic drained, Pan must team up with Royal Guard Beacon to discover who is behind the murders and break her binding once and for all.

There were things I liked and disliked about the world built in this book. It’s pretty typical in the royal court fashion, nothing special in the schoolgirl rivalry and the romance. However the spellfire was a completely unique form of magic that was fun to read about. On the other hand, there is something profoundly disturbing about a world where girls are forced to bind themselves in service or as the spouse of someone else, especially at such a young age (13) or be put to death—especially disturbing when you take into account the boys with magic do not have to follow the same rules.

Pandora wasn’t a particularly interesting protagonist to me. She is constantly described as plain and small, a mouse, when she is supposed to be the most powerful magic user of all. I am sure this was in juxtaposition of the moment when she would reveal her magic and accept herself, but honestly it was rather annoying to have it reiterated so many times, and for her to have Beacon rescue her constantly.

I think this would be a good introductory book for someone trying to break into fantasy looking for a quick and easy read.

Steel & Spellfire
by Laura E. Weymouth
Pub Date: Jul 22 2025

In the city of Valora, where mages are feared and closely governed by the law, Pandora Small spends her life pretending to be someone she is not. Raised in seclusion by a shrouded guardian, Pandora learned to wield her magic in a way the world has never seen, making her more weapon than girl.

Pandora may have escaped her guardian, but powerful forces keep them bound together and she’ll do anything to find them again to break their bond for good. Posing as an Ingenue, a well-off young woman with limited magic, Pandora hopes to gain access to the royal court’s social season and the wealthy elite who make it their playing ground. Pandora’s arrival at court becomes more complicated when Kit Beacon, a promising young member of the royal guard, discovers the true scope of Pandora’s deadly magic. Secretly sympathetic towards mages and convinced that Pandora is no harm to the public, Beacon agrees to keep her secret.

But when someone or something with powers terribly like Pandora’s own begins killing her fellow Ingenues, Beacon must decide whether Pandora is truly innocent or if there’s ruthless killer lying under her masterfully crafted facade. And Pandora will have to open up to gain Beacon’s trust because joining forces may be the only way for Pandora to find her freedom and catch the real killer plaguing the city.

This one didn’t hook me like I wanted it to. I think the issue is with me I’m not huge on YA anymore but I still wanted to give this one a shot, maybe later down the road when I’m in a different mood

Thank you to Simon Teen for providing me this ARC!!

This is a 3.5/5 star read.

I just wanna start out by saying this book isn’t normally the type of thing I read. I go for more epic fantasies, usually something part of a series.

But reading Steel & Spellfire I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself enjoying it. There were a lot of aspects I liked, and some I didn’t. So here are the pros and cons!

Pros:

• The fantasy aspects of this book were really well done. The world felt very alive and I loved the magic system so much!
• The characters were relatable and layered, and they weren’t perfect, which was great!
• I liked the air of mystery/suspense in this book a lot. It kept me on edge and kept me wanting to confine reading.

Cons:

• I was really bored for the first hundred or so pages, which is not good at all. I understand it was a lot of buildup but I considered DNFing this book more than once.
• I wasn’t a fan of some of the characters names. For some reason, some of them just made me cringe (but I think that’s more of a me thing lol)
• I didn’t like how Pandora kept be described as small and fragile and little. I get that she was, but to keep saying it over and over got kind of annoying to me…also her last name being Small and then having her being described as a mouse, as petite, etc. Just wasn’t a fan of it!

Overall, I liked this book. It was easily digestible, nothing that stood out as phenomenal or life-changing, but a pleasant read. Definitely worth it if you enjoy Bridgerton mixed with fantasy!

This was an interesting one! I felt that the romance was too insta-lovey but once I realized at the end that this was a standalone (I think?) I forgave it a little bit. I was much more invested in the relationships between Pandora/Imogen and Theo/Imogen! Loved seeing Pan and Imogen’s friendship blossom. The magic system was kind of hit or miss at some points, and I didn’t really care about the final patron reveal. Overall, it was just alright.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the DRC!

𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘭 & 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 follows a talented young mage escaping persecution by posing as an Ingenue during court season. She's hoping to locate, and destroy, her magic-bound patron, but her mission becomes complicated as her fellow Ingenues are murdered and a handsome guard discovers her secret. This entertaining escape is full of mystery, intrigue, and forbidden romance.

When I saw 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘴 as a comp title, I knew I was going to need this book like I need air. It's a fun and bingeable YA fantasy with a sweet romantic subplot, which is exactly what I expect from Simon Teen titles. It's not anything groundbreaking, but it delivers to its target audience in a way it means to.

We have a society that fears the unknown and misunderstood - which results in hunting a population with magical gifts. We meet an orphan girl with a mysterious past and powerful magic, and we watch as she infiltrates high society and falls for a palace guard. It's a bit formulaic, but I think that's to be expected.

I wasn't expecting the love interest, Beacon, to be attracted to Pan so quickly, but it made some sense and was rather sweet in its protective nature. However, you may want to pass if you aren't looking for insta-love.

I would recommend this for fans of 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯.