✨ Steel & Spellfire by Laura Weymouth ✨
A Regency-inspired fantasy full of murder, magic, and forbidden romance? Say less. 💙

In a world where young women with magic are hunted, one orphaned mage infiltrates high society disguised as an Ingenue during court season. Her mission? Track down her magic-bound patron and end the curse tethering them. But when fellow Ingenues start turning up dead and a handsome palace guard decides to help pan find her patron. In this twisty fantasy things definitely get deadly.🔥

It’s bingeable, filled with plot, and surprisingly sweet in the romance department.

A pretty solid book with some great world-building along with distinctive characters to round it out.

Mages were rare in the world especially powerful mages until the day the wellspring was split open and allowed more spellfire into the world. As a consequence, mages were to be bound and not permitted to use their magic on anyone for any purpose.

Pandora is determined to break free from her patron, a shadowy figure that control the entirety of her childhood until she escaped. To do so, though, she has to present herself as nothing more than a harmless Ingenue, seeking a patron to bind herself to.

I enjoyed the twists that came with this story, how all the little pieces came together to reveal the truth in the end, and Pandora's realization that she didn't have to stand alone in her fight. Not to mention the references and some of the puns in the chapter titles that made me giggle a bit. There is plenty to explore and think about in this book when it comes down to it.

I love YA books that span multiple genres. We got romance, we got fantasy, and we also have a murder mystery! I really didn't like a choice the love interest Beacon made, but her friend/sister Imogen's character was my favorite character throughout the book. Unique and intriguing magic system.

3.5 rounded up
I always love any book that explores women being stripped of their rights and powers, and their fight to reclaim them, so I enjoyed that aspect. I did struggle a bit with the world-building, as it was a bit confusing. One other aspect I struggled with was how much it gets mentioned that Pandora is not like other girls... we get it, girl lol. Other than that, I did enjoy the story and its overall premise. Pandora and Beacon had solid chemistry and worked well together as a team. One of my favorite parts of the story was the found family, because I think Pan really needed that. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a good, standalone YA fantasy.

Steel & Shellfire is a book about a lot of things - about women traditionally having their power stolen away from them, about sisterhood, about trust and about true love. I have always been a bit lukewarm on Bridgerton, but I've been really excited how many fantasy romances have used its popularity to make pointed criticisms about the role of women in Georgian and regency London.

Pandora Hall is an Ingenue, an eligible young mage intended to offer up her magic (and her hand in marriage) to the highest bidder. When she meets Ellis Beacon, a young guard for the queen, it's love at first sight, and she quickly enlists Beacon to help her hide her magic and find her patron - someone who has been using her magic for their own ends.

There was a lot about this book I really enjoyed: I loved the relationship between Pandora and her fellow ingenues, and the sisterhood that they form (for better or worse). I loved that this was a really sweet romantic relationship, with both of them so enraptured with each other. I also wanted to hang out more with Pandora's rival Imogen, who was such a fun character.

I do think the world building was very complicated - by necessity, the book was still explaining essential elements of magic in the last third of the book, and I think that I might have missed some of the intricacies. The book also ends very abruptly, and I wish we had gotten to spend more time on the ending.

This is a fun book, especially for those who love Bridgerton or historical fantasy romance. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the early copy.

The first chapter rubs it in your face how very not like other girls Pan is, thinking that because the character is aware of it that makes it less annoying. And maybe it would be, if it weren’t shoved in my face every other paragraph just how not like other girls Pan, who is not like other girls, is not like other girls. I am unclear if Pandora is a little person or not; she is said to be several inches under five feet, described as pocket sized, and her full name is — get this — Pandora Small.

Beacon, on the other hand, stands a full head taller than a crowd. However, their heights are never actually important, as there’s no indication there’s much of a height difference between them. All he has to do is lower his head a little to kiss her, and she never has any issues with furniture, getting into a cab, vaulting over walls. It’s just a sloppy description with no purpose other than to point out, yet again, how no like other girls Pandora Small, the smallest of all girls, is.

Other than being powerful, I have no idea who Pan is as a character. I know what she wants — to be free of the person who tortured her, forceably bonded her magic, and then began a swath of murders through the city — but I have no idea who she is as a person other than … well, generic NLOG girl. Beacon has a little more to him, being uncertain and nervous, afraid of causing harm, cautious around mages, but other than that he’s just a good guy. A little bland, maybe, but there’s more character to him.

The plot is where the book shines, the plot of a magical serial killer with Pan linked to him by the magic bond. The rivalry between Pan and the perfect Imogen is also very well done, and I enjoyed how all of that played out. The world building, with the magical monsters — Gaunts, Grims and Hellions — the magefire used by the women as an art, called parlor magic to lessen it and make it seem like nothing more than a toy as compared to a man’s actual magecraft … the way women are bonded, to control their magic, and killed if unbonded, is really fun. The author put a lot of thought into this world, how it works and how it doesn’t.

For me, personally, if there were more character work to balance out the excellent world building and plot, a little less emphasis at winking at the audience and a little more time spent to make Pan an actual character who — sure — happens to be NLOG, but is also at the same time a real girl, a real person, I would have easily given this book four stars or higher. As it is, I look forward to more works from this author because their plots and their worlds were so very well cone.

However, that’s just me. Other people may enjoy Pan as she is, and that’s fine. Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

I received a copy of the ARC through Netgalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The two MC’s are very likeable and their actions are understandable. I love the worldbuilding and the premise of how those with Spellfire are treated. The character’s motivations made sense and their fear toward discovery was palpable!

“To him, she was power, she was goodness, she was perfect control.” ✨

This book was so good that I read it within the span of two days (and probably would have finished it in one if I wasn’t so busy)! I loved the world and the magic system and the way it was woven perfectly together with the rest of the plot. This was such a great YA fantasy, but I do think that it is geared toward a younger audience compared to other YA books I’ve read. However, that doesn’t take away from how good the book was!

“Since the moment I first met you, you’ve been magic to me.” 💙

While I’m usually not a fan of the insta-love trope, I think that Beacon was more so enamored with Pandora and in awe of her from the start as opposed to in love with her right away. Then, as they partnered together and he got to know her better, he truly fell in love with her. It was beautiful to read!

I also loved that Pandora and Imogen ended up becoming friends despite Imogen originally being the “mean girl.” I loved the ending and the found family vibes with Pandora, Beacon, Imogen, and Theo and I thought the story wrapped up nicely!

“Let me be your first, and last, and foremost.”

If you love a standalone YA fantasy with a romance subplot, magic and monsters, murder mystery, and court intrigue, then be sure to check this one out! Steel and Spellfire releases on July 22!

Thank you so much to Simon Teen for an advanced copy!

This is a great book! It is action packed and full of great romance. The writing was wonderful. I highly recommend.

Pandora is a seriously powerful mage who had her power bound to an evil mage as a young child. She was kept locked up for years, before finally breaking free as a teen. She has spent the last 5 years at a girls school, secretly learning to hide the true depth of her power, all while learning the skills to become an eventual wife of the upper court. But Pandora doesn't want access to the elite to find a husband, she is searching for the evil mage who trapped her as a child so she can break their bond once and for all.

Beacon is a guard who realizes Pandora has more power than is allowed and instead of turning her in to be killed, he decides to join the hunt for her former captor.

I liked the premise and was interested from the first page in Pandora's journey for freedom. What didn't hook me was Beacon and the romance that we were supposed to buy into. It's YA insta-love. I could not see why Pandora was interested in Beacon other than he was tall and looked good in a uniform. Beacon felt bland, underdeveloped and I could have done without Beacon in the book at all. Besides the romance subplot, I was there for the rest of the story. There are some twists, some predictable for the genre but some that caught me by surprise. Overall this is a good coming into your own story with a strong FMC and worth a read. Does lean toward the younger YA market.

3.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the eARC.

I wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. The world leans heavily on familiar royal court drama—mean schoolgirls, a predictable romance, and a protagonist who’s constantly described as plain and mouse-like. Pandora is supposed to be the most powerful magic user, but spends most of the book being rescued by Beacon. It got repetitive fast.

The one standout was the spellfire magic system—it was genuinely unique and fun to read about. I just wish the rest of the story had been as fresh.

I’m probably not the right audience for this book. If you’re into court intrigue and don’t mind a heavy dose of outdated gender dynamics, you might enjoy it more than I did.

What can i even say about this? Court intrigue, dangerous secrets, and slow-burn tension all round out this fantasy, perfect for fans of The Prison Healer and One Dark Window!

Very conventional and somewhat predictable, I imagine this will be a good entry into the fantasy genre for YA and newer fantasy readers. I don’t feel like this worked for me in particular since it was a bit too formulaic and young.

I think this is my third or fourth YA standalone book by Laura E. Weymouth so needless to say, I am a fan of her writing. This one took me a bit longer to really get into as you can see from my reading dates. To be totally fair to myself, I did have a baby in the middle of reading this one but I think there were reasons that I didn't finish it all in one sitting like I had with her previous books.

The pacing was a bit slower than I'd have liked for this book. Everything really ramped up in the last third to quarter but it took a while to get there and to keep my interest. I found that I was almost skimming some of the pages because I was craving more information and something to move the plot along at places.

The romance is very sweet and this is definitely something a younger YA reader could read without issue. I wasn't really missing more on that front. Perhaps more chapters with Beacon and Pandora's romance at the forefront would have been nice but I don't think they would have fixed the plot pacing.

Overall, the world is very interesting and it had a great premise. The ending and final chapters and reveals really brought this book back from a three start read to a solid four stars for me.

I'd absolutely keep reading Laura E. Weymouth's books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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!