4.5/5
fun! twist and turns! super captivating. I read this on a flight and it was so much fun to read the characters are complex. you think you know how the story is going for it to turn and make it more exciting. there is always something going on. the slow burn, the possible love triangle. the childhood best friends. great story and can't wait for the next book!

thank you Saturday books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

✨ ARC REVIEW ✨

Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider

5⭐️

I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever get over this one. 🙈 It’s been more than a week and I still find myself blabbing on and on and on to my (very patient) husband about it! I can’t stop! Metal Slinger is taking up a good 1/4 of my brain at any given time these days!

Filled with epic journeys, powerful magic, political intrigue, JAW-DROPPING TWISTS and of course, loooooove… Metal Slinger is pretty much as close as it gets to a perfect book for this romantasy lover! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Like everyone else, I am anxiously awaiting a book two announcement because I need to know what happens next!!

A huge thank you to all my fellow readers for putting this one on my radar, to the author, @stmartinspress and @saturdaybooks for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

METAL SLINGER is out NOW!

✨🔥🌊🗡️🌲

Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider follows Brynn, an orphan from the seafaring Alaha community, as she travels to Kenta with Acker, an enemy soldier.

Metal Slinger was a fun, easy-to-read book. Despite being almost 500 pages long, I read it fairly quickly. The setting and the magic system were unique and interesting.

While the story overall was engaging, there were a few parts that dragged a bit. The formatting made the dialogue awkward and hard to follow at times. I was reading an ebook ARC, so hopefully this issue was fixed before the book was released.

If you enjoy fantasy romance, this is a must-read. I am excited to see where this series goes in the next book.

"Metal Slinger" is a gritty, fast-paced thrill ride with a unique voice and an unforgettable edge. The world-building is sharp, the pacing relentless, and the tension never lets up. With just the right blend of action, atmosphere, and character intrigue, this book carves out a distinct place in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. A strong debut (or next hit!) for readers who like their fiction bold and uncompromising.

The book was entertaining - but would have been better as a dual POV as the ending completely took us by surprise. It should have been in 3rd person, as we were in her mind the whole time, but did not know all these other things she was hiding...

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for my #gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

When I say I loved this one, I mean I LOVED this one. It took me a minute to get invested but let me tell you, I was hooked. And I’m here for this book and that ending 🤯🤯🤯 Wasn’t expecting what happened in the BEST way. All my romantasy loving friends need to read this ASAP.

I honestly don’t even want to say more than that to give anything away in this story. It was fun and adventurous and chef’s kiss. I am over here (im)patiently waiting for book 2!

🎧 I actually listened to this one on audio and I loved it! Andi Eloise was amazing and I hope she’ll be reading book 2!

This is out NOW and y’all should be picking it up asap!

I went into this one somewhat blind and actually thought it was a YA romantasy, but based on the spice towards the end of the book, I guess not! I’m not your typical fantasy/Romantasy reader, just starting to get into the genre but I wanted to give this one a try and I’m so glad I did. I loved all the characters and really enjoyed the storyline. It was pretty action packed the whole time and that twist at the end was completely unexpected and had me questioning if I missed something! Now I’m anxious for the second book to come out! I can’t wait to see how the story continues. Will this be a friends to lovers, friends to enemies to lovers, enemies to lovers, or friends to strangers to friends to lovers. There are so many options and have my preferences but I don’t want to give anything away about this storyline.

Thank you to Saturday Books for the eARC.

This was a whirlwind of a read.

I was hooked from the beginning. The world building, the characters, the magic, the action, the suspense, the romance. And don’t forget the ✨F.A.T.E.D.M.A.T.E.S. ✨

I loved Acker. He was so obsessed with Brynn. So subtly adoring before he could be open about it. While yes, he definitely makes some mistakes, I was fully prepared to forgive him after some grovel. But then dang, the twists and turns at the end just threw me for a loop and I don’t even know what to think anymore.

I am hooked and I desperately want a release date for book two. Dying, thank you.

Metal Slinger is gritty, badass, and full of heart. The world is raw and vivid, the heroine is a total force, and the story never lets up. Dark, punchy, and seriously cool—I couldn’t look away.

Unfortunately, this was not it for me. I do understand why many romantasy readers enjoyed this book, but for me it didn't stick out from the crowd and fell prey to the many issues that plague a lot of modern romantasy releases. I think the author wanted to make this story fresh by adding laters of mystery to it, however to me those mysteries weren't well-executed. Firstly, keeping the main character's backstory so mysterious kind of backfired and made her motivations confusing and made it hard for me to understand or connect with her. Similarly, the big twist at the end felt SO out of left field and not in a good way. It felt completely un-earned, and like it was put there as a gimmick rather than a deft sleight of hand. There were promising concepts and attempts in this book, but they weren't executed well enough for me to buy into them. However, another romantasy reader might completely disagree with me and love this book, as I know that many people do.

Thank you to Rachel Schneider, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own!

This book was wild.
It took a bit for me to get into it and get into the politicalness of it but then when there was movement and action- it grabbed a hold of me and didn't let go

This was twisty and turny and oh dang- the ending!!

This book stands out in the genre due to the uniqueness of the premise and the pacing. The writing style was easy to follow and the characters were well developed. Exciting that this one is getting traditionally published!

Wow, talk about a plot twist...

I really enjoyed this book! It kept me guessing and I thought it moved along at a great pace. There were moments where there was a lot of information being brought up that was a bit confusing to process, but things were explained later that made more sense.

There were a lot of characters in this story, and I did find myself having a hard time keeping up with them all.

I liked watching the relationship between Jovie and Acker develop, although I do wish there was a little more resistance from them.

Overall, really great book!! The plot twist was shocking for me, and I almost found it unbelievable. The end sequence happened really fast so I had to keep rereading to making sure I understood what had just happened. Not sure I'm too happy with the revelation... but looking forward to reading the next one!

The things I would do to get my hands on the next book...

This book hooked me from the first page! I love the characters and the world. The romance between Brynn and Acker, perfection!

And the twist at the end! ugh! I can't believe I have to wait til 2026 for the next book!

I was worried with all the hype this book wouldn't live up to it, but it did and them some!!! Read this book if you are a fan of Fourth Wing, Powerless, Quicksilver, Daughter of the Pirate King, or Fable.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the e-arc
I can see why this book blew up on book-tok. It was fun and a decently quick read. I had a love hate relationship with Brynn. She was frustrating at times and other times I kept saying "hell yeah girl". I knocked a star off because of the ending. For me it wasn't just a "plot twist I didn't see coming". It was one that didn't make a whole lot of sense. Maybe after a reread it would though. Otherwise I did enjoy the book and I'm excited to read Light Wielder when it comes out!

Gave up around 20% and just read the end. I really struggled following what was going on, time skips made no sense, and the FMC’s motivations are just… yeah I don’t even know. This book desperately needed an editor.

This year has had a string of disappointing Romantasy reads for me. Until this one. For some reason, Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider hit for me. I had such a fun time reading it, and you might too. It’s fast paced, there are some fantastic twists and a cliffhanger ending that is absolutely breaking Booktok’s collective brain. First published as an indie book that exploded on Booktok last year, it was picked up by St. Martin’s Press’ new adult fantasy imprint, Saturday Books. I have a feeling they’re going to be publishing some of my new favorites. Could the descriptions of the world and the relationship have been a little further developed? Yeah, but I still had the best time reading it. I love that there’s elemental magic, warring kingdoms, and cool creatures. And while I wasn’t as shocked as everyone else by the ending, I am chomping at the bit to have book two in my hands! This book is honestly best read going into it blind, so just give it a try. I promise it will get you out of a reading slump…although it might put you into another one while we wait for the next installment. JK JK But let’s get into some more thoughts on if this popular Romantasy read should be on your TBR. Don’t worry, I’m keeping it spoiler free.

Things to Know:
Book one in an unfinished series
Romantasy
Slow burn and fated mates
Elemental magic
Manipulation + Betrayal
Cool magical creatures

This book starts off with a bang, and we learn the FMC is part of a fighting unit of a water based nation (which kinda seems more like a water village). They were banished to live on the Sea, and every year or so they get a chance to go trade at the market. There’s rumblings of war, so they’re trying to be extra careful. But, she’s being followed and eventually attacked by an enemy boy (cough, young man), and an explosion helps her escape back to her people.

So much more is revealed. She’s actually an orphan they found, and the leader’s son is her BFF, who’s probably going to end up being her ‘match’ or so she thinks. It was a little odd that she is treated like an outcast, but then also highly favored at the same time? I just went with it. Anyway, the boy from the Market shows up and is imprisoned and for some reason, she decides she can’t let him die, so she rescues him, and the adventures really begin. There’s some pretty epic fight scenes, water escapes, castaway vibes, and magical reveals.

And yes, there’s a slow burn romance, that also feels insta-love-y. I know that seems like a contradiction, but it will make sense when you read it, I promise. It’s actually so hard trying to talk about this book without giving spoilers!

There are such cool creatures, a suspicious bird, and the coolest elemental magic. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you find out something new.

Some concerns…WHY is Acker swimming in the ocean with a huge cut leaking blood? Are we not concerned about sharks?! Maybe that’s just me and my fear speaking, but that felt irresponsible, and I kept waiting for an attack.

The twist and cliffhanger ending were great! I have to be honest, I wasn’t entirely shocked by the ending like a lot of people seem to be. One thing I didn’t love though was in the trad version of the book, they give us a sneak peek of book two, and it’s several years later. WHAT?! Why years? I feel like the time jump is going to be rough. I could see a few months, but years?! And I’m not a fan of who she sees in the room with Acker (still trying to keep this spoiler free y’all!).

Skip the audiobook. I wasn’t the biggest fan. The FMC narration was fine, but the voices for the other women in the story I was not a fan of at all, and had to switch back to reading my physical copy.

Overall, I think the Romantasy girls will be eating this story up, and I honestly can’t wait for book two! I think the world is going to open up a lot more, motivations will be revealed, and we’ll hopefully get some more answers! Plus, enemies to lovers? Or maybe just enemies? I’m here for it. If you’re looking for a quick, easily digestible Romantasy read with some familiar tropes, but interesting twists and magic, I think you’ll enjoy Metal Slinger.

Many thanks to Saturday Books for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

PHEW! What a read… this book was WILD. It had EVERYTHING that I love… Thank you @netgalley and Shelflifebooks for this book!

📖Brynn has been living in Alaha for as long as she can remember, when Kai and his family took her in. When she is visiting Kenta she has a run in with the enemy which ends up breaking a century long peace treaty. When she returns home to Alaha, the enemy soldier she ran into pays her a visit and ends up turning her whole life upside down.

📝I feel like I can’t even give my full synopsis of this book without giving some of this book away. The tension, forced proximity, slow burn and touch her and die vibes were PERFECT. My only complaint was the random flashback at the end of the book without warning or a header. The twists in this book are magnificent and I can’t wait for book two of the series.

Read if you love
Tension
Slow burn
He falls first
Unique magic
Forced proximity
Touch her and die
Enemies to lovers
Plot twists
Secrets and betrayal

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a gifted copy of Metal Slinger!

Whew! What a ride this book has taken me on! The book kept me going the entire time. There was so much action. And there are a couple of 🔥 scenes.

I loved the characters. At the end I’m not even sure who I’m supposed to be cheering for. The ending blew my mind… I didn’t see any of that happening. I’m still speechless as I write this ending. It was perfection.

I will eagerly be awaiting book 2 to carry on the journey.

Read Metal Slinger if you like
🗡️ Enemies to Lovers
🗡️ Slow Burn
🗡️ Romantasy
🗡️ He Falls First
🗡️ Elemental Magic
🗡️ Forced Proximity

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for my #gifted copy!

Come on that ending!!!! I'm a big fan of cliffhangers and this one has a huge one! This is going to be another series that has us in a chock hold! This book is so much fun with absolute loveable characters and ones you love to hate! Fast paced and messy relationships you can't get enough of. I don't want to give too much away because I think this is one you go blind into and love even more for it.
read if you like
Found Family
Sweet and Goofy side characters
Secrets and lies
betrayals
*4.25* stars