What a fun read! A story of a girl who leaves her sheltered life at sea to experience land for the first time and also uncovers her magical abilities along the way.

All the settings were so interesting. The ocean-dwelling people were very unique, and I spent a lot of the book trying to decide if their higher-ups were wrong for how they led their people. Then we got to see a few contrasting countries on land, and started unraveling the history between all of them.

The magic was super fun, with the metal-controlling MMC and the powers that the FMC discovers. I kept wanting to see more of what people could do! Aura reading, influence, control, it was all so interesting.

I really liked the relationship between the two leads. They bonded in strange circumstances and things just continued developing from there in ways I won't spoil!

I do have to say that I'm torn on the ending. There was a very interesting plot twist, but I couldn't help feeling a little cheated and like it was sort of unearned due to the way the story was told. (Hard to say much without spoilers, but I know a lot of people loved it.) I'm very interested to see where things go from here.

Thanks to the publisher for the copy!

This restored my faith in romantasy books.

Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider was an unexpected gem that completely captivated me. The world-building is immersive yet accessible, introducing a society divided between the sea-dwelling Alaha and the land-bound Kenta. Brynn, our fierce and intelligent heroine, navigates this complex world with strength and vulnerability.

The romance between Brynn and Acker is a masterclass in slow-burn tension. Their dynamic is electric, filled with banter and undeniable chemistry. Acker, with his enigmatic demeanor and subtle obsession, is the kind of morally grey character that keeps you hooked.

What truly sets this book apart is the plot twist. I pride myself on predicting story outcomes, and I could tell something was coming, but this twist blindsided me in the best way possible. It was a game-changer that redefined the entire narrative, leaving me reeling and eager for more.

The pacing dipped slightly in the middle, and I would have appreciated more depth in the magic system. However, these are minor quibbles in an otherwise stellar read.

If you're a fan of forced proximity, elemental magic, and plot twists that leave you questioning everything, this book is for you.

I'm already counting down the days until the sequel!!!

I wanted to love this one, but I fell a bit flat for me.

There are many plot holes, which may be explained in book 2, but it really bothered me while reading this. There are things that contradict themselves throughout the book, which made it difficult to follow along.

I am torn. I did like this book. I really liked the ending, but I’m not convinced she didn’t think of it at the last second and is just pretending it was the plan all along lol. I mean, WTF??? Is it just me or was there zero foreshadowing for that twist??? I love a twist I don’t see coming, but this felt almost random. I kept thinking I was in a dream chapter or another POV.

The beginning was really good. The middle dragged a bit. The writing somehow got worse as it went on?? I will still probably read book 2. I liked the characters at first and then didn’t and then did again?! Like I said, I’m torn. Acker is basically “you’re not asking the right questions” Iron Flame Xaden with anger issues that don’t feel justified. Daddy, chill.

The world was cool. The magic is confusing? It’s giving SJM where you’re like, okay this is a solid 3 stars… And then the ending is so good (but really just shocking) it makes you wanna give 4 stars. But I’m not gonna. 😂

4.5 stars

I’m glad I finally experienced the crazy plot twist I’ve heard so much about, and even knowing something was coming I was still completely shocked and outraged. I had no idea what to expect going into this and I think that’s the way to go, so I’ll try to keep it light on the details.

The FMC Brynn is part of a strange society of people living over the sea, and is a bit of an outcast among outcasts. Our mysterious MMC is a tall dark and handsome soldier with a nose ring. Need I say more?

This was giving everything you want from a slow burn enemies to lovers romance. There were so many secrets and mysteries and I didn’t want to stop turning the page. I do have very mixed feelings about the ending which is why I’m waffling between 4 and 5 stars. The next book has A LOT of explaining to do. Give in to the hype and read this!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’VE BEEN RESURRECTED!! This one’s for the Romantasy lovers — an absolute must read! Honestly, it’s criminal how underrated this book is. Packed with witty banter and jaw-dropping twists (seriously, that ending left me unwell — I need the next book immediately).

The tension between the FMC and MMC? Chef’s kiss. It was downright delicious — I was feral. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic had me completely hooked, and I was foaming at the mouth multiple times because they were that hot.

The magic system was such a fun glimpse into a bigger world, and I’m dying to see where it goes next.

I’ve been in the worst reading slump and nothing was holding my attention… until this. It grabbed me by the throat in the best way. So fast-paced, so addictive — easily one of my favorite fantasy reads of the year.

Now excuse me while I go stare at a wall and try to emotionally recover.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Romantasy
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: June 17, 2025
📖 497 pages

✨️ Lush World Building
✨️ Match Bonds
✨️ Found Family
✨️ Slow Burn

Review: Action packed adventure with a super slow burn, high tension romance! Brynn has to grapple with devastating betrayals, a life of based off lies and a match bond she'd forgotten. I loved the slow burn and appreciated the low spice (up until 90%)! The world building was immersive and the lore was so interesting! Thankful for a booktok recommendation that finally deserves the hype!

The cliffhanger? Yeah, I didn't like that.

If you enjoy romantic fantasy stories with plenty of suspense and political intrigue, then Metal Singer should be your next read!

Thank you so much, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the digital review copy!

⚠️ sexual content (mostly just suggestive until 90% where it becomes quite spicy)

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing this ARC!

This is one of those books that I read and look around questioning, "Did I read the same thing as everyone else?" I attempted twice to read Metal Slinger, but I resigned myself to DNF-ing at 22%. The little I did read was an absolute struggle and I'm honestly not sure how this book made it to the ARC stage without some serious editing. The plot is all over the place, does not feel well fleshed out, and I don't care about any of the main characters or their motivations. I'm not sure if I will give it another chance at this point.

•• “𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘦”

Okay look, I’m not going to pretend like it’s easy for me to write a review on a good day - cause it’s not. But this? This feels impossible.

How do you write a review for a book that sucked you in and then flipped the world upside down on you? That made you giggle, smile and swoon but also left a pit in your heart and stomach? How do you put words together to explain wanting to throw the book across the room after the last page but also wanting to immediately start it again? I’m at a loss. This book messed me up, big, but in the best way possible.

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy.

Ok. I don't love the ending, it kinda made me mad - but because I didn't see it coming, I can give props where they are due. I was having such a good time, until BAM - plot twist. Just mean, and now I have to wait for the next in the series?
Brynn lives among a people banished from land. An outsider in her own village - she has no memories of her life before being taken in as a child by the captain and his family. The Captains son -Kai - is her best friend and wants her hand, to join him in ruling their village. But Brynn is conflicted with how she feels and how she fits in, especially after a mysterious event at a neighbouring kingdoms market that unleashed a whole can of worms. And after running into the dark and mysterious soldier Acker. Secret identities, twisted loyalties, growing chemistry and elemental magic all come together for this romantasy story.

Rachel Schneider’s METAL SLINGER is highly entertaining and the perfect summer read for fans of romantasy.

This was good but blends into all the other current romantasy books that are out which left me feeling bored and meh. It wasn’t bad, I think I’m just bored of this genre right now. I think other romantasy lovers will enjoy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️
🐟💡🗡️🏝️

Arghhh! This one was a beast, ya’ll. I don’t know if I loved it or love to hate it, but I’ll definitely be carrying on with the series. This review is so hard to write without spoilers.

Found adrift at sea as a child with no memory of her past, Brynn is raised among the Alaha, an exiled ocean-dwelling people. On a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Market ON LAND, things happen that upend her entire life. She meets Acker, prince of the Kenta people, gets kidnapped by him, learns her true density, falls in love, embraces her power…. Or does she?

I’m not sure how I feel about unreliable narrators and complete 180s in characters in the last 5% of a book, but seeing past events with new knowledge really gave me the best kind of whiplash.

World building - pretty decent! I love a well planned fictional world and this one fed me tidbits all along the way. No info dump, no long exposition which I appreciate so much. Writers, please continue to trust the intelligence of your readers like this.

Characters - every single character is nuanced. I didn’t always like any of them, I always liked something about them and (by the end) I also didn’t hate any of them. I just have more questions!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book absolutely blew me away. I loved how the story challenges what loyalty and family really mean, all while delivering seafaring adventure and knife fights that had me on the edge of my seat. It’s a passionate, fierce read. I’m beyond excited for the sequel.

Holy plot twist, Batman! Did not see that twist coming from a thousand miles away!!

First - thank you to NetGalley for this arc before the book is traditionally published!

This book is definitely a romantasy fans bread and butter, heavy on the “romance” part of that.
I had a hard time understanding why the FMC was doing what she was doing.
Why was she looking into the weaponry?
Why was she nervous about going to the one capitol city?
Why was she not going back to that one place immediately? (being vague to avoid spoilers)
I do wish that there had been a bit more plot moving forward in this, since it felt like after they got to land not much happened until the last 2% of the book.

All that said - I did have a fun time with this and I’d be interested to see where the story goes in book two!
And again - that plot twist ending was twistiiiiing WOW!

I have mixed thought on this book. The first 25% is super engaging and interesting, and immediately sucks you in. The middle pacing gets a little slow for obvious reasons, but the story still feels solid.

At this point, the chapters start to feel a bit wonky, and there's no easy transition from one series of events to the next - its jarring, leaving you to catch up that the scene has now changed and we are an indeterminate period of time later. At one point, theres an ending to a chapter and I expected the scene to come to a closure in another few sentences... only to digitally turn the page and have a totally new scene at hand.

Things start to fall apart once the main characters reach Kenta's capital, and the book starts to feel like someone shuffled the chapters out of order, because theres a lot of things that are mentioned as if they are already known facts... only for the reader to actually read about the thing mentioned a chapter or a few later. And it's not just one thing, its quite frequent. I'm not sure if this was like this in the original indie release, or if things were rearranged for the trad publish, but its really confusing and throws me off of actually enjoying the book because I'm sitting there trying to figure out what's meant by [insert offhand comment], only to learn about it later in the book. I'm really hoping these issues are corrected before this book is traditionally released next month, because this 100% has the opportunity to be a 5-star read, and I will be noting them in my notes to the publisher.

I don’t know how to write this review without sounding completely unhinged, but Metal Slinger broke me in all the best ways. I feel betrayed, wrecked, emotionally sucker-punched—and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

From the very first chapter, I was hooked. The worldbuilding is sharp and immersive without being overwhelming, and the pacing never lets up. It’s a book that feels cinematic—fast, vivid, and emotionally raw. I went in expecting high-stakes action and complex characters. I got that—but I also got gut-wrenching twists, laugh-out-loud banter, and several moments where I genuinely thought I might have to put my Kindle down and go stare into the void.

The emotional stakes are so real. Without giving anything away, there’s a particular moment (and if you’ve read it, you know) that made my stomach drop. I felt like I had been personally targeted. And yet—through all the chaos and heartbreak—this story also made me laugh and feel hopeful. There’s just enough light to balance out the dark, and that makes the heavy moments hit even harder.

The characters are what truly make this book shine. They are messy, lovable, infuriating, and real. I cared so deeply for them that every decision they made felt like a personal investment. No one is safe, and nothing is predictable—but everything is earned.

Metal Slinger is one of those books that gets under your skin and lingers long after you finish. It made me feel everything—joy, rage, grief, hope—and I’m honestly still recovering. Fans of twisty, high-octane science fiction/fantasy with a punch to the heart: this is your next obsession.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC. I’m going to need a support group

What an amazing story and an amazing read! And that ending?! I didn’t see it coming and I’m usually good at guessing endings. This story is romantacy at its finest! Easy to understand world building and a lot of my favorite troupes in one story. Perfect for those who are just starting to read romantic fantasy. Thank you for letting me read an arc copy! I cannot wait for book two!

The blurb doesn’t do this book justice, the story is so much more. This book is extremely fast paced, 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 while the magic system just captured me and was so entertaining. I didn't want to have to sleep or adult because that would require me putting this book down and that was the last thing I wanted to do. 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. You’ll either love or hate the ending I went absolutely feral about it.

What. a. ride !!!!

This book is officially one of my top five favorite books. Not only was the story intriguing and never boring but the slow burn burned slowwwwww, and I was feeling it!

Brynn is an FMC that I have never come across before. The way she was portrayed through the whole book and then how her character developed at the end was mind blowing.

I have nothing but amazing words for this book and want to give nothing away! If you love all the typical romantasy tropes you will LOVE this novel. I cannot wait for book two to be released and needed it yesterday.