I remember when the hype first started for this book and I put it on my radar and decided I would read it eventually. I am now kicking myself for not reading it right then because this book was fantastic.
A girl living among a group of people that she doesn’t belong with but making her own way and being one of their soldiers end up going to the yearly market when another soldier from another outlying country charges her with a crime. Her and her other fellow soldiers have nothing but to run back home and on their heels that same soldier from the other country ends up showing up in their land.
I really like the aspect of the whole water world that they’re dealing with the magic system is intriguing and I enjoyed the world building.
I was curious to see specifically how this was going to play out and I will say I was pleasantly surprised that there was a twist. I did not see coming, which now has me equally hooked so now the next book will be one of my highly anticipated books whenever it is announced. I do know that it is currently being worked on! I cannot wait to see where Rachel Schneider takes this!
Thank you, Saint Martin’s press for the complementary copy all thoughts and opinions are my own

The world building and character work in this was messy for me. It felt like every thing and everyone was left vague to keep us on our toes. Our two characters had very little chemistry imo, and honestly they just had surface level interactions with their motivations really never making any sense with information we are given.

I really wish I had liked it more then I had as everyone keeps talking about it being the next big romantasy but truly I felt like this was every other romantasy book I've read.

If you’ve read this…. ARE YOU OKAY???? I think we need a support group because WHAT THE EFF WAS THAT ENDING?!?!?! This book was literal absolute perfection. Maybe my top read of the year. But I threw my kindle at the effing wall at the last 3%. I’m unwell. I’m not sure I will be able to recover until the next book comes out. Rachel Schneider I’m sending you my therapy bills thx.

The perfect blend of action, fantasy, and romance! I’m not sure this story can be topped. I CANNOT wait for the next installment in this series!! This is the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers!!

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Rachel Schneider for the eARC of this story!!

THE PERFECT FANTASY, characters, plot everything! I couldn't put this down at all I'm so glad I got approved for this, I laughed, I cried, I died (metaphorically) love this authors style of writing!

All of the thoughts and predictions I had as I read this book just went out the window. I feel incredibly stunned, confused, betrayed, and slightly ill considering THAT ENDING happened to fictional characters and not to me.

Seriously though, I could not put Metal Slinger down! Everything completely hooked me from the start - the characters, the pacing of the plot, the magic, THE TWISTS. Rachel Schneider wrote one of the best plot twists I’ve ever read. ♾️/5⭐️ Just WOW.
Soooo…when is book 2, and who is going to pay for my therapy?! 😅😭

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
Okay, amazing story, beautifully written. I was captivated from the beginning and couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The ending though… PHEW. The complexity of the ending makes it challenging to write a detailed review for reasons that I also can’t disclose without spoilers because I’m not that talented.

But the unique way in which Rachel writes the dual POV stands out as one of a kind, even in the romanrasy world, in my book.

I can truly say that I won’t be able to stop thinking about this until I get answers.

Read this ASAP.
10/5 stars from me.

“If you asked me for my life, I’m pretty sure I’d hand it over on a gold platter.”

I quite enjoyed this one!! Ends on a bit of a cliffhanger but overall good world building! I think the story is set up well to demonstrate the ongoing conflict and motivation for change and our FMC is definitely entertaining. There are lots of surprises throughout and it was enjoyable to feel like a detective seeking out clues for what was not as it seemed! I enjoyed the magic system, there are definitely some unique elements surrounding types of magic, types of bonds, and even ways to remove someone's magic entirely.
Excited to continue this story and uncover more secrets!!

WOW just wow. This book gave me the biggest mind blow moment and i loved every single moment of it. I love Brynn so much and the amount of giggling and gasping that was audibly done throughout reading had everyone around me wanting to read the book as well . I cannot wait for the second book to come out because im salivating and feral just waiting for it. Thanks so much for the advanced reader copy.

4.5 Stars because I binged it in one day! Wow!

This enemies-to-lovers romantasy is super easy to get into. The world is divided into two groups, one that lives on land and one that lives at sea. I don't want to share a lot of information because I think its better to go into this one blind and let the story unfold for you.

I loved the main characters along with a fun group of side characters.

I need more people to read this because the plot twist at the end still has me in a whiplash, and I need to be able to talk about it! Haha!

What you'll find:
Elemental magic
Political corruption
A sea voyage
A bird

“I looked for you. In every market and podunk town, in every corner of every land, I searched each face for yours.”

Please tell me when book 2 will be out!

Romance content: 2-3 Open-door scenes and language

Closed door modification: ch. 51, 52, and one paragraph in ch. 53

I love unreliable narrators, however I felt the reveal of this one made me feel cheated because it wasn’t unreliable, just straight up left out information.

Who do I send my bill to? Because my jaw LITERALLY hit the floor so hard at that ending & I need a DOCTOR. 😭 This book was EVERYTHING I needed—a fast-paced, wildly entertaining, a I-can’t-put-this-down kind of read.

The world-building is easy to digest without being vague. The world is divided between water dwellers and land dwellers, who’ve lived in peace for centuries… until that harmony is shattered in the very first chapters.

When Brynn finds herself face-to-face with a mysterious (and very attractive) enemy soldier who almost CHOPS HER HAND OFF, her entire world unravels. Secrets are revealed, loyalties are tested, and she’s thrown into a rebellion.

Most chapters left me kicking my feet AND straight-up screaming. Do I need to bring up the ENDING again? The craziest emotional rollercoaster—completely insane in the best way possible.

this was such a captivating and unique read from all the other romantasy books i’ve picked up!

from page one I was CONSUMED. the world building was so clear and concise without being too revealing. the characters were instantly personable and lovable. the fmc was a delight and the whole aspect of her training had me in a vice like grip.

this story is about a girl named Brynn who lives on a floating city on the sea with her people the alaha. her and her closest friends stick together when there are rumors of a rebellion with the people of kenta, a land based civilization responsible for their seaside isolation. when market day takes a terrible turn, Brynn is faced with an impossible decision. leave everything she knows and join a kenta soldier who promises her the truth or stay with the people who took her in, raised her, but are apparently lying to her.

THIS MFING BOOK.

i was sucked in like a swirling black hole. i fell in love with all the characters and the world building and the story..

and yes you’ve heard it before…BUT THAT ENDING SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE AND BROKE MY JAW

do it again please I cannot wait for book 2

words cannot explain the amount of emotional damage i feel after finishing this book. this has got to be the worst betrayal of a plot twist i have ever experienced next to the red wedding in game of thrones when you watch the starks get butchered…. why did no one warn me? everyone says how amazing this book is i can tell you now it’s absolutely worth the hype.

the book starts off very strong and there will be a point where you feel like not much is happening but JUST wait, power through and i promise you it will be worth it in the end. there is so much action, character building, magic, mystical beings and betrayal coming out on the other side.

all my favorite book tropes in fantasy books wrapped all into one, enemies to lovers, found family, fated mates, political corruption and “there’s only one horse” and then it ends with a cliff hanger that will make you question your sense of judgement? what an amazing read but i will need a few days to recover from this.

4.5 ⭐️
When I tell you I completely devoured this book I mean it. THE ENDING HAS ME FLOORED. The banter between all characters was amazing. The character development was fun. The history I adored. The twists had me dying. The relationships were beautiful. The betrayal and all the things are killing me inside. Honestly one of my favorite characters was Messer. Love him.

Only complaints. Did much happen in terms of plot? No not really but it kept you hooked. And then the ending it kind of felt like they threw in the plot twist just to have a major twist I was so floored and thrown by it so maybe that was the goal but I felt like they pulled facts from nothing to prove it was plausible. But I’m betting that it will flow perfectly into the next book!


Still reeling.

Thanks so much to St. Martins Press & Saturdays Books for the gifted ARC ❤️ excited to see where this series goes!!

This was such a good, unique and interesting romantacy. I’m not sure how to describe the book without giving so much away. Of course there is an enemies to lovers plot because it’s a fantasy and there’s cool magic. The world is vividly described but there is still so much to learn. Oh and plot twists galore! Of the new fantasy series I kept hearing about - this one lived up to the hype for me.
Hoping book 2 comes out sooner rather than later, but there’s no estimated pub date yet. 4.25 rounded down.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this copy!

This book was such a wild ride. Rachelle has such a way with words and the fact that she was able to build such an immersive world with only one book I feel like speaks volumes to how talented she really is. The plot twist I never saw coming at all and truly I think about it almost every day since I’ve read it. I am so so excited to see what she comes up with with the next book. The MMC in this book is amazing and I love him so much, the banter between him and FMC is just everything to me!!

OK at first I was on the fence between a two star and a four star review lol. On one hand, I have passionate feelings about the end, so I feel maybe four stars out of respect. But, to be honest, I wanted to DNF a few times. The banter and the character relationships is what I hung onto. I feel like this really lacked Worldbuilding in my opinion and I also feel like some of the plot was too predictable. I’m on the fence about that last twist, but I don’t feel like I like it. It was first person in the entire book, like why gaslight even the reader? Maybe if we had the flashback sooner I would like it better? I don’t know lol. Get back to me in a few months.

Update: I did go back over my notes and I am seeing some foreshadowing. Like my notes on page 51 and page 80. So I hope we get a better flashback next book. And I feel like I’ll give it three stars. I see the vision. I don’t love it, but I respect it.

Ms. Schneider has a new fan. Who? Me. This book defied gravity, it gave, it delivered, it was THE MOMENT!

I always go in blind with books, its honestly how I seem to enjoy them the most. I only need a general genre or idea (or a 15 second tiktok thirst trap) to be tempted to read a book. In this case, I had all of them and decided to not put it off.

I'm trying to understand if I am naive/stupid because there was NO WAY I would ever figure out that plot-twist at the end. I can't think right now. I am in shambles, I am shaking for the next one. I need it tomorrow.

Ending aside, this was such a good romantasy book. The elements, the not unique but at the same time unique story line (it reminds me a little bit of The Bridge Kingdom) the way the worlds are built and the people are distributed. It's super easy to digest, it has memorable and funny characters and great banter, longing and new relationships.

Didn't reach a 5 star for me just because I felt like in the middle the pacing slowed down, however the ending really made up and set the tone for the next book.

Tropes:
- Reluctant Allies to Lovers to ?
- forced proximity
- slow burn
- he falls first
- elemental magic
- touch her and die
- plot twists!!!!

I was ready to give this 3 stars until I got to the final two chapters when the twist came in. What a reach.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“I will sleep wherever you want me to. Whether it’s on the floor or in the dirt or in your bed, I’ll be there if you want me.”

I went into this one blind and HIGHLY recommend it! I mean it, stop reading if you want to be surprised.

The Alaha and Kenta people are enemies, the Alaha forced to live on the water. One day a year the Alaha guards are able to attend a Kenta market. Brynn is thrown headfirst into her questions and a new adventure when a stranger with a nagging familiarity shows up at the market. With rumors of rebellion on the rise Brynn must face her questions and her past.

I’m not over that ending. I absolutely devoured the first half and then did feel like it slowed down a good amount in the middle and then was infuriated by the ending haha. But it’s worth it, please read it. I’m so intrigued about the politics of this world and can’t wait to read more. And I especially loved the tension between Brynn and her love interest ;)