I really enjoyed this. The middle dragged on for a while though. I also feel like some of the backstory was missing? The plot twist was epic but also came out of nowhere. I am excited to see where the second book will go! 4 stars

I LOVED this book and cannot wait for the next in the series to come out. The plot twist at the end was so well done.

This book was unique in the fantasy realm. At least for me. There was a twist I didn’t see coming. I am excited to pick up the next one.

I was in such a slump before this book, and it completely brought me back to life. I absolutely loved it!

This review is so hard to write without spoilers, so I will try to keep it short by saying that I loved Acker and Brynn, and Messer was my favorite side character. The banter? 🤌🏼 *Chef’s Kiss* Incredible.

And that the rage I felt at the end hurt so bad, but felt so good.

Omg I really liked/loved this book. The pacing in the middle was a little off but that ending shoved me back up to 5 stars. I love a good magical fantasy that doesn’t involve a whole lot of blood/gore. You can see that it is gearing up to be a war novel. The entire book had me on edge and excited. But WOW that ending I sat and thought about for DAYS on end.

I loved this book! Right off the bat, Brynn and Acker’s dynamic had me absolutely glued to the story. This book supplies the enemies-to-lovers tension so many of us love with some forced proximity and banter sprinkled in. There is a good bit of both action and romance that kept me wanting to continue reading. The only reason this is not 5 stars for me is because I found I struggled with the pacing at times. This is a very solid romantasy read I will for sure be recommending to any who love this genre! Can't wait for book 2!

Now that I’ve come down from the rage I felt while I was finishing this book, Here are my completely spoilery and rambled thoughts:

I won’t lie, the first chapter of this story had me hesitant. The writing felt rudimentary for such a grand scene, I couldn’t quite picture what was going on. I also found it hard to believe one girls theft could cause enough uproar to start a revolution. Nevertheless, I continued, and I’m not so sure I’m happy I did. This novel has a complete lack of world building, pretty much non-existent stakes, and unlikeable characters.

The world building was cursory, and left for too many plot contradictions and holes in the story. A couple that I noticed are as follows.
◉ For one, we are never really explained how both Acker and Jovie’s parents are “immortal” by aging standards, and yet they aren’t? Did their parents just decide conveniently to start having kids at the ripe old age of a couple of hundred centuries? Will Jovie and Acker also be immortal, and if so how exactly does it work?
◉ The setting made zero sense to me from a logical perspective. When they’re in the boat, it goes from inescapably, scorching hot to snow fall in the near distance. How are they experiencing all of these weather changes when they’ve probably only traveled a couple hundred miles max by boat?
◉ The magic system isn’t fully clear. Acker is described as an elemental who can control metals (which don’t go together in my mind personally but I digress). And yet at one point he can control the rain. What exactly is the extent of his magic??
◉ When Jovie is in the library, she mentions Wells and Olivia being mates, but then plays dumb when she meets them as if she never knew?? How would she know who Wells is in the first place?
◉ We learn that Ackers mom is alive and in Alaha, but wouldn’t Acker have recognized her?
◉ Why would Jovie’s own mother send her off to live in Alaha but then also be looking for her? Did she actually get kidnapped or is there a grander scheme at play?

I also could not figure out why I found this to be extremely bingeable and yet monotonous at the exact same time. The pacing was atrocious during the 30-60% mark of the novel. We spend 10+ chapters with them stranded in a boat. This time could’ve been used to develop their relationship on a deeper level, but I didn’t feel it ever really got there. I could count on my hands the number of times the FMC fell asleep to close out a chapter. There was literally no drawn out suspense or intrigue to keep me wanting to continue.

The ending infuriated me. It is very rare to find an author who can pull off a 1st person unreliable narration, and unfortunately Rachel Schneider isn’t one of them. There was zero foreshadowing to get us to this betrayal. How am I supposed to believe Acker’s own flesh and blood and close comrade would be willing to turn her back on him for a girl she met a few days ago? The FMC was made out to be untrustworthy, putting her in a shaky place with the reader for future novels. I never once felt her enragement at the atrocities happening around her, but all of a sudden I’m supposed to believe she’s leading a rebellion?

What failed the most to me was the lack of stakes. What exactly are we rebelling for here? We have a group of outcasts and a war on territories, but I never really felt the injustice or rage in any perspective in the novel. What exactly are we fighting for and why? We needed to see this first hand, and almost everything was just explained shallowly in way of info-dumping.

Suffice to say, I didn’t love this and yet I’m probably still going to pick up book 2 because it’s execution will make or break the series and I’m hoping it’ll respond to all of my unanswered questions.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the early copy

What is the point of writing an entire book just to lie to your audience? This might be one of the most non-sensical books I've ever read. Not only does the *world* overall not makes sense (are we ever going to explain the forest growing randomly out of the ocean??), but the "twist" is so out of nowhere that I honestly thought my digital copy had glitched and I was reading an unedited chapter. It was only cool in Gone Girl because it happened halfway through the book and showed you the clues that led up to that point and beyond. When your character does a complete 180 with no foreshadowing, and no clues as to how we got there, you've broken trust with your readers. Especially because we spend the entire book in the main characters head - that's not an unreliable narrator, it's a dishonest one.

I'd love it if romantasy books actually got the time and care put into them to produce some quality work instead of anything trendy being slapped out as fast as possible. Put this one back in the oven with an editor, she's definitely not fully cooked yet.

I understand the hype for this book but I believe without that unexpected plot twist the book wouldn’t be that good.

It is a good story and I enjoyed but in the last third of the book I was dying for the plot twist to hit because I started getting boring. I felt like the plot became a little weak at that point.

However I will recommend the story and I will continue reading it. It has a great world building, good character developments and very engaging plot. I also recommend the audiobook, narrator did a very good job.

This is not a great masterpiece for sure but it is still a great romantasy you can enjoy.

I just consumed this book and loved every second of it. This is exactly what I want in a Romantasy!!! The ending.. BLEW ME AWAY and left me itching for the next book immediately!!

This captured me right from the start! If you enjoy an easy (beginner) Romantasy, this is for you!! The tension, the forced proximity, the magic system, the banter, the slow burn—it’s all there. Yet, this story felt completely original in its own right. I fell in love with Kai, but fell even harder with Acker!!! It’s always the dark mysterious guy right? But also, Messer is something else! The magic system is so unique, with the added mystery of the matching bonds, plus all the political intrigue and rebellions—this book has it all. This is enemies-to-lovers, romantasy at its best! Give me 14 of them right now.
And then… THIS BOOK DID A COMPLETE 180! I didn’t see that plot twist coming at all. And it made this reading experience so much special. The author is a real mastermind!!!!! This book is insane. It’s even mind-blowing that everything was right in front of me the whole time, hidden in the little details that weren’t so little after all, and I never figured it out. I feel so deceived—I’ve never felt this fooled! Now I’m completely wrecked. Jaw on the floor, tears flowing, heart shattered. It’s been so long since a book’s ending gripped me this hard! I was left staring at the wall, contemplating everything I just read. I can’t wait to re-read this knowing what I know now.

I have been in a romantic fantasy slump, and this was just what I needed to pull myself out of it! I love when a fantasy is easy to follow, I never felt like I couldn't keep up. The magic system was really cool, and it was stuffed with all the tropes I love! The ending was bonkers, I cannot wait for it's follow-up!

I’m going to need 5–7 business days to emotionally process what I just read.

Metal Slinger was exactly what I needed—an addictive, high-stakes fantasy romance that completely swept me away. From the first page, I was hooked. The pacing is fast, the writing effortlessly engaging, and the vibes? Pure five-star magic.

The character dynamics are chef’s kiss, so much tension, banter, and chemistry. I fell in love with every single one of them. The worldbuilding is rich, the political intrigue is genuinely compelling, and the magic system? Obsession-worthy.

This is the kind of book where the less you know going in, the better. So I won’t spoil anything, but just know: it has all the tropes we love, done so well. The twists are wild, the momentum never lets up, and by the time everything clicks into place at the end? I was unhinged.

And the ending?
THE. ENDING.
I’m still recovering.

If you love immersive fantasy, explosive reveals, and romance that makes your heart race, this one is a must read.

The waves crashed on the side of the boat, rocking it back and forth. The sea breeze teased the ends of her hair. A sliver of land appeared on the horizon and her heart rate increased. She’d never been on land and she was about to experience it for the very first time.

Metal Slinger is the first book in the Fire & Metal fantasy series. Following Brynn, a girl training in the guard, and someone who has lived over the sea her entire life… never to set foot on land. Her people were banished to this life years ago, but maybe things could change?

I was hooked to this story immediately. There is tension, intrigue, and a lot of action happening right off the bat and I never wanted to put this book down. This would have been a five star read for me… but the ending… THE ENDING… what? I feel so betrayed and mad. I think I will read the next book because I need to know how things turn out and whether my emotions are justified or not.

Read if you like:

• Fantasy Romance
• Fated Mates
• Forbidden Attraction
• Worlds at War
• History of Secrets
• Unique Magic

Thank you, Rachel Schneider and NetGalley, for the early preview of this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Title: Metal Slinger
Author: Rachel Schneider
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:
Format: e-book

Review:

So I kept hearing about this book and was very curious. Everyone I talked about it before reading all said the same thing - "Call me after you finish it." Well, color me intrigued.

I found the world very interesting, especially an entire group banished from land, sent to live only on water in the trees? It is definitely setting up for a lot of political intrigue. I found the magic system interesting, but I wanted to see more of it. Some things happen, but I wanted a lot more. I enjoyed the characters, but the shock at the end didn't feel very cohesive with the characters and their actions. It was a big shock (I certainly didn't see the twist coming), but I am hopeful some of that gets resolved in the next book and we see more of their motivations and struggles.

Overall, I found it very enjoyable and am definitely looking forward to reading the next book.

I absolutely loved this story. It was a unique and refreshing read in a world of tons of fantasy and romantasy stories being published. The author did a great job building a unique world with detail that made it read like a movie. I loved it!

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.