Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.9
Spice: 🌶️🌶️


Lies. Intrigue. Betrayal.

I like the different magics this provides us.
Fated Mates but they call them Matches. Magic. Kingdoms.
He tried to kill her to make sure she was the lost princess.
She saved his life.
Kingdoms at war. Who do you trust?
OMG that ending!!!!!!!! WTH!!!!!!!!! I am extremely confused and concerned and so many emotions

I think this premise if so good. Brynn's character is interesting and what happens at the market was so fun!

Unfortunately I don't feel super captivated by the writing and the only character I'm super invested in is Messer.

I am soft DNFing at 33% and might finish it another time.

What did I just read?!?!?! It’s been a long time since I read a book I enjoyed this much. 10/10 no notes. The whole book was pure gold. And that twist? I need book 2 immediately!

A very special thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️3🌶️

Romantasy
Slow burn
Forced Proximity
Elemental Magic
Nations at war
Rebellion
Political intrigue



Tw: kidnapping, war, abuse, toxic relationship

The book opens with a setting that immediately intrigued me, an ocean-based city reminiscent of Waterworld. I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like it, and I only wish it had been more fully developed.

The story pulled me in right away, and the writing was easy to follow. While it felt a bit jumpy at times, I’m hopeful that book two will smooth out those edges.

The worldbuilding was the weakest aspect for me. The magic system and political dynamics felt murky, often delivered through choppy dialogue or book excerpts. It’s hard to tell if that ambiguity was intentional, which makes it tricky to fully evaluate.

That said, I actually loved the boat setting and didn’t mind the familiar tropes. The characters were a highlight. Jovi/Brynn stands out as a headstrong warrior who takes no nonsense. The side characters were also strong, and I’m excited to see how they develop in future installments.

The ending was excellent, unexpected but clearly foreshadowed in hindsight.

As for the romance, the main couple’s dynamic is definitely toxic at times. I’d recommend checking the trigger warnings. It’s not an easy relationship, but I’m deeply invested in how it will evolve, especially after that cliffhanger.

I loved this book! The ending though?!?! Where the heck is book two??!!! I need it immediately. Is there a support group I can join or something 😂

THAT WAS THE MOST INSANE CLIFFHANGER EVER OMG! I mean, seriously, BRUTAL. But omg I loved this book so much!! I need book two like I need oxygen! It had me in a complete chokehold from start to finish, and I loved Acker and Jo so much!

This was a fun book! I enjoyed the story and the characters in this one! I did struggle a bit at the beginning to connect with the story and characters but ended up enjoying it! I also found myself confused at times with what was happening in the story and there were some plot holes that I noticed throughout the story but overall it was an enjoyable read! The plot twist at the end was really good and has me excited for book 2!

3.5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5 Stars

I found the plot to be intriguing, both with the magic and world building. There were times that I felt far more invested than others and I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. There was a lot of disjointed moments that felt like they ended up not even mattering by the end and I never quite grew to care about any one character because of that. I can see why some people love this book but for me personally, it was just missing something. The plot twists were definitely surprising but I almost felt disappointed by the last 20 percent rather than intrigued or shocked.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️

Ok guys. This one is a little…hard to review. I enjoyed the story, the magic system was unique, the characters were complex and well developed…BUT. That plot twist ending came out of absolutely no where. I would have been less surprised by a punch to the face. There were no clues during the rest of the book, and in fact it goes against everything that the character had been up until that point. I feel like more should have gone into preparing the reader to be just absolutely betrayed like that. This is the sole reason that this book is not a 5 star read (for me) as it should be.

I will be continuing the series and I hope more goes into the explanation in book 2.

Noteable Tropes ——

🗡️ Forced Proximity
🌊 Found Family
🗡️ Enemies to Lovers
🌊 Hidden Identity
🗡️ Unique Magic System
🌊 Morally Gray MCs (both honestly)
🗡️ Cliffhanger (😤)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Saturday Books for the eARC and the chance to read and review and to share my honest opinion.

Stunned speechless. I have no notes. Except please hurry up and write the next book. I need to know what happens!!

This was a knockout of a book
A home run. It kept me engrossed from the very first page, and the twist was one I didn't see coming.

But it's not all sparkle and glitter. There is a lot of character growth, tender moments, and decisions that will break your heart, and I need book 2 in order to heal. Please say that's going to happen.

A definite add to our collection.

I am not being dramatic when I tell you this has been the hardest star rating I’ve attempted since joining NetGalley. Most of this book trends with my 5-star reads, but the ending truly tempts me toward a 1 star.

For context, I really, really enjoyed reading 95% of this book. It was unique, I loved the world and characters - and there came a point where I couldn’t put it down.

And then, the final chapter. I wouldn’t call this an official spoiler (because you already know there is a jaw-dropping ending to this one), but scroll now if concerned.

As a reader, I kind of felt…betrayed. It was truly a metaphorical slap in the face - and I can honestly say I’ve never felt that way before about a book. Reading is certainly subjective and my critique isn’t about an element/detail of this story, but this was in FIRST PERSON and, based only on that choice, I don’t see how this ending is logistically possible. (Again, I have never felt this way about a book before so I am at a loss.) We were privy to the FMCs perspective and inner monologue for the entire book. There were zero signs, and she often seemed surprised by what was happening too.

Here’s my own plot twist at the end: I’m glad I read it and I do think you might want to read this one too. And I plan to read the sequel. It’s an important conversation and wildly entertaining. I’ve thought about this book more than almost any other this year - and that certainly counts for something.

Initially, I felt like I couldn’t rate this book high, BUT knowing this is an unfinished series, I decided to give it a chance and can see two paths forward to make this twist make sense in book 2. I hope we lean into one of them as this could be an incredible series if so. If Book 2 does its job and rescues a plot that was discarded here in Book 1, I would happily amend my rating to a 5⭐️ and would so love to be wrong about this one.

I’m always so grateful to SMP for the chance to review ARC title like this one and wish you all the best with this release.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | “Metal Slinger” by Rachel Schneider – Fast, Fiery, and Full of Surprises**

I just finished *Metal Slinger*, and wow—this book took me on a ride I wasn’t expecting. From the very first chapter, it hooks you. The pace is fast (in a good way), and the plot is packed with action, betrayal, slow-burn tension, and a twist ending that honestly left me reeling.

I really enjoyed Brynn as a protagonist—she’s tough, loyal, and doesn’t take any crap, but she also has a vulnerable side that sneaks out in the best moments. Her dynamic with Acker is classic enemies-to-lovers, but with more depth than I anticipated. Their chemistry felt believable, even when I wasn’t sure if I trusted him (which… fair, given how things unfold).

The romance is one of the strongest parts of the book. It simmers for a while and then hits with some real emotional weight. Definitely one of the better romantasy slow-burns I’ve read lately.

That said, I knocked off one star for a couple reasons. The world-building could’ve been clearer—there were times I had to reread passages just to understand what was happening in terms of the magic system or the politics. And as much as I *loved* the twist, I wish there had been more foreshadowing so it didn’t feel like it came out of nowhere.

Still, this book had me fully invested, especially by the second half. If you like high-stakes fantasy with complex characters, sharp romance, and don’t mind a little chaos in your storytelling, this one’s for you.

Now I just need the sequel—because I *need* answers after that ending 😭

Brynn, orphaned at nine, grows into a full-blown badass. She’s content in Alaha, engaged to her best friend and prince until one choice changes everything.
Saving an enemy soldier sends her spiraling into a world of political tension, unexpected powers, and dangerous secrets.

Magic. Betrayal. A wild adventure through woods and water.
Book one was an absolute ride...whew 😅

Holy crap was that good! I read a ton of fantasy romance books, so I normally get the gist along the way. This book had so many twists and turns that I genuinely was stumped so many times. I did not see that ending coming and I did not see so many terms prior to that. The characters are so entertaining, the spice was well deserved when it finally came, and I truly enjoyed every single moment of this book. I might’ve even liked it more than Quicksilver, which was my highest rated book of last year. I’m honestly in a reading slump now because of how good this book was, nothing else seems like it compares! I hope to goodness the sequel comes out soon, because that cliffhanger was a doozy! Well done!


Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Wow! I loved this fast paced, romantic fantasy. The hype lives up with this book! I would definitely recommend this for fans of the classic romantic fantasy genre and tropes!

I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book from the characters to that twist at the very end. I will absolutely be recommending this to anyone who wants an action pack romantasy will an excellent plot and a delicious slow burn romance. Still can believe I did not see that twist coming and I will be impatiently waiting for book 2.

Thank you Netgalley and Saturday Books for the arc of this former indie published book in exchange for an honest review!

This book had been circulating in my orbit of potentials for the past several months thanks to Bookstagram. I had the indie version downloaded from KU, but when I saw that it was getting traditionally published, I jumped at the chance to move it up my tbr and review it. I'll start by saying that this was on track to be a 5 star romantasy read. It has everything that I love in a romantasy--intriguing world building, a unique magic system, incredible banter and tension, YEARNING, enemies to lovers...you name it. And it did it well in my opinion, because I could not put this book down! It's been a minute since I had that feeling where I could not stop thinking about the book and wanted to pick it up every chance I could. I loved Brynne as this badass fmc with a secret past. Despite her mysterious upbringing, which put her at a disadvantage in Alaha, she did not let that deter her from becoming a good soldier or from doing what she believes is right. It totally makes sense why Acker is so down bad for her. Their slow burn romance was drool inducing and I ate every single moment up. That being said...THAT ENDING?!? Now that I've had a couple of days to ruminate on the book and process my emotions, I have to say the ending is 90% to blame for my 4 vs. 5 star rating. From what I've seen in other reviews, people either love that plot twist or they hate it, and I am leaning towards the latter. It comes entirely out of left field and seems to only provide shock value for shock value's sake. I do believe there were hints littered throughout the book pointing to a huge plot twist, but this was one of those twists that I did briefly entertain in my mind, but did not believe would happen whatsoever because it seemed so...juvenile. The other 10% that brought down my star rating was the unacceptable amount of typos...like I literally have a notes tab on my phone with pages that contain errors. I'm not sure who was editing or reviewing this, but it was bad enough to affect my enjoyment of the story.

But did I still enjoy the heck out of 97% of the story. Absolutely I did, and it's why I'm still giving it 4 stars, because I will definitely be thinking about this book for a long time. And I need a support group of people who have read this so I can talk through my emotions lol.

This is my favorite type of fantasy. You get dropped into the world without a hundred pages of world building and the author does a great job of making sure you understand what is going on.
I thought the whole premise was interesting and something I haven’t read before. I loved the characters, the magic, the lore, and the romance. Rachel absolutely got me with the twist. And that’s with me knowing there was a twist before I started reading. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for more in this story and from the author.

Thank you to Saturday Books and SMP for my arc.

ME RN 🤯🤯🤯 that ending?!?! When’s book 2 out?!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found the world building and magic system pretty easy to follow and understand and it was fun learning about it!

I’m loving these characters! Strong FMC, hottie MMC - Acker, hiiiii! And great side characters too!!! Beau is amazing!

The book is mostly fast paced (even though it took me a while to read - I’m blaming love island). I was just along for the ride and then got slapped across the face by a twist I didn’t see coming AT ALL.

I definitely recommend this! Just be prepared to have to wait for book 2.