This is a book that's difficult to rate. On one hand, I found the world-building, plot, writing, and themes to be lacking. And yet, I kept turning the page, especially because this book is marketed as having a heartbreaking twist. Overall, I think this book is ⭐️⭐️.5 for me, and I don’t think I can round it up.

Plot: ⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️.5
World-building: ⭐️⭐️.5
Themes: ⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Where to even begin? I’ll start with the world-building. This world is difficult to imagine. As readers, we're given surface-level explanations of the history and politics of the countries, simple descriptions of the cultures and people, and derivative examples of the magic system. The story starts at an interesting location, but then it gets lost in a world that is hard to distinguish from places in other fantasy books. As the story progressed, instead of becoming a unique magic system that can stand on its own, the magic system became a tool to advance the romantic plot and the rebellion through-line. There are discussions about people's unique gifts, such as elemental manipulation, from which we get the titular Metal Slinger. However, we don't actually get to see much of those gifts in action. What we do get to see a lot of, in terms of magic, is the magic that comes from matching bonds between fated mates. This magic becomes the focus of the book, and thus, much of the book is spent exploring the magic from a matching bond. In the end, we're left with more questions than answers.

For most of this book, I felt like I was reading a YA book, and then suddenly, there was spice. This is not to disparage YA writing, and I only mention it because I think writing should set the tone and the expections of a book. Additionally, there were many, many occasions where the sentences felt clunky, and I think it's mainly due to the fact that the writing is very voicey. I think that some authors forget that a sentence that works verbally does not always translate well to the written word. In other words, sometimes a character's POV narration is so strong that it can affect the clarity of a sentence.

Lastly, I want to discuss the plot. And I don't think I have much to say about it, in light of the fact that were was seemingly no plot. It's like that author picked some interesting tropes, threw them all together, and hoped for the best. Hidden identity. Fated Mates. Elemental Magic. Childhood friends to lovers. Dark moody mmc. Banter. One horse. Rebellion. Countries on the brink of War. What we got is a story that doesn't have a coherent plot. I don't think the characters even know what's going on too. They spend quite a bit of time traveling, which I did not expect. The pacing was slow in the middle and rushed at the end.

And don't get me started on the plot twist. The ending upends any character work and development.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC to review.

Okay. Let me just start by saying this was one of my most anticipated reads—I’ve heard nothing but glowing things about it. I went in completely blind as told so by several friends, and the hype?? SO REAL. My expectations were sky high, and somehow… they were still shattered. My brain is scrambled eggs in the best possible way.

✨ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: I did the Kindle + audio combo and devoured it. The narrator absolutely nails it—her tone, pacing, and delivery pulled me in and made it feel like I was in the story with Brynn, holding my breath at every twist and turn.

✨ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 & 𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨: I haven’t felt this emotionally feral about a couple in a while. The banter, the slow burn, the journey —utter perfection. Watching them go from enemies to frenemies to love had me giggling, kicking my feet, yelling into the void. Acker’s character development and reveals had me absolutely rooting for him. And Brynn’s journey with her powers and identity was so compelling. Also… Messer owns my whole heart. I need more of him. Please and thank you.

✨ 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 + 𝙋𝙡𝙤𝙩: I loved how the worldbuilding unfolded naturally—never overwhelming, but just enough to keep me grounded while the plot ran WILD. The political intrigue was top tier. And the twists?? I am still not okay. Rachel really had me questioning characters I swore I trusted and reconsidering ones I thought I hated. She steered us so carefully, only to yank the rug out in the final chapters.

The twists, the emotions, the stakes… I already know I’m rereading this before book two drops, because there’s no way I caught all the brilliance the first time around.

10/10 mind melt. I’m obsessed.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me at all. From the very beginning, the story felt disjointed and confusing, and while there were brief moments where it seemed to improve, it ultimately unraveled in a way that made even less sense as it progressed.

The plot gave off heavy 2000s YA vibes, with a "magical lost princess" trope that felt recycled rather than refreshing. It honestly felt like several different stories mashed together, which made reading feel like whiplash.

The ending especially was difficult to accept. It felt tacked on without any buildup, foreshadowing, or narrative logic leading up to it. It seemed as though the book had been written and the ending was added in at the last minute, leaving no resolution that made sense within the context of the story.

This is, unfortunately, the first time I’ve ever rated a book 1 star. While I always try to find something redeeming, I couldn’t find enough here to recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun romantasy that kept me hooked the whole way through! There were some scenes that felt familiar to stories I've read before, but otherwise this felt original and fresh. It had everything I love and a great twist ending that I actually didn't see coming!

NOW THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

A fantasy story with twists, tricks, and romance that’s face paced enough to keep my ADHD hooked on every word. As much as I can appreciate an intensely built world, sometimes I like when I have no questions, and Metal Slinger delivered. Brynn and Acker have my heart, and Rachel Schneider, I’ll give you my first born for book two if necessary.

H O L Y P L O T T W I S T ! ! !

There is no better feeling than finishing a book and being left absolutely stunned and overall speechless due to the amazing but overall unexpected plot twist at the end of the book.
I am SHOOK. To say that I have replayed the every single important scene in my mind countless times since finishing the book is an understatement. Metal Slinger drew me in from the very first chapter and didn’t let go until I was forced to put the book down due to its lack of pages and words… the cliffhanger it left me on is just plain rude. I need more and I need it yesterday!
The way it has me in a chokehold following Kai, Brynn / Jovie, Acker, Messer and Beau is unlike any other Romantasy book currently published. I am actually dumbfounded to realize that what I believed to be true for 98% of the book was in fact far from the truth.
The unique story evoked so many emotions within me that I was fully immersed and invested in righting any wrongs and setting the record straight along with Acker and Jovie only to be left shell shocked and seemingly dazed at what unraveled.
The world building and elements used were exquisite and truly unique to each character. I am a total sucker for anything with bonded mates and the threat that they pose to anyone looking to sabotage that bond. Queue in the delicious morally grey MMC.
I cannot say enough good things about this book. Hands down one of my favorite Romantasy’s of 2025. If you haven’t picked this up yet, then what are you waiting for?

This is perfect if you enjoy:
•Strong FMC
•Morally Grey MMC
•Hidden Identity
•Elemental Magic
•Forced Proximity
•Slow Burnnnnn
•One Horse
•He Falls First
•Enemies to Lovers
•Bonded Mates

In Metal Slinger we follow Brynn who has spent her life training to be in the guard of her adoptive homeland. After a once in a lifetime trip to the mainland, and some mishaps resulting in breaking a decades long peace treaty, she finds herself running to her long lost home. She discovers that she has powerful hidden gifts and must navigate new political hardships and betrayals.

While I didn’t find this book super unpredictable, I thought it was really original. I haven’t read a book with this kind of explosive ending in a while and I really enjoyed it. Even though I had a general idea of what might happen, it was so much fun to watch how it all actually played out, especially with all the reveals towards the last part of the book. There were definitely moments earlier in the story that felt a little out of place at the time but once everything came together I could see how those were Easter eggs! This is absolutely a book I’ll re-read, and continue on in the series. If you’re into Romantasy but feeling a bit burnt out on stories that feel “same, same but different” give this one a try. It’s fast paced and addictive but I wouldn’t have minded a few extra chapters to get some more depth and backstory. Hopefully that will be included in the next instalment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Saturday Books for this e-ARC that I chose to read and review.

4.5⭐️

I need the second book immediately!!! This book has been everywhere lately, so I have been so excited to see what all the hype is about and it was such a great time. I had no idea what to expect and that ending completely blindsided me. This book has so many elements I love in a fantasy series and I just know the second book will be amazing! You should add this book to your TBR is you enjoy a romantasy with unique world building and a cliffhanger that will take you by surprise.

Thank you to Rachel Schneider, Saturday Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an advance copy.
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I just finished Metal Slinger, and I am not okay. This book was everything I wanted in a romantasy and more. Dangerous magic, forbidden truths, slow-burn tension that sizzles, and a main character I couldn’t help but root for.
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Brynn, a fierce and loyal warrior raised by the Alaha, gets the chance to attend the annual Kenta market, a rite of passage that should be a celebration. Instead, she accidentally shatters a century-old peace treaty, locks eyes with a mysterious enemy soldier, and uncovers secrets about herself that shake the very foundation of her identity.
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There are knife fights. There are stormy seas. There is magic. There is chemistry. And that ENDING??? Rachel Schneider, how dare you leave me like this! I need book two immediately, pretty please.
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If you’re into morally complex characters, lush worldbuilding, found family, enemies to lovers tension, and enough plot twists to leave you gasping, Metal Slinger belongs at the top of your TBR pile.

Very readable romantasy. Something about this felt like soul-bond AU fanfic, which I didn't hate! That vibe is familiar, comforting, and romantic. Maybe because of that, the book started off feeling YA to me, to the point where I thought it WAS YA and the eventual smut scenes were rather jarring.

Everyone mentions the jaw-dropping plot twist. Yes, I didn't see it; yes, it was a fun about-face; yes, I want to read the sequel. But plot twists like these mean the MC's motivation is kept from the reader for 99% of the book, which doesn't work as well when written in first-person. First-person POVs are meant to bring you closer to the main character. When the MC, who you've been identifying with and rooting for, is suddenly incomprehensible to you as the reader... It just doesn't land as well as a similar plot twist would in third-person. I will say that it's fun to have the SHOCK GASP OH MY GOSH ending come from the FMC instead of the male love interest, since that has just become another trope in the romantasy genre.

I don't know if this was a format or editing thing that might be ironed out before publication, but the paragraphs were wonky. Sometimes two people would be talking in the same paragraph (the other person's response would be right after the quotation marks ended, instead of having their own paragraph, which made the dialogue confusing), or one person's actions would be in the same paragraph as someone else's dialogue. Who's talking? Who's doing what? I read the ARC, not what was on Kindle Unlimited, so not sure if there's a difference there as well.

I'm also pretty sure at one point the MC mentioned characters that we hadn't met yet? I was very confused.

This was fun and binge-able if you're into romantasy, but needs a little more polish and worldbuilding. I think I would've liked it more as YA, but my expectations of adult fiction are a little higher.

Buddy read as an ARC (shout out to my Unhinged Council of Enablers ily)

This was a romantasy that pulled me out of one reading slump and immediately threw me straight into another one. The group chat was full of anger, excitement, book throwing... it was honestly a blast to read together.

Metal Slinger served up up all my favorite tropes with enough unique flair to keep things fresh. We're brought along with Brynn as she accidentally breaks a century old peace treaty and discovers her entire world has been built on lies. The worldbuilding between water-dwelling Alaha and land-based Kenta is digestible without feeling like an info dump or like I was being spoon-fed. Our MMC is absolutely fantastic with his restrained obsessiveness and that mouth that had me folding alongside our smart, fearless FMC.

HOWEVER.

HOWEVER.

I am super conflicted on the twist ending. My buddy readers did not see this coming and were completely blindsided, screaming and crying. But there's another series that I absolutely love with all my heart and this was the same ending. So I (unfortunately) saw it coming no matter how much I wanted to deny it. This twist can be pulled off super well, but something just felt a little jarring and off to me about it.

Yet that little last minute complaint aside, I adored this. The pacing is chef's kiss perfect, making this an nonstop rollercoaster of a read that delivers on romance, rebellion, and magical revelations. I will FOR SURE be picking up book two.

What a crazy journey! I absolutely loved this book! I absolutely was on the edge of my seat for the last quarter of the book.

I am a HUGE fan of fantasy with romance. This book was an easy read with world building that I could easily keep up with. I was absolutely enthralled for the majority of this book and loved the characters. Brynn had me on the edge of my seat in most situations and I really enjoyed getting to know her. This book had touches of some of my FAVORITE tropes like touch her and die, forced proximity and slow burn. I love a good he falls first storyline.
BUT let's talk about the cliff hanger. Without giving anything away, I will say that I SCREAMED and cried and threw by kindle. haha I will just leave it as I absolutely need book two immediately. This book was a wild ride and I can't wait for the next one!

3.25 stars

I have so many clashing thoughts and emotions when it comes to this book. So this might be a bit of a stream of consciousness review. I don’t know how I can say anything without at least hinting at spoilers so just be cautious. Although I don’t intend to reveal anything directly.

I started out feeling sort of uncertain about this book, because the beginning for a large part basically takes place on water, and water books aren’t always for me. I could not picture the entire “city afloat” descriptions the author had going on, but I can’t decide if it was due to my aversion to water books or if my aversion stems from not having enough of an imagination. Something to think about. Okay none of it was a dealbreaker. Once we were out of the water town and the focus was on our MCs, I was officially hooked, and the story picked up pace around then too.

Anyway, Brynne and “the guy” are fun main characters and their adventures were exciting and their push and pull interesting. The way they behaved though it was hard to tell if they even liked each other, not in the way of enemies to lovers, just in the way of two people who are drawn together to fuck but don’t quite respect each other outside of their trauma bond. But are also friends. Idk how to explain it, but I do see in hindsight why that might be. Either way, I wasn’t smitten with either of them. However, I will say they do have certain “powers” I’m weak for, and one of those makes for some very creatively steamy situations. And there were some cute moments. I was far more invested in a secondary couple I’m not even sure will get their story. I also adored the librarian.

Which brings me to my main beef with the story, that ending. We all love a gutting cliffhanger (fine, I do) but the final twist here did not make sense whatsoever? Yes there’s a few clever surprises thrown at us along the way, but the major reveal left me totally dumbstruck. Not coz it was so shocking, but mainly because narratively it was actually dumb? Even though I predicted it perfectly after a hint was dropped about three quarters of the way through. Don’t get me wrong, the shock and awe factor was there, but if you put two seconds of logic behind it, it just doesn’t hold up. I’m trying to see the vision of what the author is trying to do, and this type of plot twist would maybe work in a third person pov story, but with a first person pov, it’s unbelievable and feels like something done just for the sake of gasting some flabbers. I understand unreliable narrators exist, but this fosters more of a lack of trust between author and reader.

Having said all of this, I wasn’t turned off of reading the continuation of the story? I don’t know what that says about me, but the sequence of events at the end actually got me excited about our main couple and their future than I was throughout this book because I AM WEAK 🤦🏽‍♀️ So clearly I will be reading the next book, I just have to discount that one of the major storytelling devices the author used in book 1 was purely for convenience. One final minor quibble I had was the random insertions of strange modern slang, which doesn’t bother me usually, but you can’t convince me that either bougie royalty or isolated waterfolk (not to be confused with merfolk) in a fantasy timeline use words like specs and ginormous and shits & giggles. Those seem specifically suited to our accursed timeline.

Brynn grew up believing she was one of the Alaha, a race of people banned from land and forced to live at sea. Her whole world changes, though, when she makes her first trip to the market. Now, everything she thought she knew is in question, her relationships are tested, and her identity has been turned upside down. For she is not Alaha at all, but the missing princess of one of the land kingdoms, and her very own prince charming has come to rescue her. But, is she ready to be rescued, to give up the only life she has ever known to live on land and awaken the strange magic that is lying dormant in her veins, waiting to touch land.
In this epic fantasy by Rachel Schneider, friendships will be tested, enemies may become lovers, and lovers may become enemies. Betrayal waits around every turn, families will be tested, and alliances will be challenged. The world-building is beautiful, if not a little confusing, especially the city where the Alaha people live; however, I still found myself enjoying the book, the magic system, and the characters. The secondary characters provided the perfect amount of comfort, humor, and support.

WOWWW, this was the definition of a perfect romantasy! This book was worth all the hype! It had everything from forced proximity to secrets and betrayals. Acker and Jovie had me grasping at everything they threw my way! I loved all the twists and turns. And that plot twist 🤯 Ma’am I need the next book immediately!!

Thank you NetGalley and Saturday Books for this ARC Copy!

I have been looking forward to this book for so long and was really excited to finally pick it up. I was in the mood for a fun little romantasy, and I thought that is what I was getting myself into. I did not expect to be completely blindsided by the plot twist and left desperate for the next book in the series. I loved every minute of this book and though I had an idea about what was going to happen, but nothing could have ever prepared me for that level of twist! Everyone needs to read this book because this is some phenomenal story telling.

This was an entertaining read. The characters and premise were interesting; although it took me a while to connect with the FMC. And even though we read her perspective through the whole story, she’s still a mystery to me. This is not a bad thing. Just an observation. There’s a lot that’s unique about this story and that was fun to read. I was never bored. But, that ending though…I can’t decide how I feel about it. I will definitely be picking up the next book to see what happens.

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year but ended up being a like not a love! While the ending *totally* lived up to the hype and I did NOT see the twist coming, the rest of the book fell a little flat for me.

The setting was very unique with a world split between those who live on the water and different land dwelling kingdoms. I wish more time was spent really understanding the divide but instead it felt more confusing than mysterious.

One of the things I struggled with was that my favorite character by far was just a side character (Messer!) and I didn’t really care about either of the MCs. Maybe that would change on a re-read after knowing where the story is going (?) but the first time through was a little rough.

And while I LOVE a good twist - this one felt a little too unbelievable because of the POV. Lying to the reader is one thing, but with a first person POV it didn’t make sense that the MC would also be lying to herself? I think this definitely would’ve benefited from a dual POV and hope we get some of that in future books!

Regardless I am very interested to see what happens next and will read the second one when it comes out! Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press, Saturday Books, and Netgalley for the ARC.

OH MY HECK. I spent the large majority of this book enjoying it and feeling it was pretty similar to most Romantasy’s I’ve read, but enjoying it nonetheless. Then the last 20% or so just had me enthralled! Plot twist of all plot twists! I didn’t predict it, but once it hit, I can’t believe I didn’t predict it. Just so dang good!!