Love, love, love! I had heard soooo many good things about Metal Slinger and it lived up to every bit of the hype! Can't wait to receive my physical copy in the mail so that I can tab all my (ebook) highlights and post about it online. Thank you so much for the ARC! Highly recommend.

This one was a tough one for me. While it did keep me engaged, the pacing just felt off to me. Another thing that stood out to me was it was blatantly obvious that this was the author’s first published novel. The writing was extremely juvenile.
The characters lacked the depth needed for an engaging romantasy story. The twist at the end felt very much thrown into the plot. A copy and paste romantasy book.
However, I did want to know what happens next. I do believe the author has potential. I rated 3 stars!
I think my FINAL review will have to weigh heavily on how well executed the next book is.

This is such a fun read! Easy to get lost in! I found myself doing extra chores just so I could listen longer 😂 If I could sum this up in one sentence, it would be this...

It's The Bridge Kingdom in reverse.

The characters are flawed but intriguing. The world building was a little confusing in the beginning. I'm not sure how they were growing trees on a boat (I think that's what was happening). But once they hit land, it all made more sense. I really, really enjoyed this and can't wait for the next book!

Metal Slinger completely surprised me in the best way!!

It blends dystopian grit with a Western edge, but what really stood out was the emotional core. Schneider writes with this grounded, almost cinematic style that makes the world feel worn-in and real without over explaining. The main character is tough and morally complicated in a way that feels earned, not performative, and the relationships (especially the quieter ones) carry a lot of weight.

There’s action, yes, but it’s the kind that means something, and the tension builds steadily rather than relying on cheap twists. It’s the kind of story that sticks with you not just for the world, but for what it says about survival, connection, and what we’re willing to fight for. Highly recommend for fans of character-driven speculative fiction with bite.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books

I’m fine! Everything is fine! She said as the world burned around her.

Wow what a twist, I did not see that coming AT ALL! And why the hell did I wait so long to read this? It was so so good! Just what my little romantasy heart needed!

Metal Slinger is really fast paced so you need to pay attention but I loved how we didn’t have to slug our way through anything. The magic system is pretty common, think elementals, mind readers, etc. But I did find the caveat of Heirs interesting. I hope we learn more on that in the next book along with more world building. I need more on Jo’s/Brynn’s home country and her parents.

The romance was whew! It’s obvious from their first meeting that Acker is completely gone for her but I did like how the author made him imperfect with his secrets he kept and how him and Jo work through these complications. Acker is a dumb man for sure, the mistakes he makes with her and how he blindly follows his dad no matter how suspicious he’s obviously being. But I will forgive him because the way he cares for Jo is just mwah! Chef’s kiss! Jo is tough, physically and mentally. She has no hesitation about training and fighting with men. But she’s also soft and vulnerable and when she gets her emotions out of whack watch out because her powers go insane. Their chemistry was built up very well I thought. The whole survival part of the book was key to this and I enjoyed watching their relationship grow and become MORE as time went on.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters as well. Messer, oh sweet Messer! Such a flirt but he hides his pain well. I’m hoping something goes down between him and Beau, just that quick little interaction between the two of them and I was salivating for more! But then there is Hallis. I like him and Beau’s snark as well, such decisions!

Overall this was such a solid Romantasy and I’m dying for the next book with the way this one was left. Huge HUGE cliffhanger, how dare you Rachel! Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Saturday Books for gifting me this eARC via NetGalley!

I was just wandering along reading this fun romantasy and enjoying life when BAM, im smacked in the face by that ending!!
A fun ride and fun story about a world in turmoil. Rebellions are starting and sides are being taken, and our FMC finds herself without all the answers. Taking a chance with a total stranger, Brynn makes the decision to take her life in her own hands and find out what’s really going on in the world around her. Mixing with romance, mystery, and a crazy book ending twist, Metal Slinger will have you begging for book 2.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5

I just finished reading and the plot twist was absolutely insane! I have whiplash from the 180 degree turn the plot has taken and the secrets that were revealed. Warning: this one ends on a cliffhanger! Why, oh why didn't I wait until book 2 was already released!? 😫

I heard great things about Metal Slinger and I think it is appropriately hyped. From the immersive world-building to the unique magic system, this book captured my attention from beginning to end. The blurb absolutely did not prepare me for the rollercoaster of emotions I experienced. There is a slight lull in action during the middle of the book (hence dropping the rating slightly) but I didn't mind it as it focused more on building a relationship between the characters.

If you're just getting into romantasy, this would be a book I'd recommend starting off with. It's easy to follow, I fell in love with the characters, and there's a good mix between romance and fantasy. The fmc and the mmc both have their faults which could get annoying at times but everything really came together in the end.

Metal Slinger sets up book 2, Light Wielder, perfectly. I feel like we just scratched the surface on the potential the Fire and Metal duology can have. I'm excited to dive further into the magic system and I'd love to learn more about the beloved side characters. Metal Slinger gets all the praise from me!!!

For fans of:
- single pov
- romantasy
- fated mates
- hidden identity
- one bed
- political intrigue
- forced proximity
- touch her and die
- lots of tension

*Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press (Saturday Books), and the author, Rachel Schneider, for the ARC. Opinions expressed are solely my own.

Love, love, LOVED this book!!! Metal Slinger is a great into a new romantasy series that completely captured me from the very beginning. It is set in a very unique world and magic system and the characters are very entertaining. SLOW BURN to the extreme which I ate up like candy it kept me turning the page for more.

I can't wait for book 2!

WOW. OKAY RACHEL I SEE YOU.

Miss maam… like what??! I need book two now! That was insane! If a book can get me gasping in bed and almost wake my husband up it’s pretty much an automatic 5 star read for me.

The deets:
Brynn has been an outcast her whole life and felt like she doesn’t quite fit in with the exiled Alaha people. (Think waterworld kinda exile- am I old if this is what I thought of?) Until one day she goes to land on the market day, the one day a year the Kenta people allow trade between Alaha. And things go not according to plan. Brynn finds herself cornered by an Alaha guard who almost cuts her hand off (talk about a meet cute 👀) and is able to run back to the boat with her friends. But later this handsome stranger comes to Alaha to try and talk to Brynn again. But with the rising tide and her marriage to Kai on the horizon Brynn’s starts to question her life in Alaha. Does she help release the handsome stranger from the brig and leave behind the only life she can remember or let him die and wonder what could have been?

And that’s just the beginning!

This book was such a good time. I did not want to put it down. And we have a one horse moment people! (Which is my weakness 😮‍💨).

This one has 2-3 open door scenes.

There is so many things happening in this book and I just ate it all up. So excited to the next book. I definitely see myself rereading this one before it drops!

Thank you to st. Martin’s Press/Saturday books and NetGalley for the eArc!

Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider is, for the most part, a romantasy set in the fantastical worlds of Alaha and Kenta. Our FMC, Brynn, lives in Alaha but a trip to a market in Kenta changes her life and introduces her to a different world… or perhaps something more?

I really enjoyed reading this book, right up until the final part. More on that in a moment. The world-building in Alaha and Kenta is strong, and some of the mysteries are cleverly woven into the plot. The settings are rich, and the atmosphere pulled me in right away.

That said, the magic system wasn’t as clearly developed as I would’ve liked. I found myself wanting more explanation to fully understand how it all worked. And the twist near the end? While it was definitely unexpected, it left me confused, especially regarding Brynn’s actions. It felt like everything I’d read in the first 95% of the book was suddenly thrown into question. Hopefully the sequel will clear some of that up.

Still, the story kept my interest from beginning to end, and I’m curious to see where it goes next.

Thank you to Saturday Books for the review
copy!

Metal Slinger is book one in the Fire & Metal series by Rachel Schneider.
I have yet to hear about this book until NetGalley and I’m so thrilled I did.
I don’t even know where to start because I am obsessed with this book.
Like, full-blown, can’t stop thinking about it, missing these characters, wish I could read it again for the first time.
When the eARC for Light Wielder is ready can I please have one? Thank you!

4.5 ⭐️ for Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider

First off Happy Re-release day! Metal Slinger is out today June 17, 2025.

This book was so much fun! It’s a romantasy that follows Brynn, a girl living on an exiled tree island, who ventures to land for the first time. The magic was great, it’s somewhat elemental based. I loved the setting and the world among the trees. The cast of characters was top notch, I felt connected and invested in their friendships and storyline. The beginning of the book had me hooked, it lulled a little in the middle and I was leaning towards this being good but not great. That was until the finish. It was enough to push it back up into stellar. Anywhere things felt disjointed or lacking all come to make sense and I am beyond excited to continue this series. Highly recommend picking up Metal Slinger! Thanks to @netgalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this arc.

I can absolutely see where the hype is coming from! I devoured this book so fast. Threw all adult responsibilities out the door to finish this book in a day.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Rachel Schneider and St. Martins Publishing for the ARC of Metal Slinger!

I was hooked to the story right from the beginning. Our FMC Brynn is intriguing and you can’t help but to want to know more about her. As the story unfolds there are twists, turns betrayal and an ending that will leave you with you mouth agape.

Although I love our MMC Acker and FMC I really like Ackers sister Beau! She was a great side character that I can’t wait to see more of in book 2!

I think Rachel did a great job with really making you feel connected with the characters. She gave us a great slow burn romance and I am sitting on the edge of my seat now waiting for book 2 and how the rest of this will unravel!

I was drawn in immediately, there was such a solid start. Even though the worldbuilding is minimal it doesn't feel necessary to enjoy. I liked the story, but there is an unpolished feel to this. 

I liked the initial dynamic between the two main characters, then there was too much back and forth of mistrust to wanting, which felt repetitive and kind of made me lose any type of believability in their bond. I'm sure it's meant to come off as yearning/tension, but it didn't come through that way for me, all it did was create doubt in their connection, and make the chemistry suffer.

There are almost too many secrets and non-communication going on, which left me confused on what was going on and what the plot was supposed to be, and not in a suspense filled good way, instead closer to frustration and disinterest. There's apparent pacing issues, 45-75% was slow, so much so that I wasn't sure if I zoned out a bit and somehow missed some important information, or if we were just left without any. 

The spice was a little cringe. And I mean I literally scrunched up my nose at something Acker said during the act.

I was fully prepared to give this 3 stars, and then the last 5% happened and I had to bump it up. I’ll admit, I did not see that final twist coming, it almost made me want to go back and delete my previous thoughts about the book. I'll 100% be reading book two though.

I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I heard about this book from my book club when it was indie so it has been on my tbr for ages! The world building and characters were interesting. It wasn't too complicated to get through. I don't know if there were any editing changes from the indie version compared to the trad version. I thought it was a good first book in a series. The romance was a slow burn with forced proximity and enemies to lovers.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Saturday Books for the EARC.

Okay look. Was that ending a hell of a plot twist? Yes. Definitely didn’t see that one coming. And honestly? That kind of makes me mad. I’m all for a good plot twist. I’m all for things going super unexpectedly and not having a traditional happy ending. I love a good cliff hanger. But this one irks me because it’s so sudden. I can’t look back and be like “oh, I see the hints, the pieces that led to this that the author cleverly hid.” Instead it just feels like it was thrown in for shock value to make you hungry for book two. Did it work? …yes, I’ll be reading book two. But I’m still grumpy about it.

While I was having a good time at the beginning of this book, from the 30% point to the last 90% I struggled to want to keep going. It had some high points, and I do like the FMC a lot. And it has good bones of a plot and world building. But it just feels like an entire book of setup for book 2, with little to reward for the work that was put in. I like to think I’m good at understanding magic systems. But this one still confuses me.

So much of this book is just… jarring. Connections were made that I just couldn’t track with. Scenes jumped around so fast I had to keep rereading to figure out how we got there. And there’s plot holes that feel like a “tune in next week (book) to find out what happens next”. I would have liked some answers in book one. To something. Instead I’m just left with so many questions about how we got here.

I’m really hoping book 2 is a good payoff. I genuinely want to keep reading because the idea of this story is great. I just wish this first book stood better on its own instead of feeling like a whole book of setup. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many questions and so few answers at the end of a book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Rachel herself for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Metal Slinger!

4.5/5 stars!
I went into this one absolutely blind and nothing could have prepared me for the utter betrayal that I physically felt at the end of this book... I truly did not see that coming. I need to see a certain character's villain arc in the next book so very badly because it's SO DESERVED </3

This gave me everything I look for in a romantasy book - the world building, unique magic systems, kingdom politics, romance, and plot twists that you'll never see coming. Believe me... I still feel physically sick just thinking about it because I was so engrossed in the characters and the plot as a whole. I have so many questions that I hope will be answered in book 2!

After that ending, I feel like I have such mixed emotions towards almost every character and I'm really excited to learn more about the why behind things that happened in book 2. I will say though that I adore Acker and my heart just hurts for him iykyk... He just stole the show for me the minute he first appeared on page <3 Onto the book bf list he goes

I can't wait to see where Rachel takes us in book 2 because you know I'll be chomping at the bit for it!

20/10, no notes! This book may be one of my favorites of 2025 now. Between the suspense, magic and chemistry in this book, it was near impossible to put it down. And that ending?! I will be anxiously waiting for the second book to come out!!

Read if you like
- Romantasy
- Elemental Magic
- Fated Mates
- Enemies to Lovers
- Major Cliffhangers

This is an incredible romantasy with tension, relatable characters and unique world building and magic! This book was extremely fast paced and packed with action. The world and politics were so interesting, and I loved learning the magic system in this book. It was entertaining and there are so many twists! Never a dull moment for sure. I think this would be a good fantasy for those who are looking to try it out. I really enjoyed this book!

The cliffhanger at the end makes me want so much more!

This book is for you if you like
- Forced proximity
- Slow burn
- He falls first
- Elemental magic
- Plot twists
- Political intrigue

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this!

Thank you to Netgalley, Saturday Books and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Overall a 5 star read for me! I will say, it did take longer to get into, about 20%... BUT, and big “but” here, it makes a ton of sense as to why it needed that long for the entire story and plot to make sense.
This is supposed to be a duology, and I am truly not sure how we are going to close it all out in just one more book! Needless to say, I am so excited for the second in this enticing romantasy with tons of twists and turns!

I loved our FMC and our MMC, and I loved them together, their slow burn and the extra tension makes this extra special and everything I want. Our FMC is a strong warrior type and our FMC is morally grey and always yearning - my favorites! This first installment really goes into our FMC discovering herself and who she really is, which takes us into our plot…

So many twists and turns in this plot and some that I would have *never* seen coming, big moments of *what the actual* during my time with this story, and that just made it so incredibly good. I still think about these plot twists after my read and I know I’ll have to re-read this before the next one comes out to see if I catch any hints of the twists during the earlier parts of the novel. The world itself is dangerous, politically complicated, magical and on the edge of war.

The character arc/journey for Brynn, the plot and the worldbuilding are all tied in together, which makes for story telling that feels seamless and unencumbered. As the reader, we don’t know much going in, and even so it all unfolds in a well paced (but still pretty fast paced) style while the characters are getting to know each other and sharing their lives.

I would highly recommend this to all fantasy romance lovers, and even fantasy lovers that would like to try out fantasy with a stronger romantic plot!

I cannot wait for book 2!