Romantasy is hardly avoidable nowadays. It seems like every single fantasy release happens to fall into this category and publishers eagerly hop on this trend. In fact, many romantasy releases are independently published first, before getting picked up by traditional publishers and getting a re-release. One of the examples of a book taking this route is Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider. This is the first book in the “Fire & Metal” series – I believe this is a duology – that gained lots of traction after its indie release. However, the success became massive once it got its traditional publication with a translation into multiple languages as a result. This led to plenty of exposure through blogs, but mainly on social media – where romantasy always seems to bloom. That’s where I found out about this novel, and I picked it up eventually.
About the book
Series: Fire & Metal #1
Published by Independently published on May 12, 2024
Pages: 485
ISBN: 9798324986469
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romantasy
Rating: 3/5
Brynn has spent the better part of her life waiting for the chance to attend the annual market hosted by the Kenta, the very same people who exiled the Alaha to live a life over the sea. A rite of passage for all young guards, she’s not sure what to expect from it, but breaking a century- long peace treaty certainly isn’t on her map.
Neither is the encounter with an enemy soldier.
Returning home to Alaha, she’s confronted with the aftermath of the day’s events. The future is uncertain as the threat of hunger looms over the people. With rumors of a growing rebellion, Brynn and her closest friends promise to stick together.
When an unexpected visitor arrives, Brynn’s loyalty will be tested as she learns of a world of magic and treachery. Once her enemy, always her enemy, right? But the dark, knowing eyes of a stranger make her question everything…
…including her heart.
My review
By the end of 2025, the exposure for this novel was huge. Many people talked about it, raved about it. I’m pretty sensitive to hypes and positive feedback on books, even though I know I often don’t do well with all these hyped books. They mainly lack the ability to distinguish themselves from other books within the same genre, they all seem so similar and formulaic these days. I was hoping that Schneider could break this curse or pattern, depends on what you’d like to call it. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
The first reason why this book isn’t able to break the cursed formula is the characters. Main character Bryn is pretty similar to her genre peers. She is an orphan, lost her parents at a very young age. A very important family took her in and Bryn underwent military training. This is rare for girls or women in her kingdom, so this makes her different from everybody else. Call her an outcast, because she’s not really liked by many people on the island of Alaha. When she encounters a general who also happens to be the crown price of a kingdom its name I already forgot, her whole world turns upside down. She eventually breaks an already fragile peace treaty, and all hell breaks loose. Throughout the novel, Brynn acts like a special snowflake who develops a strong bond with this crown prince called Acker, but this doesn’t benefit her growth as a character. Unfortunately this goes for both her and him, they still seem to be the same characters at the end of the book as how we got to know them at the start. There should be romance, but there is no chemistry.
The romance is part of the plot, which is suitable for this sub genre. However, this doesn’t mean it brings intrigue and tension to the book itself. Their romance seems to rapidly move forward , whereas the plot itself is dragging on. Most of the book takes place while traveling and personally that’s not my favorite trope. I don’t mind a bit off travel at all, but it shouldn’t take up as big of a portion of the story like it does here. It slows the book down tremendously and eventually made me zone out a lot. Even though there is a twist at the end of the book that should be captivating and surprising, but annoyed me even further instead. Unreliable narrators definitely are not my favorite trope and this book just confirmed that. The writing is okay, not too exciting either. It made me able to finish this book quickly.
If you’re looking for a fresh voice in romantasy with a groundbreaking novel? Then Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider is not the book suiting your needs. It ticks all the genre boxes which is great if you’re looking for exactly that, but what is annoying whenever you’re on the lookout for something new and original. I have to admit that the final twist put people on their edge of their seats, but it failed to capture me. In fact, my whole reading experience was already ruined by the lack of originality in both characters and plot, as they seem to follow the same pattern in terms of their evolving and unfolding that we often see within romantic fantasy. For me this book was just okay, nothing more or less. I was able to finish it quickly and that’s always a good thing. However, I’m not even a tad curious for its sequel Light Wielder, which will be released this June.