Metal Slinger (Fire & Metal) Paperback – May 13, 2024

This book!! Ahhh, where do I even begin? From the very first page, I knew I was going to love it. The way the characters were introduced was brilliant. I love being thrown straight into a world without a ton of preamble (or, in this case, any at all)! Brynn immediately stood out — she’s seemingly badass yet self-conscious, strong but scared. At first, the contrast in her character might feel jarring, but as you sink deeper into the story, you begin to understand her, and it makes sense.I’m going to gloss over some characters because there’s just so much to say, but know this: from the moment they were introduced, I loved them — and rightfully so.Messer, my dear sweet summer child, I adore him! If you’ve read Fourth Wing, Messer will definitely give you Riddoc vibes — and as a proud Riddoc girly, I was completely here for it. I truly wish Messer had more page time, and I’m crossing my fingers we’ll see more of him in the next books!Beau, darling Beau — she’s wonderful. Funny, beautiful, badass, and somehow still vulnerably human. I love how self-assured she is while still allowing herself to be real.Hallis — honestly, I don’t have a ton to say about him yet, but I’m getting very good vibes, and I can’t wait to see what role he plays moving forward.Now for the meat and potatoes: Acker. What. A. Hunk. A true book boyfriend who rivals the best of them. I’d put him right up there with Rhys, Cassian, Rowan, Dorian, Kai, Xaden — all the greats! There’s just something about a man who falls hopelessly in love with a woman and would cleave the earth in two just to make her smile… chef’s kiss.Metal Slinger is fun, action-packed, fast-paced, and has a massive twist you will never predict. And that cliffhanger?? It will leave you slack-jawed, furious, and desperate for more.If you’re looking for a book that’s poetically written or destined to become a revered work of contemporary literature, this isn’t that. But if you want a book that will make you feel — that will make you giggle, kick your feet, scream “WTF,” and even cry — this is the one for you.

I adored the side characters and found them a lot more compelling than Jovie and Acker, if I’m being honest. I really wanted to like her but I found myself getting frustrated by her lack of, I don’t know, real rage for any of the crap people pull on her. Like ok I get this is romantasy but I have a hard time really believing you’re actually as upset at this guy as you claim to be when two minutes later you’re letting this dude shove his tongue down your throat. Additionally, an early running theme is that Jovie is frustrated that there are a bunch of people deciding things for her but the existence of the whole “matched/bond” thing makes much of her autonomy a moot point. Like at one point I think Acker even points out that them getting into bed together is a “foregone conclusion” and someone else mentions that the other matched pairs that don’t end up together ended up literally destroying each other. No pressure. I was a lot more interested in the characterization of Messer, Beau, and Hallis.I knew I was going to be exasperated consistently by this girl when she let Mr. Murder Hottie treat Messer like a war criminal after he almost got himself spatchcocked for them by a mighty-morphing radical with an attitude problem. If my homie went through the battle blender like that for me after I found out he had been secretly protecting me and keeping me company for weeks/months, I would be doing A LOT MORE than standing around trying to figure out if I actually thought he was my friend while Captain Boy Toy did some light torture on him. Also Acker, my dude, if you can still find it in your heart and your loins to get riled up while your sister is having a breakdown in the room over…I don’t know, seek help I guess. I liked the juxtaposition of Beau’s bravado and her militaristic delivery of information to her brother showing she can turn on a dime when needed. Adding the mental toll her gift takes on her throughout time and how she has self destructive coping mechanisms really gave her some cool depth, and I appreciated the vulnerability it lent her. Hallis was a weird character for me at first but I ended up looking forward to his dialogue a lot. Initially, I didn’t care for the way he seemed to immediately just be a real jerk to Jovie and it didn’t often read as playful to me when I think it sometimes meant to. Regardless, his genuine care for Beau and Acker and how he dropped the act immediately when they really needed him made him pretty endearing and I always appreciate a grump who cares.Honestly everything about this book was an A+ for me aside from the two main characters’ dynamic. When Jovie gets pissed at those bats and obliterates a forest? A+ When she tells Acker that she saw the signs that Messer was getting abused and acknowledged she felt shame and that she couldn’t fault him for being complicit in her mistreatment since she had done the same? A+ When she’s sitting there and coming to terms with the fact that everything she knows has been built on lies as she’s flipping through her sketchbook? A++ The writing and setting is great and the book is good, but someone needs to give Jovie a big stick and tell her it’s okay to be mad and smack people with it even if they’re hot.

I have to say reading this book I was kind of finding reasons to dislike it I don't know why but sometimes a lot of books on book tok aren't always as good as the hype this was such a great story that I kept finding myself coming back to it even though I kept trying to force myself not to like it and then leading up to the end the plot twist, the moments of reveal is so amazing and I'm so mad because this book released this year which now means I have to wait another year for the second book!!! I kind of wish I never found this book so that I could have a multiple books to read but it looks like I am going to have to wait like everyone else!!😭