Metal Slinger: A Middling Romantasy With A Terrible Twist

  

Author: Rachel Schneider

Genre: Romantasy, fantasy, new adult, LGBTQ rep (minor)

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: NetGalley E-book

Release Date: June 17th, 2025

TW: Gaslighting, blood, death

I absolutely loathed this book, and it reinforced the fact that romantacy is a feast-or-famine genre for me. I kept reading out of morbid curiosity, and I was definitely dissapointed  But first, the plot:

Brynn is a part of the Alahan guard, despite not being Alahan herself. The Alahans live on mangrove groves, driven away from solid ground for a crime in the past. When Bryn heads to the market run by the Kenta with her young guard friends, she is accosted by Acker, and due to those circumstances causes an international incident. When Acker gets captured by Alahan guards, Brynn is drawn to him, and learns who she really is, and how she's connected to the Kenta mainland. 

I thought that the premise of the book was interesting. The premise promises a mystery, and Brynn's true origins feed into the mystery as well. The mystery unfolded at a decent clip as well. 

Unfortunately, the premise is the only thing with potential in this book. Take for example, the characters. Acker is incredibly annoying, and about as emotionally compelling as a plank of wood with a bad-boy face drawn on. Brynn is also childish and naive, which could be forgiven if the narrative didn't treat her as incredibly competent. (For example, she disdains eating off a knife during a shipwreck that Acker used to kill someone). The rest of the characters are thinly drawn, and they all kind of blend together, along with the sex scenes which are plentiful and boring. I do appreciate the slight LGBTQ rep and a few POC being in the setting however. 

If the characters are bad, the prose is even worse. the aforementioned knife is referred to as a 'murder knife,' and underwear that Brynn has access to later is described as 'butter underwear.' These descriptions are incredibly juvenile, jarring and immediately take me out of the story. I also don't appreciate the constant exposition, which is often out of place. The close POV (1st person) doesn't help.

The setting is so thin that again, it all blends together. The one interesting thing about Alaha for example is that it is a part of a mangrove forest. Kenta meanwhile is a generic medieval country, and is not distinguishable from its neighbors.  

However, none of this is what made me mad about the book. What accomplished that is a 'twist' that insults its audience and should not be possible because of the POV of the story. When I reached the 'twist' I audibly said 'oh go fuck yourself' and only finished the book because there were a few pages left. 

I will not be reading the sequel as I don't really care what happens to these characters. Maybe someone will think differently from me, and enjoy it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Final Rating: 2 out of 5 stars 

Drink Paring: Metallic tap water (for the character's powers)

 

Queenswoood: A Faerie Tail Of A Fantasy

Author: Kathleen Schwab

Genre: Fantasy, Romantic elements,historical fiction slight LGBTQ rep 

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Format: NetGalley E-book

Release Date: June 16th, 2026

TW: Murder, implications of slavery and rape, kidnapping, childbirth, imprisonment towards marriage.

I love stories involving the fae, and this novel felt like a faerie tale in the best and worst ways. But first, the plot:

Rhiannon, an Irish noblewoman after the Norwegian invasion, longs to leave her lonely life in her family's manor. Her siblings have gone to create their own lives by getting married, or are too old for her to relate to. She has a curious mind, and eventually sees herself devoted to learning and God.  Angus, the fae High Prince is also lonely. He keeps to himself, and finds court life stifling. He'd much rather roam the wilds of the fey realm. However, this all changes when Angus receives a prophecy of marriage: he must bring a mortal woman to the marriage alter (the first among years) or his family line will fail. When Angus pursues Rhiannon, her decision will determine the destiny of Angus's line and the fae nobility in general. 

The characters were the best part of the book. Although they were held somewhat apart through use of third person limited POV, I was able to distinguish all three main perspectives from each other. Angus for example is more closed off. I lved Rhiannon the most, however. I related to her as a bookish dreamer, and was saddened when she was taken from the Abbey she found peace in, and was happy after she found a new path forward. I also was surprised by how much I liked Cormac, a farm-boy who falls for Angus's sister and a man who was way in over his head. I had no trouble with the POV's but some might which is understandable. I appreciate that the fae are different from the humans but still parse-able to the reader. I appreciate that queerness was acknowledged among the fae as well. 

I also really enjoyed the tone of the book. It reads like a fairy tail, and the prose also matches that. (In fact, a bunch of fairy tales are adapted and put into this book, riding off the original story.) However, due to this, there are only a few locations that are very vivid. Most other places are sketched in, which may cause some friction to certain readers. Like a fairytale, the romantic elements in this book are not explicit, and fade to black.  

The fairy tale-ness of this story can also be its biggest downfall, as the ending is very abrupt and final. I resonated with it, but some readers who are expecting series potential may not. There are also darker tropes of fairy tales that are used, like the marriage as abduction trope, and slavery (humans towards fae and human raiders selling other humans). This is not gory or violent, but it is important to the plot.   

If you're looking for  a dreamy read, even if things might seem a bit distant, I would recommend this book. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Drink Paring: Green tea to match the Queenswood

Under Story: A Moving Tale of Motherhood, Grief and Mushrooms

 

Author: Chloe Benjamin

Genre: Science fiction, literary fiction, new adult, incidental LGBTQ rep

Publisher: Putnam

Format: NetGalley E-book

Release Date: September 1st, 2026

TW: Death of a child (moment is off page, but the lead up isn't), drowning, pregnancy and reverse birth, Altzheimers, sexism

Despite a mind breaking premise that I had to double back on because it got confusing, I loved this, well, novel novel. But first the plot:

Laurel Salter is a mycologist, currently living at the McMurdo base in Antarctica, working as a steward. Like most of the crew there, she is fleeing life on the mainland or at least trying to move on from her problems. However, everything changes when The Arc shows up over the ice, a shifting dome of aurora lights that don't exist anywhere else on Earth. Laurel starts dreaming of The Arc, and her life becomes even more precarious when her ex-husband Eli comes to document the anomaly. Laurel begins to believe that The Arc is a gateway into the universe that Eli has spent half his life studying, the mirror to our own where time runs backward (for example; a collector's antique artifacts in 2019 are floating beds and hi tech windows that barely work). Laurel will stop at nothing to get to this universe, to correct a mistake that took the life of someone they both treasured. 

I simultaneously loved and hated the worldbuilding of this novel. The concept of a mirror universe where time runs backwards is actually quite unique. However, in the second half of the novel, when Laurel and Eli were in this mirror universe, I was sometimes very confused. The dates go backwards, and doing the mental math to figure things out like ages was hard; in addition to this, the conceit of what birth and death are in this mirror universe where genuinely hard to grasp until deep into the last act of the book (both are genuinely horrifying). I also like that Laurel tried to live in this new universe fully, and didn't treat it as her own personal trial. (The science was interesting to me too, and felt relatively plausible, and I appreciated the detailed explanations.)

The themes' exploration of grief and motherhood that began the book was also powerful to me. Laurel has very clearly stopped coping with her grief and has pinned her hopes on this other universe, and you can see that in the way she interacts with the people at McMurdo and Eli, when he comes to the base. I think that this feeling of grief really anchors the flashbacks we experience, and acts as a sufficient through line to keep readers from getting lost. However, some readers might find the flashbacks confusing which is completely understandable; the book is in third person limited which ads to the initial mystery and keeps a distance between characters, but can make time jumps jarring. (Be warned as well, that child death happens, it is a very heavy topic, so proceed at your own risk.)

The prose was vivid and rich and extremely detailed, which might be seen by some as unnecessary, but was another thing I really enjoyed. However, again, this can bloat the book for some readers which is understandable, it is a book that invites you to see the leaves for the trees so to speak. However, this may lead to some losing the plot. 

The characters themselves were serviceable, if a bit thin. Except our two main leads, we don't spend a ton of time with them. They seem nice, but I frequently had to page back to remember who they were. I did appreciate the incidental LGBTQ rep however. I love Laurel and Eli though, two broken people trying to mend each other after a terrible tragedy.  They are written in a way that feels raw to me, and I was rooting for them both at the end. There are a few scenes of them romantically involved with each other, but this is not a romance, and the scenes are easily skippable if needed. However, they are explicit. I found them to be fine as an Ace person, although not my cup of tea. 

If you can wrap your mind around the premise, and stomach some very heady prose, you'll enjoy this book. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Final rating: 4 of 5 stars 

Drink paring: Green tea for new beginnings

The Hyacinth Labrynth: A Lovely Romantic Fey Story For Adventrous Teens

Author: Jamie Pacton

Genre: Fantasy, teen, romance, LGBTQ rep 

Publisher: 

Format: NetGalley E-book

Release Date: June 2nd, 2026

TW:  Mind control, blood, injury, grief, class struggle, PTSD

This was a lovely teen read, fill of fae hi-jinks and a believable bond between two great characters. I love fae stories, and so this appealed to me instantly. But first, the plot: 

Hyacinth is the youngest daughter of Queen Mab, the Queen of the High Fae. As a princess, she should have access to powerful magic and beautiful wings, but she doesn't. Her wings are fake, and she mimics having powers through potions. This makes things worse, as Hyacinth wants to find her father, and not having magic is surely detrimental to that. The other half of this duo is Chloe Wreckersfield, a human former mapper's apprentice turned stable hand hiding as a common Fae girl. Chloe desperately wants to return to her twin sister. Hyacinth and Chloe have been seeing each other in secret and both resolve to skip that year's Solstice ball to go to a once a year market, to both find what they seek. However, they both are hiding their true intentions from one another, including their true feelings. When the market leads to a Labyrinth, will Chloe and Hyacinth be able top survive? Will they finally admit how much they mean to one another? 

This was a wonderful teen read. I loved both Hyacinth and Chloe; they both had clear character arcs and genuine struggles. Hyacinth in particular was a wonderful character; I could really feel her frustration with not having magic. At the same time she is flawed, as she was raised in a higher social class than Chloe and her prejudice does come out. I love Chloe as well, as she is very clearly a survivor, and loves very deeply. I appreciate the queer rep, as both Chloe and Hyacynth are gay, and this is a queer normative setting. There is only kissing between our two leads, and their relationship is adorable. I also appreciated the action, and tie fact that the characters get hurt. There are some real stakes. 

The setting was suitably faerie-tale like, and I loved the colorful citizens of the fae realm. However, some of the settings are a bit sketched in, but that makes sense. The ending may also feel a bit too neat. The prose is also a bit soft, which, again makes sense for the intended audience. 

I recommend this book for teens who want a breezy and heartwarming read. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! 

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

Drink Paring: Black tea with jasmine flowers for kisses under the moonlight

The Subtle Art of Folding Space: An Ambitious Sci-Fi That Has a Few Odd Notes

 

Author: John Chu

Genre: Science fiction, LGBTQ rep, character drama, general fiction, BIPOC rep, Own voices

Publisher: Tor Publishing Group

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: April 7th, 2026

TW: familial abuse, death of a family member (on page) attempted suicide (in the past, off page), funerals, mourning

I encourage my readers to also seek out Chinese and gay reviewers, as although I am a part of the queer community, I am an asexual white woman, and may miss some cultural nuance. 

This book had an amazing premise, but had a few missteps in characterization and for lack of a better term, sci-fi believably.  But first, the plot: 

Behind our universe are the pipes that maintain it (the Skunkworks). Each pipe in the Skunkworks is a law of the universe. The framework of our universe needs constant work, and repair to keep it from deteriorating. Ellie is one of these maintainers, along with her homicidal sister Chris. Their mother, who was one of the best maintainers in the planet, is dying. When Ellie finds out that someone is keeping her mother alive by kitbashing a workaround in the physics of the universe, it's up to her to choose what to do about it. Her choice will reverberate across the inner workings of the universe and more importantly her family. Will she be able to survive her choice? Will her sister ever stop trying to kill her?

I loved the premise of this book. The concept of a whole secret group of people who  keep the universe from breaking down by fixing the very laws of the universe. Each maintainer interacts with the Skunkworks differently and each way that they interact with them is unique to them. (For example,  Ellie's cousin Daniel sees the schematics as food that he can taste and readjust.) This has great potential for  characterization and conflict that the current novel barely scratches the surface of.  

I only wish that other aspects of this book were as strong. Firstly, the characterization in this novel felt off. Our main character, Ellie, is fine, however she clearly doesn't realize that she's been abused. She excuses her sister's abuse constantly and that can be hard to read for some. Also, her relationship with Daniel, a major supporting character/deuteragonist, raises a few eyebrows. She always describes Daniel as some variation of 'built like a fridge but surprisingly graceful' every time she sees him. Every time. It comes off oddly as they are cousins, and are not supposed to be romantic. 

Other than that mischaracterization, the sci-fi is a bit fuzzy. There is lip service paid to things like general relativity and quantum mechanics, but the way that both characters interact with the Skunkworks feels more like a fantasy. The jargon-laden explanations don't help with this feeling, and after parsing it, don't make sense. So be aware as a reader. 

Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed this novel, and will be eagerly looking out for a sequel. If you let the science wash over you, and can look over some raw characterization, you'll love this book.  

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Final rating: 4 stars

Drink paring: Green tea brewed grandpa style, for fixing the universe on the go 

The River She Became: A Revolutionary Romance

 

Author: Emily Varga

Genre: Fantasy, romantasy, dystopia, BIPOC rep

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: August 18th, 2026

TW: Death, child death (on page) racism, body horror, torture

 

This book was blurbed as 'The Mummy meets the Cruel Prince,' and I can see why. This was a fun read, but some aspects were weaker than others. 

But first, the plot: Yasmeena works as a relic hunter-scholar (think archaeologist) for the Citadel, the conquering empire currently oppressing her people. They've been using her knowledge to dig up her people's sacred land rejuvenating relics. These relics (of fey make) will be shipped out of her country, and put into a private museum that her people don't have access to. In addition to this, the Citadel has banned self-expression among Yasmeena's people; they can't wear their traditional clothing or bury their dead. Yasmeena has spent years trying to find the Crown of the Fae Queen, an artifact that will reverse the ravages of her land and take it before the citadel does. But when she crosses the river to escape the Citadel after discovering the vault, she ends up in the fae realm, and ends up in a whole other oppressive regime. Will she be able to survive in this new realm? And who is Kiyan, the handsome and intense captain of the guard, that Yasmeena is drawn to? 

The worldbuilding in this book is amazing (on the fae side). I love the fae, and this book spends eighty percent of its time in the fae realm. We spend a lot of time setting up the intricacies of the fey Courts and their powers. There is a very cool parallel between the Citadel and the Court of Salt, where they both extract resources (the Court of Salt steals powers, and the Citadel takes relics), but their speed is different. The Court of Salt can take people's language and powers, whereas the Citadel takes culture, and is just as brutal, if slower. I felt the fae's pain, and was easily abler to connect them back to the human realm due to the tight worldbuilding for the fae. 

The characters are also quite compelling.  The MMC, the captain Kiyan, is a wonderful character, and is a part of his rebellion while secretly working for the villain. He is complex and grapples with a lot of moral questions, which I enjoyed. His power set is also very cool, and is a result of adaptation rather than 'new powers.' Yasmeena is a brilliant character as well, and very competent. I appreciate the BIPOC representation, as both Kiyan and Yasmeena are dark skinned, which is sadly rare in mainstream romantacy. 

As this is a romantasy, the central relationship is nice. There are a few sex scenes that were competently written, and the leads have chemistry. Also, consent is emphasized, and power dynamics are negotiated and discussed.  

However, for a book blurbed as 'The Mummy' Yasmeena didn't really do much relic hunting outside of the inciting incident. I wish that we could've seen the cultural strata of the fae realm, and would've connected with Yasmeena's work in her world. 

Speaking of her world, the human world is not given much focus after the inciting incident. There is enough there to draw the above-mentioned parallel, but the world feels sketched-in, and very clearly didn't get the worldbuilding the fae realm did, outside of a few things. Yasmeena cares deeply about her people, but the reader doesn't have much of a chance to, aside from basic empathy. (I like that there are unique possibly Middle Eastern inspired elements to their culture, but I want more.)

I hope that Yasmeena's people will get their time to shine  in the sequel which I will definitely be reading. If you like a story of revolution and can forgive some thready worldbuilding, this could be a wonderful read for you.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC! 

Final Rating: 4 of 5 stars 

Drink Paring: Darjeeling tea for the sweet bite

 

  

The Divine Gardener's Handbook: A Rollicking Ride With A Rocky Start

 

Author: Eli Snow

Genre: Fantasy, science fiction, cozy (?) thriller, political thriller

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: August 18th, 2026

Author: Eli Snow

Genre: Fantasy, science fiction, cozy (?) thriller, political thriller

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: August 18th, 2026

TW: Death, child imprisonment, death of a parent (On page), mass riots

 

I was pleasantly surprised  with this novel, even after a bit of a frantic first chapter. 

But first, the plot: Cyprin lives in a megacity, where rats are some of her best friends (she doesn't have many). She desperately wants to leave her sunless existence, and dreams of working for The Petaled Divine in his Garden, and in the meantime, find her father. To accomplish this, she steals a flower from the Head Gardener of the Garden. However, the Head Gardener Purcell doesn't appreciate this (hot and infuriating) upstart coming in and wrecking things. Can she keep the garden from this new threat? Can Cyprin find her guardian? And what is with the secret area of the Garden no one is allowed to go to? 

The setting makes this book. The massive not built for humans after several layers of habitation city contrasts with the perfect Gardens. Anyone who doesn't work in the Gardens is both physically and mentally trapped. However, the city does contrast with the Garden, and that contrast, also shows the Garden to be a gilded age, which is reflected in its perfect environment. Since flowers and plants are a huge part of the book, the language is suitably vivid. 

 I also appreciate the queer representation, as both Cyprin and Purcell are queer. Their relationship was believable to me. There was a lot of humor in their reactions with one another, and I found myself laughing aloud a few times. This  is not a romance novel, but Purcell and Cyprin both have erotic fantasies so be warned. As an ace person, they were well written and okay to read. 

The first chapter had a breakneck pace, dropping you right into the action. However, this can be a problem, as I had to page back and forth between PoVs because the pacing was very quick. However, once you get the names straight, the story moves forward in a very flowing way. I could also see the characters being very divisive. Purcell starts the story hating Cyprin, and she is quite nasty to her at the start. She does improve later (this is a genuine enemies to lovers story) but be warned. 

Ultimately, if you want a relatively cozy read with some bite,  The Divine Gardener's Handbook is your bouquet of flowers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! 

 

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

Drink Paring: Rose infused black tea (for the flowers)