One of us gave it 4 stars. One of us would have given it zero if that were allowed. And one of us was just trying to survive the chaos in between...Welcome back to Check This Bookout, the podcast where two sisters (and their honorary third sister Jamie) review fantasy, romance, and romantasy books.
This episode is our full spoiler review of Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider, our May book club pick. We talk about everything: the villain twist ending that genuinely made Hannah gasp out loud, the fated mates bond between Brynn/Jovi and Acker, why the unreliable narrator in first-person POV created more frustration than payoff, the world of Alaha and why the giant squids deserved more page time, and the one scene ;) that everyone agreed was well done. Plus: our theories on book two, whether Frederick is Jovi's new love interest, the Off Campus TV adaptation, and a very important conversation about birthday party themes.
Metal Slinger is a debut romantasy that got traditionally published after going viral, and this episode is our honest, messy, loving and sometimes brutal take on whether it lived up to the hype.
🤍 All CTB Links: https://linktr.ee/checkthisbookout💌 May Book Club: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
📖 Books Mentioned:
- Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider
- Light Wielder by Rachel Schneider
- Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
- The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
- Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
- Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
- Quicksilver by Callie Hart
- Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
Metal Slinger Synopsis:
"Even though she's not one of them, Brynn has spent her life among the Alaha, training to be a guard and waiting for the chance to attend the annual market hosted by the Kenta–the very same people who exiled her adopted community to a life at sea. Going to the market is a rite of passage eagerly anticipated by all young guards, but Brynn does not anticipate breaking a century-long peace treaty while there. Nor does she plan for the intense encounter with an enemy soldier that now threatens to unwind the fragile coexistence between their people–and everything Brynn once believed about herself to be true.
Brynn's loyalty to the Alaha is tested when the truth of her identity is brought to light by this soldier who's taken an oath to bring her back to where she belongs. Narrowly escaping death on the violent high seas, Brynn's connection to the Alaha is further tested when she learns about the world of magic she's been denied. She was once certain of her fate and where she belonged, but the dark, knowing eyes of this stranger have her questioning everything, including her heart."
Timestamps:
0:00 - cold open
1:40 - ratings reveal
3:10 - spoiler-free plot synopsis (and the bon jovi discovery)
6:30 - spoiler territory: that ending
8:00 - the unreliable narrator problem
14:40 - world building: the good, the half-baked, and the giant squids
18:00 - the fated mates romance breakdown
22:00 - "bring back simping, bring back yearning"
23:50 - the smut scene
25:30 - the messer situation and the mystery bird
31:00 - goodreads review #1: the one that said everything
45:00 - goodreads review #2: the potential this book wasted
51:00 - theories for book two- light wielder
58:00 - the magic system and unanswered questions
1:07:00 - reading the book two preview chapter live
1:13:00 - final ratings (they changed)
1:17:00 - off campus tv adaptation + birthday party theme chaos
1:23:00 - outro and closing
