4 Stars for Lady of Steel and Straw! My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Having not read The Three Musketeers, I can't speak as to how it compares (since every review and the blurb itself mentions it).

Charlotte was an interesting character to read. I really liked her relationship with Worth and how he filled the gap of both father figure and brother figure for her when she needed it most. What I don't understand is how this could ever be a romance between Charlotte and Luc, even in the sequel. They betray each other at every turn, they try to kill each other time and time again. The only "electricity" between the two was during one single kiss that ended up with Charlotte almost killing Luc to escape him. I don't see a real relationship happening and I know the author is going to force it in the next book.

Otherwise, it's a fun fantasy novel. I'm excited to read the sequel whenever it comes out and look forward to reading more about Charlotte and Worth.

I received an advanced copy of Lady of Steel and Straw from the publisher through Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Have you ever been absolutely blown away by a book that you read on a whim? Lady of Steel and Straw is that book for me. I found the cover intriguing and the synopsis tantalizing, but I wasn't sure how I would feel about the story. I am astounded by what I just read.

The world-building? Flawless. Erica Ivy Rodgers has created a world that, if I closed my eyes, I could step into. The history was fascinating, and I found myself wanting to know everything there was to know. I would read this world's history book with no complaints. It was so interesting and fleshed out, and I'm hoping that there's even more to come in the next book.

The characters? The characters. The depth that they had and the emotions they felt were so real and so raw. I'm not always a fan of multiple perspectives, but I adored Charlotte and Luc, and the story would not have been the same if either of their points of view were missing. They were gloriously flawed characters, and their growth was beautiful yet heartbreaking. We didn't get much of Luc's backstory, and I'm hoping we'll see more of it in the future because I am so intrigued by what led him down the path he took. All the side characters were wonderfully fleshed out, their personalities shining in contrast to our main characters. Even the characters who received much less page time felt just as real as those we knew significantly more about.

The plot? Wow. What a story. I don't know what else to say other than I was on the edge of my seat, my eyes moving faster than my brain could process the words. I was hooked.

The writing? Beautiful.

Lady of Steel and Straw was perfection. No notes. Drop the mic. Highly recommend.

This book had an interesting concept. The beginning of the story with Parson’s perspective intrigued me. I was excited to see where the story was going to go. I think it took too long to start. At the point I stopped, something big seemed like it was about to happen. I just wasn’t invested enough to keep going.

This book grabbed me from the first page and didn't let me go until I finished it. Great read with an interesting magic system when it comes to wraiths, wielders, guardians couples with political intrigue, a heroïne with all the flaws of a regular girl and a mysterious connection between her and one of her biggest enemies. Who will turn out to be the light and who is turned to the dark? There are characters you can't help but love and a few you love to hate. If you like fantasy I would entourage you to give this one a try.

***This review was left voluntarily after receiving a review. ***

I wanted to love this because a French historical fantasy inspired by The Three Musketeers sounds right up my alley. Unfortunately, I had to skim most of the book in order to get through it. Despite the writing being both accessible and vivid, the book felt unbearably long, and the characters were largely uninteresting to me. I did like Worth and Charlotte’s relationship, and I was quite fond of Micah. I did not like the romance between Luc and Charlotte, as I felt they had little chemistry and it was forced just to have a romance subplot. I didn’t care much about Luc or Charlotte themselves as characters either. Ultimately, an interesting premise, but not the book for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It is apparently the first in a series, so most of the book is dedicated to setting the stage for the showdowns to come. The two main characters could have more depth of personality. Their backstories provide the motivation for their actions, but thei female main character is primarily a naive young woman driven by vengeance and the male main character is a naive young man driven by guilt. I think more nuance would make them more sympathetic. As it is, the supporting cast really made this book work. I am a huge fan of The Three Musketeers, and the supporting characters in this book reflected the loyalty and camaraderie I so loved in Dumas' works.
This was an enjoyable, imaginative adventure and I will continue the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to review the ARC.

When Is tarted this book I did not realise this book has multiple parts. So I went into this book with a different expectations than I left with when I finished this book. That could have been a me thing for not reading the complete summary.

In my head I have compared this book to Gideon the Ninth but instead of space it is set in a fantasy world. Which I would say is my personal preference.
The world building in this book is a quick yet so clear you are complete sucked into it. Seeing as this is a YA book is always a plus because then at least it moves quickly.
The writing in this book is beautifully done and it truly sticks to the plot without unnecessary side quests which is a person pet peeve of mine.

This book may not have been a person favorite but I can see myself recommending this book to people who want to start reading YA fantasy

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

This is a nice book, I liked the found family. But my gosh are most of the characters idiots. The magic system is interesting and I had hoped we could delve into it deeper.

Such a unique, fantastic premise, and so well executed! A relatable, spunky protagonist who refuses to make herself small to fit society expectations, and a boy torn between belief and duty in a corrupt court setting. The magic and worldbuilding are riveting— I love the concept of the Guardians.

Fantasy is a genre I don’t usually gravitate towards, but I was so excited to get to read an advance copy of “Lady of Steel and Straw” from NetGalley for review. Within a few chapters, I was so wrapped up in the story of Guardians, Wraiths, Charlotte, Luc and light and dark.

The story is told from multiple points of view, clearly noted at the beginning of every chapter. The world they live in is carefully laid out without wasting the readers time not losing their interest. It flows at a steady pace, and I never wanted to put the book down and leave the world behind.

Young Adult, but any one of any age would enjoy this book. Loved it from start to finish! Thank you NetGalley for letting me peek into this world in exchange for review before it went out into the word.

This sounded like a unique fantasy and the cover is very appealing. I was into it, while I was reading. I liked the idea of scarecrows being a line of defense. However, I dnfed this at 35% I really wanted to push through but I knew if I did it would have gotten a low rating. While I was reading, it was fine but I had been reading this for over 3 weeks and only reached 35%. I don't know why the pace was so slow when there was actually action happening. This just wasn't a story that I couldn't put down.

A thoroughly enjoyable page turner featuring a unique "magic" system (calling it that for lack of a better term), believable characters, and a heavy dose of corrupt religion-politics. Let me start with a disclaimer, though: the heroine here is flawed with a capital F. Passionate and headstrong, Charlotte Sand is a person who acts before she thinks. She makes so many mistakes and regrettable decisions, and the repercussions are anything but mild. This might be frustrating to some readers, but it is all handled with so much realism and truth that you can't help but empathize with her. You feel the ache of her regret and bitterness of her shame, and you burn for revenge along with her.

The rest of the cast is appropriately lovable or loathsome, and all are written with enough complexity and depth that they stand on their own. The relationships between them are dynamic and generally intriguing. I can't quite say I'm shipping the main maybe-romance, but I am certainly interested in seeing how these two sort everything out.

The plot starts at a steady pace that gradually quickens before really taking off in the latter half of the book. The last few chapters are bonafide page-turners that reach can't-put-down territory. Truly action packed and full of suspense. And while several of the book's twists are not exactly unexpected, they stick their landing-- satisfactorily hitting home and nailing their emotionally beats. I honestly can't wait for the sequel!

As for the world-building, I really love the concept of the spirits and Guardians. The lore re: the scarecrow's stuffing has me hoping for a full chart with the name of each Guardian, the herbs used for their scarecrow, and their abilities. As for the setting itself, I feel like some might wish for greater detail. We aren't told that much about the workings of the larger world or given explicit details about how each of the religions function, and indeed, I do have some questions. (For example, there are characters named something along the lines of Name St. Name. But neither religion mentions saints? So what's up with that?) But on the whole, I think Rodgers does a good job of giving us just enough information to set the stage and orient the story while also giving a sense of a wider, deeper world we've yet to explore. It's enough to feel on solid ground while also leaving room for the imagination. (No info dumps or excruciatingly detailed meal descriptions here.)

Overall, a suspenseful, if not heartbreaking, fantasy that treads some familiar territory, while being elevated by it's unique "magic" concepts and the complex relationships of it's characters. I'll anxiously be awaiting the next one.

“Lady of Steel and Straw” is a ya fantasy novel written by Erica Ivy Rodgers. A book with an intriguing premise that unfortunately did not convince me in its development. I don't know, I found the prose a bit cold and cumbersome, without particular sentiment, and this prevented me from connecting with the story. The narration gave me a sense of dragging, of heaviness, despite the many events present. I perceived several convenient situations, various plot holes, and more in general a sort of haste in dealing with the various situations. The setting fascinated me a lot, although I found it nebulous. Charlotte and Luc, protagonists with their respective third person povs, did not convince me. In theory they had all the potential to win me over with their load of torment, but in practice they seemed superficial and inexpressive, so much so that I was unable to become fond of them and their events. All in all, I found it a novel with fantastic ideas and a pleasant setting, which unfortunately did not convince me in its development.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Peachtree Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lady of Steel and Straw by Erica Ivy Rodgers is a Wizard of Oz-inspired YA fantasy that will appeal to adult readers as well. The story is told from a dual 3rd person POV, focusing on Lady Charlotte Sand and Captain Luc de Montaigne. Charlotte has the magical power to stop dead spirits who have turned into wraiths. Luc de Montaigne is from a rival religion and he meets Charlotte while on a mission to collect the hearts of guardians from Charlotte's religion. When the two meet, sparks fly, but since they are from rival religions, their relationship is absolutely forbidden. Will the pair learn to look past their differences or will they be killed by the wraiths around them?

Here is a beautiful excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from Charlotte's point of view:

""Every creature from here to town can feel the discontent rolling off you," called Grandmother. "You'll wake the wraiths on your own, if you aren't careful."
"It's not discontent," grumbled Charlotte. But Charlotte didn't know what to call it either-this feeling akin to emptiness. Maybe it was emptiness, just not the desolate kind. It was a vessel waiting to be filled. A place in her chest, wide open and ready for possibilities.
From the ground, a shard of white caught the sun, and Charlotte knelt to touch the bleached bone. The wraith inhabiting it gave a small shiver. Charlotte forced a smile, encouaging the wraith to rest. Its weak consciousness grasped greedily at the edges of the peace she offered before quieting as Charlotte pressed the bone deeper into the loam."

Overall, Lady of Steel and Straw is a YA fantasy that I think will appeal more to adult readers, especially fans of The Witcher. From the title and cover art, I was expecting something like Syfy's Tin Man mini-series or NBC's Emerald City series. Instead, the Oz references were far and few between, which was a bit disappointing. One highlight of this book is the premise. After reading the summary, I was so excited to dive into this fantasy world. I was so excited to start reading.

I did take off 1 star because I had to force myself to keep reading through a lot of this book. It's very long, for starters, which is one of the reasons why I think that this book would appeal more to adult readers in general. I took off another star, because I felt like I couldn't connect to any of the characters. The book is told from a dual 3rd person POV, focusing on the male and female leads. Although I prefer 3rd person when the POV has to be told from dual perspectives, I didn't particularly like Charlotte or Luc. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, you can check out this book when it comes out in June.

I have to say that this book definitely started slow and improved as it went along. I think that the prologue should have been reworked or cut. It introduced too much lore/world building in too short a period of time and did not do it well.

I very much enjoyed the characters of Luc and Charlotte as well as their dynamic as former childhood friends. However, this relationship and the relationship between Worth and Luc would've benefitted from a couple of flashback sequences giving them more depth. We generally needed more Luc POV chapters that were longer, particularly at the end as it made the pacing choppy during the climax.

We also needed more time spent with Worth and Charlotte building upon their bond since that is such an important component of Charlotte's journey as a character.

Also, I would've liked better explanations for the magic system and the two religions. They were all very vague which didn't help the story or its themes.

However, I liked the homages to the Three Musketeers as well as the themes of light vs. darkness and choosing what type of person you want to be. Charlotte's journey of moving on from her grief and rage was a highlight of the book. The whole concept of the guardians was also super cool. (And thank you thank you thank you for not having any romance develop between Worth and Charlotte).

I do want to see where this series goes, I want to see more guardians!

Reviews going live on goodreads, storygraph and Instagram on 4/16 and TikTok on 4/17

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a chance at reading this before release.

In High School Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers was my jam. I loved the book, I loved the 60's film. So, reading this was a real treat since it was inspired by the book.

Set in a fantasy world where guardians (in the form of scarecrows) bind themselves to a child within the family (or in on case, someone who is worthy), these scarecrows help their bound one vanquish wraiths. The wraiths are unset ghosts of those who passed on who feed off the vibes of anger and hatred from others. 10 years ago, our FL (Charlotte) had a father who was part of an elite guard of those who worked with their guardians. Then, one day, someone killed the King and Queen, leaving our FL's father the blame. He was killed, and in result the guardians were shut away for ten years as punishment.

In this new world regime 10 years later, the prince is now grown and is being plagued by nightmares and visitations of wraiths. The cardinal who serves the crown wishes to put an end to the guardians because of religious views that the wraiths are actually being controlled by the guardians and not put to rest. Charlotte becomes a guardian when her brother (who was next to take the role her father once had) is slain.
And so begins the story.

I liked the characters, the guardians were interesting and had good camaraderie with one another. You had one that was big and strong, another who was fast and flighty. And you had Charlotte's who is like a father figure. Each of them assist Charlotte while they are on a mission to protect the order / guardians and the throne from a person or persons who are up to no good.

You have the romance interest, a boy who had grown up once trained under her father, who then fell into the clutches of the cardinal who had grown up through the ranks and has become the second in command to the crown's army (and under the control of the cardinal). He has doubts regarding the faith (the gods who gave the powers to the guardians), his own faith, and the past / present history he has with his mentor's daughter. I enjoyed their moments together - lots 0f sexual tension and debate within himself.

Now why did I rank it a three star read? I wanted more world building, I wanted to know about the gods and the angst our ML (Luc) was having with himself. Why did he feel so dependent on the cardinal? Why did he believe that here was where he would put his life and oath? We really didn't really get that. Which is wrapped up in the whole story of the gods and their powers they entrusted on the guardians. The guardians have been around for hundreds of years. But yet, we never really understood the gods and their purposes. Which in turn, makes me not quite understand Luc's dedication to the cardinal.

I felt that while I enjoyed the group (the guardians), their roles felt kind of there as propping up the FML instead of having goals, dreams of their own. We didn't really get a strong backstory on them either besides what they tell you throughout the book. I just want to know more about them and for a book that requires such a backstory - especially one where the crown is in danger - of scarecrows coming to life and protecting the crown? Yeah. I want to care about the crown instead of feeling ready to off it because someone is telling me the cardinal's control is bad.

There is a villain that killed the FML father which spurs the story into motion. I liked him and it was sad that his role was only at the beginning and end of the book.

Overall, there is promise in the book and in the tale if it moves forward. While I did enjoy myself, and I am curious for book two, I want more than what I got. I don't know if the author is withholding or certain things are not to be told at all in the story, it does hurt when you have to fill in the blanks and or craft rules to a story that requires them.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this but this one is unfortunately a DNF for me. I tried but I couldn't get into the story.

I enjoyed this one! The expanse of its worldbuilding is impressive, and while I can't explain why, the lilac vibes throughout were entirely appreciated.

Though, I also found that I was a bit confused on how exactly the magic system worked and why, and I felt a bit bogged down with the details. It was a bit difficult to orientate myself. This is totally a me thing though, and there is so much good stuff about this book that I'm sure others are going to love it!

I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink | Peachtree Teen, in exchange for an honest review.

In her YA fantasy debut, Lady of Steel and Shadow, Erica Ivy Rodgers wrote a swashbuckling and captivating story inspired by the Three Musketeers. This brisk-paced adventurous novel follows two protagonists (and POV characters) whose stories and fates are intertwined: the feisty Lady Charlotte Sand and the pious but tormented (those things tend to go hand in hand) Captain Luc de Montaigne.

Both Charlotte and Luc are interesting and (more importantly for me) flawed characters and I enjoyed discovering more about them, the world they inhabit and seeing how they develop. Charlotte as a character was particularly interesting to follow. She was not portrayed as this perfectly capable infallible heroine, but (true to her age in the novel) as a young woman who is starting her life journey. Like almost every person her age, she has strong convictions and firm ideas about how the world is supposed to be, she can be impulsive and makes mistakes... This made following her journey relatable and interesting.

Luc's character development was equally intriguing to follow, despite some predictabilities in the themes there which did not bother me. His struggles and anguish regarding his past, faith, choices and actions he made in addition to his attraction to Charlotte were well written and captured the reader's attention.

Regarding the fantasy world and setting the author created, the inspiration from The Musketeers and 17th-century France is there, however, the author brings her ideas and imagination to the story and creates a fascinating world. However, the author chose not to burden the readers with a lot of details about the world, its history or the magic system. Keeping in mind the target audience - younger readers who might just be dipping their toes into the SFF genre, this is not something I would hold against the author.

Lady of Steel and Straw was a gripping and enjoyable novel that would be a good fit for (younger) readers who are making their foray into the SFF genre. The story and the characters are engrossing enough to keep the readers interested and more. However, by not providing huge amounts of lore the author managed to keep the pace and avoided overburdening the novel and her readers with lore and (other) details that would undeniably be interesting, but perhaps mess up the novel's pace.

I loved the world building. It takes a bit to get into the story but I found it to be a very enjoyable book.