Follow Pandora Smalls, a mage unlike any other as she navigates the royal court in search of a patron, someone she can bind herself to in order to control her magic and avoid being out to death for breaking the Queen’s Mage Laws. There’s just one problem, Pan is already bound to a patron who has turned her into a weapon with more magic than any mage should be capable of. Only as the girls in her class start turning up dead, their magic drained, Pan must team up with Royal Guard Beacon to discover who is behind the murders and break her binding once and for all.

There were things I liked and disliked about the world built in this book. It’s pretty typical in the royal court fashion, nothing special in the schoolgirl rivalry and the romance. However the spellfire was a completely unique form of magic that was fun to read about. On the other hand, there is something profoundly disturbing about a world where girls are forced to bind themselves in service or as the spouse of someone else, especially at such a young age (13) or be put to death—especially disturbing when you take into account the boys with magic do not have to follow the same rules.

Pandora wasn’t a particularly interesting protagonist to me. She is constantly described as plain and small, a mouse, when she is supposed to be the most powerful magic user of all. I am sure this was in juxtaposition of the moment when she would reveal her magic and accept herself, but honestly it was rather annoying to have it reiterated so many times, and for her to have Beacon rescue her constantly.

I think this would be a good introductory book for someone trying to break into fantasy looking for a quick and easy read.

Steel & Spellfire
by Laura E. Weymouth
Pub Date: Jul 22 2025

In the city of Valora, where mages are feared and closely governed by the law, Pandora Small spends her life pretending to be someone she is not. Raised in seclusion by a shrouded guardian, Pandora learned to wield her magic in a way the world has never seen, making her more weapon than girl.

Pandora may have escaped her guardian, but powerful forces keep them bound together and she’ll do anything to find them again to break their bond for good. Posing as an Ingenue, a well-off young woman with limited magic, Pandora hopes to gain access to the royal court’s social season and the wealthy elite who make it their playing ground. Pandora’s arrival at court becomes more complicated when Kit Beacon, a promising young member of the royal guard, discovers the true scope of Pandora’s deadly magic. Secretly sympathetic towards mages and convinced that Pandora is no harm to the public, Beacon agrees to keep her secret.

But when someone or something with powers terribly like Pandora’s own begins killing her fellow Ingenues, Beacon must decide whether Pandora is truly innocent or if there’s ruthless killer lying under her masterfully crafted facade. And Pandora will have to open up to gain Beacon’s trust because joining forces may be the only way for Pandora to find her freedom and catch the real killer plaguing the city.

This one didn’t hook me like I wanted it to. I think the issue is with me I’m not huge on YA anymore but I still wanted to give this one a shot, maybe later down the road when I’m in a different mood

Thank you to Simon Teen for providing me this ARC!!

This is a 3.5/5 star read.

I just wanna start out by saying this book isn’t normally the type of thing I read. I go for more epic fantasies, usually something part of a series.

But reading Steel & Spellfire I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself enjoying it. There were a lot of aspects I liked, and some I didn’t. So here are the pros and cons!

Pros:

• The fantasy aspects of this book were really well done. The world felt very alive and I loved the magic system so much!
• The characters were relatable and layered, and they weren’t perfect, which was great!
• I liked the air of mystery/suspense in this book a lot. It kept me on edge and kept me wanting to confine reading.

Cons:

• I was really bored for the first hundred or so pages, which is not good at all. I understand it was a lot of buildup but I considered DNFing this book more than once.
• I wasn’t a fan of some of the characters names. For some reason, some of them just made me cringe (but I think that’s more of a me thing lol)
• I didn’t like how Pandora kept be described as small and fragile and little. I get that she was, but to keep saying it over and over got kind of annoying to me…also her last name being Small and then having her being described as a mouse, as petite, etc. Just wasn’t a fan of it!

Overall, I liked this book. It was easily digestible, nothing that stood out as phenomenal or life-changing, but a pleasant read. Definitely worth it if you enjoy Bridgerton mixed with fantasy!

This was an interesting one! I felt that the romance was too insta-lovey but once I realized at the end that this was a standalone (I think?) I forgave it a little bit. I was much more invested in the relationships between Pandora/Imogen and Theo/Imogen! Loved seeing Pan and Imogen’s friendship blossom. The magic system was kind of hit or miss at some points, and I didn’t really care about the final patron reveal. Overall, it was just alright.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for the DRC!

𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘭 & 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 follows a talented young mage escaping persecution by posing as an Ingenue during court season. She's hoping to locate, and destroy, her magic-bound patron, but her mission becomes complicated as her fellow Ingenues are murdered and a handsome guard discovers her secret. This entertaining escape is full of mystery, intrigue, and forbidden romance.

When I saw 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘴 as a comp title, I knew I was going to need this book like I need air. It's a fun and bingeable YA fantasy with a sweet romantic subplot, which is exactly what I expect from Simon Teen titles. It's not anything groundbreaking, but it delivers to its target audience in a way it means to.

We have a society that fears the unknown and misunderstood - which results in hunting a population with magical gifts. We meet an orphan girl with a mysterious past and powerful magic, and we watch as she infiltrates high society and falls for a palace guard. It's a bit formulaic, but I think that's to be expected.

I wasn't expecting the love interest, Beacon, to be attracted to Pan so quickly, but it made some sense and was rather sweet in its protective nature. However, you may want to pass if you aren't looking for insta-love.

I would recommend this for fans of 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯.