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Turrim Archive #3
Hearts of Stone and Steel
“Treasure Planet meets Firefly in this epic adventure!”
This is book 3 of the 5-book Turrim Archive series. And I thought really hard about how to write a blurb for it, but everything I came up with seemed to give far too many spoilers for what had come in the first two books.
A clean, family-friendly gaslamp fantasy, this series contains airship pirates, a military academy, a mysterious wizard, genetic engineering, and as you can probably tell by the cover, this installment might even have a few robots!
The story continues here from where it started in The Orb and the Airship and left off in Mantles of Oak and Iron. The stakes are higher. The characters are in the middles of their arcs. And the adventure is ramping up! Come along for the ride! (But seriously, start at book 1).
This is book 3 of the 5-book Turrim Archive series. And I thought really hard about how to write a blurb for it, but everything I came up with seemed to give far too many spoilers for what had come in the first two books.
A clean, family-friendly gaslamp fantasy, this series contains airship pirates, a military academy, a mysterious wizard, genetic engineering, and as you can probably tell by the cover, this installment might even have a few robots!
The story continues here from where it started in The Orb and the Airship and left off in Mantles of Oak and Iron. The stakes are higher. The characters are in the middles of their arcs. And the adventure is ramping up! Come along for the ride! (But seriously, start at book 1).
420 pages, Paperback
Published June 25, 2024
1 person is currently reading
992 people want to read
About the author
Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
21 books261 followersCome along with me on an epic adventure. We will face dragons (we might even ride them), we will pilot airships. We will fight villains. We will join a pirate crew. We will wield magical swords. We will fight the forces of evil.
And we will be home in time for dinner.
But we will not go home unchanged.
Fantastical adventures ahead! But be warned:
Safe Return Doubtful!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
During the days, I wrangle four small hobbits and help them along on their adventures.
Basically, I'm Gandalf.
But come evenings, when the hobbits are sleeping... I become my alter-ego: PLOT WIZARD (still a wizard, just a different kind)... and adventures await in the pages I scribble upon.
I'm a dreamer, a relentless opener of doors in the hope of someday finding passage to Narnia, and story girl.
I love hanging out on Goodreads, but it's not the best for actual conversation. If you want to chat books with me, come find me on instagram: @JenelleLSchmidt or at my blog: https://jenelleschmidt.com/blog
And we will be home in time for dinner.
But we will not go home unchanged.
Fantastical adventures ahead! But be warned:
Safe Return Doubtful!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
During the days, I wrangle four small hobbits and help them along on their adventures.
Basically, I'm Gandalf.
But come evenings, when the hobbits are sleeping... I become my alter-ego: PLOT WIZARD (still a wizard, just a different kind)... and adventures await in the pages I scribble upon.
I'm a dreamer, a relentless opener of doors in the hope of someday finding passage to Narnia, and story girl.
I love hanging out on Goodreads, but it's not the best for actual conversation. If you want to chat books with me, come find me on instagram: @JenelleLSchmidt or at my blog: https://jenelleschmidt.com/blog
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 8, 2025
This was another excellent entry in the Turrim Archive! While it included some very sad parts, I still loved the story, especially the continuing themes of brotherhood and redemption, the dynamic of Grayden, Beren, and Nicola, and watching Wynn start to figure himself out. The Grayden/Beren/Nicola storyline was probably my favorite, but it was all very good. Plus, we got more lore regarding Dalmar and his past!
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April 9, 2024I love this book, friends. It may be my favorite thing I've ever written.
I can't wait for you to read it!
A heroic rescue attempt is underway. Enemies must work together toward a common purpose. The deadline approaches. And a quest into the heart of the mountains may hold the key to saving them all.
I can't wait for you to read it!
A heroic rescue attempt is underway. Enemies must work together toward a common purpose. The deadline approaches. And a quest into the heart of the mountains may hold the key to saving them all.
June 15, 2024
A glorious adventure and continuation of the series!
I loved how it has so many different plots but still kept my attention. My favorite character, Wyn, is back, and other mains are also narrators. The characters we have come to love are growing and I enjoyed all of it, including the heartbreaking suspense.
If I could sum up this plot without being too spoilery:
Grayden and Beren solve a mystery.
Dalmir goes on a quest for an Orb.
Wynn embraces his role as an inventor.
Marik goes on a rescue mission.
Of course, all of these adventures are far more interesting than my summary, but I couldn't possibly tell you more than that. All I can say is that I continue to love these characters and the adventures they have together or apart! If you haven't read this series, you need to.
I loved how it has so many different plots but still kept my attention. My favorite character, Wyn, is back, and other mains are also narrators. The characters we have come to love are growing and I enjoyed all of it, including the heartbreaking suspense.
If I could sum up this plot without being too spoilery:
Grayden and Beren solve a mystery.
Dalmir goes on a quest for an Orb.
Wynn embraces his role as an inventor.
Marik goes on a rescue mission.
Of course, all of these adventures are far more interesting than my summary, but I couldn't possibly tell you more than that. All I can say is that I continue to love these characters and the adventures they have together or apart! If you haven't read this series, you need to.
August 19, 2024
My favourite of the Turrim Archive so far! A lot of different characters are being juggled, but each one is handled so well that the storyline remains well-paced and enthralling. Each switch of perspective quickly hooked me in, then left me not wanting it to end. Masterful weaving of plot threads! I can’t wait to see how this all unfolds.
June 25, 2024
Hearts of Stone and Steel is the third book in Jenelle Leanne Schmidt's Turrim series. The adventures continue and the stakes get higher as we follow the story threads of Grayden and Beren, Wynn, Dalmir, and Marik and his crew. I loved each of the story threads as the author wove them together, going deeper, broader, and more epic with each turn of the page. She blends the fantasy elements and airships in a world on the cusp of technology advancements in their world so well.
I have to admit I do struggle sometimes to remember some of the minor characters and their connections or place names they refer to because there are so many and the world so richly built, but that probably has more to do with my brain and interruptions.
I have enjoyed this story and this book immensely and cannot wait for the next book! Highly recommend! But definitely start with the first book!
*I did receive an advanced reader copy, but I loved it so much I had to buy myself a copy!
I have to admit I do struggle sometimes to remember some of the minor characters and their connections or place names they refer to because there are so many and the world so richly built, but that probably has more to do with my brain and interruptions.
I have enjoyed this story and this book immensely and cannot wait for the next book! Highly recommend! But definitely start with the first book!
*I did receive an advanced reader copy, but I loved it so much I had to buy myself a copy!
May 3, 2025
This third journey had so many moving parts and that’s beyond the literal incredible feats of machinery we encountered. Our friends were stretched from one side of the world to the other in order to accomplish the tasks before them, and we got to take the exhilarating ride with them once again.
For most of our friends, it became a tougher journey, and it shaped them in different ways. A longtime favorite, the pirate captain Marik, finds himself desperate to save a fellow crewmate. But more than that she’s a dear friend, like a sister to him. He beats himself up for not stopping it in the first place, for not telling her it was too dangerous. Now as he attempts to save her, his plan uncovers an even more heartbreaking possible outcome, and he questions whether he dares take the help offered to him. His past comes to stand before him and its repercussions in the present. Yet alongside it he glimpses a sliver of redemption to lighten the guilty stain that weighs on his spirit.
And he’s not the only one who finds the present constantly taking him back to a past he wishes he could remake in so many ways. The mysterious ancient Dalmir reveals more about the part he and his family played to bring the world to its current disaster. Or in some cases, what they didn’t do. It’s the horrible reality of not seeing the cancer among their own blood and then discovering too late the world had come apart. Dalmir remembers the beauty of what had been and the good times spent with his family. Yet in the same moment, it’s all washed away by the curse of betrayal and its destructive power. The tears were more frequent and the burden on his soul grew heavier in this journey.
For our defenders, Wynn, Beren, and Grayden, it’s a different path than expected. Beren and Grayden prove they have talents beyond those with a blade. Their assignment has them teamed up with a most unlikely associate and it takes everything in them not chop their associate’s head off. However, for the good of the mission, the two show amazing restraint and discover a strategy to conquer even this battlefield. For our defender Wynn, this had extremely ugly patches. He had to find his own way. His best friend, Grayden, wasn’t beside him for the first time. Was being a defender Wynn’s dream or had he fooled himself into thinking it was because it was Grayden’s? The Wynn we see emerges from Grayden’s shadow and he reshapes the dream into what it looks like for him. And it is truly uniquely Wynn. For Wynn sees from a different perspective, one that can take the most complex vision in his head and form it into being. No one else can claim that battlefield but Wynn. But it has cruel twist for Wynn. For he’s reminded of what the battleground is made of, what the cost is. It’s not the machine parts that he puts together into a whole. After all those can be rebuilt. No, it’s the fight that is measured in flesh and blood. Life and death. On both sides. It’s that vision Wynn grapples with for what seems like forever because at his core lies a gentle heart. And as Wynn weeps, we weep with him as his humanity comes through. It's a changed Wynn that emerges, one that acknowledges and hates the grave cost of war, but is determined to defend those closest to him.
And it’s a charge that all of our friends on the journey must now take up as war comes to them and they are the only ones standing between the innocent and the enemy. The mistakes of the past must be put aside to conquer the present threat to secure a future of hope.
For most of our friends, it became a tougher journey, and it shaped them in different ways. A longtime favorite, the pirate captain Marik, finds himself desperate to save a fellow crewmate. But more than that she’s a dear friend, like a sister to him. He beats himself up for not stopping it in the first place, for not telling her it was too dangerous. Now as he attempts to save her, his plan uncovers an even more heartbreaking possible outcome, and he questions whether he dares take the help offered to him. His past comes to stand before him and its repercussions in the present. Yet alongside it he glimpses a sliver of redemption to lighten the guilty stain that weighs on his spirit.
And he’s not the only one who finds the present constantly taking him back to a past he wishes he could remake in so many ways. The mysterious ancient Dalmir reveals more about the part he and his family played to bring the world to its current disaster. Or in some cases, what they didn’t do. It’s the horrible reality of not seeing the cancer among their own blood and then discovering too late the world had come apart. Dalmir remembers the beauty of what had been and the good times spent with his family. Yet in the same moment, it’s all washed away by the curse of betrayal and its destructive power. The tears were more frequent and the burden on his soul grew heavier in this journey.
For our defenders, Wynn, Beren, and Grayden, it’s a different path than expected. Beren and Grayden prove they have talents beyond those with a blade. Their assignment has them teamed up with a most unlikely associate and it takes everything in them not chop their associate’s head off. However, for the good of the mission, the two show amazing restraint and discover a strategy to conquer even this battlefield. For our defender Wynn, this had extremely ugly patches. He had to find his own way. His best friend, Grayden, wasn’t beside him for the first time. Was being a defender Wynn’s dream or had he fooled himself into thinking it was because it was Grayden’s? The Wynn we see emerges from Grayden’s shadow and he reshapes the dream into what it looks like for him. And it is truly uniquely Wynn. For Wynn sees from a different perspective, one that can take the most complex vision in his head and form it into being. No one else can claim that battlefield but Wynn. But it has cruel twist for Wynn. For he’s reminded of what the battleground is made of, what the cost is. It’s not the machine parts that he puts together into a whole. After all those can be rebuilt. No, it’s the fight that is measured in flesh and blood. Life and death. On both sides. It’s that vision Wynn grapples with for what seems like forever because at his core lies a gentle heart. And as Wynn weeps, we weep with him as his humanity comes through. It's a changed Wynn that emerges, one that acknowledges and hates the grave cost of war, but is determined to defend those closest to him.
And it’s a charge that all of our friends on the journey must now take up as war comes to them and they are the only ones standing between the innocent and the enemy. The mistakes of the past must be put aside to conquer the present threat to secure a future of hope.
October 6, 2024
This might be the third book in the series, but it is by no means third class in terms of story, writing, action, or character development! It was such a joy to reenter this gaslamp world of airships, inventions, and soft magic. Part swashbuckling adventure as Team Marik undertakes a risky rescue mission, part dungeon crawl as Team Dalmir hunts down another orb, part murder mystery as Team Grayden sleuth their way through the city to solve a tough case, this book is all fun with absolutely no good places to stop from cover to cover, full of prophecies, puzzles, espionage, and hard choices. The depth of Wynn's character journey moved me as he struggles through disappointment, loneliness, and self-loathing on his own mission under the mountain, which also gives clues to some pretty crazy developments that I cannot wait to see in future books. Also, it turns out Grayden and Beren are fairly clever con men, which was delightful to watch.
But keep an eye out for those automatons. Especially the spiders.
But keep an eye out for those automatons. Especially the spiders.
June 25, 2024
The adventure continues with so many fun revelations, twists, character growth, and the enemy has a WHAT?! I loved the gripping action and daring of the characters. Many choices were made with both good and bad consequences, even some with a mix of both. Several great revelations about the magic/tech and things once hidden add to a deeper understanding of Turrim's truths.
The stakes continue to ramp up as Turrim heads closer to war. Will the revelations and exploits be in time to help them fight what still appears to be a greater threat? This is the middle book of the series and there is no sagging in this middle. I'm ready for book 4 already!
Definitely read from book one because this is a series that is a continuation of a much larger story. You will miss out on so much if you don’t.
NOTE: I bought the book on preorder, but I had the pleasure of reading an ARC so I could post this fun on release day.
The stakes continue to ramp up as Turrim heads closer to war. Will the revelations and exploits be in time to help them fight what still appears to be a greater threat? This is the middle book of the series and there is no sagging in this middle. I'm ready for book 4 already!
Definitely read from book one because this is a series that is a continuation of a much larger story. You will miss out on so much if you don’t.
NOTE: I bought the book on preorder, but I had the pleasure of reading an ARC so I could post this fun on release day.
June 28, 2024
My sons (ages 10 and 12) and I have been reading this series aloud, and they were so excited to get started on this one! The stakes are definitely getting higher as the conflict against the Igyeum looms closer. But while the narrative is getting darker, there are still plenty of moments of wonder, humor, and hope. It was fun seeing Wynn exploring his unique talents separate from Grayden and Beren, and I probably enjoy Ericole Niveya's character more than I should :) Dalmir continues to be his quirky, unpredictable self, and it was interesting to learn more about his brothers and the way they used their powers. I'll never get tired of exploring new areas and facets of the vivid world Schmidt has created! Readers definitely need to start at the beginning of this series to fully appreciate the complexities of the plot and storyworld, but once you've read books 1 and 2 you'll want to dive right into this one!
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.*
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.*
May 11, 2025
*audiobook review*
Hearts of Stone and Steel is the third book in the Turrim Archives by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt.
This third installment introduces even more subplots each with it's own unique world building elements. unlike the second book I found each subplot in this novel to be equally engaging. I especially enjoyed Dalmar's origin story and the murder investigation subplot featuring Grayden and Baron.
I appreciate series that have the same narrator all the way through. Benjamin Fife once again regals us with his talent for accents and creates a seamless listening experience by keeping the voices consistent for each character even between books.
Hearts of Stone and Steel is the third book in the Turrim Archives by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt.
This third installment introduces even more subplots each with it's own unique world building elements. unlike the second book I found each subplot in this novel to be equally engaging. I especially enjoyed Dalmar's origin story and the murder investigation subplot featuring Grayden and Baron.
I appreciate series that have the same narrator all the way through. Benjamin Fife once again regals us with his talent for accents and creates a seamless listening experience by keeping the voices consistent for each character even between books.
August 20, 2024
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway and didn't realize it was the third in the series. I'm so glad I read the rest of the series and finally got to this one! This book was definitely action packed. There were a lot of different things happening with all the characters, but that made the story move along quickly. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the fourth one.
May 2, 2025
It was cool to see Wynn come into his own as an inventor (though some of his inventions are pretty scary). I enjoyed Grayden and Beren’s involvement in a murder investigation and learning more of Dalmir’s mysterious backstory. And Mouse’s. The story and culture of where he was raised was truly fascinating. Finishing the book with many, but not all, of our people together, was a relief, but we need to find out if Raisa’s alright! On to Book 4!
September 27, 2024
*4.5 stars
I can hardly wait to dig into more! I just would have liked a couple more answers - but I guess those will come in the next book just as the previous books have done :)
I can hardly wait to dig into more! I just would have liked a couple more answers - but I guess those will come in the next book just as the previous books have done :)
December 14, 2024
Keeps you turning the page
Each one keeps getting better than the last. The excitement is building and the characters are growing and evolving. A must read!
Each one keeps getting better than the last. The excitement is building and the characters are growing and evolving. A must read!
February 11, 2025
I discovered the Turrim Archive last year. I nearly didn’t pick it up due to the fact that I don’t particularly like steampunk. But boy am I glad that I did. These books have quickly taken their place as my favorite fantasy books. Schmidt writes characters that have depth and nuance and despite the fact that there are quite a few characters by the third book. They all remain distinct from one another and feel equally important to the story. The way our characters experience the world makes it seem familiar and ancient, even though it is full of magic and fantastical machinery. These were the types of books that I picked up impulsively throughout the day like I might my do with my phone. I am impatiently waiting for the fourth book.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews