Light Wielder

Fire & Metal #2

by Rachel Schneider

It’s been four years since Jovie betrayed Acker, fracturing their relationship. Her decision to take King Edmond’s magic, sparing his life at Acker’s request, has sparked a brutal war. The Kenta and Strou forces ally against the Roison and Alaha, with Maile perched dangerously on the edge of their battles.

Jovie is determined to keep the innocent Maile people from a conflict she helped start―even if it means suppressing the Matching Bond and sacrificing any hope of repairing her relationship with Acker. Yet, visions of him continue to haunt her dreams.

Acker is resigned to aid in his father’s war while in an arranged marriage with a wife who detests him. Though still pained by Jovie’s deception, he can’t stop his thoughts from turning to her. And Acker has found a way to slip into Jovie’s dreams despite her attempts to stifle the Matching Bond. There he watches her, torn between his loyalties and desire.

When he discovers the chilling reason behind the return of his father's magic, as well as Edmond’s dangerous new alliance, Acker must finally decide which war he wants to fight: the one for his king or the one for his heart.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Adult, Fiction, Audiobook

Unknown Binding

Expected publication June 9, 2026

About the author

Rachel Schneider lives in South Louisiana with her husband and daughter. She loves curse words, crawfish, and all things romance.

Reviews

[heba]

Update: Do my eyes deceive me, or is the release date May 19, 2026!!?

Don't mind me screaming into the void until book two is announced/released :)

[Kaitlyn]

Completely sat waiting for book two release dates

I fear I am unwell from book one

[katie ୨୧]

i need this book neowww

or i might combust

edit: all i can think about is that viral audio of a woman saying "Show it to me please Rachel please send it to me 🥹" and it fits so perfectly with most of booktok right now in relation to this sequel hhahagha

[thereadernthebeast · Rating 5 out of 5]

What oath do I need to take to get an ARC????

I'M NOT ABOVE BEGGING.
ON MY KNEES.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book description 😭 4 year time jump! Acker is married 😭😵‍💫😭 I’m going to throw up

[emmy; fire breathing kitty queen]

staring into the corner of my room because my brain is literally broken after book 1, and somehow I have to get up for work tomorrow with no possibility of book 2 nearby

[lia]

We have a title 🥳


But based off what I’ve read/heard… I refuse to dive into book 1 until this is released, no matter how much I want to. Cause I do. But I can’t go through another Onyx Storm situation all over again 😩

[Marisa Sobol · Rating 5 out of 5]

“SEND IT TO ME RACHEL”

[Madison Tompkins]

Not to be dramatic or anything, but I need this book more than I need air...

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the plot twist of all plot twists in Metal Slinger, I was incredibly nervous to read Light Wielder. Was it going to live up to my expectations? How were things going to be resolved in a satisfying way?

Metal Slinger is one of my favourite books of all time and to me, Light Wielder was the perfect continuation of Jovie and Acker’s story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the conflicting balance of yearning, betrayal and mistrust between characters. Seeing how powerful Jovie truly was, especially after revelations made in the first book, was incredible.
I loved the journey that these characters went on together and how they navigated the complex relationships within the group. This was an exciting and fulfilling conclusion that not only answered each and every question that I had following Metal Slinger but had me sat on the edge of my seat throughout.

The Fire & Metal series is one that I will reread again and again for years to come! I love these characters so much and I can’t believe the journey is (almost) over!

Thank you so much Gollancz for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and thank you to Rachel for writing these wonderful books!

[☕️Meg (jet lagged..)]

Pre release : 😈💜☔️🦄🪻💛🌻🦋

So your telling me it’s not till June? I’m hopefully in Thailand still to get to read it then for the vibes ! 🤭 can’t wait for this release!! 💜💜

[Adiboutchou]

The sneak peak from the audiobook is killing me !!!!!
I need book 2 😱😳

[Allie DeMars · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐️

Thank you Rachel Schneider and St Martins Press for a gifted copy. This was my MOST ANTICIPATED book of 2026.

FOUR YEARS!!! Four years have passed and you can feel the tension. You can cut it with a knife. 🔪 the distance, the tension, the history that’s been boiling for four freaking years… you feel every second of it coming to a head.


Speaking of tension… SHE MAKES HIM KNEEL IN FRONT OF HER ENTIRE ARMY. I was completely gagged.

And if you thought the spicy scene in Metal Slinger was 🥵 just wait for Light Wielder. 👀

And then the ending. Hehe
The duology is complete. Or is it? 😏

[Left on Read]

After the twist in Metal Slinger, I CANNOT wait!! 🖤

[Lys Farrell]

The end of book 1 was insane (but kind of in a bad way) and the synopsis for book 2 sounds equally insane (but kind of in a good way)

[Sara B]

WE HAVE A RELEASE DATE AND A COVER

[Mariah]

Metal Slinger had me hooked from the start. As an avid reader, it’s rare that an ending truly surprises me anymore, but this one absolutely did. The cliffhanger was shocking and unforgettable, and it left me thinking about the story long after I finished the last page. To say I’m waiting for Light Wielder with anticipation is an understatement.

[mentoGirl]

I will sell my left LEG for this to be released NOW.

[anika]

reading this to see exactly how exactly an author can recover from a "the mc was lying the whole time and you didn't know it HAHA you're such a loser, reader" plot twist

[🧸🎀Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ATE THIS BOOK UP, OMFG! I read this book in less than a day because I quite literally COULD NOT put it down! It was everything I expected it would be plus soooo much more. I’m convinced Rachel put crack in the pages because I literally still can’t stop thinking about it. The chokehold it had on me really needs to be studied, because I flew through it as soon as I opened the book lol.

At first when I heard that Light Wielder took place four years after Metal Slinger, I admit, I was skeptical, but DO NOT BE. I promise, it all makes so much sense when you read it. I loved Acker & Jo in this one sooooooo damn much! I honestly loved all of the characters in this one. This was so fast-paced, but not rushed if that makes any sense? Like it was done absolutely perfectly, and I could not have asked for a better sequel to Metal Slinger than this. It exceeded and surpassed all of my expectations & my expectations were HIGH AF! I cannot wait to yap about this with my besties because this is in my top 3 books of the year so far out of > 100 books!

⚔️ 𝚃𝚁𝙾𝙿𝙴𝚂:
✧.* enemies to lovers
✧.* fated mates
✧.* forced proximity
✧.* he kidnaps her
✧.* they’d burn the world down for each other
✧.* touch her & die
✧.* political intrigue
✧.* complex magic
✧.* kingdoms at war
✧.* found family
✧.* slow burn
✧.* multiple pov

6⭐️
3.5🌶️

🫶🏼 HUGE thank you to @saturdaybooks + @rachelschneiderauthor for this amazing #gifted copy

[EM]

The release date is in May 2026? 😭 The wait is killing me.

[Tabetha (tabsbooknook) · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review: Light Wielder by @rachelschneiderauthor and published by @hachetteaus @thebookishtype_hau
Release date: 9 June 2026

Two Lovers. Two Crowns. Two Kingdoms Burning.
After the ending that blew our collective minds in Metal Slinger, we pick up 4 years later and now find the Matched pair of Jovie and Acker at opposing ends of a war. Will these two ever be able to forgive each other and reunite, or is their love destined to destroy the world?
I liked the fact that this was a duology, so I knew (well hoped) that we wouldn’t be left with another cliffhanger and I particularly enjoyed the time jump between books. There are a lot of battle scenes throughout this book and it’s definitely more action packed than Metal Slinger was. We have a repeat of the slow burn from book 1 and a similar scene plays like the cup scene (IYKYK) so spice is still present but not overwhelming to the storyline.
I am so grateful to @hachetteaus for sending me a PR box and allowing me the opportunity to read this early. I will definitely be looking out for what @rachelschneiderauthor releases in the future 🦋

[Ekpnoi]

Can't wait for the second book.
The first book was amazing!

Thank you Rachel!

[Amy Schwartz]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5 stars. This book had so much potential. The world building was lacking, and the FMC who I had a love/hate relationship with turned out to be kind of bad ass in the last 20 pages?? There were so many questions left unanswered or just lacking in depth… hopefully everything will wrap up nicely in the second book.

[Caitlin Runyan]

This book can’t come fast enough!

[Dawn ♡♡♡♡♡]

09/14/2025 - Just noticed the cover & release date 😱 putting it in my Calendar immediately

[Maria Kring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t talk to me I’m ill ♾️⭐️

How am I supposed to rate this book with only five stars when it so clearly deserves infinite?

Light Wielder is everything I wanted from the next instalment in this series and somehow so much more. Rachel Schneider continues to raise the stakes with every book, delivering a story that is emotional, romantic, devastating, and utterly impossible to put down.

From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked. Four years have passed since the events that shattered Jovie and Acker's relationship, and the ache of that separation seeps from every page. The tension between them is exquisite. Every dream, every interaction, every lingering feeling had me absolutely feral. If you love yearning, pining, heartbreak, and two people who are so obviously meant to be together despite everything standing in their way, prepare to suffer in the best possible way.

Acker and Jovie remain two of my favourite fantasy romance protagonists. Their growth throughout this series has been incredible, and watching them navigate loyalty, duty, guilt, love, and impossible choices felt so rewarding. The emotional payoff was everything I could have hoped for.

But this book isn't just romance. The stakes felt enormous from beginning to end. The war, political manoeuvring, betrayals, and revelations all hit with maximum impact. Every time I thought I knew where the story was heading, Rachel Schneider managed to surprise me. The world-building continued to expand in fascinating ways, and several revelations left me staring at the page in complete disbelief.

What impressed me most was how perfectly balanced everything felt. The romance never overshadowed the fantasy plot, and the fantasy plot never diminished the emotional core of the story. Both elements strengthened each other, creating a story that felt epic in scale while remaining deeply personal.

And that ending? Excuse me?

I genuinely forgot this is a planned trilogy because I reached the final pages expecting everything to wrap up neatly. Instead, Rachel Schneider left me desperately needing the next book immediately. The way the story concludes sets up what promises to be an absolutely explosive finale, and I have no idea how I'm supposed to wait.

This series deserves so much more hype than it gets. Light Wielder cemented Rachel Schneider as an auto-buy author for me, and I already know I'll be counting down the days until book three arrives.

Without question one of my favourite fantasy romance reads of the year.

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, just perfection.

Reading one of my most anticipated releases of the year is always a little nerve-wracking because of how much I want it to live up to my expectations. But let me tell you, Rachel Schneider did not disappoint me in the slightest with this one! Once again, she has done a masterful job handling the dual POVs while also seamlessly weaving the complex politics into the story. I did not want to put this down.
Set four years after that brutal ending of Metal Slinger that traumatised us all, Light Wielder finally reunites us with our beloved characters. One of my favourite aspects was seeing just how much they had all matured over that time, as well as how their relationships had evolved. The character development is flawless, and the yearning is unmatched!! However, what I wasn't ready for was the constant state of shock I found myself in. I swear my jaw was on the floor for the entirety of this book. I really wish we were getting many more books in this series, but this truly was the perfect conclusion to Jovie and Acker's story. I also fear that no amount of books would ever be enough for me, I could read about those two forever. Right now, though, I need book 3 like I need air!

Thank you so much to Hachette ANZ for my early copy!

[zoe]

A COVER??? HELLO!!! A PUBLISH DATE!!!!!!!!!

[Loren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four years after the events of Metal Slinger takes place, a war is waging, many lives lost and a lot has changed in those years between Acker and Jovie.

The fact I got to read this early is not missed on me. I have never felt so honoured and it was all I hoped it to be!

I had such a fun time with this!! We are gifted with action packed scenes, a bit of spice, more betrayals, voyages and adventures, banter and an ending that has me excited for what’s to come!

Messer, Messer, Messer. Oh you never disappoint with your antics and this was no different. His banter and witty remarks had me hollering! It’s not the Fire & Metal world without him 😉

There are so many scenes I want to talk about but it would spoil it for everyone who haven’t read it, so I’ll just have to wait for everyone to read Light Wielder, so we can all collectively talk about them 🫡

If there is one minor thing, I do wish a certain scene at the end was a little longer, because I think it ended a bit too quickly for my liking. That’s honestly a me problem though! BUT! There is a particular part within this scene that I have theories on, because it had me over here scratching my head.

Huge thank you Hachette Australia for the early copy ❤️