If you’re of a certain age, I urge you not to look up when Hunger Games, Divergent, Matched, etc. came out. It will make you feel some kind of way. However, if you loved any of those, I do encourage you to grab this book as fast as you can. This reminds me of that period of time when all the great YA fantasy books were just on fire, and it was great to be young. Except, I accidentally looked up when they came out, and I was already legally allowed to drink when the oldest one came out.

About the Book

TWO WORLDS: ONE OF MAGIC, ONE OF STEEL.
She just wants to belong.

Determined to fit in and connect with her human friends, android Silver has always felt like an outsider within her human travelling community. In Elysia, humans are seen as outsiders, their steel queen claiming every last one of them as rebels. They’ve always been on the run. Like her mother, Silver just wants to help others.

But when cruel Queen Magnolia’s soldiers come looking for their missing princess, who was stolen by rebels when she was only three years old, Silver begins to unravel an endless string of secrets woven into the family she has always cared for. Could her parents have stolen her from the Elysian palace when she was small? Worse, could she be the princess they’re looking for?

After journeying to their Northern Mountain Sanctuary where her parents were born, Silver finds a new purpose:

She must kill the cruel queen and take her throne before she destroys them all.
He only longs to know who he really is.

Tinker Eden has only ever known life in the palace lab. Taken from his home in the Northern Mountain Sanctuary when he was only three years old and brought to the palace, he spends his days working under close supervision of Master Lennox, building, rebuilding and repairing the Elysian royals until his fingers bleed. He knows nothing of his parents or their lives, and remembers barely a thing of his childhood, leaving far too many questions about his own life unanswered.
So when Master Lennox’s assistant reveals he’s been working with a community outside of Elysia and sends him to the Sanctuary where he was born to work on the missing princess, Eden seeks the opportunity to return home and learn more about where he came from.

When Silver and Eden meet, their connection is clear, but things don’t always go to plan. Kidnapped by pirates while searching for his parents at the Elysian harbour, Eden finds himself caught up in an adventure across the seas to Elysia’s magical enemy Kingdom of Panyria, who have plans to infiltrate the steel queendom.
He discovers a world full of magic, new friends, and the family he’s always wished he had.

Both only want to make the world a fairer place for everyone.

My Thoughts

As an avid reader, I only really stopped reading YA a few years back when I had my kid, I think. Like I thought I wasn’t allowed to read it anymore. But that’s silly, now I’m prescreening, right?

Well, it’ll probably be a few years yet before I let my 7-year-old read this one, but I’ll be excited to let her pick this series up when it’s time. And, I know I will be excited to share it – and to get my hands on the next one!

I adore a good dystopian setting, and this one was epic! It features evil robot overlords, I mean protectors. Bonus points if you can tell me that reference! Our two main characters, Silver and Eden, share parallel stories with alternating POVs. I really enjoy alternating POVs when they are done correctly, and this story does it. Also, it didn’t exactly confirm a love triangle, but I was totally getting that vibe, and I was here for it. It’s a very popular YA trope, which might be why I loved it forever and then hadn’t seen it too much lately.

I’m grateful to the author and LBT for including me on this tour, and I can’t wait for book 2!

Who’s It For?

If you love YA fantasy, especially those with dystopian elements, robots, and political intrigue, I believe you will love this one. If you’re a fan of Hunger Games, Divergent, and similar novels, grab this one up! It’s marketed as YA, and it seems appropriate for most YA ages, but those young at heart will also love it!

Content Warnings: This book contains topics that may disturb some readers, including, but not limited to, Kidnapping, Robots, Dystopian/Apocalyptic Future, Graphic Violence, War, Mythical Creatures/Monsters, Parental Abandoment, Parental Death, Sibling Death, Partner Death, Child Death, and Possibly More.

About the Author

April Grace has always lived in Milton Keynes, and now lives with her boyfriend and, a few nights a week, his two cheeky sons. She has been writing young adult novels for twelve years now, which all started when she decided to write stories on Wattpad while she was supposed to be working hard on modules for her A Levels. (But she did go onto study Creative Writing at university the following year, so it all worked out in the end.)

She has worked for a popular UK bookstore, has temporarily worked for Ingram Spark’s Milton Keynes warehouse, was formerly the Head of Literature for a London based charity providing creative opportunities for young people, and now owns her freelance editing company, Hooked On Words Editorial. She loves both reading and writing anything inspired by fairytales and mythology.

While she isn’t writing or editing, she works in an arcade, where she has the best friends who are always happy to listen to her ranting about her books.

She couldn’t be more grateful for all of the love and support.

Links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Princess-World-Magic-ebook/dp/B0B47HCDCZ/ref=sr_1_1
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Steel-Princess-World-Magic-ebook/dp/B0B47HCDCZ/ref=sr_1_1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61298690-steel-princess
Author’s Website: https://april-grace.com/

As a Bookshop.org (US) Affiliate, I may earn on qualifying purchases. Bookshop.org purchases support local, independent bookshops. My chosen affiliate bookshop is Tubby & Coo’s Traveling Bookshop, a local, queer-owned bookshop in New Orleans.