Iron & Embers had some cool world-building and interesting ideas, but it didn’t completely pull me in. I liked parts of the story and the characters, but overall it felt a bit uneven and didn’t hold my attention the whole way through. Still, if you enjoy fantasy with a mix of action and drama, it might be worth checking out.

It's taken me a while to get to this ARC because when I requested Iron & Embers, I didn't think that I needed to read the four book Legends of Thezmarr series beforehand, however when I got the ARC, other people told me that I really needed to read that series first. I'm so glad I listened to that advice, even though it ended up delaying me starting the Ashes of Thezmarr series, because knowing that Wren and Torj ended up with their own trilogy made me absolutely feral for them while reading The Legends of Thezmarr series. Literally every time they were on page together, I was on the lookout for pining, attraction, tension etc. So by the time I got to the end of Shadow & Storms, I was absolutely desperate to get straight into Iron & Embers.

And it didn't disappoint at all. It surpassed everything I was hoping for. Picking up 5 years after the events of Shadow & Storms, I found the impact of the events on both Wren and Torj to be really emotional, but also realistic. And Torj - well, what a guy - he knew what he wanted from Wren and decided he'd rather have nothing at all than anything less than everything. Oh my heart. Honestly, this book was just incredible. Wren's journey at Drevenor Academy was action-packed, exciting and just as dangerous as Thea's Warsword training and test were in the Legends series, and the romance was so beautiful. There were moments that made me laugh out loud, and I loved to see Wren open up after shutting herself off for so long. Easily a five star read! Wow.

And now, immediately into Thorns & Fire because this series is addictive and I need to know what happens after that ending!

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from Tor Bramble and NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.

I was so excited about this spin off from the legends of thezzamar series.
This book was not what I was expecting and it was really exciting. It lulled in the middle but soon picked up and now has me gasping for the next book!

Whilst I really appreciate getting the chance to read this early, and there’s a lot to like here—
The writing flows well, and the premise had real potential. That said, the final stretch of the book didn’t quite work for me. I was hoping for an enemies-to-lovers dynamic with more emotional depth and genuine character development. Instead, the story leaned heavily on the bond trope and repeated miscommunication, which made the plot feel predictable and the tension less satisfying.

While I can see what the author was going for, I personally would’ve loved to see more growth in the characters and a relationship arc that didn’t rely so much on misunderstandings. There’s promise in the world and the writing style—so I’m hopeful for future works, but this one didn’t fully land for me.

Wowee, this was a book and a half. I was lucky enough to get a copy of this via Netgalley and I'm glad I did.

The world building and storyline was brilliant.

I absolutely loved Wren and Torj, they had such a tumultuous start and it was really funny. Wren can be sassy and she comes across as fiercely independent, Torj appears as trying to keep her tethered due to him also seeming sassy but essentially he is protecting her.

The sizzling chemistry in this book is not to be missed.

Trying to retrain gets a bit tricky when Wren has to complete the gauntlet but is she made it tough stuff....that's for me to know and you to find out when you read this.

I had heard lots of great things about Helen Scheuerer from friends who had read her books and I had just never quite got round to them myself. NOW I REALISE WHAT I WAS MISSING! I cannot believe that I waited so long! Iron and Embers is the first I have read and it most certainly won’t be my last by this author. You know when you just find a book that has everything you need in a good romantasy? This was it. I now impatiently await the arrival of Book 2.

Iron & Embers caught my attention with its pretty cover, and the rest, as they say, is history. When I requested this I did not see much beyond the cover, a brief read through of the description, and the fact that my bestie Mandy was desperate to read this. So, sillily, I did not realise this was a spin off to a completed book series.

You can tell pretty much from the jump that this is a spin off, just by how Wren speaks about her past, particularly with the war she fought in. There were small details peppered in, but I got the feeling this was information I should know…and then came the thought of “oh, is this a continuation of something?” However, despite this, I still found I was able to enjoy the book and understand what was going on, so I do not think it necessarily enjoyed my impact although I may have found it more exciting if I had read the first series. I’m just pleased that I was able to follow along and understand the world despite not having read the prior series. Although now I want to go and read it to fill in all those missing details / see the backstory to a lot of the characters that was alluded at!

I really liked Wren, our protagonist, she’s a force to be reckoned with. I love that Wren was not perfect, she was dealing with so much and we genuinely got to see how all this trauma from the war has impacted her. I think she went through some great character growth, particularly as she learned to open up with her old friends but also making new ones, like Dessa. I really loved Dessa, she was fun and a great balance to Wren and the group. I also recall loved Zavier and his air of mystery…and dare I say I sensed a bit of chemistry with him and Wren there? I would not be opposed…

I did like Torj, our famous/infamous Bearslayer, but some of his decisions confused me (especially at the end) and sometimes I found his overprotectiveness (again more towards the end) a bit cringeworthy and over the top. I did like his and Wrens banter a lot of the time though, particularly when they were verbally sparring each other.

I enjoyed the mixture of plots with the Gauntlet and the Peoples Vanguard, I think it was a decent balance and I liked how they tied in together. I do wish we got to see a bit more of the Gauntlet though, I felt it ended way too quickly. I also wish we got to see Wren participate more in with the academics considering this was what the book was largely about, yet she missed a lot of classes.

All in all I did really like this and I’m excited to read the sequel, especially as this ended on a cliffhanger with lots of unanswered questions!

3.5 stars rounded up. Sometimes I felt like the pacing could be quicker and the plot points a little tighter, but overall it was a great read with some good world building and characterisation. I hope to continue see Wren dealing with her PTSD, I’d hate to see it magically cured now she’s found some more acceptance with herself.

I really enjoyed this novel. It is an NC-17 version of Harry Potter, with a little Fourth Wing thrown in.
It takes up 5 years after the shadow war of Thezmarr with Wren as the protagonist. She goes to alchemist school, meets two friends and must eventually fight a dark lord with powerful magic (Harry Potter). She has some smokin' sexual encounters with Torj (NC-17) and she must successfully complete the Gauntlet (EXACTLY the same name as Fourth Wing).

I like Wren as a protagonist, but she goes from being this cold-blooded vigilante executioner to what feels like a naive innocent. She comes across as younger than her 30 years while at alchemist school until almost the very end.

This was a solid read! I did have the feeling that I should've read the prequel books before delving into this one, as there were a lot of references that flew over my head. But I really enjoyed the plot, and the couple together are blazing hot 🔥🔥

welcome to the midrealms, a world filled with renowned, god-gifted warriors known as warswords and the associated warrior guild of thezmarr; strong magic-users and brilliant alchemists; adventurous quests and riveting conspiracies, and the most delicious enemies to lovers and delectable bodyguard romance, all wrapped up within a tension-filled fantasy setting of dark academia and high stakes trials. this book is a solid five stars, one of my favourite romances of 2025, and is one of the few books to have held my undivided attention and at the same time, made me want to not finish reading it, in a very long time. helen scheuerer has found herself at the top of my auto-buy and favourite authors lists!

iron & embers is an amazing introduction to helen scheuerer’s newest series, ashes of thezmarr and the engaging world-building and captivating story-telling she delivers. her other series, the legends of thezmarr has been well-received and recommended a lot on social media, so naturally the high sung praises left me feeling excited for this series. before delving further into this review, i want to note a disclaimer: it’s encouraged however not essential that you read the legends of thezmarr series first, but your reading experience will be enriched if you do as ashes of thezmarr is set half a decade after the shadow war. full disclosure, i haven’t read the legends of thezmarr (it is on my ever growing list of romances to devour) but this didn’t affect my reading experience or overall enjoyment of this book. setting aside recurring characters and references to the events of the other series, the information imparted to us isn’t so niche or specific that you’re left feeling lost and confused. at the start, we have a brief history of the shadow war and throughout the course of reading, we have various flashbacks which provide context.

helen scheuerer’s writing is simplistic and not excessively complex—it doesn’t have that convoluted haunting air, or poetic tone that some romantasy stories have—but the way she writes remains wholly engaging and, without doubt, wonderfully captivating. between the detailed world-building and unfolding war in the background; the incredible, strong emotionally fuelled scenes; the sexual tension within the budding romance between our leading characters; and the absorbing dialogues and entertaining exchanges, it’s hard to not fall in love with iron & embers. i love the ease of reading this book, that i devoured all that i read, and appreciate that despite the overall writing simplicity it remains a coherent, interesting narrative that is showcased in descriptive detail. the drevenor academy and the fortress of thezmarr both reminded me of kaer morhen (the witcher) and other well loved settings from fantasy stories, as we visited sections of the academy and its grounds. it was hard to not love the setting of this book—it was magically enchanting, all rolled into one area with finesse. all of the details and elements were captured with clarity; it was seamless imaging yourself walking alongside the characters with vividness.

♡ elwren embervale
wren is such a complex, multi-faceted character with numerous intricacies and she’s one of my favourite characters because of it. her focus on vengeance for the atrocities she encountered in the shadow war has moulded wren into a formidable weapon of destruction; her grief for her lost family members and closest friends has turned her cold and aloof. despite everything she’s lost however, wren is warm and loving towards those she still has in her inner circle. she’s such a brilliant character with a bright, intelligent mind whose experiences and knowledge around plants and poisons was refreshing! it was new and different following a prolific alchemist turned assassin who specialises in poisons, rather than having a trained warrior or magic-wielder lead character who possesses too much power. while smart, the moment wren enters drevenor academy she’s no longer the most intelligent in the room and her knowledge and experiences are challenged, but this only makes her stronger and her determination is showcased so beautifully and wonderfully as she embraces the challenges of her trials and lessons.

♡ torj elderbrock
in short, torj elderbrock is the epitome of overprotectiveness with a hint of cinnamon roll—what a classic combination. the renowned silver-haired bear slayer is one of the broodiest and grumpiest, but appealing male lead characters that i have encountered in such a long time. it didn’t matter how frustrated he became with wren, the care and love he had for her remained and was demonstrated in ways that made my heart flutter and legs kick in absolute giddiness. he was hard, but sweet; stubborn, but loving and however much this exasperating man challenged wren, it was to assist in her growth and learning. alongside wren, we discovered some information that moulded torj into the kind of man that he is and his painfully sad backstory made me love and appreciate him moreso.

♡ torj elderbrock + wren embervale
the romance unravelled slow, but burned in irresistible fashion and the sexual tension between torj and wren was FLAWLESS. what made this romance a sheer delight is: the forced proximity because torj had been assigned bodyguard to wren; the cutting banter and witticisms exchanged were absolute perfection; and the utter hatred these two had towards each other really embodied and delivered a genuine slow burn romance. the connection between them is solidified by mutual disdain but undeniable attraction. despite all of the frustration and mutual pining from a distance, even when wren made it clear she wasn’t interested and detested him, torj still desired wren. without spoiling anything—it should be read first hand—there’s an interesting approach to one of the most used albeit well loved tropes in fantasy, it made the ending of this book all the more devastating.

♡ the side characters
the cohort of side characters we have been blessed with enhanced the overall narrative, but also enriched the main characters and created an additional element to their personalities. i adore found families in my fantasy stories and helen scheurer delivered the newest additions to my favourite list. cal and kipp offered much needed comedic relief to make this book feel less ‘doom and gloom’ at times. the banter and humour they shared amongst themselves, but with torj and wren, filled me with happiness as you could sense the friendship and camaraderie between them—i trust we will continue to see more of them in thorns & fire. thea and wilder made smaller appearances, however what moments we received leaves me excited to know more about them eventually in the legends of thezmarr series. the characters who made me the most interested are dessa and zavier, who are the newest additions to the found families of thezmarr, and supported wren’s character wonderfully. they offered a different form of comfort and encouragement, became reliable teammates and genuine friends to wren; i will manifest that this continues because nothing saddens me more than a close found family being ruined!

i could continue to gush and rave about iron & embers. it is truly one of the best, well-written and executed romantasies that i’ve read in some time. the slow burn and tension between our leading characters; the extensive world-building and riveting adventures within it; and the nail biting trials and rigorous lessons are worth first-hand experience. i have zero idea where the next book, thorns & fire will take us on journeys to however, i am interested to witness further discoveries of the people’s vanguard. so interested, i’d have no shame in begging to have an opportunity to read the second book.

Enjoyable and engrossing characters. Written well. More please. Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for the ARC. 5/5

Iron & Embers by Helen Scheuerer felt like being at Basgiath from Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing if it were for Alchemists and our heroine found herself tied to a bodyguard not dissimilar to Geralt of Rivia from Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher. Needless to say it’s a fun read and easy page turner.

I loved that this book begins a few years after the conclusion of the epic war. It made for an intriguing dynamic as we check in on our heroes as they tackle grief, consequences and paths not taken. This allowed for an excellent ‘the one that got away’ dynamic between Wren and Torj and ultimately lead to our protagonists feeling well fleshed out.

This is a dual POV story packed full of banter, sizzling romantic tension and found family. This book perhaps felt a little trope heavy at times and quite predictable but ultimately delivered an easy, fun read. It would suit a reader looking for a light romance set in a fun fantasy world.

The ending, unfortunately, felt a little rushed, forced and shocking for the sake of being shocking. I would still be open to reading the rest of the trilogy though!

I did not know this was a spin off series, but honestly I didn't need to know that. I flew through this one and enjoyed it so much. I was captivated by the story and did not want to put it down. I need to go back and read the original series now.

Iron And Embers
Helen Scheuerer

“Revenge is a precarious path to walk… It is often said that those who seek it should dig two graves.”

This is Wren’s story through and through. It’s set five years after the war and provides the perfect opportunity for the characters to have had some time to heal, but as we see, time doesn’t heal all wounds.

Wren and Torj have their own issues individually but there was so many sweet moments in this story.

Many much loved characters from Legends made appearances but you could also read this without having read Helen’s previous series.

thank you to the publisher and the author for this arc.

2 stars. (but hope to update once i read this again.)

i tried to get through this book three times and only got as far as 15% in before it put me into a slump again. i will try to read this again at a different time.

"𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤…𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐠 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬."

5/5⭐️

I started Iron&Embers right after I finished reading The Legends of Thezmarr and I honestly think this was the best decision I could have made.
My knowledge from the previous series was still fresh and cozy in my Memory, so that I had no trouble at all to find my way into Iron&Embers.
The first thing I want to mention is, that I underestimated the abilities of Alchemists, specifically in this case, Wren.
Wren is from now on my favorite character in the Thezmarr world, she has lost by far the most of them all, which reflects in her actions and feelings throughout the book.
In the book, she goes through major changes and resembles and enormous character growth.
Therefore, Wren‘s journey has so far been a very emotional one and I loved how she slowly and steadily opened up to the people around her, including Torj.
I loved that Torj has his own mission to accumulate knowledge about his injury, which made him a lot more interested than he was in the previous Thezmarr series.
The romance is a nice slow burn, just how I like it.
I also really liked the writing style of this book and all the information that Helen must have investigated beforehand and integrated so well into the book, i.e. Potions-making, all the names of the different flowers etc.
There‘s really nothing I didn‘t like about this book and I honestly can‘t wait to continue with the next one!

Wow! I loved this book. With the fact that we got to follow a couple of characters from one of Helen’s other series is amazing. Being back in this world I completely enjoyed. There was so much that happened within this book which kept me gripped to it as well as it was duo pov which made me very intrigued to see the different point of views to what was happening. It surprised me in parts of this book as I hadn’t expected it. With the way the story developed and changed the more that I read it, I was shocked by how the book ended. But this has made me excited to be able to see what is going to happen next, in the next book when that comes out.

Thank you to NetGally for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think Wren initially grated on me - what with her pathological need for independence and her no nonsense attitude towards making friends… I found it quite frustrating how I could tell she was going to need friends and allies and seemed to be saying stuff that would cause people to be the exact opposite. But it didn’t last long and she actually did make friends. Yay! Annoying trope avoided.

I have the distinct impression that (as my first book written by Helen that I’ve read) I have missed some key world building. Maybe? I’m not sure? The shadow war wasn’t well explained. And the fact that Wren was a princess was mentioned a lot but not really touched on how a future queen would join a school for alchemy.

I was also worried, on reading the blurb, that this would be a Battle Royale style plot. Or a magic school with death challenges… I enjoy stories like this but if not done well they can fall flat. That was not the case here. The plot and premise was completely on point. Very well executed.

Overall a solid read. I’m thinking I’m going to have to go back and read more of Helen’s work, because this was a really engaging read and there’s nothing I love more than being swept up by a book and transported to another world.

Iron and embers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

EXCUSE ME BUT WHAT WAS ON THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!
I already read and loved the OG series, but THIS SPIN OFF took everything to an upper level for me.

This was a story written for me, filled with everything that I like! Wren was a character that I was interested in since the first moment she appeared, and this post war transformation from sweet and determined alchemist to a vengeance thrived poisoner was so interesting for me to read. I do love a kinda morally gray FMC.
Add that to an academic setting, with classes, high stakes threats and you got me hooked! It was also really cool to see appear again some of those characters I already knew and loved from the prior series, and having them interact with each other on a different situation and five years after, was amazing.

Now, as for the romance I wasn't ready for how freaking hard it would hit me!!! THE YEARNING, THE SLOW BURN. I was so invested. Torj and Wren had so much history together up to this point and the tension between both of them was otherworldly and what do you mean that we got, on top of that, forced proximity with a really well done bodyguard trope.

The action per se was fast paced and engaging but well elaborated and kept me constantly reading or thinking about reading the book! It was an interesting change of plot in comparison with The legends of Thezmarr series and it added to an already established world without making it repetitive.

AND THAT ENDING!!!! WHY??? No, really, why?? The author took a familiar trope (that I love BTW) and twisted it in the cruelest and most gut wrenching way, I'm still recovering and will be doing so till I have book 2 on my hands.

On another note, this new trilogy was made to stand on her own, that's true, but I strongly recommend to read the original series first, to avoid spoilers (obviously) but also, because it adds to the experience and it gives a lot of necessary background. Also, why wouldn't you want to read anything related to this universe?

This is my first Helen Scheuerer's book and I had a great time reading this one🤩🤌 as soon as I read the blurb, I knew I would love it and so I downloaded the audiobook asap and picked up my physical copy to annotate 🤭 for the first time I literally had to ditch my physical copy 'cuz annotating was making me slow and I wanted to read and know more and more about our amazing pair 😍❤️ Wren and Torj ✨🤌

After a long time, I found a fantasy book which focuses more on the magic and fantasy elements while simultaneously giving a slow burn romance which makes you giggle, blush and even scream!!!!

Wren was my favourite since chapter one!! The way she made her entry in the book, I knew she is one of the fierce and brave female protagonist that I will adore 🥰 and complementing her is the perfect grumpy, rough and tough Torj ✨🤌 their banter is epic!!

Coming to the magical world 😍✨🤌 damn after a long time, I found a fantasy world that was indeed penned in details yet it didn't bore me as the author brilliantly wrote each conquest of our protagonists including in discription of the magical school and world of the book, which made it much easier for me to understand the concept and logic of it.