Helen Scheuerer launches her new fantasy series with Iron & Embers, a tense, atmospheric tale of vengeance, magic, and reluctant intimacy. With a protagonist haunted by war, a magical academy that tests both body and soul, and a slow-burning romance that simmers with unspoken longing, this novel is a potent mix of high fantasy and intimate emotion.
Where many fantasy romance novels rush headlong into lust and spectacle, Iron & Embers invites readers to tread carefully—through forests thick with secrets, academies laced with peril, and hearts shielded by loss. This book is not about explosive love at first sight, but about scarred people re-learning how to feel.
Plot Overview: Alchemy in the Shadows
Wren Embervale, once a decorated alchemist, now lives as an assassin-for-hire, targeting those responsible for the past war’s atrocities. Her reputation as “The Poisoner” precedes her, her craft feared and her past cloaked in grief. But when a forbidden form of alchemy is used in an attack on a ruling monarch, Wren is called out of hiding.
She is offered entry into the ancient academy of Drevenor—if she can survive the Gauntlet, a brutal, trial-filled rite of passage that has left better alchemists broken. Complicating matters is her assigned protector: Torj Elderbrock, a war hero bearing both physical and emotional scars… many of them linked directly to Wren.
As political sabotage rises, ancient magics awaken, and desire reemerges between enemies-turned-allies, Wren must decide what matters most—revenge, redemption, or survival.
Character Analysis: Broken Blades and Softened Armor
Wren Embervale: A Reluctant Antihero
Wren is a standout protagonist precisely because she doesn’t beg for sympathy. She is cruel, calculating, and emotionally aloof. Yet her complexity lies beneath those icy layers. Readers quickly realize that her coldness masks a well of pain and guilt.
Scheuerer constructs Wren not as a passive participant in her story but as a deeply active force—every decision she makes has consequences, and those consequences ripple throughout the narrative. Her alchemical knowledge is not decorative but functional; and her poisons are her poetry.
Her greatest strength is her ability to wield damage. And her greatest weakness? She no longer believes she deserves to be healed.
Torj Elderbrock: More Than a Bodyguard
Torj is far from the typical fantasy love interest. A veteran of the brutal war against Thezmarr’s invaders, his life is defined by loss—and his body marked by lightning wounds left by Wren’s magic. He does not welcome the role of protector; rather, he resents it.
And yet, it’s in this resentment that his tenderness shines. Torj’s quiet steadiness, his moral compass, and his conflicted feelings about Wren make him an emotionally rich foil to her fury.
Their relationship is not romance draped in sweetness—it’s knives dulled by time, made dangerous again by proximity.
Supporting Cast: A Garden Yet to Bloom
- Zavier brings tension and rivalry to Wren’s time at Drevenor, though his motivations remain underexplored.
- Farissa is a firm mentor figure whose presence adds weight to the academy’s moral ambiguities.
- Odessa and Kipp, while colorful and loyal, serve more as world-building tools than fully developed individuals in this volume.
There’s promise here—but secondary arcs need more cultivation in Book 2, Thorns & Fire.
Romance Review: Not Just Enemies to Lovers, But Ghosts to Humans
The romance in Iron & Embers isn’t about flirtation or fate-marked lovers. It’s about two people who were nearly destroyed by war finding pieces of themselves in each other again. There’s history between Wren and Torj—scars they gave each other, literally—and that history hums beneath every interaction.
What makes their connection so compelling is its restraint. There are no instant confessions. Instead, there are loaded silences, unsaid apologies, and longing glimpses through half-shut doors. Their chemistry is subtle and scorching.
When they do finally let their guard down—even slightly—the emotional payoff is huge. Scheuerer understands that intimacy is not always physical; sometimes, it’s letting someone stay when you’re at your most broken.
World-Building & Setting: Magic Without the Wand-Waving
Scheuerer’s world is dense with history but never overwritten. The remnants of the war, the magical ecosystem of sentient flora, and the haunting legends surrounding alchemical power all paint a realm on the brink of transformation.
What sets this world apart is its magic system. Alchemy is treated with scientific reverence—there are rules, classifications, and consequences. Lifelore, healing, warfare—it all ties into the story’s larger themes of destruction and rebirth.
The Gauntlet trials, which test applicants physically, mentally, and morally, offer some of the book’s most thrilling moments. These aren’t just skill contests—they are revelations, each trial exposing character flaws and inner demons.
Drevenor is more than a school. It’s a battlefield dressed in academia.
Writing Style: Lush, Controlled, and Emotionally Precise
Helen Scheuerer’s writing style blends lyrical intensity with narrative restraint. She doesn’t overindulge in prose, but her metaphors are sharp and thematic. The pacing is deliberate, the tension constant, and the dialogue layered with double meanings.
Her ability to maintain both a large-scale political tension and an emotionally intimate character study is commendable. The balance never tips too far toward melodrama or exposition.
Noteworthy writing traits:
- Controlled pacing, building tension slowly and methodically.
- Beautiful, grounded imagery (especially botanical and elemental).
- An immersive balance between action, introspection, and character banter.
Strengths of the Novel
- Emotionally Layered Protagonists: Wren and Torj are memorable not just for their romance, but for their individual emotional arcs.
- A Unique Magic System: Alchemy as a source of magic creates a sense of realism and innovation.
- Strong Thematic Focus: Grief, war, vengeance, and survival are explored with emotional depth.
- High-Stakes Setting: The Gauntlet and the political subplots add weight beyond just character drama.
- Subtle Romance: Rather than explosive love, the slow emotional thaw between Wren and Torj is more powerful.
Where the Ember Flickers: Areas for Improvement
- Supporting Cast Thinness: While there are intriguing side characters, many don’t receive enough development to become emotionally resonant.
- Delayed Central Conflict: The broader alchemical conspiracy doesn’t fully come into focus until later in the book, which slightly dilutes early tension.
- A Familiar School Setup: Though Drevenor is compelling, some readers might feel déjà vu from similar “academy trials” found in other YA/NA fantasy books.
Comparison to Other Books in the Genre
- If you loved the slow tension and world intrigue of The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen, Wren and Torj will hit the same emotional notes.
- Fans of Fourth Wing will appreciate the war-born trauma, elite training sequences, and charged romance that Iron & Embers offers.
- The alchemy-based system and morally gray protagonists might also appeal to fans of An Ember in the Ashes or The Bone Season.
Yet, Scheuerer ensures this book isn’t a copy—it’s a sibling in genre, but with a voice of its own.
Final Thoughts:
Iron & Embers is not a fantasy novel that shouts—it whispers, lures, and burns slowly. It’s character-first, tension-rich, and grounded in grief and growth. For readers looking for a more nuanced take on the enemies-to-lovers trope—one that deals with trauma, accountability, and deeply personal stakes—this book delivers.
It’s not just about poisons and potions. It’s about what happens when two broken people decide to stop hurting and start healing.
Recommended For:
- Fantasy readers craving mature protagonists and thoughtful world-building.
- Romance fans who prefer emotional depth over tropes and shortcuts.
- Those seeking dark academia meets magical survival.
- Readers invested in morally complex heroines and healing-centric love stories.
Anticipation for Thorns & Fire (Book 2)
Wren’s journey is only beginning. The seeds of betrayal, the unspoken truths between her and Torj, and the mysterious force behind the forbidden alchemy all suggest that Thorns & Fire will elevate the stakes—both emotionally and magically.
Scheuerer has set her own bar high, and if this debut is any indication, Book 2 may very well deliver a crescendo worthy of its flame-born title.