Rating: 4.5⭐️
“Magic runs the machines. Secrets run the city. And Squad 54 stands between order and chaos.”
Another excellent story in The Knack series, albeit really different from the previous book. In A Knack for Metal and Bone we saw the characters come together for an impossible mission. Squad 54 survived, but not without losses, learning some devastating truths about their own lives and setting them up for a new journey upon their return to New Torwood City. And Princess Rowan Andula, who was the mission’s tech has to stay in the City, looking for answers about the traumatic event that left her an amputee, her brother the heir in a coma, and her father the King dead. That means that her love,
Conall, werewolf Commander has to leave her and the City on his own mission to find out what happened to his brother, and the rest of the mages they were fighting.
This story divides into two journeys and sustainably different tales of high suspense and action. One is Conall’s as he’s dangerously crosses the Meadows and wastelands in search of knowledge about his family and brother. His journey continuously ties into the ongoing struggles back in the City and Princess Rowan’s story against hidden and not so hidden enemies of the court and her past. She’s surrounded by those who would see her not just fail but perish. And her part of the story is emotional and fraught with anger.
They are ties together by multiple sources, elements and somethings I won’t give away.
Each relationship, each person is beautifully rendered by their own words, cultures, clothing and even religion. Defined by their details and their deep of connections, to the land and each other.
I will warn the reader, much like the first story, a character dies here. One we’ve come to know and care about. Such is the nature of this world. I expect this to happen again as the series continues.
There’s a strong cliffhanger type of ending as there is no resolution to part of one major conflict and storyline. But the author has no information as to any further series book release.
It’s a wait and see status. This is a long book but it flew by fast for me. It’s that excellent.
I’ll be happy to wait for the next however long it takes.
This series is a must read. Highly recommended.
Published by Wrongtree Press.
Cover art and design by Christian Bentulan
The Knack (2 book series to date)
A Knack for Metal and Bone #1
Mech and Magic #2
Buy link:
Mech and Magic: An Epic Fantasy Steampunk Adventure (The Knack Book 2)
Blurb
Magic runs the machines. Secrets run the city. And Squad 54 stands between order and chaos.
Conall thought he’d buried the past with his brother. But when a cryptic summons surfaces—tied to a long-vanished village and a wolf who should be dead—he’s forced to retrace the path of the disbanded Squad 54. What he finds in the shadows could unravel not only their fate, but the fragile balance between elf and human kind.
Back in New Torwood City, Princess Rowan Andula is done playing the figurehead. With a seat on the ruling council, she’s ready to fight for her family’s legacy—until the city’s giant mech guardian begins to fail. Talos isn’t just a machine. He’s the heart of the city. His collapse could bring down everything her ancestors fought to preserve.
As enemies close in and new treacheries are revealed, Conall and Rowan must face the same question: How far will you go to protect what you love?
Mech and Magic is the second thrilling installment of The Knack Series—where ancient tech, dangerous politics, and fierce loyalties collide.
December 5, 2025
Language
English
Print length
494 pages
Book 2 of 2
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 