A Mark of Metal

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

She fell into their world by accident. Now, everyone thinks she’s the catalyst from a prophecy destined to destroy the world.

Genevieve Woodsman didn’t ask to be summoned across worlds. One second, she’s having a picnic with her friends in Lancashire, the next? Crash-landing through mushroom rings into a war-torn kingdom built on knights, sacred oaths, and ferra—A magical lifeforce that pulses through everything living.

Everything…except her.

Born without ferra, trapped in a world that breathes it, Genevieve is an anomaly. A threat. A curiosity. And to some? A weapon. When the cold and calculating Duke, Caspian Astarteu, discovers her, he is forced to keep her hidden as his handmaiden. A maid in name. A prisoner in truth. All while he orchestrates a coup that could reshape the kingdom.

As her connection to the world deepens, Genevieve begins to wonder if her being here was really an accident…or something far older waking up.

Mature audience: Contains explicit language and scenes.

Written by: B.M Smith

Edited by: Lamai

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2025
Author: B.M Smith

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 14
Views: 10,466

Chapters(34 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(7)

RandomWriter777Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I’m standing on the edge of the abyss, my ruined world behind me. My bloodstained fingers twitch as I pull out the Lucky cigarette from my pack, placing it between my lips. As I light it, a new world opens before me, making my eyes squint, a new reality.
Yo, Jack from UNlucky here. The story follows Genevieve, who gets thrown into a wild new world, and right from the start, you can tell she’s not someone who just rolls over. She’s smart, she adapts fast, and watching her figure things out is half the fun.
The writing style’s clean and super easy to follow. It’s all first-person and present tense, which actually makes everything feel more immediate—like you’re right there in the moment with her. The pacing keeps things moving, with a nice balance of action, world-building, and character stuff.
Genevieve and Caspian have a really solid dynamic. Their interactions feel natural, and you can see the bond building as the story goes on. It doesn’t feel rushed or forced—just two people trying to figure things out in a complicated world.
There’s also this cool prophecy element that adds a bit of mystery to everything. It gives the story some extra weight without being too over-the-top. And the world itself is interesting without getting bogged down in too much detail. You get what you need, and it keeps you curious about what’s coming next.
Overall, it’s a great read. If you’re into strong characters, solid pacing, and a bit of intrigue with some heartfelt moments mixed in, this one’s worth your time. I’m definitely sticking around to see where it goes next.
The cigarette drops from my lips, numerous shrieks sprinting towards my exposed back.
DawnDishSoapRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It reminds me of all good fantasy shows like outlander, GOT, it's got that potential for being something similar. I can really see this being a TV show.
And with the slow-burning romance, every touch they describe is giving me the flutters hehe ;)
I can't wait for their relationship to bloom.
ElectrikBlueRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A Mark of Metal is the work of an author willing to better their craft. I stumbled upon the story on the forum and the first drafts were intriguing yet could be further improved. The revisions carried out were clever and spirited. The kind you make out of conviction and not out of blind faith.
Style: First person, present tense is a challenge for any author, I'm sure everyone will agree with that. And this story chose to go along this path, and it did it impressively well all things considered. The narration is vivid and internal dialogues are fun, charming and dig deep. No doubt the author as still ways to go before fully reaching their potential in sentence structure and efficient story telling, but it's already above a majority of works on the platform.
Story: I have yet to discover the full extent of the story but I'd say, even for someone who doesn't fall in the targeted audience I believe such as myself, it was still captivating. Upon reading the first chapter in its revised state I found myself really intrigued.
The weaving of magical elements to a more historical setting is quite refreshing and promises to deliver strong moments in the future.
The whole "propelled through another world" narrative is brought along naturally and convincingly.
Character: Well our MC is lovable and within the first few chapters you already learn a lot about her. Her personality is fun yet convincing and you learn to discover the world through her eyes. The other characters I haven't met in details yet, but my first contact with them sparked my curiosity.
Grammar: Nothing to note.
All this to say that I'm waiting eagerly for the next batch of revisions, and offer you to join along on the journey.
AncienthipsterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This novel is a bit like a simmering moor fire. You’ve no idea where the fire will start, but you know it will, and when it does, you’d better be ready!
Mark of Metal is worth the ride. It’s a slow burn with interesting characters that sometimes dip their toe in the trope and then decide to go in another direction. While they all have a role to play in the narrative, they remain familiar yet fresh enough that you don’t enter this with the feeling of déjà vu.
Characters
Genevieve Woodsman, our protagonist. She feels like Elizabeth Bennet trapped in The Witcher. Relatable, slightly snarky, and full of “I will survive but I might complain about it” energy. I’m personally invested.
Ester. The “Reluctant Cleric” archetype. Wise, worried, and walking on thin ice between duty and personal fear.
Sir Leiman. The Lawful Neutral knight who’d rather execute than ask questions twice.
Caspian. If Aragorn and Khal Drogo had a kid, they would raise him on suspicion and secrets. Dangerous, magnetic, and essential.
STYLE/STORYLINE
While it personally took me a moment to get into the first-person writing style, I noticed that strong style and pacing, along with good use of inner monologue, kept me engaged quickly enough without giving me the ‘this isn’t for me’ feeling I often get with stories written in this form—Kudo’s to the author.
From her writing, it is clear that she plays to her strengths, and there is a clear sign that she writes from a foundation of knowledge collected throughout the years.
Never do they rush you to the ‘cool scenes’ and give you time to get your bearings and get to know this world and these characters.
The pacing is deliberate but effective. The opening is introspective and slower-paced, which works well for establishing emotional resonance. Once the fantasy elements take hold, the pacing accelerates quickly.
Some scenes are rich in description and intrigue. That said, there are moments where the tension could be tightened slightly, but these are minor. Mos
Novel HavenRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Wow, what a ride! These chapters have been a blast of action, expertly blending medieval fantasy with a bit of modern attitude. Genevieve's adventure is completely compelling – from the beginning when she's terrified and confused to increasingly resourceful as it goes on, she's an amazing heroine. Her inner dialogue is great – funny and down-to-earth, making both her setbacks and victories all the more compelling.
Caspian is an intriguing character, a rich blend of intimidation and (perhaps?) grudging protectiveness. His tension between action and the values of chivalry keeps you in the dark, and his suggestions of something more profound underneath him are intriguing. The secondary characters, from zany Ester to kindly Mandell, provide depth and humor to the narrative.
The world-building is great! The descriptions are rich and compelling, creating a clear picture of this bizarre new world with its mix of magic and medieval society. The pacing is great, moving the story along at a good clip without ever feeling rushed. The cliffhangers at the end of every chapter leave you clamoring for more! Seriously, I have to know what happens next! This is a tale I'm looking forward to continuing. I implore you all to read this great novel and see for yourself!
FlabberGhostedRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The pace of the story is good, it's not too quick, where you don't know how you got there and it isn't so slow that you get bored.
The characters all have personalities that aren't copy and paste stereotypes, they are their own people.
The grammar and certain sections need a bit of working on, but overall so far this book is enticing and really hooks you in, also the FL isn't a pick me so bonus points.
And Ester is and amazing character that I deeply vibe with.
Ester is so cool and awesome, and Awesome and cool. And i love him so much.
Pace of book is good minus the first chunk of chapter 1 and some minor parts in chapter 2 but other then that pace is good
Good style of reading
The plot is good, it's holds very strong implications of romance without throwing away the plot to just be romance, it allows the book to be unique instead of just another cliche, it works well with the time period and fantasy style too
I like how the author subtley foreshadows a greater storyline than what we're given. Especially with the first person view of Genevieve learning through her what we understand of the world is really fun in how we get nuggets of information of the world, it keeps the pacing interesting without dragging it out. The maps and such are a really fun touch, I can see this book going quite far if she keeps this up :D
_sylveriaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I absolutely love how this story started and how it further progressed! This is an absolutely fun story to read and I would recommend this to any reader out there!
For readers who have read in similar platforms like Goodnovel or Wattpad then this book wouldn'r disappoint.
It took to me to a fun ride filled with laughter and tension that I couldn't get enough of. I really love the mc and her dynamic with the other characters and how naturally it came to be.
This somehow reminds me of historical manhwas but in a good way. It's a typical mc gets transported to another world but these cliches can be used depending on how it is told and your still going to love it!
In terms of grammar, some parts needs a little bit of fixing and enhancing including scenes where it overpass logic or questionable but I can see that the author is fixing it whenever a reader comments about it.
The characters are magnificent and how this story is told, it's a really fun ride and absolute fun interactions that you won't be bored of.
To all fantasy and romance readers out there, I promise that you wouldn't be disappointed if you read this and I would absolutely recommend this to other readers of the same genre.