Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This book contains scenes of violence, death, blood, gore, and cannibalism. There are scenes of racism, these include the use of slurs (“Negro”, “Neress”, “abomination”) and scenes that dehumanise black people. In one particular scene, a black female character is given a cushion to sit on at the feet of a socially powerful white woman, and she endures petting, racist comments and verbal abuse from multiple white women. One of the plays featured in the book uses blackface, and darker-skinned actors use paint to whiten their skin to play white characters in the same play.

As fitting with the historical period, there are scenes of misogyny, classism and religious tyranny. Additionally, there are scenes of blackmail, threats, bear-baiting, animal death and the mention of baby loss and miscarriage.

That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams is a historical fantasy set in Jacobean London and focuses on the life of Joan Sands, a sixteen-year-old who works with a playing troupe called the King’s Men. While women are prohibited from taking the stage, they can work behind the scenes and Joan’s job is to teach the players how to perform sword fights. It’s not always an easy task, but it is one that brings Joan great joy and lets her use her skill with weapons.

Joan would much rather be working with her father as an apprentice in his workshop, crafting metal with her hands, however, that isn’t considered acceptable work for a woman. It’s even harder for her to watch her father’s untalented apprentice make a hash of things when metal is in her blood, calling to her. Like her entire family, she’s Orisha-blessed, a human who can perform magic due to a blessing by a deity known as an Orisha. Joan has been blessed by the head Orisha, Ogun, the Orisha of Iron and as a result, she can control metal.

She is still learning how to use her powers and is constantly being reminded by her parents and mentor Baba Ben that her spiritual relationship with Ogun needs a lot of work. Joan and her mentor are the only living children of Ogun, so when he goes missing right before the Pact between humans and Fae needs to be renewed by a child of Ogun, Joan’s world is thrown into chaos – especially when neither Joan nor her twin brother James has never even heard of the Pact!

At first, the race is on to find Baba Ben to prevent the Pact from failing, and when that proves to be impossible Joan and James find themselves surrounded by Fae the like they’ve never seen before. While some are obviously foes, others seem to be offering help, but can a Fae ever be trusted?

There were so many parts of the synopsis of That Self-Same Metal that drew me in, as well as the gorgeous cover art that just begged me to learn more about the lead character, and Williams did not disappoint in the slightest. The world-building was very interesting, and it was very clear that Williams had not just done a lot of research, but that she was writing about topics that she was passionate about. I felt that this book was a passion project as much as it was an author bringing their story to life, and that enthusiasm shines through in the characters, especially Joan.

Williams has written a nuanced story that takes into account the prejudices of the time, and she gives voice to Joan’s anguish and fury as she endures racist behaviour in such a powerful way. It was also fantastic to read an openly bisexual character, and I liked the way that Williams chose to write the romance subplot (that’s all I can say without spoiling anything!). Joan is confused about how she feels about Rose and Nick, however, she’s not confused about her sexuality, which is how sexuality is so often written in young adult novels.

In between the chapters, there are small interludes that are mini-tales of what is happening around London as the Fae emerge back into the world, and these were great. Sometimes they connected with the main story, and other times they were just random stories that gave greater context.

It didn’t occur to me until I was reading the acknowledgements that Williams isn’t British. Normally I notice when a non-British author is writing British dialogue, even if there are no issues. It was very much appreciated that Williams took the time to contact a fellow author to ensure that, as she put it, her “Brits were British-ing appropriately”. That the author was Cavan Scott, one of my favourite authors, made that even better.

I enjoyed That Self-Same Metal a lot and if you’re looking for a book that approaches Fae from a new perspective then you will love this one. I can’t wait to follow the adventures of Joan and her companions in the next book!

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Trigger Warnings: racism (including blackface), sexism, murder, violence

Sixteen-year-old Joan Sands is a “gifted” craftswoman who creates and upkeeps the stage blades for William Shakespeare’s acting company. Joan’s gift comes from a magical ability she was blessed with from her Head Orisha, Ogun. Because her entire family is Orisha-blessed, they’ve kept tabs on the Fae presence in London. Usually, they just see a faint glow around a Fae’s body as they try their best to blend in with regular society. After a pack has been broken though, the rise of brutal Fae attacks has risen. After saving the son of a cruel Lord from a Fae attack, Joan gets thrusted into the political world of humans and Fae.

The writing really shows the author’s background in theater and acting and of the historical time period (including the treatment of Black people living in London, which I hadn’t known about).

Some of the parts didn’t interest me as much, but I did really enjoy the fight scenes as I felt like they were well written. There could have been a lot going on, but I would never feel like I was lost but rather right in the middle of swords swinging around.

Overall, this was a fun and action-packed YA fantasy with an alternative history twist. I can see YA fantasy readers and those who love theater enjoying this book with the twist of Shakespeare. I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for the next book in the series to continue with Joan and her story. ( )

An entertaining mix of historical fiction and fantasy, with a retelling of A Midsummer Nights Dream. I love the powers that Joan and James have received from the Orisha, I am hoping that we will get to see more of James power in the second book.

Patricia Allison did a great job narrating this novel and I hope that Patricia narrates the rest of this series. ( )

This mashup of historical fiction and fantasy brings sparkling and dangerous magic to the world of Shakespeare's players, the group who first performed all his famous plays.

As mortals who have ties to the ancient powers, Joan has a secret gift - the ability to shape metal with her bare hands. It comes in handy in her father's jewelry store, where she works when she's not helping out with Shakespeare's players, where her brother performs. Women are forbidden from acting, so even though Joan longs to be on the stage, she must remain on the sidelines, helping with costumes and blocking out swordfights for the other players.

Her world's upended, though, when a pact between the Fae and the mortal realm expires. Dangerous Fae are unleashed, and Joan immediately gets on their wrong side when she intervenes in one's attempt to murder a mortal. Suddenly, she and her group of actors are thrust into the center of the battle for primacy in the mortal realm.

The setting and the inclusion of Shakespeare as a character added interest, and the book was at its best when incorporating bits of Fae mythology combined with historical events, such as the collision of the wild hunt with Guy Fawkes. The book has light romantic elements, as Joan's is bisexual and torn between a crush on a fellow player and a girl she helps. I wish the magic system had been explained a little better, as I'm still not completely sure how Joan's family's powers came to be.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )