A magnificent faerie reimagining of Shakespeare's time, this is a strong and engaging fantasy with some really incredible characters. I devoured it and can't wait for the sequel!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I first heard about this book, I was immediately hooked. Shakespeare and faeries? SOLD.

This book was a wonderfully fresh take on faeries and I absolutely love the way the fantasy slid so naturally into this world. It was easily one of my favourite magic systems in my recent reads, too. Between the way the MC's magic works and the rules of the faeries, I was absolutely entranced.

The fast pace and the beginnings of romance made for a really fun read and I look forward to seeing where the author takes these characters as the series progresses.

Overall, it was a fantastic debut and I look forward to reading more from this author!

The plot was so interesting, I loved it! Loved that Shakespeare was a character. As a matter of fact, in a way this was a love letter to Shakespeare and I think it worked even if there were some things that weren't perfect. For example whilst I loved the characters, every now and then I felt like there were too many secondary ones and it became a little bit crowded.

The romance was fun but due to the fact this is a plot heavy story, there were only a very few scenes between Joan and her love interests what made it difficult to really get into that poly triangle.

I really loved the sibling relationship!

In my opinion this was a great debut and hope to hear more about the author's work in the future.

3.5 stars, rounded up

This novel had an intriguing and compelling story and good prose, but it crammed a bit too much in its length, so the overall impression is that it ends up being a bit shallow.

I really liked the author's approach to the Fae, and the way the magic of the protagonist and her community was presented was also very intriguing, but it wasn't explored in any great depth - we're often told that there is a religious aspect to the magic, that there are rituals the community performs together etc, but we're never shown any of them. I hope the next book will go more in depth into those aspects.

The characters were interesting, and I particularly liked the sibling relationship between Joan and her twin, James. The romantic aspect, while it had potential, suffered from having to share space with the very intense plot. There were only a few interactions between Joan and her love interests, so the romance didn't feel very believable, and felt as though it was purely based on physical attraction (particularly when it comes to Rose, because she and Joan meet in this book for the first time, and don't have a prior relationship).

Joan wasn't a bad protagonist by any means, as she was likable and proactive, but I wish her internal arc had been developed better. It's deeply based on her relationship with her Head Orisha, Ogun, but the Orisha in general suffer from a lack of depth in this book, and I think Joan's arc suffered as a result. She can also be, for lack of a better term, very stupid, but she's portrayed as quite smart overall by the narrative, so it makes the writing feel inconsistent. Stupidity/naivete are completely fine character flaws to give to your protagonist, just as it's totally fine to write a smart character who has some blind spots, but it's not the case here: as I wrote above, Joan is overall quite smart, but she misses completely obvious things for what feels like no reason beyond narrative convenience.

Overall, this was a fun read, and it got me out of a reading slump, so I do recommend checking it out! It's a debut, and it feels as though the author is still finding her feet a little, but I do have high hopes for her next books.

That Self Made Metal was an enjoyable quick read.

The pacing kept the flow going, I didn't lose my interest throughout the story. The interlude was a great way to add some background and it was a nice breaker.

I found the magic system and the range of faes, very enjoyable. It gave the story a unique feeling to the world.

The side characters were enjoyable. Although I did love the side characters, I didn't particularly enjoy the indecisive yearning from Joan, it felt stilted and awkward. On the other hand, I barely remember what it was like to have a crush on someone when I was 16.

Overall a great debut, and I am interested to see how the next sequel will play out. * wink * * wink*

Brittany N. Williams' "That Self-Same Metal" is a bold and imaginative foray into a fictionalised 1605 London, where the historical and the fantastical intertwine with thought-provoking themes of race, gender, and power dynamics. The novel centres around Joan Sand, a black female teenager with a unique connection to the Orishas, granting her and her twin brother, James, extraordinary abilities in a world rife with both overt and covert racism.
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The Heart of the Story
At its core, "That Self-Same Metal" is a story of defiance and identity. Joan, working as a fight coordinator alongside her actor brother in a theatre company, navigates a society where women's voices are literally and metaphorically silenced (unless you're a queen).. The book delves deep into the struggles of a young woman coming to terms with her own power in a world that seeks to limit it.
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Thematic Richness
Williams masterfully explores a plethora of significant themes:
1. Race and Discrimination: The novel doesn't shy away from depicting the realities of racism in a society where black people are integrated yet distinctly marginalized.
2. Feminism and Gender Roles: Joan's journey is a testament to the limited options available to women, challenging the societal norms of Stuart London.
3. Supernatural Elements: The inclusion of Fae and the blessings of the Orishas add a layer of mysticism and wonder, enhancing the narrative's depth.
4. Shakespearean Influence: Theatre enthusiasts will appreciate the meticulous integration of Shakespearean plays and dialogue, adding authenticity to the setting.
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Character Complexity
Joan is portrayed as a multifaceted character, torn between her innate abilities, her aspirations, and the societal constraints imposed upon her as a black female. Her internal conflicts, coupled with romantic entanglements and a life-or-death struggle, make for a compelling protagonist.

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Final Verdict
"That Self-Same Metal" is a must-read for those intrigued by a blend of historical and fantastical elements, set in a richly imagined 1600s London. Williams' novel is a thought-provoking journey through a world where societal norms are challenged, and the supernatural becomes a mirror for human struggles. It was a good read but never enthralled me mainly because I found Joan unlikeable (she complained as if she didn’t know how good she had it), her romantic endeavours were stated but never developed and the intricacies of the plays often mirroring current events was belaboured.

Combining Shakespeare with fantasy was always going to be a winner for me, and the magical system in That Self-Same Metal was really interesting, combining lesser known (to me) Orisha mythology with more fantastical elements. Add in the historical setting and Shakespeare plays and there's a lot going on, but I thought everything melded well together and lent itself to a rather original story.

I also liked the main characters, Joan and her brother James. Their family dynamic was really good and believable. However, I found a lot of the other characters to be too broad in scope and not that well developed, especially the romantic elements.

The pacing is also pretty slow, as the author spends a lot of time building up the world and characters before we get to any action. This made it difficult to get through at times, especially the middle section when it feels like not a lot is going on. I also would have liked explanation into the Fae, who seem to often act as plot devices rather than an integral part of the story.

Really interesting mix of mythology and magic.

Personally, I am generally a fan of stories that combine historical narrative with fantasy elements so I wasn’t surprised that I enjoyed this book. Something that really stood out for me in this book was the magic system the author created, sometimes it can feel clunky to combine historical events with magic but this worked really well, and what’s a more perfect setting than in the time of Shakespeare?

I really enjoyed the protagonist, she’s exactly the kind of heroin I would have loved to read about when I was younger. She’s bold and confident, but flawed and relatable at the same time.

As far as debuts go this is a fantastic book that I would recommend to someone wanting to get into fantasy.

Absolutely loved this wonderful hybrid of historical fiction and fantasy. Especially the fae. I also loved the uniqueness of the magic system that the Orisha god’s provide. And the love triangle as a fellow bisexual was chefs kiss! Can’t wait for more!

This was a fabulous debut from a very promising author and I had a GREAT time. As another reviewer said, it does *feel* like a debut--there are a few rough edges from a craft perspective--but I thought the core of the book was fabulous, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Brittany Williams' career and craft develop.

The standout for me in this title was the heroine. Joan was a fabulous protagonist: smart and pragmatic, confident and capable, while also retaining just enough teenage uncertainty. She's exactly the kind of lead I think is particularly valuable for the Black YA fantasy canon, and I can already tell she's a protagonist who is really going to Matter to a lot of Black teen girls who haven't had the same breadth of relatable and aspirational heroes to look up to as white teens. I especially loved how well she knew her own crafts of metalworking and swordfighting, and how much confidence she radiated in her--well-earned!--abilities. Speaking of swordfighting, I was also very impressed by the action sequences; they were fun and exciting and very well-choreographed.

The other characters were a little bit of a mixed bag. Brittany Williams I think has a great talent for character writing, and a clear love of secondary characters and the web of relationships in her world. I loved the entire troupe of actors *as a whole*, but I agree with another reviewer's assessment that there were too many side characters for most of them to have a chance to feel fully-developed. I think a cast of this size is a better fit in adult fantasy, where there's a bit more space and breathing room to develop them; That Self-Same Metal is very fast-paced, which is great for YA, but unfortunately left me with more of a fleeting glimpse of a lot of characters than a proper grounding. This was a problem most with the two romantic interests, especially Nick, who barely got any characterisation. Rose was better-developed, but as the core relationship in the book was between Joan and her twin (which I loved, and James definitely stole the show as far as the supporting cast went), having not one but TWO endgame-leaning LIs meant both they and the romances more broadly felt a bit thin. I expect these will be fleshed out in book two, but it was disappointing in *this* book when there was so much potential and obvious love for the whole cast.

A definite strength, however, was the worldbuilding. Brittany Williams painted a rich and textured but not overly bogged-down picture of Shakespearean London, and while a surprising combination she made the Orisha x Fae x Shakespeare mashup work beautifully. It was also just such a FUN read, and surprisingly light in tone for the way it did not shy away from pretty extreme gore at times (severed arm count: 3; severed hand count: 2 plus several stray fingers; eating-a-man-aliv-while-we're-in-his-head-and-he's-ecstatic-about-it count: 1). Topics of race and gender were very well handled; I'm impressed at how viscerally sick Williams made me feel at the kinds of both micro- and full on macro aggressions Joan had to endure, especially with the knowledge that while things are perhaps a touch less *blatant* today, they are still 100% there. The plot was compelling and fast-paced, and while I do wish it stood a little better on its own, I think by the end of the duology it'll feel very satisfying. Oh, and it was also a big ol' grab bag of positive representation, which I really dug.

All up, this was a banger of a debut that I'm very glad is out in the world and had a great time reading. Thanks very much to Faber and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!