by Brittany N. Williams
Reviewed by Sherin Nicole
Shakespeare and the Fae are forever intertwined; now Brittany N. Williams weaves a new tapestry, adding in the Orisha and a young Black heroine with a gift for metallurgy. Set primarily at The Globe, The Bard’s famous theater, That Self-Same Metal tosses us immediately into danger. The Plague is back in London, but there are worse things afoot. A treaty between the British monarchy and the Fae is fading, and only one person can mend it. And when he gets silenced, the walls between worlds crumble, and magical threats overrun the city.
Joan Sands, Master Shakespeare’s weapons master, and a child of the Orisha, is trapped between four things: her personal goal to become a metalsmith, the West African god Ogun, the misogynoir of the time, and the Fairy King Auberon. So, she is less than tickled with the goings on—but that is where the adventure (and the hardships) begin.
“I am made of that self-same metal (mettle) as my sister,
And prize me at her worth. In my true heart,”
–King Lear
Brittany N. Williams gives us an imaginative YA fantasy, kicking off a three-book saga. That Self-Same Metal is rich with history, action, and wit but is also pragmatic with characters who make smart choices, even when those choices are doomed. This all means, there will be no eye-rolling but it’ll keep the pages turning.
Originally posted on the Geek Girl Riot podcast on idobi.com
