That Self-Same Metal

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!

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!

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.

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*