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Rating: 3.5 Stars
Release Date: April 25, 2023
Format: Paperback (Giveaway Win from Abrams Books, YALLWest 2025) + Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)
Publisher: Amulet Books
Brittany N. Williams’ young adult debut novel That Self Same Metal, first book in The Forge and Fracture Saga, was an excellent blend of historical fiction based on fact and fantasy. The premise is really cool; an Orisha blessed Black girl taking on the fae in Shakespearean London is epic and very enticing to readers such as myself. I want to applaud audiobook narrator Patricia Allison who did a good job bringing the story to life with her performance.
The author has obviously done their homework with Shakespeare’s plays, as the scenes where the King's Men were performing were incredibly immersive. She also highlighted the sexism and racism that a young black female would have experienced in that time period in a way that made sense with the story. While the story is based on historical fact, it's a fictitious representation of ‘the Bard’ and I wasn’t used to seeing him as an actual character on the page. I also didn’t realize that Shakespeare’s plays had so much offensive language (from euphemisms to slurs), as the last time I read them they were a version adjusted to be more appropriate for high schoolers.
The action takes a bit to pick up, but once the main players (major fae) are introduced it’s full steam ahead. I’m intrigued to see where the author goes with the (possibly) polyamorous love triangle in future books of the series.
I recommend this book to young adult fantasy readers who enjoy West African mythology, Shakespeare, and anything related to the fae. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a paperback copy of the book as part of a giveaway win from YALLWest 2025. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book immensely.
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