Audacity Book Club: September Read

By Nic Daniels

TW: Gore, some racism

Hello, audacious readers!

It’s (almost) officially fall! The cool air is settling in as we transition into spooky season so, grab your blanket and get cozy. Last month, we fought our own suspicions with Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson. This month, we’re exploring magic and metal in That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams.

It’s 1600’s London and, on the surface, Joan Sands creates fake swords for the popular plays of William Shakespeare. Little does the company know that the swords she crafts are not only real but made through her magical ability to control metal, a blessing from the Yoruba God, Ogun. In fact, Joan and her family are all blessed by various Orishas that manifest into different powers. This makes the Sands family perfectly equipped to keep an eye on the Fae presence in London.

Once a danger and presently a nuisance, the Fae are usually harmless pranksters most days due to an pact struck between them and the humans years before. However, when England’s new king fails to uphold the pact, brutal attacks start to break out across the city. Even Joan gains the attention of the Fae king, Auberon, after one of his attacks almost gets her killed. As the city falls into mystical disarray, Joan is pulled into a world of political intrigue that promises power, disaster, and no way back to the status quo.   

That Self-Same Metal is a high-energy, magical adventure that keeps on you coming back for more. This book is available wherever books are sold, in your local library, and the Libby app. I hope you enjoy it, and I will see you at the end of the month for the full review.

Until then, don’t forget to read audaciously!