That Self-Same Metal Review

By Nic Daniels

TW: Gore, some racism

Hello, audacious readers!

No, you are not imagining that cool breeze in the air. Fall is finally here (much to the disappointment of founder, Jessica Wise)! Last month, we cautiously fell in love with Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson. This month, we’re battling mythical creatures in Shakespearian London in That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams.

Joan Sands may be a prop creator for the famous William Shakespeare at the Global Theatre, but there’s more to her than meets the eye. The swords she crafts for the plays are made through her ability to control metal, a blessing from the Yoruba God, Ogun. But while rare, she’s not alone in having a special ability. In fact, London is teeming with magic. However, there are others that aren’t as harmless with their magic.

Once a danger and presently a nuisance, the Fae that live in the city are usually harmless pranksters due to an ancient pact struck between them and the humans. However, when England’s new king fails to renew the pact, brutal attacks start to break out. As the city falls into mystic disarray, Joan is pulled into the center of the conflict. The journey isn’t for the faint of heart but, with her twin brother and fellow thespians by her side, Joan is willing to fight tooth and nail for peace between humans and Fae.

I’m going to put the warning here: if you have a sensitive stomach, this may not be the story for you. I was not prepared for the amount of gore in this book. It’s not really emphasized in the story since the person experiencing it is under a spell where they don’t feel it the pain of it; Brittany does us a favor by creating the same effect for the reader. But it is definitely there. (Granted, it is spooky season so please pay attention to the trigger warnings for the next couple of books.)

Now, onto the rest of the review. We all know I’m a romance girlie at heart. And, honestly, I’m not a big-time action person for the most part. However, I got to say that the real highlight of this book are the fight scenes. There are so many in this book, pretty much every two or three chapters, but I never got bored by them. I actually looked forward to them. Brittany does a great job in pacing and the fight choreography (yes, I’m counting it even though it’s written).

Another element that I really appreciated was how well West African mythology was mixed with European mythology. Logically, it works very well due to the different backgrounds of the characters, and the diversity in power sets is cool to see. It also works with what I’m going to call the meta remake of A Midsummer’s Night Dream that’s going on within the story.

While the romance is mostly cute and predictable (the first kiss is straight up adorable), one thing that I find interesting is the nod to polyamory in the story, which I have yet to see in YA before this. But this is only book one of the series and Joan’s journey has a long way to go. From what I read; it promises to be a wild ride.

I hope you enjoyed That Self-Same Metal! I'll be sharing all my thoughts soon with founder, Jessica Wise. Feel free to comment your thoughts below. Until next time, don’t forget to read audaciously!