That Self-Same Metal: Discover the swashbuckling YA historical fantasy series, perfect for fans of Holly Black and Leigh Bardugo. (Forge and Fracture)

My first five star of 2024! And what a brilliant book to kick off that milestone!Do you love fantasy? The shakespearian period, shakespeares works? , a midsummer night's dream and a strong badass Female main character - then you will 100% love this!This book was a page turner and kept me reading until stupid hours in the morning!The way the author described London of that time and the Fae made it so easy for you to picture it all in your mindThe FMC was so badass and I lover her. She was strong especially in a male dominated workplace and society - but that never stopped her!Great lgbtqia representation with the Bi representation 🏳️‍🌈The ending - wow - didn't expect that !!!Overall an absolute amazing read would 100000000% recommend!

16 year old Joan has many roles. She is a craftswoman, a swordsmith and she helps to choreograph fight scenes for Shakespeare’s plays. Jane also has an unusual gift and can sense fae. When fae infiltrate London Joan must stop them but will she succeed?As someone who is a big fan of Shakespeare I was very intrigued by this book. I loved the idea of fae being present in Shakespearean London and adore the front cover of this book. The author has done a fantastic job in bringing to light through the characters in the book that there were people of colour and members of the LGBTQ community in and part of society at that time.The storyline was magical and truly unique. From the beginning we are thrown into Joan’s world and her looming fight with the fae. Having read other books that include fae this book certainly portrays them in a different light. They are shown as not only tricksters but also vicious and violent.Joan was a fascinating character. She lives and works in Shakespearean London but she’s also a young woman who has a special gift in that she can manipulate metal. She comes from a magical background where her twin brother James and her parents also have gifts and they all have the ability to sense fae. She is also someone that's quite ahead of her time. As a woman although she’s not allowed to act in Shakespeare’s plays, she choreographs the fight scenes and trains the actors. However, Joan finds her work cut out for her when fae target London. Normally she can sense the fae but now finds that some of them are hiding who they are so well that she can’t sense them until they show their true face and in some instances they are controlling people. Joan would normally turn to her godfather Baba Ben but when he is arrested by a disguised fae she knows it’s her responsibility to protect the inhabitants of London who may not be aware of the fae or the danger they pose.This is the first book in the Forge & Fracture Saga and the ending of this book was certainly unexpected and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens and who Joan encounters next.

That Self Same Metal us a gem of a book that I really hope gets all the love it deserves.It entwines African mythology with Shakespeare. Its part fantasy, part historical and I love it. It doesn't gloss over the politics of the time and racism is a theme that runs throughout the book.the representation in it too, *chefs kiss* !

That Self-Same Metal is a fun, action-packed YA fantasy following Joan, a gifted swordswoman who upkeeps the stage blades for The King's Men. She is gifted in more ways than one, as she is Orisha-blessed with the particular ability of being able to manipulate metal.Joan is a great protagonist and I liked the teasing, affectionate relationship she had with her twin brother James. I think what fell short for me was that I struggled to connect with any of the many secondary characters, and that included the potential romantic interests. There wasn't much romantic development beyond Joan finding them hot, although I think there's potential for these relationship(s?) to be developed in the sequel.

Why couldn’t this book have been written a decade ago? Teenage me would have adored this mythical adventure in Shakespeare’s London. How That Self-Same Metal isn’t getting all the hype on booksta is beyond me because this YA fantasy has it all. Strong, badass female MC that isn’t overpowered or excessively whiny? Check. Love triangle that isn’t between two boring men who are exactly the same apart from their hair colour? Check. Queer Shakespeare having the time of his life? Check. Characters of colour in Jacobean England? Check. Plus faeries, creatures from folklore wreaking havoc, found families, supportive parents, and a whole lot of quite gory action. This books is the YA fantasy I wish I had been able to read when I was younger.

That Self-Same Metal was so much more than I expected!It’s Shakespearen London, Magic, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ rep, wonderful world building, and amazing characters!It was so easy to get immersed in Williams’s writing as her writing is so descriptive and easy to follow. I love her version of London, Shakespeare in particular! And I especially love how Shakespeare’s characters are integrated into the Fae, it’s such a unique take and really works!I adore the acting companies characters and camaraderie! They’re like their own family and they are all pretty likeable characters. I love the mix of human and fae characters.The cover is also stunning and I think really fits in with the story. The book was an incredible start to the series and I cannot wait to read the rest!

A magnificent faerie reimagining of Shakespeare's time, this is a strong and engaging fantasy with some really incredible characters. I devoured it and can't wait for the sequel!

I've taken to reading YA books because there is less gratuitous sex that takes away from the plot. This book has been fantastic and I look forward to reading the next in the series! The twist with Shakespeare was brilliant!

I love Joan and I loved her powers and learning more about them. I love that she is a fierce warrior. The romantic subplot/s seem like a distraction to me. I love a good romance, but this just seemed surface-level and didn’t do much for the plot or character development.

I absolutely loved this book! I was a bit skeptical at first due to the time period, but this author truly did her research and captured the Era for what it was. I also loved her superpower can't wait to read the next book!

Great story I was so invested right away and I’m excited to see what happens next I’m a sucker for magic swords ands and shy bi heroines!

I hated Shakespeare in high school...and I mean hated it. But this book was not only a great story about a child of an Orisha who had to battle faes to keep them from taking over her world, but it also showed me that Black people take up space in the world of Shakespeare, too! I never knew that a book about African gods, fae and Shakespeare was what I needed...but I did! I'm looking forward to the rest of the books in the series!