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nightjar656's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This book was exactly what I needed right now- I’ve been really stressed and busy lately, so a lighter novel full of adventure and sword fighting was perfect at this time. I love Joan as a main character, and her progression with Ogun throughout the book is fascinating. I do hope there’s a little more complexity within the romances in book 2, but at the same time I liked that it was there yet didn’t overshadow everything. And monstrous fae was such a breath of fresh air from the more common kind of fae in romantasy. That cliffhanger at the end was a bit worrying, though. I can’t wait to read book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Fantasy loving, theatre nerds are going to ADORE this refreshingly inventive Fae related fantasy that explores Shakespeare’s London (and its gritty, unsavoury underbelly) to perfection!
As a fan of Fae based stories and all things Shakespeare, I practically leapt at the chance to read this
It’s set in 1605, (two years after the Death of Elizabeth I) and follows sixteen year old Joan Sands, whose Orisha-blessed ability to control metals has made her an expert swordsmith for The Globe Theatre—working alongside Shakespeare himself!
But,when a pact between the Fae and the Yoruba spirits (which had protected the human world for centuries) is broken, Joan inadvertently finds herself at the centre of the cities’ conflict.
For London has become the hunting ground for the newly freed Fae and Joan’s gifts make her the only one who can stop them.
I thought this was quite an engaging read with a fiercely independent (and loveable) protagonist that readers will no doubt be rooting for from the start. The complexity of Joan’s character, and the internal struggles she faces— both as a queer black woman grappling with self identity, and as one of the magic-blessed, whose powers are soo strongly tied to the Orisha (Ogun) , were handled really well.
The pacing is a bit of a whirlwind at times, which meant some characters weren’t as in depth as others but Brittany N. Williams’ sharp wit and attention to the historical details was really enjoyable (like Joan, as the daughter of a goldsmith living in Cheapside, a street famed for its gold workers. I also can’t stop imagining The Cheapside Hoard belonging to them.)
I think she also did a fabulous job in using the well documented chaos of the era to firmly establish and cement the mischievous (and historically bloodthirsty) Fae into the narrative. Further helped by tying their antics to several well known figures/ historical events (I won’t give any spoilers, but I was intrigued to see one infamous plot from a more magic/supernatural perspective.)
If you’re at all familiar with Shakespeare’s works (especially A Midsummer Night’s Dream) then you’re gonna be delighted by the many references (and character cameos) we encounter alongside the Bard, whose own role was actually larger than I had initially imagined.
Overall, an adventurous (but incredibly fast paced) read that will appeal to historical fantasy and Shakespeare aficionados. Just be sure to check the TWs first.
Also, thanks to The Tandem Collective and Faber & Faber for the gorgeous finished copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Sexism, Death, and Misogyny
Minor: Gore, Animal cruelty, and Alcohol
mattyb's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Racial slurs, Confinement, Classism, Death, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Vomit, and Police brutality
maregred's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Death, Blood, Violence, and Gore
Minor: Alcohol
emfass's review
Plot idea was fantastic, I was very excited by the *ideas* for the story, but oh my GOD for whatever reason I could not stand the writing. Was trying to get through the audiobook for Bad Bitch Book Club summer fantasy group but it became more and more torturous to try and make myself pick it up and I decided to let myself move on to other things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Body horror, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism and Sexism
Minor: Animal cruelty
batty_and_bookish's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Classism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Death
avacadosocks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Death, Blood, Violence, Cannibalism, and Gore
Minor: Alcohol
fareehareads's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I almost didn't finish this book. I nearly dropped in several times. But something propelled me forward to just blaze through it in one sitting after days of going back and forth with it.
The story itself follows Joan Sands and her brother James, two fae living in the Elizabethan era and working as a part of Shakespeare's acting company. James is an actor and Joan is the swords expert that teaches everyone how to fight. Their family are blessed by the Orisha, meaning all of them have special abilities, for Joan it's the ability to manipulate iron and other metals. There is a political plot in this, a group of actors with wild personalities, a male and female love interest for Joan, and some fae deaths that lead to an investigation and further choas.
All around the premise sounded so promising but where it felt flat for me was the worldbuilding and convoluted plot. It was very clear that the author was setting up this book to have some larger implications that wouldn't be explored till the next book and I wish it was less heavy handed. The focus of the task at hand kept getting lost and while Joan's motivations weren't unclear, her desires felt very strained and pulled in too many directions. She was clearly meant to be an honorable character with a sense of justice and care for her fellow family and friends. Yet she often acted for her own self interests and didn't actually make any real effort to find out why she was the only one from her family other than her uncle with the specific very important ability that could change everything. It came up and was dropped like it meant nothing.
Also her parents didn't make a lot of sense to me, her mother was hell-bent on keeping Joan from knowing things by saying "she's too young" and that didn't feel like the strongest argument considering how she was killing monsters every other day and supporting her brother completely. It felt like Joan was carrying a lot but there was 0 acknowledgment of that from everyone around her. Also Shakespeare himself being an active character was an interesting choice, but I almost wish it didn't happen at all.
I had a lot more complaints about this than I thought. Anyway a lot of this book had potential, but it really didn't stick the landing.
The story itself follows Joan Sands and her brother James, two fae living in the Elizabethan era and working as a part of Shakespeare's acting company. James is an actor and Joan is the swords expert that teaches everyone how to fight. Their family are blessed by the Orisha, meaning all of them have special abilities, for Joan it's the ability to manipulate iron and other metals. There is a political plot in this, a group of actors with wild personalities, a male and female love interest for Joan, and some fae deaths that lead to an investigation and further choas.
All around the premise sounded so promising but where it felt flat for me was the worldbuilding and convoluted plot. It was very clear that the author was setting up this book to have some larger implications that wouldn't be explored till the next book and I wish it was less heavy handed. The focus of the task at hand kept getting lost and while Joan's motivations weren't unclear, her desires felt very strained and pulled in too many directions. She was clearly meant to be an honorable character with a sense of justice and care for her fellow family and friends. Yet she often acted for her own self interests and didn't actually make any real effort to find out why she was the only one from her family other than her uncle with the specific very important ability that could change everything. It came up and was dropped like it meant nothing.
Also her parents didn't make a lot of sense to me, her mother was hell-bent on keeping Joan from knowing things by saying "she's too young" and that didn't feel like the strongest argument considering how she was killing monsters every other day and supporting her brother completely. It felt like Joan was carrying a lot but there was 0 acknowledgment of that from everyone around her. Also Shakespeare himself being an active character was an interesting choice, but I almost wish it didn't happen at all.
I had a lot more complaints about this than I thought. Anyway a lot of this book had potential, but it really didn't stick the landing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Murder, Colonisation, Blood, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Hate crime, Bullying, and Gaslighting
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Classism
jessicaludden's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I wanted to like this book but it fell kind of flat for me. I love the premise of a religion-based magic system set in Shakespearean London with POC and queer main and side characters. I really liked Joan and her brother’s relationship, but the side characters didn’t do a lot for me. The romance also felt very instant and I couldn’t really see the chemistry with either of her love interests. As far as the plot goes, I feel like things kept happening but nothing connected or flowed well. We never circled back to the overarching theme or goal. Overall, I liked the idea of this but the execution wasn’t what I hoped it would be. I wish we had gotten more world building and explored the magic system more.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Body horror, Death, Racism, Blood, Murder, and Racial slurs
amobrien's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I loved the combination of Shakespeare literature and fantasy in this YA debut about a sword-fighting bisexual Black girl in historical London. There is a love-triangle of sorts that provides some romance to this read, but I honestly preferred the relationship between Joan (the main character) and her twin brother. Overall, this was a great debut and I look forward to the continuation of the series!
Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.
Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence