Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams

8 reviews

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

caseythereader's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Racism, Religious bigotry, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Violence, Sexism, Alcohol, Excrement, and Injury/Injury detail

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

heather667's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Sexism, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Racism, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol and Misogyny

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal cruelty, and Sexual assault

hailstorm3812's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This book would have made me insane at 16. I'm talking hunger games/mortal instruments/divergent obsession levels. I am so glad that current queer teens with a love for swords and shakespeare have access to this wonderful book, unfortunately I am an adult and it falls into some YA traps that are slightly less fun for the fully formed brain, like plot twists seen a mile away. But a perfect teen book read by an adult is still pretty dang fun. And one of the best covers of the year.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, and Sexism

eternallyicarian's review

adventurous inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

 

So a fun fact about this book is that when I was at a Leigh Bardugo book signing early this year, she recommended this book to the people there. So naturally, I requested it on NetGalley once I saw the audiobook, despite it being a form of reading I am not yet accustomed to. However, despite it taking me a lot longer to read than a book typically takes, it was a great book. I loved reading about all of the characters, and I am very glad that this book did not fully fall into the all-to-common trope of making William Shakespeare himself a fraud, although the character is definitely a real person. The book also does a good job of acknowledging the racism of the times and condemns it without holding these characters to today’s morals in the way that a lot of books do.Also there is a queerness and not just for the fae, for everyone, as I have a personal hatred for when the fae are queer in a way that seems as if they are queer to distinguish them as something other than human, as opposed to showing queerness as a human trait. I mean, the fae are still equally queer which is also good, but it's everyone this time. There is also a high chance that the books may end with the main character in a polyamorous relationship, so I am really excited for that. 

 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, and Violence

sterreks's review

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams was fantastic! It is written in third person and has an amazing maincharacter with wit and courage! There are Fae and people with magic and William Shakespeare is a character in this story!
One of the best YA debuts I have read in a while. 
The maincharacter Joan is sixteen years old, queer and of color. She has the magic ability of controlling metal which her Head Orisha, Ogun had gifted her.
The Fae are depicted as dangerous creatures and seeing as Joan's whole family is Orisha-blessed they have been keeping an eye out for Fae around the city.
The book is very fast paced and many things are happening all at once. There are a few pov changes but we mostly focus on that of Joan. I really liked her as a maincharacter and I am really glad that girls all over the world will see themselves in Joan. Thank you Brittany for this beautiful powerful written woman!

Thank you so much NetGally for providing an early copy of the beautiful audiobook!

Content warnings: Racism, Sexcism

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism and Racism

levesc17's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This book had a lot to love, first and foremost, you can really feel the author’s love of Shakespeare shine through. There’s also: a girl with a sword, a bisexual love triangle, and magic! The plot had all the puzzle pieces that grab me.  I felt that pace moved too briskly for me to really settle with the main characters internal dilemmas and the plot twists a bit predictable (because honestly teenagers are predictable, why don’t they communicate with their parents?!) HOWEVER, I am an adult reader and I am not the intended audience. I will happily gift this book to any middle school or high school reader in my life.  I read an arc of this from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs, Violence, and Sexism

one thing that I didn’t understand was once they figured out the uncle was in the Tower of London, why didn’t Mama sands just use her portal power to get in there? Also, I got sort of frustrated we never found out WHAT the ritual Baba Ben was supposed to do? Last thing. How does Joan a girl of 16 in 1604 get to be so much a good sword fighter? Is that ability part of the magic? It was unclear to me how a young girl could be a expert fighter and I wanted a little more backstory!