The following version of this novel was used in the creation of this study guide: Williams, Brittany N. That Self-Same Metal. Amulet Books. 2023. First Edition. Hardcover.

16-year-old Joan Sands works at the playhouse, a place where a troupe called the king's men practices their performances. As a woman, Joan is not allowed to perform like her twin brother, James. However, she maintains the troupe's swords with her metal magic gifted to her by the Orisha, Ogun. However, things get worse when her Baba, Ben, is wrongly arrested before he can perform the ritual meant to keep the dangerous Fae from attacking humans. This allows one named Auberon to escape and, when Joan injures him protecting her friends, Auberon swears revenge.

While Joan struggles with her sudden connection to Ogun after the Orisha possesses her, she works with James to save a child named William Cecil from Auberon. Unfortunately, this draws the attention of his cruel father, Robert Cecil (referred to as Cecil). However, Joan chooses not to work for him, as she knows he will only treat her as a thing and not a person.

Then, Joan and James befriend Rose and her powerful Fae father, Goodfellow. He reveals that Auberon is not actually a King, but will not give up without killing Joan. When Auberon attacks during a performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” after Joan takes her brother’s place, Goodfellow and Rose rescue her. They rush Joan and James home, only to find Cecil who threatens both the troupe and Joan’s family if she does not work for him. She reluctantly agrees, only to learn that he wants her to kill Auberon in a single day while he stops an attack on the House of Lords.

Then, after Joan is forced to watch Othello with the prejudiced Queen Anne, Auberon kidnaps James. Joan, after resisting Ogun’s possession for the fourth time, loses the Orisha’s blessing and the Fae escapes. Shakespeare, Goodfellow and Rose introduce her to the Fae Queen, Titanea, who was hiding as one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting. She promises that none of the Fae loyal to her will get in Joan's way. So, with Shakespeare's encouragement, Joan puts her faith in Ogun and kills Auberon in the House of Lords. Unfortunately, Cecil arrives and refuses to listen to her, causing him to miss the gunpowder that explodes as the Queen enters. When The Queen survives, Joan is heartbroken to learn that Titanea- disguised as one of the Queen's attendants- did not.

Weeks later, Joan is invited to meet with the Queen. However, Joan is shocked to be treated like a regular person since Queen Anne always acted like Joan. At first, Joan is elated to learn the Queen is actually a disguised Titanea. That feeling quickly turns to horror when the Fae Queen reveals she planned the explosion and expects Joan to repay her by helping the Fae reclaim their power.