The Forge & Fracture Saga is a young adult fantasy book series set in William Shakespeare's London that features an Orisha-blessed Black heroine who uses her metal magic to fight the Fae—inspired by West African Orisha, Shakespeare's plays A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night, and Toph Beifong's metalbending from Avatar: The Last Airbender. The series is made up of three novels published by Amulet Books in the US, Faber & Faber in the UK, and Roca in Spanish:
Book 1: That Self-Same Metal (Released April 25, 2023)
Book 2: Saint-Seducing Gold (Released April 23, 2024)
Book 3: Iron Tongue of Midnight (To Be Released April 22, 2025)
The Forge & Fracture Saga
BOOK 1: That Self-Same Metal
Sixteen-year-old Joan Sands is a gifted craftswoman who creates and upkeeps the stage blades for William Shakespeare’s acting company, The King’s Men. Joan’s skill with her blades comes from a magical ability to control metal—an ability gifted by her Head Orisha, Ogun. Because her whole family is Orisha-blessed, the Sands family have always kept tabs on the Fae presence in London.
Usually that doesn’t involve much except noting the faint glow around a Fae’s body as they try to blend in with London society, but lately, there has been an uptick in brutal Fae attacks. After Joan wounds a powerful Fae and saves the son of a cruel lord, she is drawn into political intrigue in the human and Fae worlds.
Hailed as “glorious (and very stabby)” by The New York Times and “A fresh take on faerie magic.” by Leigh Bardugo and is a finalist for the Lambda “Lammy” Literary Award for Outstanding LGBTQ+ Young Adult and The Ignyte Award for Outstanding Novel: Young Adult.
BOOK 2: Saint-Seducing Gold
There’s danger in the court of James I.
Magical metal-worker Joan Sands must reforge the Pact between humanity and the Fae to stop the looming war. As violence erupts across London and the murderous spymaster Robert Cecil closes in, the Fae queen Titanea coerces Joan into joining the royal court while holding her godfather prisoner in the infamous Tower of London.
Now Joan will have to survive deadly machinations both magical and mortal all while balancing the magnetic pull of her two loves—Rose and Nick—before the world as she knows it is destroyed forever.
Called “…a pulse-pounding read” by Reactor Magazine and “…a perfect series for theatre lovers” by Paste Magazine, the novel also received a coveted Kirkus Starrred Review from Kirkus Reviews.
BOOK 3: Iron Tongue of Midnight
The electrifying conclusion to the "glorious" (The New York Times) award-nominated historical fantasy trilogy, The Forge & Fracture Saga.
It all ends with the Fae Queen.
Unrestrained by the fractured Pact and its fragile peace, Titanea and her forces grow stronger each day. The Fae openly terrorize London while King James hides in the countryside, protected by the children of the Orisha. Seventeen-year-old Joan Sands must banish the Fae, just as her ancestor did nearly two thousand years ago, but first she’ll have to unravel the mystery behind the original pact.
Armed with a magical sword and the power to manipulate and create metal, Joan gathers allies and enemies in unlikely places as the world she knew slips further away. But the children of the Orisha struggle to wield their magic for war, and Joan clashes with the elders who refuse to trust the fate of the world to a child, regardless of her Orisha blessings. All while her two loves, Nick and Rose, grow closer to each other, a prospect more momentous and alluring than Joan ever could have imagined.
When a spirit bent on annihilating all who worship the Orisha is unleashed, Joan discovers the unsettling truth behind the original pact. Faced with the lies of the past, the frightening power of the Fae, and a mortal king whose dangerous whims hold her community hostage, Joan must decide: Is the old world worth saving or is it time to forge something frighteningly new?
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