*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author, Little Island Books and Graeme Williams of Graeme Williams Marketing. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: The boy turned to face Hanan. He lifted one hand and let the light play on his fingers. Not light, a thread. A single golden thread, drifting like a cobweb, strong as steel. It blossomed from his chest, right above his heart. Hanan realised with a start that the thread ended in his own chest.
The boy smiled at Hanan, his face full of wonder.
You and I, he said.
In this lovely coming-of-age LHBTQIA love story, two young people – both damaged by trauma – find each other and start to heal together, once they manage to let their walls down first.
Hanan is suffering from some form of mental illness similar to schizophrenia and depression/anxiety, which features self-harm and suicidal thoughts and actions. This is cleverly represented in the story by his struggles to contain and control his magic, which mirrors and manifests from his dark moods and terrifies him with what might happen as a result – magical thinking brought to terrible reality. Pax is trans and has been physically and emotionally beaten down by family and peers due to his identity and sexuality, and has some hidden magical talents of his own. So, these aren’t light topics that are explored and this is not a romcom – you can expect some violence, physical and sexual, and emotional abuse, but none of it between the two main characters, who provide genuine love and support for each other throughout.
This story brings to light all of the pain, heartbreak and drama of first teen love, with the added struggles of personal identity, persecution, unhealed trauma and damaged mental health. It is a love story of two beaten, but not broken, young souls finding each other and facing their individual darkness to walk together towards a lighter future.
Those who enjoy diverse love stories with lots of emotional journeying and some fae fantasy and folklore on the side will really enjoy having their heart broken and mended by this book, and it is an ideal read for teens or young adults who may be facing some of the same issues as the main characters and looking for representation, understanding and acceptance.
The stranger who had struck him looked at him properly for the first time. His expression changed from annoyance to concern so swiftly Hanan nearly laughed. The boy’s entire face seemed to kaleidoscope as it shifted emotion, breaking apart and coming back together, reformed into worry. He grabbed Hanan’s wrists, lifting them to the light to inspect the damage. As their skin touched, the world fell silent.
Silent.
Silent.– Kel Menton, A Fix of Light
Purchase Link: A Fix of Light on Amazon
About the author
Kel Menton (they/them) is a non-binary, neurodivergent writer from Cork in Ireland. Kel works in youth theatre and has written, produced and published a number of plays for teen actors. They were selected as a Young Writer Delegate for the 2021 Dublin Book Festival. They hold a master’s in medieval English from University College Cork. A Fix of Light is their first novel.
Substack: https://substack.com/@kelmenton
X/Twitter: https://x.com/kelmenton
