Mike almost believes in magic. Or at least he used to. But at nearly 40, he feels like his life hasn't really begun. He's managing a coffee shop, his parents are waiting him to hurry up and settle down, he's lonely and the one thing he has is the few evenings he gets to perform his magic act above a quiet pub in Romford, something he's been dreaming about since his Grandfather got him a magic set when he was nine. But it's getting hard to find magic in his life recently.
Angelique likes a project. As a project consultant for a trendy media company in Shoreditch, she knows a good one when she sees it. So when she sees a magician perform in a small pub, she knows there's potential in there somewhere - she could push her own career forward and help someone out at the same time.
So our duo set about making their mark on the world - and embarking on a new and unexpected friendship. But when Angelique is viciously assaulted and makes a moving statement to the press, she becomes thrust into the spotlight without him and Mike starts to wonder if there really is no magic left in the world.
You know the saying, Don't judge a book by it's cover? Well that definitely applies here. There's a chance I wouldn't have picked this up, but underneath the cover is a hell of a story. A story about friendship, dreams, and the magic of real life.
Angelique and Mike were instantly loveable - so well written and easy to connect with. To begin with I found myself not relating to either character, but as we get to know them they become more rounded, three-dimensional people with entire lives. The supporting characters, especially Angeliques friend Joanne were crafted wonderfully and easily memorable. The writing style put us in a unique position - we just between both perspectives but in first person for Mike and third for Angelique, giving us this strange familiarity with Mike and a curiousity to know more about his new friend as though we are the ones meeting her too.
While both of our duo bond over their difficult past experiences, one of Angeliques key struggles through this story is that she suffers with Achondroplasia - commonly known as Dwarfism. Or more accurately, she suffers with peoples opinions on that. Now as someone who hasn't lived through it, I can't say if the representation is correct, but my heart broke seeing her life summed up by the media, by strangers, by everyone by one characteristic and that is someone I could relate to on an intrinsic level.
Because of this, Tyler brings up a lot of food for thought - about the differences between Tokenism and Inclusivity, between explotation and pride. And definitely makes us think about the dangers of success we don't often think about.
Broken Wand is not just about the magic of the stage, but the magic that can be found in friendship, and in the places you'd least expect it.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I'm sick and tired of not letting them win. Do you know how much energy that takes? Let the bastards win, I don't care." - Page 150
"But I feel with you in my life there's more of me." - Page 224
"Reading and writing have always featured in my life. I remember with nostalgia the day I bought my first book with my own money - BB's 'The Little Grey Men', which I still have. I caught the bug then and have no desire to be rid of it. I've travelled a lot to some amazing places but there is, and always will be, more to see and write about. That said, I'm lucky enough to live in Brighton on the UK's south coast with my family where lockdown has taught me to appreciate my doorstep and the lovely things on it much more"
Like a lot of writers, I live a lot of my life in my head - always wondering, making notes, accumulating characters - and now I'm working more on putting some of that down on paper and devoting a lot more of my time to writing."
You can find out more at denisetyler.co.uk
About The Host
Random Things Tours are a book connector service - putting your books in the hands of reviewers and readers all over the world. With over four years of organising blog and promotional events, they're always growing. Follow them on instagram @RandomThingsTours for more info!
Thank you to Denise Tyler and Anne at @randomthingstours and Denise Tyler for inviting me to take part in this tour. I was gifted a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
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