4.5
I thoroughly enjoyed this blend of contemporary romance and paranormal fantasy. I’ve read a lot of paranormal/supernatural fiction and haven’t come across one recently that allows the everyday aspects of life—friendship, pain, doubt and all the other highs and lows of living—to take precedence over the paranormal elements in the story, part of the reason I enjoyed it so much. The main focus is on the struggles and personal demons each man faces rather than relying on all the “fantastical” elements that can be introduced with the use of magical/god-like gifts.
Laurence is an addict who struggles daily with feelings of inadequacy, self-disgust and despair over his inability to focus his gifts. Quentin is a complicated lost soul who is unaware of his own gift, a gift that seems intertwined with past trauma that he uses unintentionally and without remembering whenever he feels threatened. Through their relationship, each man, for different reasons, gets to experience their first real taste of friendship, affection and closeness, from someone other than their mothers, and draws strength and a better sense of self worth from their bond.
For me the writing is especially noteworthy because very few books have allowed me to “hear” a character and feel like I know them from their first introduction, but I was immediately drawn into Laurence’s feelings and world with how well and poetically the description of his visions/overdose experience was, something I experienced again when Quentin was introduced.
Fair warning, there is A LOT about Quentin that is not explained in this book. He clearly has suffered some form of trauma/child abuse that may hint at something sexual because he is triggered into using his power when he feels threatened, which occurs when someone even mentions anything of a sexual nature. The way he completely disconnects from reality could have been a coping mechanism to protect him from whatever happened to him as child long before he manifested his powers; however, this is pure speculation. Moreover, this is a book about learning to connect with someone on an emotional level while still learning about who you are so there is no carnal activity and only the beginnings of moving the relationship into more than friends and a HFN as a couple.
That being said, I loved that the magic of this book is less about powers and gods, and more about how friendship and love can be their own magic, without beating you over the head with the message.