Review: "Deny Me, the Nightshade Boy" by Mary VanAlstine
"'You can do that if you want. Or don't. But it's your choice. That's what being human means."
The Breakdown:
Review:
Wow. This book had me going feral, devouring it in a quest to see a happy ending for Andrew and Micah. Deny Me is the book that has converted me to liking fluffier romances instead of my normal, darker hurt/comfort books and everything else with just … so much suffering. Instead, Mary VanAlstine weaves a story with a soft, whirlwind romance between Andrew, a computer repair shop owner in his 30s learning about how to stay safe from the Fae, and Micah, a half Fae who just turned 40 trying to keep himself from hurting Andrew through his unknown powers. Don't get me wrong, there are still elements of hurt/comfort, but this is a lot more comfort than I tend to go for (which is absolutely not a bad thing!).
In this, VanAlstine weaves some traditional Folk stories and creatures with the realities of contemporary life, having small points throughout the book like unnatural hair and eyes being seen as a new fad of hair dye and contact lenses. Their writing is magical, pun intended, furthering the atmosphere. Throughout, there is vivid imagery and soft yet serious banter and moments both magical and so, so real. I quickly grew attached to the characters, even the side characters I feared wouldn't be as developed due to the pacing of this book (which I liked! fast paces are great reads for me a lot of the time). Throughout the pacing, VanAlstine keeps the characters' personalities big, allowing for memorable moments, from Chamomile kidnapping Andrew's cat to Ingrid's wariness over potential sarcasm. Adding to the beauty within this story, there are sections formatted as text messages and sweet illustrations that immerse the reader into the fairytale-like setting.
Of course, that isn't to say this book doesn't have its heavy moments. There are several content warnings, and some of them are pretty significant. This story really revolves around substance abuse and the MCs pasts in relation to it. VanAlstine's sense of these characters and their pasts is notable; you can see fragments of their traumas and experiences in every interaction they have. Even the theme itself can work so well as an allegory; a Fae terrified of hurting those around him because of an unchangeable part of his identity? Chef's kiss.
And the plot? There's a perfect mix of the reader being able to know what's about to happen (leaving me with such lovely annotations as "AAAAA Ingrid is totally [redacted]" and "right!!!!") and giving unexpected twists that still work perfectly. I don't like twists for the sake of them, but VanAlstine takes advantage of the roundabout workings of the Folk to add in turns that make sense, even if unforeseen. This book also doesn't end on a complete cliffhanger; if you can't read the next book, you don't have to, which I appreciate (even though I really, really want to read the next book(s) already). I haven't had to spoiler-warning a review yet, and I don't plan on doing it now, but let me just say that the climax is spectacular, and I love the ending.
I love the domesticity the story returns to again and again; these characters don't want to be the constantly-adventuring type, and they deserve their cozy date nights with their oddball chosen family. Of course, as this is the first of a trilogy, I anticipate them being forced into adventuring at least a little bit more, and I can't wait to read more of their lives and loves.
Content Notes:
- Depictions of self-harm
- Depictions of psychosis
- Depictions of depression and anxiety
- Implied substance abuse
- Implied sexual assault
- Instances of magical violence
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