When the Glow Lights the Woods by Eule Grey
@EuleGreyAuthor
@eulegrey
@EuleGrey
#MM, #Dystopian, #YA, #Romance, #Seasonal, #Fantasy,
A snowy story of healing, birds, and the magic of connection.
The Wall? Who gives a snowman’s kiss about when the wars ended, or who built the divide that goes all the way around the planet? Whatever!
All anyone cares about is Christmas, when one lucky person gets to date someone from the other side. Who will it be this year?
Eighteen-year-old Kite Ripples loves birds, animals, and gazing at stars. He’s a good brother to leader, Mal. Mostly. As teacher, it’s Kite’s responsibility to dispel the rumours about people on the other side being robots—just a myth, right? Deep down, he understands no human is better, or worse, than any other. And, if he dreams of meeting a guy like him—who wants to kiss—it doesn’t mean Kite’s a rebel. Not he!
Manu Feathers, also eighteen, lives on the other side. Gets into trouble. Likes boys. Breaks laws and wants more. Like everyone, he’s fixated on those over the divide—simultaneously scared and excited by rumours of too much sex. It’s a lot to get your head round.
Kite is selected to climb under the Wall, and it’s the best Christmas present ever. But nothing goes to plan. Instead of picking the perfect boy, all he notices is the guy on the end, acting out. Who’d choose a nuisance like him?
Can the highest Wall prevent first love? Can a kiss heal a baby bird?
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Adventurous or cautious? Cautious.
Antique or brand new? Antique
Asking questions or answering questions? Answer
Bagels or muffins? Muffins
Black and white or colour? Black
Black leather or brown leather? Brown
Books or movies? Books
Boots or sandals? Boots
Bright colours or neutral tones? Bright
Cake or pie? Cake!!
Call or text? Text
Chinese or Italian? Italian
Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate
Cowboys or aliens? Aliens
Dancing or singing? Dancing
Dogs or cats? Cats
Drawings or paintings? Paintings
Dress up or dress down? Dress down or go naked lol
Dresses or skirts? Skirts
Facial hair or clean-shaven? Facial hair
Favourite colour? Pink
Fiction or non-fiction? Fiction
Football or Rugby? Rugby
Freckles or dimples? Freckles
Fruit or vegetables? Fruit
Glasses or contacts? Glasses
Hardwood or carpet? Carpet
Hugs or kisses? Hugs
Ice cream or yoghurt? Ice cream
Internet or cell phone? Intenet
Introvert or extrovert? Introvert
Ketchup or mustard? Mustard
Leather or denim? Denim
Light or dark chocolate? Light
Light side or dark side? Dark side
Long hair or short hair? Long
Marvel or DC? Marvel
Morning, noon or night? Night
Numbers or letters? Letters
Orange juice or apple juice? Orange
Pancakes or waffles? Pancakes
Pen or pencil? Pen
Pepsi or Coke? Pepsi
Personal chef or personal fitness trainer? Chef
Picnic or nice restaurant? Restaurant
Raisins or nuts? Nuts
Rural or urban? Rural
Sausage or bacon? Sausage
Saver or spender? Spender
Sci-Fi or fantasy? Fantasy
Scrambled or fried? Scrambled
Silver or gold? Silver
Spicy or mild? Mild
Spring or fall? Spring
Tan or pale? Tan
Tattoos or piercings? Piercings
Tea or coffee? Coffee
Think before you talk or talk before you think? Talk first
Truth or dare? Truth
Washing dishes or doing laundry? Dishes
Whole wheat or white? Whole
Wine or beer? Beer
Winter or summer? Summer
4 out of 5 (very good)
WHEN THE GLOW LIGHTS THE WOODS is set in a post-apocalyptic world divided in two by a wall. We start off on the rural side with Kite. He contributes to the community by helping out on their farm and being a teacher. This year it is his turn to go to the other side of the Wall and meet those who live there. He is worried as he has been told they are robots and he doesn't want to be assimilated.
When he gets there, he realises just how different things are. Everything seems shiny and new but no one will meet his eyes, apart from one angry-seeming young man called Manu. Kite and Manu learn about each other and try to bring both sides together in time for a seasonal HEA for all.
This was a gentle story of opposites. Both sides thought they were doing the right thing to prevent war, but both sides had something the other needed. I would have liked to have known a little more about the world itself, and what happened to the Elders. I loved the slow romance between Manu and Kite, the lost love between Mal and Nellak, and how each person who went over had their own experiences.
A sweet story where magic can happen. Definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Eule Grey, author, has travelled all over and settled, for now, in the UK. Her mind, however, is often up in the clouds or away with the fairies. Some might call her fey!
Eule loves books, pets, and happy endings. Adversely, she also enjoys reading a creepy horror story, though she isn’t very brave.
Best of all, Eule adores creating cuddly, sparkling romances. She also writes all kinds of other queer stories and refuses to be squeezed into only one genre—she just isn’t tidy enough!
Eule currently writes for NineStar Press and JMS Books.
Pronouns: She or they.
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