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Broken Wand
When Angelique sees Mike perform his lacklustre magic show in a run-down pub in Romford, something about him resonates deeply with her and she decides to try and help him re-boot his act, make him famous and help her own career at the same time. Despite their very different backgrounds, they discover a bond over difficult past experiences and a friendship forms quickly.
But friends and family soon try to derail their friendship and when Angelique is assaulted on a train and gives a spontaneous speech at the trial she becomes a media personality in her own right. Mike begins to see his life unravel; has he staked everything on an illusion of success?
But friends and family soon try to derail their friendship and when Angelique is assaulted on a train and gives a spontaneous speech at the trial she becomes a media personality in her own right. Mike begins to see his life unravel; has he staked everything on an illusion of success?
Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
3 people want to read
About the author
Denise Tyler
2 books6 followersReading 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.
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.
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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 17, 2021
Mike is approaching forty and he's a bit fed up with his life. As a manager of a coffee shop during the day, he's not getting much public support for his lacklustre magic act at night. But Angelique sees some potential in his act one evening in a run down pub in Romford and offers to help him with his media coverage. But something traumatic happens to Angelique and she becomes famous in her own right and Mike wonders if he's staked everything on the illusion of success.
I was instantly drawn to this book because of its location, as I grew up in Romford and my parents still live there. Romford is in Essex but also part of a London Borough so I used to commute easily to work in the city. In my teenage years until my early twenties it was the place to be on any night of the week really, with a whole row of pubs, bars and clubs down one street. Mondays was Brannigans where they shared cheesy hits, Tuesday was karaoke, Wednesday was 60/70s night at Time and Envy, Thursday was indie/alternative at RM1 and Friday was just anywhere! I loved it all, but to go there now, as it's less popular and the old bars and clubs have moved, it seems quite realistic to read of a run down pub in Romford!
Mike's age was significant in my reading too. Being close to forty myself I can see how easy it is to think you've got all the time in the world to settle down and focus on goals, when it's just as easy to end up in the same manager of a coffee shop job and having to move in with your parents. I loved Angelique too and the exploration of her life as a little person was very well written by Tyler. She is kind and instantly sees something in Mike that she can warm too, they are kindred spirits.
I loved this idea of the 'broken wand' too, where at the funeral of a magician a wand is broken to symbolise the loss of magical power. Houdini was the first person to have this service in 1926.
A great book - highly recommend.
I was instantly drawn to this book because of its location, as I grew up in Romford and my parents still live there. Romford is in Essex but also part of a London Borough so I used to commute easily to work in the city. In my teenage years until my early twenties it was the place to be on any night of the week really, with a whole row of pubs, bars and clubs down one street. Mondays was Brannigans where they shared cheesy hits, Tuesday was karaoke, Wednesday was 60/70s night at Time and Envy, Thursday was indie/alternative at RM1 and Friday was just anywhere! I loved it all, but to go there now, as it's less popular and the old bars and clubs have moved, it seems quite realistic to read of a run down pub in Romford!
Mike's age was significant in my reading too. Being close to forty myself I can see how easy it is to think you've got all the time in the world to settle down and focus on goals, when it's just as easy to end up in the same manager of a coffee shop job and having to move in with your parents. I loved Angelique too and the exploration of her life as a little person was very well written by Tyler. She is kind and instantly sees something in Mike that she can warm too, they are kindred spirits.
I loved this idea of the 'broken wand' too, where at the funeral of a magician a wand is broken to symbolise the loss of magical power. Houdini was the first person to have this service in 1926.
A great book - highly recommend.
January 26, 2022
A fun, thought-provoking novel that kept me interested until the very end. I was supporting Mike and Angelique from the sidelines and willing it all to be ok for them, desperately hoping that the mean character would get their comeuppance.
We all know a 'Mike' who has become a bit complacent with life and lost their mojo. We all know an 'Angelique' who has to fight for more than most people, in her case due to Achondroplasia. Their dynamic worked well and the magic theme gave the book an extra dimension. Having lived in both Essex and London, like Denise, I enjoyed some of the references to places.
I'm not particularly a fan of magic but this really didn't matter, as it was merely a starting point for the story and the characters were the star here.
We all know a 'Mike' who has become a bit complacent with life and lost their mojo. We all know an 'Angelique' who has to fight for more than most people, in her case due to Achondroplasia. Their dynamic worked well and the magic theme gave the book an extra dimension. Having lived in both Essex and London, like Denise, I enjoyed some of the references to places.
I'm not particularly a fan of magic but this really didn't matter, as it was merely a starting point for the story and the characters were the star here.
September 7, 2021
Very interesting debut novel from a writer who clearly gets the whole social media thing! A quirky selection of characters move this story along at a fair lick. It would also make a good tv series.
September 27, 2021
I felt the cover really didn't do the book justice & I hope it doesn't deter people from reading it. If I hadn't been gifted my copy, it wouldn't have been a cover that caught my eye.
As a debut novel it was very good & I highly enjoyed reading it. I loved both of the main characters Angelique & Mike, their chemistry, their development as the story progressed & the making their dreams become reality.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot & the author for my gifted copy.
𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 4 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
As a debut novel it was very good & I highly enjoyed reading it. I loved both of the main characters Angelique & Mike, their chemistry, their development as the story progressed & the making their dreams become reality.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot & the author for my gifted copy.
𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 4 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
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March 19, 2026Mike 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 - also 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.
*I was gifted a copy of this title as part of a book tour in return for an honest review*
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 - also 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.
*I was gifted a copy of this title as part of a book tour in return for an honest review*
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews