Review: Candlelight by D.L. Tolin

A spellbinding homage to myth and mysticism, Candlelight by D.L. Tolin spins the tale of a captivating clash between our world and the ancient domains of folklore.

In the history-heavy town of Beaumont, Texas, something wicked is lingering just out of sight in the shadowed woods, waiting for its moment to emerge. What seems to be a contagion of dangerous delusion and a spike in mental instability is paired with a rash of disappearances – three children have seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving authorities like Detective Fusillier mystified and cautious parents panicked.

At the center of this dark mystery is Matthew Dean, a seemingly normal D&D-loving teenager who has been losing himself in dreams that feel a bit too real, layered with fantastical beings, secret ceremonies, and ominous holes in the Earth itself. Unbeknownst to him, a gate has been opened between the Otherworld and our own, allowing the stuff of nightmares and legend to leak and sneak into the realm of mortals. What Matthew would never suspect is that his overprotective mother, the tarot-reading neighbor down the block, and Beaumont’s local loon know far more about his recurring visions than he could imagine.

After witnessing a brutal attack on a classmate and fleeing into the woods, Matthew meets an infamous hobgoblin sent by his father – the same “person” who had abandoned his family thirteen years earlier. As the impossible truth of his royal heritage is revealed, Matthew’s world is turned upside down, sending him on a quest to save his magic-wielding mother, close the gate to the Fae realm, and defeat a horrifying creature intentionally loosed upon the world.

The brilliant blurring of folklore from numerous traditions – including Irish, Welsh, Celtic, and Gaelic legend – makes this fictional ride remarkably creative and immediately engaging. For readers unfamiliar with the mischievous themes and beautiful mayhem of Tír na nÓg, Tolin vividly introduces a sprawl of supernatural denizens from the Land of Youth: ingenious gnomes, flesh-eating monsters, faerie queens, absent kings, and scheming demons. The reimagining of canonical figures such as Puck, Titania, and Oberon adds another entrancing layer of drama for bookish fans of this enduring genre.

Meticulously crafting every detail of this world and its inhabitants with patience and care, Tolin hooks readers with raw emotion and relatability, while stirring in delicious pieces of slow-brew dark fantasy. The prose is enrapturing, with descriptive language and savagely clever turns of phrase, coupled with masterful storytelling, which lures readers deeper into the tale with ease. Tolin’s character development is as noteworthy as his technical skill; the relationships are effortless in their authenticity, from the blushing awkwardness of teenage crushes and contentious love between mother and son to the fierce loyalty of a nerdy fellowship and the cruelty of conquerors outsourcing ancient trauma.

Combining real-world drama and the timeless realms of magic, this immersive story of supernatural power struggles is rich with familiar history, twisted truths, and epic stakes that could decide the balance of reality itself. The literary lovechild of Labyrinth, Shakespeare, Stranger Things, and Arthurian legend, Candlelight is a potent piece of fantasy fiction, and a masterfully polished achievement.