Kyla, the protagonist of L.E. Harper’s novel KILL YOUR DARLINGS, is a fantasy author struggling with profound depression. Mental illness has drained her life of light and hope, and she seeks solace in the fantasy world of her writing, the magical realm of Solera, in which stalwart heroes and formidable dragons fight the good fight against the forces of darkness. In Solera, Kyla is Kyla Starblade, Lightbringer and Earth’s Foremost Dragon Authority. And her band of champions includes characters, like Asher Brightstone and shapeshifter Rexa Faeloryn, modeled after her real-life friends, while brave, handsome Valen Stormcrest is Kyla’s idealized romantic fantasy figure. At her moment of deepest despair, Kyla wakes up to find herself transported into her own fictional world. She has somehow ended up within her current novel, the conclusion of her Solera series, in which her heroes are preparing for the ultimate battle in the Shadow War against evil Lord Zalor, who feeds on the energy of dreams and is determined to destroy Kyla. And though Kyla has been reunited with her cherished friends, there is little comfort in her fantastical situation; she doesn’t believe in happy endings, after all, and the plot she’s set in motion for her book promises a grim fate if Kyla is unable to overcome her darkness and rewrite her story.
The metafictional premise of a novelist winding up as a character in their own work is typically played for laughs. But in KILL YOUR DARLINGS, Harper uses the conceit to explore themes of mental illness and creativity. The novel’s fantasy setting, and its epic conflict between light and darkness, becomes a poignant metaphor for the struggle to persevere and find meaning and hope in the face of life-draining forces. The novel works wonderfully on all levels, as a nuanced, often heartbreaking portrayal of real-life emotional suffering that holds its own as an engrossing and ultimately life-affirming epic. Depression is an incredibly heavy topic for a fantasy adventure, but Harper leavens the gloom with plenty of self-aware humor. Kyla describes Valen as a “Raven haired, pining idiot and Grade A cinnamon roll. I created him so I could love him (also because one of the unspoken rules of writing Young Adult fiction is that there must be a romantic subplot.”) And there’s a great deal of fun to be had with the idea of an omniscient author interacting with her own creations, to their frequent befuddlement.
Balancing the gravity of mental illness with the lighthearted thrills of a sword and sorcery tale is a tricky challenge, but author L.E. Harper pulls off the feat with sensitivity and insight in KILL YOUR DARLINGS. It’s a rewarding and entertaining read for fantasy fans, as well as readers who may be facing mental health issues.
~Edward Sung for IndieReader