A young child, haunted by the loss of her family makes a deal with a mysterious stranger. She can gain redemption for her loved ones but at a price.

Danse Macabre is a delightfully dark fairy tale of a novella and it’s safe to say I loved it. Blue (our protagonist) is a quiet and strange little girl, who has to fulfill a bargain made with a strange unearthly creature who may be an angel or may be a demon. Guiding her in her attempts to comply with his wishes, are her only remaining friends, a snail and a crow.

One of the things I loved about this story is the way people and places are described. Everything is given a slightly eerie twist, whether it be the luminous spider-egg eyes of the antagonist or the bright hungry tongues of a bonfire. And the setting is never fully explained. No specific location or time period is mentioned, adding to the uncertainty the story wants to provoke.

I was a bit taken aback initially, since the sections (not sure if they can be called chapters) didn’t seem to make sense. But once I got to a certain point and certain things were revealed everything began to fall into place. Well, not everything. There’s still room of a couple more twists. But once I understood what was happening with the structure, I really began to appreciate it.

It’s a short and satisfying read. Creepy and unsettling enough for those who like a good horror story but restrained enough not to be murder for murder’s sake. Based on this I’ll be keeping an eye out for anything new by this author and I’ll give serious consideration to purchasing it when it arrives.

Amazon

Goodreads