Poison Dance: A Novella (Midnight Thief 0.5) by Livia Blackburne
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Historical
Publisher: Lion’s Quill Press
Release date: September 24 2013
Source: eBook from author
Pages: 86
The nitty-gritty: A short but powerful introduction to Midnight Thief, with a compelling and very focused story that made me ache for more of this world.
He handed her a stiletto the length of her hand and molded her fingers around the handle. Her hands were slender and her nails were delicately rounded, though her palms were calloused. The two of them stood in the cramped space between his bed and the window, holding the blade between them.
Poison Dance is a prequel novella to Blackburne’s upcoming Midnight Thief, which will be released in July by Disney Hyperion. I was thrilled when Livia contacted me and asked if I would review it, and I’m happy to say it exceeded my expectations. Not only does the author quickly suck us into her world (and at eighty-six pages, that’s a difficult feat to pull off), but she has written a short story that has so many elements that you will walk away thinking you’ve just read a full-fledged novel. Saying I’m salivating to read Midnight Thief is no exaggeration. I can’t believe July is so far away!
Obviously I don’t want to give any spoilers for this story, but I will attempt to briefly give you a synopsis. The story revolves around two main characters. James is a hired assassin and a member of the Assassin’s Guild. Thalia is a “dancing girl” who performs at a local tavern. One night after her performance, she corners James and asks him to help her kill a rich nobleman, and offers him a way out of his dangerous life as an assassin in return. James agrees to help her, and the ensuing story explains what happens as James and Thalia prepare for this perilous mission.
What I loved about Poison Dance was the emotional depth that Blackburne was able to achieve in such a short piece of work. She immediately puts her characters in danger and gives them a near-impossible task to complete, which pulls the reader into the story and keeps us there until the end. It didn’t take long to read this novella, but the emotional impact stayed with me for a long time.
Both James and Thalia are strong, independent people with tragic pasts, and I immediately connected with them. Their time together is agonizingly brief, but they make the most of that time. And despite its length, the author still manages to flesh out the secondary characters really well, and I thought each one added something important to the story.
Poison Dance didn’t have any overt fantasy elements to it (except for the poison of the title, which is not a real type of poison), although I think Midnight Thief is categorized as fantasy. But the world-building suggests a time and place that could be magical, so I’ll be interested to see how it’s developed in a longer piece.
This short glimpse into Livia Blackburne’s world is so tantalizing, you’ll probably be as anxious to read Midnight Thief as I am. Don’t hesitate. Grab your copy today and see what I’m talking about. If the author can create such a vivid world in only eighty-six pages, imagine what she can do with three hundred and sixty-eight. Highly recommended!
Big thanks to the author for supplying a review copy. Poison Dance is available now in ebook format for only $1.99 from these online retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads
I agree! I couldn’t believe the depth the author achieved in such a relatively small number of pages. If I’m not mistaken, I think James is going to feature as a supporting character in Midnight Thief, and in my mind I’m just thinking, wow, if she put so much thought into his backstory, what’s in store for us when we actually get to the full novel with the main protagonists? I’m looking forward to it so much!
Exactly! I’m glad that James will return, I really loved him:)
Sounds good and I love good deals! Great review!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Very cool. I am starting to realize the value of novellas a bit more than I used to.
I’m in love with novellas, but I think they are trickier than novels, because you have to keep the story tight in order to succeed.
So agreed about this one! I’m dying for Midnight Thief now given how much I fell for these characters in freaking 86 pages haha
She’s a very talented writer!
So there weren’t any obvious fantasy elements then? Interesting. I’ll have to consider it but I don’t know usually I really like having my fantasy.
Right, just the mention of a poison called lizard skin venom. But it felt like fantasy, but I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe the book will expand with more fantasy elements.
YES YES YES. I adored this novella, and it made me even more excited for Midnight Thief. If Blackburne is able to create such depth in just 80 pages… oh man. Watch out for the full-length-book!! So excited.
This sounds right up my alley!!!
What drew my attention was the cover. The guy on it is hot lol. And I think I will give this book a go.