I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Don't Sleep With the Dead by Nghi Vo Published by Tordotcom on April 8 2025
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 112
Format: Finished hardcover
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
The nitty-gritty: I loved the magical worldbuilding and stellar writing, but the plot felt scattered and confusing, resulting in a story with mixed results.
Don’t Sleep With the Dead is a companion novella to Nghi Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful, a magical retelling of The Great Gatsby which I read almost four years ago and really enjoyed. I’ll start this review by saying what a lot of other reviewers have already said: although it’s being billed as a stand alone, I doubt it will make a lot of sense if you haven’t read the first book. With so much time between the two books, I found myself struggling to remember plot details and characters, so ultimately this ended up being just ok for me. However, Nghi Vo’s gorgeous prose and fascinating magical world are just as good this time around and were my favorite parts of the book.
The story takes place twenty years after the tragic ending of The Chosen and the Beautiful. Jay Gatsby is dead, or so Nick Carraway thinks, that is until he spots Jay on the streets one night. Desperate to find the elusive Gatsby, Nick decides to make a deal with a devil for more information. In Vo’s world, devils are everywhere, and there’s no shortage of people looking to make deals.
And that’s the plot in a nutshell, which I’ll get to in a bit. I want to start with the worldbuilding, though, which is wonderful. The magic here is subtle and organically incorporated into the story, so there’s never any info dumping or over explaining. You have the ubiquitous devils, masters of illusion who are greedy when it comes to humans. The devil that Nick does business with is able to change his appearance at will, which plays into the story’s ending. Ghosts are everywhere as well, many of them people who died in the Great War. In The Chosen and the Beautiful, a woman named Jordan was able to cut things out of paper and infuse them with magic, making them come to life. We get to see a little of that paper magic in this story, although I was surprised when it took a gruesome turn.
Nghi Vo’s writing is simply beautiful. Her prose evokes a mysterious world where luminous magic and the threat of war overlap, where Hell is a place you can go if you need to and you know the right people.
As for the story itself, I just didn’t find the plot that engaging. I found myself zoning out while I was reading, especially since parts of the story were confusing. Part of the fun of The Chosen and the Beautiful were the many different pairings and relationships between the characters, and with only a few characters in this book, the story lacked a certain vibrancy. I wish I had more to say about Don’t Sleep With the Dead, but I guess it just wasn’t for me. Lots of other reviewers are loving it, though, so do give it a chance, especially if you’re a fan of the author.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I am sorry this didn’t live up to your expectations, but at least it sounds like the world was really fascinating!
I haven’t read anything by this author, and I can’t believe it! But I will try something, sooner or later!
I will definitely try her books again. They are hit and miss for me, but I do love her writing.
I haven’t read the first book so it sounds like this isn’t one for me to attempt.
The good writing and magical world making sound good so it’s a shame other parts didn’t work so well.
Hope you’re enjoying whatever you’re reading now a bit more
I love the world, but I wanted to love the story as well. Oh well, on to the next book!
I was excited for the first book until I realized it was a Gatsby retelling, and ended up not reading it. So, I don’t think this one will be for me either! Sounds like it doesn’t live up to the first one, despite the interesting world it’s set in.
The story wasn’t nearly as interesting, unfortunately.
Sorry this one wasn’t a great hit for you. I do love the cover. Sometimes novellas work for me and sometimes they don’t. Hoping your next read is better!
Novellas can be risky for sure!
Sorry this one wasn’t better. The first book, that magical retelling of The Great Gatsby, that’s the one that appeals to me.
It was really good!
I really like that this story is a magical retelling of The Great Gatsby. It’s not my favorite of all classics but it does speak to me. Too bad it wasn’t for you this time around. Not all books can be winners, sadly enough. Thanks for sharing!
I was hoping I’d like it as much as the first book, but the story was kind of scattered.
I think if it was confusing for you I’d be completely lost. It’s a genre I read and pretty short but it’s also a genre I’m not reading much right now. Moody reader.
Anne – Books of My Heart
Yay for mood reading!
I’ve yet to try anything by the author but the name is very familiar so I checked and found I’ve collected the first 4 books of her Singing Hills Cycle. Maybe I’ll hold off on this one and try those first.
That might be a good place to start:-)
Sorry this one didn’t work out so well for you! I am now curious about The Chosen and the Beautiful though
The Chosen and the Beautiful was longer and I think that’s why I enjoyed it more. There was more time to tell the story.
I have the same problem with all Nghi Vo’s books. Amazing writing that tells no story.
Her writing is definitely her strength!
I love Gatsby so these sound interesting but sorry this one was kind of a letdown.
I am very glad I did not request this one, since I have not yet read the first! I saw that it was billed as a standalone which is why I *almost* did, but am now so glad I didn’t, because then I’d probably not have appreciated either book. If I do eventually read it, I will make sure to do it just after The Chosen and the Beautiful, that is for sure! (Incidentally, I felt the same about the last book of hers that I read- gorgeous writing, but it felt like nothing happened!)
Oh no. I was hoping this was a standalone. I haven’t read the previous book, so I guess I’ll feel a little lost while reading it. I got granted a copy and wanted to sample Vo’s prose via it.
I haven’t read the first book yet and although it sounds intriguing I think I’m going to pick up the authors Singing Hills series first. I do think the world sounds interesting though and it’s wonderful to see the writing getting highlighted in such a positive way. I’m sorry this didn’t really work for you on the whole though.
Ah now I remember why I didn’t request this one. I hadn’t read the first book and even though this was billed as a companion, I didn’t want to take the risk. Glad I made that choice now.