Demon Song - by Kelsea Yu (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A young woman discovers the terrifying secrets lurking within the walls of a Beijing opera house, in this addictive Gothic horror novella inspired by Chinese mythology about the price of fame, and the bonds between mothers and daughters. Perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Cassandra Khaw.

Places like this have a history. Desires. And this one is famished.

Megan and her mom are on the run after narrowly escaping the clutches of an abusive man who dragged them from Portland to Beijing. With few options, Megan's mom turns to an old friend who offers them room and board in Huihuang Opera Theater in exchange for cleaning the ancient building.

Between her rusty Mandarin and constant reminders that she's an outsider, Megan struggles with loneliness--until she meets Kristy, the glamorous young lead in the operatic adaptation of "The Monkey King and the White Bone Demon". Soon, Megan's free time is split between reading a battered copy of the Chinese classic that inspired the opera and her budding new friendship; Kristy's love of singing brings out Megan's long-buried ambitions.

But the opera house has its secrets. There are passages within the walls that shouldn't be there, and the more Megan delves into that old book, the more the myths begin to bleed into real life. As Megan finds it increasingly difficult to separate reality from folklore, she must uncover a decades-old mystery to discover the true, horrifying secret of the opera house before it casts its hungry eyes on her.

Review Quotes

Demon Song is a fast-paced exploration of the power of performance and the cost of desire by the queen of thrilling murder mysteries, twisty red herrings, and complex mother-daughter relationships.--Ai Jiang, Hugo Award nominee and author of A Palace Near the Wind

Magical and forlorn. Yu deftly blends the fantastical imagery of a classic tale with a modern story of having to grow up too fast, joining elegant theater with familial cycles of pain. Demon Song makes your heart ache right to the end.--Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth

Demon Song reaches such a high note, a blissful blend of Chinese folklore and Shirley Jackson, reading like The Haunting of Hill's Opera House, where phantoms flit on pitches no living organism can continue to read sanely.--Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

Utterly addicting and an immediate new obsession. This is the kind of story that consumes you more and more with each page and I couldn't get enough of this darkly gothic, sharp-edged tale of wicked bargains, alluring demons, and desperate longing.-- CG Drews, NYT Bestselling author of Don't Let The Forest In

An appetizingly dark Gothic served dripping in mood and laced with Chinese mythology. Yu's love of theatre sings throughout this musical nightmare.--Eden Royce, Bram Stoker-nominated author of Hollow Tongue

DEMON SONG is a Phantom of the Opera for the decaying and mysterious Beijing Opera House, with Megan - displaced from her Portland home, and wary about her new living situation - caught in its glamorous web. Yu's uncanny debut deals concisely with friendship, domestic violence, and her protagonist's budding (demi)sexuality, without ever losing the unearthly touch of the ancient world behind the curtain.--Ally Wilkes, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of All the White Spaces

Demon Song spreads its lovely darkness through the eerie passageways of an aged Beijing opera house, the perfect setting for its many charms: The horror rises like an aria, the evil is enchanting behind its mask, and Kelsea Yu's haunting prose moves like music to its skin-crawling conclusion. If House of Leaves absorbed the best of 1960s Asian horror films and classic weird fiction into its hallways, this poisonous novella could be the marrow of such a strange architecture.--Michael Wehunt, author of The October Film Haunt and Greener Pastures

"A Chinese theatre horror with themes of intergenerational trauma and marginalization delivered in haunting, lyrical prose, Kelsea Yu's Demon Song resounds with originality and flair. Featuring a historic tale which blends seamlessly into the contemporary narrative like a traditional zhiguai, Yu's white bone spirit beguiles and terrifies. A startling new voice in Asian horror, Yu will undoubtedly feature on future award lists." --Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award(R)-winning author and editor of Black Cranes and Tortured Willows.

"A haunting story that'll please fans of Black Swan and Suspiria, but with a distinctly Chinese folklore hue. It dances right up to phantasmagoric while still commanding a captive audience." --Matt Blairstone, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated Publisher at Tenebrous Press

"Characters to sink into and a gorgeous setting, this modern Gothic fantasy touched on the soul of so many of my favourite classics, but stands unique through the mesmerizing use of folklore and excellent unfolding of mystery right up to the end." --Alex Woodroe, Author of Whisperwood and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated Editor-in-Chief at Tenebrous Press

PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR

"Taking us on a thrilling, haunted ride filled with ancient ghosts and startling revelations, Bound Feet unveils what must be broken and twisted in order to don the lotus slipper."
--K.P. Kulski, author of Fairest Flesh and House of Pungsu

"Kelsea Yu's Bound Feet about a mother's fearlessness, where she reaches into darkness in hopes of grasping light, is a novella carefully plotted and executed without losing realism, heart, or voice of the story. Yu juxtaposes the ancient with the modern, an eerie and jarring inter-section of the past and present that makes everything more uncanny. Yu shows us how loss, grief, and the act of mourning might change you and drive you, taking your mind and body to places you would overwise refuse to enter. A beautiful piece about haunting ghosts who only want their stories told, rather than hidden away, un-finished, untruthful--of friendship, betrayal, lies, and a sisterhood between the living and the dead."
--Ai Jiang, author of Linghun

"Grief and folklore intertwine beautifully in this stunning tale. I look forward to reading more from Kelsea Yu!"
--doungjai gam, author of glass slipper dreams, shattered, and watch the whole goddamned thing burn

"Utilizing graceful twists and turns, Bound Feet tackles grief and rage passed down through generations. Yu reminds us that the need for not only justice but truth outlives the body."
--J.A.W. McCarthy, author of Sometimes We're Cruel and Other Stories

"Haunted by the specters of unimaginable loss, Kelsea Yu's Bound Feet unearths the ways in which past and present can be bound together by the hungry ghosts of violence and betrayal. A story that demands to be heard in more ways than one, the rich reversals and revelations will keep readers on their toes until the very end of this exciting debut."
--Gordon B. White, author of As Summer's Mask Slips and Rookfield

About the Author

Kelsea Yu is the Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of Bound Feet and It's Only a Game. She has over a dozen short stories and essays forthcoming or published in various magazines and anthologies. Find her on Instagram as @anovelescape or visit her website kelseayu.com.