Demon Song

By Kelsea Yu

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1835410391
• ISBN13: 9781835410394
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Titan Books (UK)
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Beautifully disturbing!

What a chilling little novella! Both beautiful and creepy and I loved the twist of the Phantom of the Opera with a Chinese Opera House and from the viewpoint of Megan and her experience working there and seeing Kristy with her fame and how she got it. It was so rich in Chinese folklore and I could easily see the Huihuang Opera house with its hidden passages and dark history of death but also protection (for a price!). I must admit, the parts with Megan reading her book and learning about the tale of the demon with her proclivities and how it related to the opera house were especially dark and disturbing yet fascinating. It definitely makes the regular phantom of the opera quite tame and not dangerous! It was not a long tale but it felt full and I loved reading it! Hard choices are made and I could understand why Megan did what she did after learning the truth. I found this unsettling but really good and I am glad I got the chance to read this! And props for an excellent cover!