What is the greatest trick of all—survival or disappearance? How far would you go to find out?
In the heyday of Atlantic City, a man determined to rise above his circumstances and make a name for himself in a world hostile to people like him, finds his calling in the art of illusion.
In the present day, two friends pretend to be interested buyers to gain access to the house where a famous magician once lived — before mysteriously vanishing.
Once the night falls, all secrets will be revealed… to those who dare cross the threshold of Alakazam.
GO ON, SAY THE MAGIC WORD!
How far would you go to change your life? How far would you go to uncover a decades-old secret? In an abandoned house, built by ambition and sustained by dark magic, fates cross—and past and present bleed through.
One deadly night. One trespass. Finding the way in was easy. Leaving it alive will take a hell of a trick…
Dark bleatings, my magical tribe! I’m here with a little bit of novella mysticism for you today. It’s a really fun story, so let me tell you a bit more about it.
We’re in dual timelines: in the present, we’re with Logan and a friend, who are viewing a house that once belonged to the late, great magician, Archie. In the past, we’re following Archie and his rise to success as an illusionist.
Archie has many struggles and I found several of them relatable. As someone in the arts, I understand all too well the constant struggle between creativity, and worrying that I was born with this type of brain, rather than, say, the brain of a plumber (a much safer professional route, financially speaking!). He is also gay and not “white enough” for the time period and area he’s in, which is not only stressful but very dangerous.
There is one particular scene in which something deeply upsetting happens to Archie, and I thought the way Dalia wrote this particular scene was very effective. The incident is not drawn out, nor is it overly descriptive or even emotional in its telling. Instead, it’s Archie’s quite matter-of-fact perspective about what’s happening to him, and I did stop to marvel at how disturbing the author managed to make this while being so restrained with the language used. (This is not an SA scene, for those who are worried, I’m just being vague to avoid spoiling anything).
Archie loses a lot through his formative years, and so when everything he thinks he wants suddenly seems reachable, thanks to a conversation with a stranger…
In the present, Logan and our first person narrator are in the house looking around. These sections were much lighter than the context of Archie’s sections, and a welcome reprieve from the ugliness of humanity. We just have two guys joking around, looking to be entertained. Logan is hoping to see something ghostly or magical, but as times passes, he starts to reluctantly accept that there’s probably nothing there.
Until there is.
I had such a great time with this book. Dalia’s writing style is both accessible and a nice easy read, and has moments that evoke quite strong emotional reactions. The way the characters end up relating to each other, outside of the house itself, was a lot of good, old-fashioned horror fun, and the ending was much bigger than I’d anticipated, for a story of this length.
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this to horror fans. I gave it a 4/5 and think people who love strong characters and hellish situations would love it as much as I did. If you’d like to check out the book or the author, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
Leave a comment