Demon Song

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 have escaped the clutches of an abusive man, who dragged them halfway across the world from Portland to Beijing. On the run and with few options, her mom turns to Wei, an old friend of hers and takes a job cleaning the Huihuang Opera house, a lavish theater in which she used to perform. 

Rusty with her mandarin, and feeling like an outsider in the country, Megan soon finds a group of friends in a young troupe of performers, and especially in Kristy, who takes an immediate shine to her. Torn between a battered copy of Journey to the West and an awkward friendship, Megan begins spending more and more time with Kristy. Her love of singing brings out a whole new side of Megan, who finds a new purpose unlocking within the walls of the ancient building. 

But the Huihuang Opera house has 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 reality and folklore start to merge, and Megan finds it increasingly difficult to tell the two apart, she must uncover a decades-old mystery, and discover the true, horrifying secret of the Huihuang Opera house before it throws its hungry eyes to her.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®-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


Fans of updated gothic horror will find much to enjoy in this gritty take on the sacrifices artists are willing to make for fame and fortune. Yu’s off to a promising start.—Publishers Weekly


Disquieting, compact, poetic—a truly horrifying night out at the opera.—FanFiAddict


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 RookfieldKelsea 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.