Erik Haust was in an accident. When he awoke, not only was his twelve-year-old daughter missing, but so was his memory of that day. Almost two months later, and there is still no sign of his daughter, Melinda. Until she found him. Dragged through an emotional and painful minefield, Erik unravels the mystery of his daughter’s disappearance.
Title: Where Dragonflies Dance | Author: A.A. Medina | Publisher: Aphotic Realm | Pub. Date: 15 February 2020 | Pages: 128 | ISBN: 9781705994801 | Genre: Horror | Language: English | Source: Received a copy from author/publisher for review consideration | Starred Review
Where the Dragonflies Dance Review
My introduction to A.A. Medina was through his extreme horror novella, Siphon. You can check out my review here; it is a wild, crazy ride. When Medina reached out about this one, I was more than happy to check it out. What could possibly be in store for me now?
What I found is a novella about a different situation, but set in the same general place as Siphon. It is not necessarily a continuation of Gary Phillips’s story, and I am of the opinion that a reader can absolutely read this book without having read the other. There are a few things that will make more sense if they ARE read in order, but it is not an absolute necessity for enjoyment.
Where Dragonflies Dance is a short, sharp novella. Dealing with themes of grief, amnesia, and the limits of human endurance, be prepared for this one to hurt. At first, I wasn’t sure what Medina was heading towards. The marriage seemed weird, and the conversations about the missing daughter (not a spoiler, that’s in the synopsis) just felt, well, awkward. It is intentional. This feeling of being off-kilter, of being unsure, is actually Medina causing the reader to really be in the situation.
This novella is all about reader discovery, like so many are. So I won’t comment on content any further. I am fascinated by the world Medina is building here. The last lines of the book made me crave the next book immediately. I let out a sharp gasp and just shook my head. It was great.
Be sure to check this one out, either before or after reading Siphon. I linked to its Goodreads page in the first paragraph. Medina has something insane planned for Claybrook County and I am here for it.
You can find this book at many retailers via clicking on the appropriate link on Goodreads; however, in the spirit of supporting literacy programs, we would like to point out that you may be able to purchase this book through BetterWorldBooks.
Content Warning:
Tracy joined Sc-Fi and Scary in September 2018. She reviews horror books for the site and bemoans our general lack of grammar, but puts up with us because she loves us anyway. Feel free to reach out on Twitter and Instagram at @tracy_reads79, or on Goodreads as well!
Tracy is also part of the Ladies of Horror Fiction crew.
