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Abby Sinclair #.5
Carniepunk: A Duet with Darkness
Don’t miss this urban fantasy short story featuring Abby Sinclair in the spellbinding Carniepunk anthology collection, from bestselling author Allison Pang!
Having just quit Julliard, disillusioned fiddler Melanie St. James finds herself as part of a group of traveling musicians en route to an OtherFolk carnival. Eager to break the chains of a lifetime of conformity, Melanie throws caution to the wind and enters a reckless bargain, plying her musical skills for the chance to win a violin that can open Doors to the CrossRoads. But the competition turns out to be far more than she expected. When the carnival barker makes her an offer she can’t refuse, Melanie is forced to play for the Devil or risk trading her soul for the one thing she holds dearer than life itself.
Having just quit Julliard, disillusioned fiddler Melanie St. James finds herself as part of a group of traveling musicians en route to an OtherFolk carnival. Eager to break the chains of a lifetime of conformity, Melanie throws caution to the wind and enters a reckless bargain, plying her musical skills for the chance to win a violin that can open Doors to the CrossRoads. But the competition turns out to be far more than she expected. When the carnival barker makes her an offer she can’t refuse, Melanie is forced to play for the Devil or risk trading her soul for the one thing she holds dearer than life itself.
46 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2014
110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 6, 2021
3.5
Está buena la historia, es breve y es interesante, y aclara la historia del violín de Melanie, que Abby menciona en el primer libro como un instrumento que de afuera no dice mucho, pero que existe el rumor de que Melanie se lo ganó en duelo musical al diablo.
Al margen de que es la historia de un personaje secundario (al menos hasta el libro 3), se puede leer como relato independiente sin problemas.
Está buena la historia, es breve y es interesante, y aclara la historia del violín de Melanie, que Abby menciona en el primer libro como un instrumento que de afuera no dice mucho, pero que existe el rumor de que Melanie se lo ganó en duelo musical al diablo.
Al margen de que es la historia de un personaje secundario (al menos hasta el libro 3), se puede leer como relato independiente sin problemas.
October 20, 2020
So frustrating! It's not a short story, it's like a preview without any understanding.
December 20, 2021
Well, I have to agree with Elizabeth's assessment of Mel in the story. I thought Mel was a huge spoiled brat, and it's virtually impossible to enjoy a story if you find the protagonist so unlikeable. I hate internalized misogyny and stories where women are pitted against other women for no reason, and Elizabeth aptly calls Mel out on that because of the way Mel treats her. On top of that, Mel's own folly & arrogance leads to her downfall, which makes it difficult for me to sympathize with her. I also have mixed feelings about her relationship with Nobu. I found his nickname for her extremely annoying & mildly condescending, and I wasn't surprised at all when , given that fucking nickname—"little bird." I mean, jeez, way to go dude. Their relationship strikes me as pretty dubious from the onset, considering that Mel is literally "Contracted" to be Nobu's TouchStone (whatever that means—I haven't read Pang's Abby Sinclair series, and reading this as a standalone in the Carniepunk anthology without context, I was pretty confused by the amount of lore that wasn't unpacked in the span of this short story). But despite my discomfort with their apparent master-slave(?) dynamic, I couldn't believe how wildly stupid she was for ! But it's Nobu's fault too—he kept her in the dark for so long, thinking that she'd somehow be safer in ignorance. Why is that always a thing in these kinds of fantasy/paranormal romance stories?! "Everything I did was to protect you from this," he says—well, you failed, dumbass, because she misinterpreted your "protection" as overbearing & stripping her of her autonomy, which maybe wouldn't have happened if you'd just told her the truth to begin with?! Argh! It's hard for me to feel bad for Nobu or Mel because they both made stupid decisions, and as far as I'm concerned, now they're lying in the bed that they made. In fact, I guess their mutual stupidity only proves how perfect they are for each other, lmao.
August 1, 2025
This is the prequel to the Abby Sinclair series and features a few familiar faces.
Melanie is a gifted violinist trying to escape the pressures of someone else's expectations. She's happy touring with a band of OtherFolk and everything is fine until they hit the carnival...
I really enjoyed this! It's a great story that is able to establish a lot of worldbuilding without much effort. There's no infodump, everything is revealed very organically. And I loved the cast of characters.
Incubus. Werewolf. Fallen angels. And so much more.
One of the best things about this story is how well it taps into becoming a cautionary tale about pride. Melanie is a great musician but she's got a chip on her shoulder and is too arrogant to see what's happening right in front of her eyes. Instead of appreciating what she's got and the one person who truly cares about her, she does the unthinkable.
BTW, Nobu is such an intriguing character.
Awesome story!
Melanie is a gifted violinist trying to escape the pressures of someone else's expectations. She's happy touring with a band of OtherFolk and everything is fine until they hit the carnival...
I really enjoyed this! It's a great story that is able to establish a lot of worldbuilding without much effort. There's no infodump, everything is revealed very organically. And I loved the cast of characters.
Incubus. Werewolf. Fallen angels. And so much more.
One of the best things about this story is how well it taps into becoming a cautionary tale about pride. Melanie is a great musician but she's got a chip on her shoulder and is too arrogant to see what's happening right in front of her eyes. Instead of appreciating what she's got and the one person who truly cares about her, she does the unthinkable.
BTW, Nobu is such an intriguing character.
Awesome story!
September 1, 2022
Have no idea if this is part of a series. Because it reading as it does........*Googles*.....ok this story part of a series. Had I known, I would have saved my evening and read something else. I didn't care who was mad at who .
*Small pet peeves I have no idea why authors write from their other books as if everyone has read it🤷🏽♀️.*
*Small pet peeves I have no idea why authors write from their other books as if everyone has read it🤷🏽♀️.*
August 16, 2018
Want to look into the rest of this series now.
July 31, 2020
A good introduction to the character, and I may have to read (at least the first part of) the series just to see what happens next. A bit confusing in one part, but a very enjoyable read.
December 11, 2016
I hadn’t read anything by Pang before reading ‘A Duet with Darkness’ but once I finished reading it, I added A BRUSH OF DARKNESS, the first book in the Abby Sinclair series, to my want list.
I loved the dirty carnival atmosphere Pang created mixed in with the mystical, magical, and sinister in-between world of faeries and Other Folk. It was vaguely reminiscent of Carnivale, the HBO series, just without all the Jesus allegories and set to the tune of Devil Went Down to Georgia.
I felt every emotion Melanie had, and her feelings swung wildly in this very short story. I loved how Pang described her world through Melanie’s eyes, highlighting her loves and leaving those things she finds displeasing to be caked in some kind of grime. This little snippet of a story paints an incredibly vivid picture of just what kind of world we’re working with and the kind of characters you can expect to find.
Anti-heroes seem to proliferate here. Or maybe just overly human characters whose emotions, like so many others, can turn on a dime and what makes them all too relatable. Melanie was both endearing and off-putting, seeming to go off the rails at the drop of a hat. But all of that emotion had been building and building and building. We just get to see the moment it explodes and the mistakes people can make in irrational moments.
I can’t wait to read A BRUSH OF DARKNESS and I’m so glad I read ‘A Duet with Darkness.’ Such an excellent introduction to Pang’s world.
5
I loved the dirty carnival atmosphere Pang created mixed in with the mystical, magical, and sinister in-between world of faeries and Other Folk. It was vaguely reminiscent of Carnivale, the HBO series, just without all the Jesus allegories and set to the tune of Devil Went Down to Georgia.
I felt every emotion Melanie had, and her feelings swung wildly in this very short story. I loved how Pang described her world through Melanie’s eyes, highlighting her loves and leaving those things she finds displeasing to be caked in some kind of grime. This little snippet of a story paints an incredibly vivid picture of just what kind of world we’re working with and the kind of characters you can expect to find.
Anti-heroes seem to proliferate here. Or maybe just overly human characters whose emotions, like so many others, can turn on a dime and what makes them all too relatable. Melanie was both endearing and off-putting, seeming to go off the rails at the drop of a hat. But all of that emotion had been building and building and building. We just get to see the moment it explodes and the mistakes people can make in irrational moments.
I can’t wait to read A BRUSH OF DARKNESS and I’m so glad I read ‘A Duet with Darkness.’ Such an excellent introduction to Pang’s world.
5
December 9, 2014
Throughout the entire Abby Sinclair series, I was curious about Melanie and the events that happened before the first book, A Brush with Darkness. While I was glad to have finally been able to read about Melanie and learn how she was tricked into her pact with the Devil, A Duet with Darkness, a prequel to the Abby Sinclair trilogy, just wasn't enough for me. Between Mel and the rest of her fellow traveling musicians, there seemed to be a lot more there than what we were given in this short story. That said, it was better than nothing and at least I got the gist of her backstory. I give A Duet with Darkness 3.5 stars.
October 1, 2016
A nice introduction into the Abby Sinclair Series (which I have not read). Abby is an accomplished violinist traveling with a fallen angel, a succubus, and his girlfriend. Apparently, they are a band (a band of misfits and musicians). Abby and the fallen angel are together, but their relationship wasn't all that developed. She is arrogant and prideful in her ability to play the violin and the devil's violinist tricks her into a challenge and captures her soul. Her boyfriend, the fallen angel, helps her out at a steep cost to himself.
July 20, 2022
Ratings - completed series:
#0.5 Carniepunk: A Duet with Darkness (this book): ★★★☆☆
#1 A Brush of Darkness: ★★★★☆
#2 A Sliver of Shadow: ★★★☆☆
#3 A Trace of Moonlight: ★★★☆☆
#0.5 Carniepunk: A Duet with Darkness (this book): ★★★☆☆
#1 A Brush of Darkness: ★★★★☆
#2 A Sliver of Shadow: ★★★☆☆
#3 A Trace of Moonlight: ★★★☆☆
January 7, 2016
'The Devil went down to Georgia'. Hmm. Well, they were playing violins. Oh well, it was an ok story, but, not great. Didn't quite take off into an interesting world. But, almost there.
March 16, 2016
Another new to me author whose work I will be seeking out in the future.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews