4.2 (28 ratings)

A Dance With Death (The Three Bells Trilogy, 1)

Name: A Dance With Death (The Three Bells Trilogy, 1)
Rating: 4.2 (28 reviews)
Author: Amanda Linsmeier
ISBN: B0DT8VKB9X

by Amanda Linsmeier

demons

About this book

- [x]

He laces his fingers into my hair and slowly draws me in, his powerful hand gently threaded into the wet strands.I whimper, from fear more so than pain. It doesn’t hurt. But each word is enunciated as he warns, “Do. Not. Ever. Steal. From. Me. Again.”

Corliss Bell would do anything to bring her older sister, Aven, back to life. She’d give up her dreams of being a professional ballerina. She’d resign herself to never leaving the small seaside town of The Pins. Hell, she’d even make a deal with a demon. After all, demons are masters of death.

When a town mystic tells Corliss there’s a demon living nearby who may be the key in returning Aven to life, she’s emboldened by the idea of getting her beloved sister back. Corliss sneaks into the demon’s dilapidated mansion to beg for his help. But instead of finding him, she discovers a pair of enchanted red ballet slippers and steals them. The demon comes to reclaim what is his but finds Corliss and the slippers hopelessly intertwined. He imprisons her in his mansion, forcing her to dance for him every evening as punishment for stealing. Far from a helpless captive, Corliss begins working out a plan to bring Aven back to life, as soon as she can convince the demon—Orrin—to help her.

Hauntingly beautiful, with lush prose and a vividly creepy atmosphere,A Dance With Death is a compulsively juicy read that will wind its way into your psyche. Part horror, part magic—this is the gothic love story you didn't know you were missing.

Publication Date: May 25, 2026
ASIN: B0DT8VKB9X

Reader Reviews

New spin on the fairy tale with a little spice

March 27, 2026

Corliss never believed of the magic whispered about around town. She just wants to run her little shop with her two sisters, but after a tragic accident, Aven's grief has made her a shell of herself until one morning she disappears. Weeks later, after the funeral, a mystic foretells that the stranger in town, rumored to be a demon, can bring her back. If there's even a chance, Corliss has to try, so she visits the mansion on the hill but is rudely turned away. She breaks into the house, finding...

Book Review

February 6, 2026

This was one of the most unique stories I have read! I was engrossed from chapter one. The writing style was eloquent and expressive. Corliss has suffered a lot her in her, but the most recent event, the presumed loss of her eldest sister Aven, has put her over the edge. One of the only things that brings her joy is ballet and her younger sister Selie's artwork. In the small area they reside, rumors spread that a demon has taken residence at the Colehart mansion. Corliss decides to enlist the...

Has Promise

February 25, 2026

This story started out incredibly strong and completely pulled me in. For the first three-quarters of the book, I was invested in the dark atmosphere, the emotional stakes, and the desperation driving Corliss’s choices. Her love for her sister and the lengths she’s willing to go to, giving up her dreams, risking her safety, and stepping into something dangerous and supernatural, made for a compelling and emotional foundation. The early chapters especially shined. The bond between the sisters...

deliciously eerie

March 19, 2026

Amanda Linsmeier’s A Dance with Death twirls onto the page like a gothic fairytale that’s had one too many cups of strong tea, unsettling in all the right ways and infused with an off‑beat charm that refuses to behave. This story feels like stepping into a ballroom where all the dancers are whispering secrets behind their masks. Linsmeier blends folklore, dark whimsy, and a slow-burning dread into a narrative that kept me simultaneously enthralled and slightly concerned for my own soul. (In a...

Dance into my heart

February 15, 2026

I’m a sucker for a romance, especially a dark one, but this one also has some magic woven in and lovely artwork on every page, making it a delectable treat of a book. Set in The Pins, a village by the sea where magic is part of the everyday, A Dance With Death is about love and grief and to what lengths humans will go for love and to avoid the pain of grief. The central character Corliss, one of three sisters, goes on a quest for her older sister and inadvertently stumbles into her own love...