Independent Regan feels trapped and misunderstood in the narrow-minded town of Hamelin. Without warning, she unexpectedly becomes swept along in the revenge of a mysterious musician. That musician is Jonas, the Pied Piper.

Carried off into the mountain, Regan is bitterly opposed to his scheme. But she soon discovers that there’s more to this devastatingly handsome stranger than first meets the eye. When Regan discovers that Jonas is harbouring a secret, she is faced with a dilemma. Nothing is as it seems, but one thing is certain: there is no easy way out. Can they fight against fate to find their own happy ending, or is their blossoming relationship doomed to fail?

His Dark Song by Ada Jenkins is a novella and a fairy-tale retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin crossed with a love story.

Firstly, I want to say that I am not a lover of fairy-tale retellings, nor period books, but given the book was just 92 pages long I thought I would give it a go. Now, I’ll admit the whole story wasn’t really to my taste but that is down to me and not the writing which was spot-on.

The story features Regan, a young unmarried woman who is a bit of a rebel. She meets handsome Jonas who is the Pied Piper and who is seeking revenge for not being paid by the town council for clearing all the rats and Regan becomes his target.

The book is fast-paced and the characters are perfectly realistic and quite likeable. The time period I wasn’t that clear on, unless I missed it, but the original story of The Pied Piper was set in 1284 and the plot certainly came across as fitting that era, although Regan’s feisty and fierce nature seemed a little later in years, but hey, I wasn’t around in the 1200s and their may have been many strong willed women!

Overall, If you like fairy-tale retellings and love stories and want a quick and engaging read, His Dark Song is a decent book to pick up and spend some time with.

Ada Jenkins is an author and book reviewer currently living in Scotland. She runs the website The Introverted Bookworm, which reviews a range of genres. This passion for reading and writing is lifelong. Having studied English Literature at Strathclyde University, she has engaged in various aspects of writing.