Novels by Sarah Dane

No one tried to stay together.Even after exchanging names and the possible danger within the city, the group began to drift apart…They didn’t speak, didn’t offer to pair up or form a plan to survive this world. As a matter of fact, Kai even seemed so excited to fulfill his lust!Farrah said as she watched how they simply turned and walked in different directions…She noticed that Ciara lingered near the edge of the station, arms wrapped around herself, before slipping into a narrow alley lit by flickering pink neon.Nathan adjusted his tie and walked with stiff steps toward a towering building with rotating gears.Steve muttered something under his breath and disappeared down a side street while his hands were in his pockets.Teresa, on the other hand, stood still for a long moment, whispering a prayer, then followed the scent of incense drifting from a nearby chapel-like structure.There was nothing Farrah could do since she couldn’t trust them either…They were all afraid. That mu

The boy in the hoodie stepped off the train first…As soon as his foot touched the brass platform, he let out a strangled sound… It was a gurgling choke!“Ughkk!”Farrah’s breath caught. She instinctively reached for him, but froze mid-step.Shane moved fast, already halfway to the door. “Hey--!”The woman with the rosary gasped and dropped to her knees, clutching her beads so tightly her knuckles turned white.“Oh God, oh God, protect us…”The man in the business suit who tall, silent, and unreadable, took a step back, as he squinted his eyes. He didn’t speak, but his hand hovered near his coat pocket, as if reaching for something… He was definitely terrified and relieved seeing that he wasn’t the one suffering.One of the other men who was lean, with sharp cheekbones and a scar across his jaw muttered… “Already? That fast?”The younger woman with dyed purple hair flinched and pressed herself against the train wall. She couldn’t believe what was going on. “Is he dying? Is that what h

The train began to slow as they approached their destination.Farrah felt the subtle shift beneath her feet as the sound of the moving train started softening into silence.Soon, the lights on the train flashed a couple of times as if the surrounding space warped… It was a strange sensation, but Farrah couldn’t care less.Outside the fogged windows, everyone was almost blinded by what they saw.It was a city bathed in neon lights and steam coming off various buildings…There were towers made of brass that were also filled with glowing signs, gears turning on rooftops, and alleyways with bright crimson light as the train entered the city…It looked like something out of a fever dream. It was beautiful, seductive, and it felt as if something was wrong.Farrah leaned closer to the window as she couldn’t believe it.It was like a Steampunk City that could only be seen in the movies or read in the books.Then, with a soft hiss, the train doors slid open.A gust of warm, perfumed air swept

“Seven Chosen for the Game of Sins.”Farrah muttered as she read the headline in the paper. Her fingers trembled slightly as she turned the page.The ink was smudged, but she could still make out the words printed beneath the headline.[ The Rules of the Game ][ 1. Only the Cursed may enter the Game.Those whose names are written upon the Statue of Avarra shall be pulled into the Trials.You cannot summon yourself, nor refuse the call once chosen. ][ 2. There will always be seven participants.When one perishes, another shall take their place. ] [ 3. There are seven trials, each one representing a Sin.Lust, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, and Pride.Each Trial lasts one month in the realm that embodies it. ][ 4. The goal is simple: Survive.There is no timer, no task, only survival. Yet the world itself will test the nature of your soul. ][ 5. Each Sin corrupts differently.The weak will surrender. The strong will adapt. The wise will endure. ][ 6. At the end of each Trial

When Farrah opened her eyes, there was no pain…There was no rain or coldness in her body. There was just the steady hum of something moving.‘Thank you, lord… I’m still alive.’ This was her first thought as she was convinced that the road accident could’ve taken her life.But she was taken aback as she tried to make sense of her surroundings...'This...'She was on a red velvet seat, and across from her, the faint reflection of her own face stared back in the fogged window.She was… on a train?The lights above flickered a couple of times with an amber glow, and everything was quiet, except for the rhythmic clack of wheels against tracks…There was no doubt about it, this was a train.Her heart pounded as she couldn't understand what was going on...“What the…”“Finally awake?”The voice came from across the aisle before she was able to curse...It was calm, familiar, and impossible!Her head turned immediately as she looked at the source of the voice.“Shane?” she whispered…He look

Farrah Vale always thought curses were for the bored and broken… something people invented when real life wasn’t cruel enough.But lately, life had been plenty cruel.She hadn’t slept properly for the past few days. Between her internship at St. Meryl’s clinic, her graduate papers, and the feeling that came every time she scrolled past ‘his’ number, exhaustion had become her only constant companion.It was Shane Calder.The name still stung every time she remembered it…The boy who’d taught her what love felt like and what it cost.***“Farrah, you look like hell,” her classmate Lianne said while leaning against the clinic doorframe. “And I mean that affectionately.”Farrah just showed a tired smile as she had already heard it several times. “Thanks, I’m going for the ‘undead med student’ aesthetic.”Lianne shook her head at that reply. Nonetheless, she recalled the matter that had prompted her to check on her friend.“Right... You didn’t hear? Someone scribbled your name under the We