Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Once Upon a Dance

AUTHOR:  Kim Fielding

PUBLISHER:  Tin Box Press

LENGTH:  70 pages

RELEASE DATE: March 7, 2023

BLURB:

Dom is an aging house-android, toiling away for the cruel and ungrateful owners of an inn. He secretly dreams of freedom, friendship, and love. When an inn guest offers him the chance to attend a grand masquerade ball, Dom jumps at the opportunity. For a few precious hours he enjoys a level of independence he had never imagined—and the company of a handsome and kind prince of industry.

Until the clock strikes midnight.

REVIEW:

Dom has toiled at his house since it was first built.  His previous owner let things decay a bit – including him.  The current owner is all about maximizing profits and that certainly doesn’t include upkeep to an aging house Dom.  Poor Dom doesn’t even have a space anymore – merely a mat in a closet where he can recharge.  Rarely does he even have enough time to keep himself at full capacity because of the demands on him.  He takes pride in his house and his work – no matter the rather shabby conditions.

When a guest, Afrane, arrives to stay in advance of a grand ball thrown by the family who controls much of the technology that makes the Dom possible, she treats Dom with respect and is disgusted by the attitude of the owner and his family.  While everyone is getting ready for the ball, she tells the Dom that she has a surprise for him when he comes to help her get ready for the ball.  He’s never left his house before and is surprised, nervous and excited about the possibility of seeing things he’s only dreamed of or seen in pictures or read about.  The evening turns out to be more than he ever hoped when he meets a man who doesn’t know who or what he is and seems to enjoy his company and shares things with him that he couldn’t have ever imagined.  It’s the best night of his existence – but it comes with an expiration date.  He’ll never ever forget Noll and the time they shared together.

This was an absolutely perfect amuse-bouche.  I completely adored Dom/Henry.  His devotion to his work was so heartfelt.  How he dealt with the lack of care and respect he was shown by the current owner of his house was a little bit heartbreaking.  Afrane was a lovely person who saw Dom/Henry for who he truly was.  Her interest in this thoughts and feelings, desires and hopes was something new for Dom.  Then when he met Noll, well he met a kindred spirit – even if only one of them was human.  At first I thought this was going to be a bittersweet story – and in some ways it definitely was.  But the ending was truly beautiful 🙂  Highly recommended especially for fans of shorter stories with fairytale origins and a happy ending and those who enjoy settings in a future world with sci-fi leanings.

RATING:

BUY LINK:

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