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The Dancer and the Dream Thief

Contributors

By Rowenna Miller

Formats and Prices

On Sale
Oct 13, 2026
Page Count
416 pages
Publisher
Redhook
ISBN-13
9780316571920

Price

$19.99

Price

$25.99 CAD

A young dancer finds herself at the center of a bootlegging scheme run by elfin creatures and is forced to rely on one them to escape in this sweeping prohibition-era historical fantasy from the author of The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill.

Working as a dancer in the Palace Ballroom, Evelyn Pulaski has become familiar with the idea of selling dreams. For a dime a dance she allows men to imagine her a partner in their lives, and then returns to the comfortable independent life she’s made for herself. When a group of nix, strange elflike creatures who moonlight as bootleggers, start to hang around the Palace, Evelyn and her friends grow wary. Several dancehall girls have disappeared and the nix are the prime suspects.
 
Raife is also in the business of selling dreams. One of the nix bootleggers working at the Palace, he is part of an operation stealing dreams from humans and selling them in the elfinlands, the formless void the nix emerge from. With nothing tangible in their world, the nix rely on human dreams to thrive and human. Raife takes a shine to Evelyn suspecting her to be a type of vivid dreamer especially coveted by the nix.
 
When Evelyn’s best friend disappears, she is forced to work with Raife to find her. But their rescue mission sets of a chain of events that forces Evelyn to trust Raife if she wants to save herself.
 

  • Praise for Rowenna Miller

    "Imaginative and sparkling and full of heart, The Palace of Illusions is the kind of book you want to crawl inside and make a home." ―Devin Madson, author of Between Dragons and Their Wrath

    "Miller’s atmospheric writing creates a richly detailed historical fantasy that lets readers see The Nutcracker in a unique way." Library Journal

    “Beautifully observed, steeped in folklore and rich with historical detail, The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill weaves a warm-hearted yet fierce fairy tale around the bonds of sisterhood and the choices facing women in a changing world. A true delight.” ―H. G. Parry, author of the Shadow Histories series

    "Miller seamlessly blends historical fiction and fantasy to create this enchanting tale of two sisters. The book is awash in period details as well as a vivid fantasy world, but Miller never loses sight of the sisters’ relationship that sits at the heart of the story. Readers will be charmed by this tale of sisterhood, female strength, and the fae." Booklist

    "It's impossible to resist the allure of this charming book. Its focus on the small, everyday things that can be made easier with a little luck and a little fairy grace really creates a lived-in world where you can smell the apple blossoms in the orchard and hear the rattle of wagon wheels on dirt roads." ―NPR

    "Atmospheric ... a thoughtful meditation on sisterhood and priorities." Publishers Weekly

Rowenna Miller cr Emily R Allison

Rowenna Miller

About the Author

Rowenna Miller lives in the Midwest with her husband and daughters, as well as several cats, two goats, and an ever-growing flock of chickens. When she isn’t inventing fantasy worlds, she teaches writing, trespasses while hiking, and gets into trouble with her sewing machine.

Learn more about this author