Books like 'The Nutcracker Bleeds'
Readers who enjoyed The Nutcracker Bleeds by Lani Lenore also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy horror dark fantasy retellings gothic fairy-tale dark historical-fiction magic
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Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro, Cornelia Funke
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsFans of dark fairy-tales like The Hazel Wood and The Cruel Prince will relish this atmospheric and absorbing book based on Guillermo del Toro’s critically acclaimed movie...Categorized as:
dark fairy-tale gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure -
![Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales by H.P. Lovecraft]()
Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales by H.P. Lovecraft
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOriginally written for the pulp magazines of the 1920s and 1930s, H. P. Lovecraft's astonishing tales blend elements of horror, science fiction, and cosmology that are as powerful today as they were when first published. This tome presents original versions of many of his most harrowing stories, including the complete Cthulhu Mythos cycle, in order of publication... -
![Rage of the Fallen by Joseph Delaney]()
Rage of the Fallen by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsA dangerous few months lie ahead--ones which some of us will be hard-pressed to survive.Thomas Ward has served as the Spook's apprentice for three years. He has battled boggarts, witches, demons, and even the devil himself. Tom has enemies: The Fiend stalks him, waiting for a moment of weakness. The terrifying Morrigan, goddess of witches, warned him never to step foot on her homeland, Ireland...Categorized as:
dark gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure audiobook -
![Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom, Бром]()
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom, Бром
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA spirited young Englishwoman, Abitha, arrives at a Puritan colony betrothed to a stranger – only to become quickly widowed when her husband dies under mysterious circumstances. All alone in this pious and patriarchal society, Abitha fights for what little freedom she can grasp onto, while trying to stay true to herself and her past... -
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![I Am Grimalkin by Joseph Delaney]()
I Am Grimalkin by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsFrom the publisher:"I'm coming for you, and nothing living or dead can stop me."One witch is the most feared, the most ruthless, and the most deadly of all the witches in the county. If she hunts for you, she will find you. If you have crossed her, you don't stand a chance. She is the witch assassin, and her name is Grimalkin.Grimalkin's one alliance is with Tom Ward, the Spook's apprentice...Categorized as:
dark gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure alpha-mc -
![Ghost in the Ring by Jonathan Moeller]()
Ghost in the Ring by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCaina Amalas was once a deadly Ghost nightfighter, a spy and agent of the Emperor of Nighmar. Now she only wishes to live quietly with her husband. But civil war grips the Empire, and Caina's skills are needed against the cruel sorcerers of the malevolent Umbarian Order. And Caina has a dangerous connection to the Umbarians... -
![The Spook's Mistake by Joseph Delaney]()
The Spook's Mistake by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAs danger increases in the County, Tom is sent far north by his master to be trained by Bill Arkwright, another Spook. Arkwright lives in a haunted mill on the edge of a treacherous marsh and his training methods prove to be harsh and sometimes cruel. But he has toughened up many previous apprentices and now he must do the same for Tom and prepare him for the gravest dangers of his life...Categorized as:
dark gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure audiobook -
![The Vengeance of the Vampire Bride by Rhiannon Frater]()
The Vengeance of the Vampire Bride by Rhiannon Frater
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI was born Lady Glynis Wright, the daughter of English aristocrats. When traveling in the Carpathian Mountains, my family met a tragic end. I was transformed into a creature of the night, and I suffered great horrors at the hands of my evil vampire master, Count Vlad Dracula. I vowed to one day escape him, and live a life free of his brutality... -
![The Spook's Sacrifice by Joseph Delaney]()
The Spook's Sacrifice by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAs the Spook's apprentice Tom's first duty is to protect the County from the dark. But now Mam needs his help in her homeland of Greece. One of the most dangerous of the old gods, the Ordeen, is about to return there, bringing slaughter and devastation. Meanwhile, the Devil himself is still loose and if he and the Ordeen join forces, a new age of darkness will descend...Categorized as:
dark gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure audiobook -
![Attack of the Fiend by Joseph Delaney]()
Attack of the Fiend by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 40 ratings"I see your future clearly. Your master will be dead, and you will be alone. It would be better if you had never been born."Thomas Ward is the apprentice for the local Spook, who banishes boggarts and drives away ghosts. But now a new danger is threatening Tom's world. The witches are rising and the three most powerful clans are uniting in order to conjure an unimaginable evil...Categorized as:
dark gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure audiobook -
![Rise of the Huntress by Joseph Delaney]()
Rise of the Huntress by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, have returned to the county after a long journey and a hard battle. But their troubles are far from over. Their home has been over-run by enemy soldiers.Tom, Alice and the Spook flee across the ocean to the island of Mona. It's on Mona that this small band fighting against the dark will face an old enemy grown terrifyingly powerful...Categorized as:
dark gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure audiobook -
![The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater]()
The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsOlivia Atwater returns to the world of Half a Soul with “a sharp and beautiful gothic romance” (Alix E. Harrow). Dive into The Witchwood Knot, and enjoy a dark faerie tale set in a magical version of Victorian England.The faeries of Witchwood Manor have stolen its young lord. His governess intends to steal him back.Victorian governess Winifred Hall knows a con when she sees one... -
![Bound By Blood: Volume 1 (Bound By Blood, #1) by Shane K.P. O'Neill]()
Bound By Blood: Volume 1 (Bound By Blood, #1) by Shane K.P. O'Neill
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“A war rages on around us every day. The struggle to save all mankind. The ultimate evil.”As his moment of death looms Dracula suffers the ultimate betrayal. The champion of the Catholic faith in Eastern Europe realises it is Lucifer who is coming to claim him. However, Lucifer does not want his soul. Instead he bites into Dracula’s neck and then offers his own blood to drink... -
![Traitors' Fate by Andy Peloquin]()
Traitors' Fate by Andy Peloquin
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne Death Changes Two Cities ForeverIlanna, Master of the Night Guild, has waged a war for eight years to cleanse her city of the rival criminal organization that nearly destroyed it...Categorized as:
dark historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure book dark-fantasy -
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![For Whom The Bell Tolls by Shane K.P. O'Neill]()
For Whom The Bell Tolls by Shane K.P. O'Neill
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA WAR RAGES AROUND US EVERY DAY. THE STRUGGLE TO SAVE ALL MANKIND. THE ULTIMATE EVIL. The battle for souls has raged since the truce that followed the First Great War of the Angels. God has struck the ultimate blow and sacrifice to gain the advantage and defeat His fallen angel and estranged son, Lucifer... -
![Tempting Fate by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro]()
Tempting Fate by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEurope 1920s. Fifth [published] in the Saint-Germain series, Tempting Fate finds the count as guardian to a Russian war orphan during the Russian Revolution and the end of World War I... -
![The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher]()
The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsR. S. Belcher’s debut novel, The Six-Gun Tarot, was enthusiastically greeted by critics and readers, who praised its wildly inventive mixture of dark fantasy, steampunk, and the Wild West. Now Belcher returns to Golgotha, Nevada, a bustling frontier town that hides more than its fair share of unnatural secrets.1870...Categorized as:
dark historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure adult alternate-history -
![Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs]()
Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsBefore Miss Peregrine gave them a home, the story of peculiars was written in the Tales. Wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars. A fork-tongued princess. The origins of the first ymbryne... -
![Great Tales of Horror by H.P. Lovecraft]()
Great Tales of Horror by H.P. Lovecraft
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsH.P Lovecraft: Great Tales of Horror features twenty of horror master H.P... -
![Beneath a Waning Moon by Elizabeth Hunter, Grace Draven]()
Beneath a Waning Moon by Elizabeth Hunter, Grace Draven
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTwo delightfully dark tales of Gothic romance from Elizabeth Hunter and Grace Draven.In A Very Proper Monster, Josephine Shaw spends long nights filling the pages of her Gothic stories with the fantastic and the macabre, unaware that the suitor her father has arranged is one of the dark creatures she’s always dreamed... -
![A Coven of Witches by Joseph Delaney]()
A Coven of Witches by Joseph Delaney
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsBeware a girl in pointy shoesA girl wearing pointy shoes might be a witch. And the first thing a spook's apprentice learns is never, ever to trust a witch.In this bone-chilling collection of tales, you will learn exactly why that is, as you encounter:a fair and beautiful woman with green scales running down her spine . . . (John Gregory, set before book 1, book 0...Categorized as:
dark historical-fiction magic paranormal action-adventure anthologies children children-books -
![Men and Monsters by Elena May]()
Men and Monsters by Elena May
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe stakes have risen. For fifty years, Prince Vladimir has tolerated the Resistance, but now they threaten what he holds dear. The vicious vampire will no longer hold back. A plan he has been working on for decades will finally reveal itself and entangle everyone standing on the way.For the first time after the Nightfall, the Resistance holds a true bargaining chip...Categorized as:
dark gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure apocalyptic -
![Providence Girls by Morgan Dante]()
Providence Girls by Morgan Dante
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsLove changes you. So do the Outer Gods.Now: Alone in a cottage, Lavinia writes to the woman she loved.Fifteen years ago: Middle-aged Lavinia Whateley escapes her hilly Massachusetts town when the townsfolk decide to sacrifice her on Halloween. After almost dying in the woods, she's saved and housed by the stoic and mysterious Asenath Waite, or Azzie... -
![Fae: The Realm of Twilight by Graham Austin-King]()
Fae: The Realm of Twilight by Graham Austin-King
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Riven Wyrde Saga continues...The Wyrde is dead and gone, its protection passed into the ether. The fae have been loosed upon the world as they begin their wild hunt, a nightmare from fable and legend made flesh. At Hesk, in the heart of the Barren Isles, Ylsriss must confront a reality she never could have imagined when her son is stolen from her by the fae... -
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![The Revenge of Lord Oda by Nick Lake]()
The Revenge of Lord Oda by Nick Lake
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNow that the vile Lord Oda is dead, Taro and his friends are safe in the mountain lair of the ninjas. Or so they think. When a homing pigeon arrives with news of Taro's mother's whereabouts, Taro sets out for the Tendai monastery - without stopping to consider why the pigeon, which was given to his mother months ago, took so long to arrive...Categorized as:
dark historical-fiction paranormal retellings action-adventure book children-books dark-fantasy -
![Curse of Dracula by Kathryn Ann Kingsley]()
Curse of Dracula by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMaxine Parker expected to lose her life when the Vampire King swept through her city like a plague. She did not expect to lose her heart to him as well. Caught between her desire to protect the living and her love for Dracula, she suddenly finds herself the enemy of the hunters who had once been her allies... -
![Blood Games by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro]()
Blood Games by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis is a tale of love and horror set during the last chaotic days of Nero's Rome - a time marked by excesses of high living, cruel violence and intricate political intrigue...Categorized as:
dark gothic historical-fiction paranormal adult ancient-civilization book dark-fantasy -
![The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack: 40 Modern and Classic Lovecraftian Stories by John Gregory Betancourt, H.P. Lovecraft]()
The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack: 40 Modern and Classic Lovecraftian Stories by John Gregory Betancourt, H.P. Lovecraft
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis volume assembles no less than 40 stories set in H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Ranging from Lovecraft's own tales (including classics such as the novel At the Mountains of Madness, The Shadow Over Innsmouth, and The Colour Out of Space) to works by his friends and contemporaries (Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E... -
![Small Favors by Erin A. Craig]()
Small Favors by Erin A. Craig
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From the critically-acclaimed author of House of Salt and Sorrows comes a mesmerizing and chilling fairy-talesque novel about Ellerie Downing, a young woman in a small town with monsters lurking in the trees and dark desires hidden in the shadows--in Amity Falls, nothing is more dangerous than a wish come true. Unique, enchanting, and haunting... -
![The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier]()
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe Night Gardener follows two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its family are not quite what they seem. Soon the children are confronted by a mysterious spectre and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives...Categorized as:
dark fairy-tale gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure -
![Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel]()
Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen his grieving father orders the destruction of the Dark Library, Victor retrieves a book in which he finds the promise of not just communicating with the dead, but entering their realm, and soon he, Elizabeth, and Henry are in the spirit world of Château Frankenstein, creating and growing a body.[Book two of The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein series... -
![The Tale Of The Vampire Bride by Rhiannon Frater]()
The Tale Of The Vampire Bride by Rhiannon Frater
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAll I ever wanted was the freedom to live life as I pleased, despite my aristocratic parents’ hopes I’d secure a prestigious husband. But my fate was far more terrible than an arranged marriage when my family became prisoners to one of the most fearsome and powerful vampires of all time, Count Vlad Dracula... -
![Hellmouth by Giles Kristian]()
Hellmouth by Giles Kristian
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBohemia. 1370. A lost soul named Galien leads a band of hardened mercenaries on a mission for Mother Church. But in the dark forests of central Europe, a darker secret awaits. Bestselling author Giles Kristian (Lancelot, The Raven Viking Trilogy) takes us on an unnerving ride into fear and paranoia, bloodshed and redemption... -
![The Palace by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro]()
The Palace by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrancesco Ragoczy da San Germano, the immortal vampire, seeks only to hide himself in his Florentine palace. But after falling for Estasia, a cousin of Botticelli, the wealthy foreigner loses all his desire for isolation. Her unquenchable passion more than matches his -- and San Germano must have her. While happiness seems imminent, danger lurks around the corner... -
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![Dracula the Undead by Freda Warrington]()
Dracula the Undead by Freda Warrington
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe legend returns . . . - It is seven years since a stake was driven through the heart of the infamous Count Dracula. Seven years which have not eradicated the terrible memories for Jonathan and Mina Harker, who now have a young son. To lay their memories to rest they return to Transylvania, and can find no trace of the horrific events... -
![The Delicate Dependency: A Novel of the Vampire Life by Michael Talbot, Thomas Walker]()
The Delicate Dependency: A Novel of the Vampire Life by Michael Talbot, Thomas Walker
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEver since Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the vampire has evolved from the ferocious blood-sucking fiend as portrayed in the penny dreadfuls such as Varney the Vampyre into a strangely alluring, erotic figure promising eternal life. But, it’s eternal life with a horrifying price attached, the overwhelming need to feast on the blood of the living... -
![You Die When You Die by Angus Watson]()
You Die When You Die by Angus Watson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsYOU DIE WHEN YOU DIE . . .You can't change your fate - so throw yourself into battle, because you'll either win or wake up drinking mead in the halls of your ancestors. That's what Finn's tribe believe... -
![Pilgrim: A Medieval Horror by Mitchell Lüthi]()
Pilgrim: A Medieval Horror by Mitchell Lüthi
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSet in 12th-century Jerusalem, Pilgrim follows the treacherous journey of a German knight and his companions as they return home after seven arduous years battling for God in the Holy Land. Within this sprawling tale lies a tapestry of medieval horror, intertwining history and folklore, encompassing both a metaphysical and literal odyssey... -
![Path of the Eclipse by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro]()
Path of the Eclipse by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThere is trouble in 13th century China. A wind blows from the west and has a name--Jenghiz Khan. Pledged to help a beautiful woman warrior, St. Germain has a terrible secret--he has the power to bestow death or eternal life as a vampire... -
![Triquetra by Kirstyn McDermott]()
Triquetra by Kirstyn McDermott
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"Triquetra" by Kirstyn McDermott is a dark fantasy novelette about the fraught relationship between Snow White and her stepmother after Snow White has married the prince and has her own child. She visits her stepmother monthly promising to kill her in ever more horrible ways, at the same time attempting to stay away from the mirror that started it all... -
![Before the Devil Knows You're Here by Autumn Krause]()
Before the Devil Knows You're Here by Autumn Krause
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA deliciously dark folk horror for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Erin Craig, blending the tall tales of Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan with Faustian elements, and centering a fierce Mexican-American poet on a quest to rescue her brother.1836. Wisconsin Territory. All Catalina has left is her little brother—Mama died years ago, and Papa was buried just yesterday... -
![Better in the Dark by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro]()
Better in the Dark by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHere at last is a long-hinted-at chapter in the undead existence of the immortal Count Saint-Germain: the story of Ranegonda of Saxony, one of the three great loves of Saint-Germian's life.937 A.D. The Saxon fortress of Leosan is under the almost unheard-of rule of a woman... -
![The Girl with No Hands and Other Tales by Angela Slatter]()
The Girl with No Hands and Other Tales by Angela Slatter
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA stunning, emotional and eclectic collection of fantasy and dark tales. These are the stories told to warn children, entertain adults and beguile all... -
![All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter]()
All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsLong ago Miren O'Malley's family prospered due to a deal struck with the Mer: safety for their ships in return for a child of each generation. But for many years the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and have fallen into decline. Miren's grandmother is determined to restore their glory, even at the price of Miren's freedom...Categorized as:
dark fairy-tale gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure -
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![All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter]()
All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsLong ago Miren O'Malley's family prospered due to a deal struck with the Mer: safety for their ships in return for a child of each generation. But for many years the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and have fallen into decline. Miren's grandmother is determined to restore their glory, even at the price of Miren's freedom...Categorized as:
dark fairy-tale gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure -
![Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer by Tanith Lee]()
Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer by Tanith Lee
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsHow would it be if Snow White were the real villain & the wicked queen just a sadly maligned innocent? What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty should be the mistake of a lifetime--of several lifetimes? What if the famous folk tales were retold with an eye to more horrific possibilities?Only Tanith Lee could do justice to it... -
![Gunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar]()
Gunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThey took his daughter, so Micah comes to take their kingdom. Fifty thousand gun-toting paladins march behind him, all baptized in angel blood, thirsty to burn unbelievers.Only the janissaries can stand against them. Their living legend, Kevah, once beheaded a magus amid a hail of ice daggers. But ever since his wife disappeared, he spends his days in a haze of hashish and poetry... -
![The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones]()
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Aderyn ("Ryn") only cares about two things: her family, and her family's graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae...Categorized as:
dark fairy-tale gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal action-adventure audiobook -
![Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge]()
Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry, her sister seems scared of her, and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out...Categorized as:
dark fairy-tale gothic historical-fiction magic paranormal retellings action-adventure -
![L'Esprit de L'Escalier by Catherynne M. Valente]()
L'Esprit de L'Escalier by Catherynne M. Valente
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the award-winning, bestselling author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland comes Catherynne M. Valente's dark fantasy tale "L’Esprit de L’Escalier", a Tor.com Original.In this provocative and rich retelling of the Greek myth, Orpheus, the musician son of Apollo and Calliope, successfully rescues his wife Eurydice from Hades after her untimely death...
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