What do you think?
Now You Don't!: a steamy, disturbing dark fantasy about magic and sex
Not yet published
Expected 31 Dec 26Kindle Edition
Expected publication December 31, 2026
About the author
Darren Dash
7 books348 followersDarren Dash was born in England in 1972, but has spent most of his life in Ireland, where he lives with his wife and son. In his day job, under a different name, he has sold over 25 million books worldwide, mainly in the YA market. But he feels much more at home in the nights of his adult worlds...
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Whether the book is published under Darren Dash or Darren Shan, I think it's fair to say: expect the unexpected when it comes to Darren O’Shaughnessy.
I struggle to think of a book in Darren's collection that I haven't read, and re-read, multiple times. As a teenager, I was completely engrossed in his worlds of demons, vampires, and zombies, so hearing that he’d written an adult novel about magic and... sex?! My curiosity was grabbed!
Magic has always been a passion of mine, since palming coins and learning to manipulate cards as a young kid. There's even a trick I performed with my parents that makes an appearance in this book (the shake trick!).
So, I have to say a huge thank you to Darren for providing me with an ARC to review!
Premise
Ranald Rose - magician extraordinaire, destined for a career of eternal glory... until a classic trick goes horribly wrong. When his vanishing cabinet vanishes a boy for real, his career is over. Ranald turns to a traveling life, bouncing between pubs and small towns to perform for locals who hopefully have no idea who he is. Throw in thousands of one-night stands, and you have the premise of the book.
Eventually, Ranald stumbles upon Rosston, a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. While the town seems innocent enough at first, it soon becomes apparent that...
Well, at this point, I’d have to dive into spoilers. Truthfully, even if I wrote down everything that happened next, you wouldn't believe me anyway. You simply have to read it for yourself.
My Review
I had no idea what was going to happen, and that sense of unpredictability lasted all the way to the end. After reading a couple of opening chapters on Tuesday to set the scene, I picked it back up on Sunday night and finished it in 3 hours flat. I could not put the book down... I needed to know what came next, even if the answer to that was normally Ranald... The spice is detailed and graphic, and at points I thought it might be too much, but as I progressed, I realised that the sex is just as crucial to the plot as the magic. And I can't believe I'm saying that!
Around the halfway point, the book reveals what’s really going on, but it doesn't stop there. Every single chapter serves up an extra layer to the story, and even the final few pages took me in a direction I never saw coming.
And I haven't even mentioned the characters yet! I grew so attached to most of them - Butterfly and Obie especially! One of Darren's major strengths has always been incorporating strong character development into a series of chaotic events, and this book is no different.
I wanted to sleep on it before writing this review. My mind is completely blown, and I honestly don't think I'll have a reading experience quite like this for a long time. You have to read it, even just to go through the same series of emotions that I did.
Now You Don't gets a 5/5 from me.
I struggle to think of a book in Darren's collection that I haven't read, and re-read, multiple times. As a teenager, I was completely engrossed in his worlds of demons, vampires, and zombies, so hearing that he’d written an adult novel about magic and... sex?! My curiosity was grabbed!
Magic has always been a passion of mine, since palming coins and learning to manipulate cards as a young kid. There's even a trick I performed with my parents that makes an appearance in this book (the shake trick!).
So, I have to say a huge thank you to Darren for providing me with an ARC to review!
Premise
Ranald Rose - magician extraordinaire, destined for a career of eternal glory... until a classic trick goes horribly wrong. When his vanishing cabinet vanishes a boy for real, his career is over. Ranald turns to a traveling life, bouncing between pubs and small towns to perform for locals who hopefully have no idea who he is. Throw in thousands of one-night stands, and you have the premise of the book.
Eventually, Ranald stumbles upon Rosston, a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. While the town seems innocent enough at first, it soon becomes apparent that...
Well, at this point, I’d have to dive into spoilers. Truthfully, even if I wrote down everything that happened next, you wouldn't believe me anyway. You simply have to read it for yourself.
My Review
I had no idea what was going to happen, and that sense of unpredictability lasted all the way to the end. After reading a couple of opening chapters on Tuesday to set the scene, I picked it back up on Sunday night and finished it in 3 hours flat. I could not put the book down... I needed to know what came next, even if the answer to that was normally Ranald... The spice is detailed and graphic, and at points I thought it might be too much, but as I progressed, I realised that the sex is just as crucial to the plot as the magic. And I can't believe I'm saying that!
Around the halfway point, the book reveals what’s really going on, but it doesn't stop there. Every single chapter serves up an extra layer to the story, and even the final few pages took me in a direction I never saw coming.
And I haven't even mentioned the characters yet! I grew so attached to most of them - Butterfly and Obie especially! One of Darren's major strengths has always been incorporating strong character development into a series of chaotic events, and this book is no different.
I wanted to sleep on it before writing this review. My mind is completely blown, and I honestly don't think I'll have a reading experience quite like this for a long time. You have to read it, even just to go through the same series of emotions that I did.
Now You Don't gets a 5/5 from me.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Now You Don’t.
Written by Darren Dash, 2026.
SPOILER FREE.
When one of your favourite authors announces they’re off to write an adult book centred around MAGIC and SEX, of course I raised my brows!
This is the same guy who wrote about SPIDERS, VAMPIRES and DEMONS, just to name a few!
But, what the hell, let’s give this a go!
A quick thank you to Darren for the ARC COPY!
REVIEW -
‘Stick that in your cabinet and vanish it!’
Ranald Rose, magician, a rising star! Little did he know that by bringing a boy onto the stage and sealing him in a magic cabinet, would put a seal on his own career…
When a simple magic trick goes mysteriously wrong, resulting in a missing boy, years later, Ranald Rose dons a simple life, pleasing pub crowds as well as showing women a special sort of tick or two!
Needing a break, Ranald leads the road, meeting old friends and eventually stumbling upon the village of Rosston. At first, it’s er… how do I put this. It’s the Playboy Mansion in The Twilight Zone! Ranald soon realises magic isn’t a simple palming of coins or trick of the eye… it’s REAL…
At first, I had no idea where this story was going.
The mystery of the boy’s disappearance had me hooked. I wanted to know how and why, even if it meant trudging through a lengthy middle of nothing but sex! I am not a fan of spice, so the intense scenes were a little hard for me to stomach. HOWEVER , I carried on and glad I did!
The second half of the book serves a payoff like a gourmet meal!
I enjoyed the characters but of course when it comes to Darren, best not get attached!!
Just when you think you’ve figured everything out, Now You Don’t keeps adding layer after layer of twists that carry on right until the very last page!
There are plenty of shocks and disturbing scenes, all unique and eye popping! I loved every moment of it! There were scenes where I was screaming at the characters when the inevitable happened.
At first, Now You Don’t comes across so plainly then it pulls its biggest trick with the twists and turns! Not to mentions punishing you with the some of the most gruelling and disturbing scenes I have read in a long while!
It’s one of those books were it cleverly drops hints of what’s to come but only noticeable on the second read, which I think I will do in the near future!
I feel this is the closest we’ll ever get to a Darren Shan Splatter Punk book!!
Now You Don’t feels oddly nostalgic, mixing in a little Stephen King, Clive Barker and James Herbert with of course that special sauce only Darren can add!
Now You Don’t gets FOUR STARS from me, not five due to, well, let’s just say magic can be BACK BREAKING work!
Once again, thank you, Darren for the ARC!
Written by Darren Dash, 2026.
SPOILER FREE.
When one of your favourite authors announces they’re off to write an adult book centred around MAGIC and SEX, of course I raised my brows!
This is the same guy who wrote about SPIDERS, VAMPIRES and DEMONS, just to name a few!
But, what the hell, let’s give this a go!
A quick thank you to Darren for the ARC COPY!
REVIEW -
‘Stick that in your cabinet and vanish it!’
Ranald Rose, magician, a rising star! Little did he know that by bringing a boy onto the stage and sealing him in a magic cabinet, would put a seal on his own career…
When a simple magic trick goes mysteriously wrong, resulting in a missing boy, years later, Ranald Rose dons a simple life, pleasing pub crowds as well as showing women a special sort of tick or two!
Needing a break, Ranald leads the road, meeting old friends and eventually stumbling upon the village of Rosston. At first, it’s er… how do I put this. It’s the Playboy Mansion in The Twilight Zone! Ranald soon realises magic isn’t a simple palming of coins or trick of the eye… it’s REAL…
At first, I had no idea where this story was going.
The mystery of the boy’s disappearance had me hooked. I wanted to know how and why, even if it meant trudging through a lengthy middle of nothing but sex! I am not a fan of spice, so the intense scenes were a little hard for me to stomach. HOWEVER , I carried on and glad I did!
The second half of the book serves a payoff like a gourmet meal!
I enjoyed the characters but of course when it comes to Darren, best not get attached!!
Just when you think you’ve figured everything out, Now You Don’t keeps adding layer after layer of twists that carry on right until the very last page!
There are plenty of shocks and disturbing scenes, all unique and eye popping! I loved every moment of it! There were scenes where I was screaming at the characters when the inevitable happened.
At first, Now You Don’t comes across so plainly then it pulls its biggest trick with the twists and turns! Not to mentions punishing you with the some of the most gruelling and disturbing scenes I have read in a long while!
It’s one of those books were it cleverly drops hints of what’s to come but only noticeable on the second read, which I think I will do in the near future!
I feel this is the closest we’ll ever get to a Darren Shan Splatter Punk book!!
Now You Don’t feels oddly nostalgic, mixing in a little Stephen King, Clive Barker and James Herbert with of course that special sauce only Darren can add!
Now You Don’t gets FOUR STARS from me, not five due to, well, let’s just say magic can be BACK BREAKING work!
Once again, thank you, Darren for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Review of advanced copy received from the author.
I really enjoyed this book, it introduced me to a few new ideas, also I loved how carefree the characters are at the start--the skinny dipping, they don't care if they're spotted by somebody whilst they're doing it, it's so refreshing. I like the character names too, Butterfly, its very different, but memorable. I also liked how her past was filled in a bit, and the first person, present tense narrative, it feels like you're there watching the events unfold in front of you, like at any moment the magician is going to pick you from the audience. I recommend this book, but it is definitely one for over 18s.
I really enjoyed this book, it introduced me to a few new ideas, also I loved how carefree the characters are at the start--the skinny dipping, they don't care if they're spotted by somebody whilst they're doing it, it's so refreshing. I like the character names too, Butterfly, its very different, but memorable. I also liked how her past was filled in a bit, and the first person, present tense narrative, it feels like you're there watching the events unfold in front of you, like at any moment the magician is going to pick you from the audience. I recommend this book, but it is definitely one for over 18s.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Review of Now you dont,
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of Now you don’t in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I will also try to be as spoiler free as possible.
All magic comes with a price.
If I could summarise this book into one sentence, that would be it. The price can be very steep for magic, true magic.
The story follows Ronald/ Ranald and his life being a small time magician as in the sleight of hand/tricks sense of magician. Let me start off by saying this guy is extremely unlikeable he seems like a misogynist and by the 20th page I really didn’t like him and most sympathy for him went right out of the window. He’s obsessed with Sex to the point of there are allot of challenging themes in this story (trigger warning for incest, CSA)
Darren is very well known for his challenging themes in his stories. Whether it is his children books or his adult books. There’s was moments in this book where I had to stop reading just to let what happened absorb. There is allot of gore (again very typical for Darren) and allot of very explicit Sex.
Majority of this book is Sex scenes actually and not smutty romantic Sex. It seems like pure carnal sex which sometimes left me feeling uncomfortable. I loved when it got dark though. The flashbacks were some of my favourite parts and very much enjoyed those. To be fair I enjoyed the twist at the end. I loved Butterfly she was the only character I actually truly liked.
This book shows very different aspects of being "evil" and made you think, as well as believe. Maybe magic isnt as light and fun as previously thought.
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of Now you don’t in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I will also try to be as spoiler free as possible.
All magic comes with a price.
If I could summarise this book into one sentence, that would be it. The price can be very steep for magic, true magic.
The story follows Ronald/ Ranald and his life being a small time magician as in the sleight of hand/tricks sense of magician. Let me start off by saying this guy is extremely unlikeable he seems like a misogynist and by the 20th page I really didn’t like him and most sympathy for him went right out of the window. He’s obsessed with Sex to the point of there are allot of challenging themes in this story (trigger warning for incest, CSA)
Darren is very well known for his challenging themes in his stories. Whether it is his children books or his adult books. There’s was moments in this book where I had to stop reading just to let what happened absorb. There is allot of gore (again very typical for Darren) and allot of very explicit Sex.
Majority of this book is Sex scenes actually and not smutty romantic Sex. It seems like pure carnal sex which sometimes left me feeling uncomfortable. I loved when it got dark though. The flashbacks were some of my favourite parts and very much enjoyed those. To be fair I enjoyed the twist at the end. I loved Butterfly she was the only character I actually truly liked.
This book shows very different aspects of being "evil" and made you think, as well as believe. Maybe magic isnt as light and fun as previously thought.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I read this before it's planned release date of 31 December 2026 thanks to an eARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Posting review early only after getting permission from the author.
5 Stars
CAWPILE = 9.00
Dash is back with an erotic trip of a book that skirts the edge of taboo that is filled with the level of gore that is reminiscent of the Demonata series of books he wrote for teens under his Darren Shan pen name but, make no mistake this is most definitely a book intended for adults. Look beyond the erotica and gore however and you will find characters searching for a way to belong in this chaotic and often unfair world that mirrors our own in many ways with commentary around trauma and how it affects us, how to find community when you belong to a minority group and examines society's ideas around gender, sexuality and monogamy. This is definitely a book with more to it than is initially apparent. I can't wait to see what Dash writes next.
Emetophobia notes: UNSAFE
There are the following things that an emetophobic person could find triggering, such as:
- Mention-only character says they felt like the could be s* in Curtains Up
- Mention-only character says they feel like they could tu* in Act 1
- On-page character almost v* in Act 2
- On-page character induces v* later in Act 2
- Mention-only character says it didn't all come up when they p* earlier in Act 2
- On-page character v* in Interval
- On-page character dry h* later in Interval
- On-page character g* in Act 3
- Mention-only character says they feel s* later in Act 3
- Mention-only character says they feel s* in Interval
- On-page character has blood pouring out of mouth in Act 4
- On-page character has blood pouring out of mouth later in Act 4
- Mention-only character tu* not in relation to illness in Interval
- Mention-only character says they feel qu* in Act 5
5 Stars
CAWPILE = 9.00
Dash is back with an erotic trip of a book that skirts the edge of taboo that is filled with the level of gore that is reminiscent of the Demonata series of books he wrote for teens under his Darren Shan pen name but, make no mistake this is most definitely a book intended for adults. Look beyond the erotica and gore however and you will find characters searching for a way to belong in this chaotic and often unfair world that mirrors our own in many ways with commentary around trauma and how it affects us, how to find community when you belong to a minority group and examines society's ideas around gender, sexuality and monogamy. This is definitely a book with more to it than is initially apparent. I can't wait to see what Dash writes next.
Emetophobia notes: UNSAFE
There are the following things that an emetophobic person could find triggering, such as:
- Mention-only character says they felt like the could be s* in Curtains Up
- Mention-only character says they feel like they could tu* in Act 1
- On-page character almost v* in Act 2
- On-page character induces v* later in Act 2
- Mention-only character says it didn't all come up when they p* earlier in Act 2
- On-page character v* in Interval
- On-page character dry h* later in Interval
- On-page character g* in Act 3
- Mention-only character says they feel s* later in Act 3
- Mention-only character says they feel s* in Interval
- On-page character has blood pouring out of mouth in Act 4
- On-page character has blood pouring out of mouth later in Act 4
- Mention-only character tu* not in relation to illness in Interval
- Mention-only character says they feel qu* in Act 5
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews