Title: Wings of Sorrow
Author: Yolanda Sfetsos
Publisher: DarkLit Press
Paperback/Hardback: ARC Kindle eBook
Fiction/Non-Fiction: Fiction
Genre: Horror/Gothic Horror
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you so much to DarkLit Press for offering this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a beautifully written Gothic Horror novel with a clever, smoking gun of a plot twist. The author puts a new spin on an age old myth, breathing new life into one of the most ancient of beings. It took me a couple chapters to get into the book, but once I got hooked I read it in one sitting! I absolutely love the cover art of the book as well.

I found the gore/horror parts of the book to be mild, so I definitely feel comfortable recommending it to those that are a bit more leery of gore.

This was overall a great read and I highly recommend picking up a copy! Pub Date Jul 19 2024

If you enjoyed "The Twisted ones" by T. Kingfisher, "Locke & Key" by Joe Hill, "Wylding Hall" by Elizabeth Hand or "The Beauty" by Aliya Whiteley, then you will certainly enjoy reading "Wings of Sorrow" by Yolanda Sfetsos.

"Wings of Sorrow" pays tribute to the classics of the Gothic novel by reusing some of its best-known tropes, from the deadly presence of birds, to sleepwalking, tableaux vivants and forbidden rooms. The constant nods to the classics of goth counterculture (Neil Gaiman, Tim Burton) and gothic literature make for enjoyable reading.

Thera and her husband Hector return from their honeymoon to tidy up late Aunt Anthea's house, a mysterious place Thera knows she once lived in, even though she has no recollection. The more the days go by, the more she loses her footing, and her husband, a teacher but above all a writer, feels an irresistible attraction to the house. As the story unfolds, the house closes in on its occupants like a wolf's trap, a metaphor for the curse of the Karras women, of which Thera seems to be the latest victim.

"Wings of Sorrow" is all about atmosphere. It's not for the twists and turns, of which there are not many, that you should immerse yourself in this book, but rather for its atmosphere, which I would have liked to discover even more, and of which the sumptuous cover, somewhere between nightmare and hallucination, gives us a foretaste. Perhaps the novel would have deserved to be longer, to give us the full benefit of the mysteries of this "House on the Edge of the World", as well as the protagonist's hallucinatory quest. I'm left wanting more on a number of aspects that are skimmed over, despite their prominent place in the story: the myth that runs through the heart of the plot (and whose interpretation given by Anthea is far from traditional), the female curse and feminist rage, the fear of repeating family mistakes, the supernatural hold that manifests itself as sexual frenzy.

The ending is very satisfying!

Thank you very much to Netgalley and DarkLit Books publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an genuine review.

3,5/5

Firstly I would like to thank Yolanda Sfetsos , DarkLit Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of ' Wings of Sorrow ' to read and review .

I was initially drawn to this book by its beautiful and dark gothic cover . The imagery was both breath-taking and intriguing . Upon reading the synopsis I instantly knew that this would be a short novella that would appeal to me .
Due for publication in July , the story follows the main character Thera who inherits a house after the death of her estranged Aunt.
Newly married , herself and her husband move back to the long forgotten home of her childhood to tie up all loose ends and clear the house of her aunt's possessions. As blocked memories start to return , Thera finds herself in a living nightmare as an ancient family secret comes to light that might tear the newlyweds apart before they even get the chance to start their lives together.

I was captivated with the tale right from the first paragraph. The author set the scene perfectly creating the vision of a dilapidated house on a cliffs edge in isolation . From the first few pages I already had the sense of dread that goes hand in hand with all of the classic gothic supernatural stories and it became apparent to me that Yolanda Sfetsos must have a passion for such vintage books and films.
Although short , the novella is impactful and is brimming with atmosphere . It is very reminiscent of old folklore and is a very unique read.
Generational curses are always fascinating and I love the fact that the author has also written a prequel which is available as a free download to everybody which apparently tells the story of Thera's parents - whom we don't find out much about within the main book.
I have already downloaded the free of charge copy as I'm eager to find out more about the family connections.
I recommend this novella to anybody looking to read a short , haunting and memorable tale.

#WingsofSorrow #NetGalley

Wings of Sorrow follows a newlywed couple Thera and Hector returning to Thera's gothic family home after the passing of her Aunt. Thera is tasked to follow her destiny as she releases memories from her childhood that she thought she had locked away forever. Whilst Thera is battling issues she never knew existed, Hector is feeling excitement as the home has given him inspiration for a new book and hopes this will be make his career.

"The House was feasting on his flesh, and he had a feeling it would ultimately devour his soul." the writing Sfetsos uses to describe the home is breath taking and the description of the house reminded me of Crimson Peak which is one of my favourite films. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart and would entice any horror fan.

The cover is what initially drew me in to the book as it is so gruesome and strange, I don't think I've seen anything like it and when I read the blurb I knew instantly I NEEDED to read it.

Yolanda Sfetsos did not let her readers down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Darklit books for allowing me to read this ARC.

Newly wed couple, Thera and Hector become entangled in an ancient mystery the second they set foot in the abandoned house left behind by Thera's deceased aunt. Thera's past in the house is shrouded by lost memories and a general unease that settles in her mind while walking through the hallways. Being back in the forbidding setting stirs unfamiliar and unwelcome thoughts about her history and her possible future. Hector thinks the gothic architecture of the house will inspire him to write the masterpiece of a story that he's been dying to create. What he doesn't know is that the dark walls hold secrets that he could never imagine himself. The two of them together will be dragged to their destiny's. Whether they want it or not.

While the premise of the story is intriguing the writing itself struggles with fluidity and pacing. At times the dialogue does not flow well and the characters insist on overexplaining everything that is happening internally and externally. A lack of focused description of the environment and setting leaves a lackluster atmosphere that this story really needed. At the end of the day it's a fine short horror story with an interesting premise and it's a quick read.

I really liked the description of this book, the premise of the story and the cover. All of which described a very atmospheric story of a woman turning into a monster. Unfortunately the story itself did not deliver on the creepy setting and there were some major issues with the characterization and pacing that threw the entire book off. There is very minimal description of the house and the surroundings, besides the instances where it is directly mentioned to be 'creepy' or 'dreary' or 'dark'. I also did not connect with the characters as much as I wanted because both of them were serving their own independent desires and didn't do very well communicating with each other despite the fact that they are supposed to be wildly in love. The dialogue in general throughout the book was stilted and didn't flow well which contributed to what felt like a lack of connection between the characters. My biggest gripe is that both Thera and Hector are written to be completely oblivious. There are very strange events going on with both of them going to sleep and waking up in random locations, but neither of them are willing to address things and they literally have to be handed information about what is going on in order to accept that something strange is going on until the very end of the book. And once they did start to figure things out the resolution of the drama happens very quickly. I think it would have been more impactful if the characters themselves found their own way to information starting much earlier in the story. Ultimately, I had some major problems with the writing and the characters, but the underlying story was interesting. It's a short book that doesn't overstay it's welcome so if you're interested in a unique horror story exploring family history in gothic settings it's worth giving it a try.

Thank you to Netgalley and DarkLit Books publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to read this author's creepy tale in exchange for an honest review.

Dark and insatiable. This story hit the reader two-fold. One way to read this story is a love story between a husband and wife, and the loss of their bond. The other way to see the story is a journey of transformation and acceptance of your fate-no matter how dark that journey is. Our protagonist, Thera, is born with a curse, or blessing-depending on how you view it-that conflicts with her desire for happiness and true love. She bucks, she fights, she forgets what she has known, and wants to choose her own path. But what she learns to embrace is true feminine rage, for her family, and the generations of women before her. The author’s prose choice is linear, with flashbacks to childhood, to shape the story into a head-on collision with fate. But the price is high, and Yolanda destroys the narrative only to build it anew-as all story of transformation become. Love isn’t truly lost, but reborn to live forever.

While some of the writing and dialogue was lackluster, the novel, overall was an intriguing journey that I was glad to be on.

💍🌾🌊Review💀🐦‍⬛🩸

Title: Wings of Sorrow
Author: Yolanda Sfetsos

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thoughts: A very cool gothic horror romance. I really enjoyed the dark mythology twisted in. It's not a scary horror but one that induces a little dread and heart ache. There are a few gore moments sprinkled in that added to the story's creepiness and shock factor. I don't typically go for gothic reads because I find them too slow for me but I was all in on this one. The mystery of wtf was going on kept me in a trance, consumed with each passing page.

3.5☆
Plot: Two newly-weds become entangled in an inherited and remote coastal family estate, where a thick nest of family secrets claw their way into their lives. Thera learns the dark and suffocating dark secrets of this house, while her husband Hector is enchanted by its gothic majesty, madly scribbling new inspirations towards his last book. This house forms a mysterious and deadly bubble outside of reality, as both characters fight for their relationship.

Thoughts: Firstly, the cover is gorgeous. I was entranced and keen to grab this off Netgalley. While I enjoyed the premise of this book and felt it had promise, the story lacked breathing space for mystery. I would have loved a slow build of tension. There were certainly moments where this was felt. But perhaps not enough atmosphere and tension building. A lot of the dialogue pulled the story forward in obvious ways, spelling it out for the reader, so I didn't feel the satisfaction of finding out for myself when it was very obvious how it would end. It was a somewhat touching ending, but I feel the middle could have been fleshed out more. Overall, not bad and I'd still encourage other readers to have a go.

Thank you to Netgalley, Yolanda Sfetsos and DarkLit Press for this advanced digital copy

Another middle of the road book that at least doesn't take super long to get through. This strong woman concept for novels was good until everyone started jumping on the bandwagon and overflowing the market with them.

First off, thank you NetGalley for having ARCs available.

This was a fun book but can't put my finger on what is missing. It has that dark Gothic feel (which I adore) that makes for a great story development. And the characters obviously have a very strong bond.

I'd put this more so as thriller vs horror. Either way it was a fun read. Oh, and the cover 8s STUNNING!!

If you are a fan of gothic horror/psy-fi .. this is the book for you. I got this book from Net Galley - largely based on the cover, but was happy to realize the inside of the book was just as amazing. This is a story of a woman who inherits a house from her aunt when the aunt dies, and inherits something even more that she didnt expect, while dragging her husband into it with her. This is Avian horror - there is something super creepy about birds of prey. This was a quick read and story about the fact that we can only run from our history for so long.. are we ALWAYS destined to return to it? I only wish there was MORE to the book.. I want to know what happened after the ending.. which i wont spoil.. but it's definitely a cliff hanger literally and metaphorically. Well done, and I look forward to reading more of this author's work!

So I stepped out of my regular Romantasy genre and decided to shake things up a little, in an attempt to get me out of a reading slump.

Here I am on the other side, still feeling a bit "eh" and in a slump 🙃

I think the author's writing style was done well. Tons of movie and book references!! I think I caught most of them.

The story however, was just "eh" in my option. The book could have almost been written as a novela or maybe more of why there was a family curse (this never gets explained).

Overall, I enjoyed the author's writing style and would read something else by this author, but this story didn't help with my reading slump at all.

**There are some TWs to be aware of, please check them out before you decide to grab this book**

Wings of Sorrow was such a fun read! The vibes were very gothic but with a modern feel. The writing was beautiful and read very quickly and easily. I was very invested in Thera and Hector and their story and I I was super invested in what was going to happen. This is a unique tale from anything I’ve ever read and I highly recommend!

I am delighted to have come across this novella. The cover immediately caught my attention, and the synopsis had me completely captivated. Wings of Sorrow is narrated from two different perspectives, which is the perfect format for Thera and Hector as they both have eerie experiences in the Karras House.

Both characters quickly won me over. They make a perfect couple and are so in tune with each other, almost finishing each other's sentences. The supernatural aspect took me by surprise; Setsos skillfully blended mythology with the paranormal in a way that was truly unique. I won't go into detail about the Greek mythology as it would spoil the story.
If you enjoy contemporary gothic horror, Greek mythology, pop culture references, amnesia, bloodline curses, and haunted houses, then be sure to add this to your to-be-read list.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Who doesn’t want to inherit a spooky mansion on a cliff by the sea? A spooky mansion that is infested with ravens and crows. Thea and Hector find themselves in a creepy space of time and birds as they try to navigate their newly wedded bliss.
Although the birds have something else up their wings. Will they survive the week? Or will the mansion consume them?

Fun and quick horror story to scratch the itch of what it would be like if Alfred hitcocks birds met up with Tim Burton for a night.

I loved The Haunting and the entire backstory of Hugh Crane, and that's why I chose this book in Netgalley. With its emphasis on inheritance, sinister familial legacies, a multigenerational curse, a house and tower that force you to stay, and the inseparability of a nest and a cage, this novel is the perfect example of superb gothic fiction. If you enjoy gothic horror and haunted houses, this book is for you!

First of all, let me just say that this is one of the BEST book covers I’ve ever seen! It encompasses the dark, gothic vibes perfectly! It’s gorgeous! The book was creepy and mysterious. I always love a family curse and a sentient house! But, I feel like the book lacked a certain atmospheric quality. I think the writing could’ve been more descriptive. All these creepy things were happening, but I wasn’t enveloped in the story enough to really feel the haunting atmosphere. I also feel like there was more telling than showing. I think some of the reveals to the mystery could’ve been shown in a creative way rather than just said.

But, overall I think this is a book with a great premise that could’ve been expounded on more. I absolutely LOVED the way it ended and though it had its problems, I enjoyed the ride.

Thank you DarkLit Press and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

TW: mentions of suicide, death of family members, car accident

“Locales like these inspired as many wicked thoughts as they did ones full of wonder.”

The language and theme of this novella was right up my alley! I love gothic stories with haunted houses, locked doors, and even lighthouses. Some aspects of this story reminded me very much of The Haunting of Hill House its Red Room.

I really loved the descriptions and thought the paintings in the house were especially unique. The concept was unique for what appeared to be a regular haunted house story.

One of my favorite parts about horror and thrillers is that there’s usually a really good twist. While the language of this was beautifully macabre, the story didn’t surprise me. There was a slight twist at the end, but I felt like it was all an inevitable ending. The problem might also be that I have too much of a penchant for happily ever after.

Solid read if you’re looking for a short, spooky, grotesque, love story.

Thank you to the author and netgalley for the complimentry advance read! My review is honest and true.

This was an incredible read with a gothic feel and supernatural sinister elements that had me captivated. It had dual perspective between the couple Thera and Hector, which I felt was necessary to really understand each individual experience with the house. This lived up to the description which pulled me in the first place. A perfect book for lovers of paranormal, gothic themes, quite similar to the haunting of hill house for reference.

3.5

I enjoyed the gothic vibes and the harpy story. Because it’s so short it did feel a tad rushed and I’m confused as to how her mother was able to marry, have a kid and still not turn into a harpy.
But otherwise a quick entertaining read.