Yolanda Sfetsos's "Wings of Sorrow" is a modern take on a more classic gothic novel, based
in myth and set on an appropriately windswept cliff, complete with anachronistic manor and neighboring lighthouse.
Thera inherits her aunt’s house, and she decides to go clean it out before listing it. Hector, her horror-writing husband, comes along for the potential inspiration. The house immediately draws him in and the words begin to flow. Thera, however, is battling the ghost of her aunt and her ominous warning that nothing good will come of Thera and Hector staying at the house.

The premise of this story is intriguing with the genders sort of swapped from the more traditional tellings. The why of things, which we learn from the ghost and Thera’s forgotten memories, are equally fascinating. The delivery, however, left something to be desired. The truth comes out in a lot of exposition where I would have liked to see more mystery-solving and discovery by the characters involved in the immediacy of the plot. As a reader, I felt plenty of sympathy for Hector, but I found Thera a bit distant.

A quick and entertaining read with a good setting and an engaging premise, “Wings of Sorrow” would be a good read for any fan of horror. I received a copy from NetGalley.

This was so hard to get into. It was hard to picture myself in the book, to understand the characters, this was really not for me. I struggled to get through it and it took me a very long time to finish, even though I absolutely love horror books.

I really wanted to love this book but it just kind of fell a little short for me. I loved the Gothic house and the ulterior motive but I felt like the story was missing something. I will reread and it give it another chance because I truly want to love this book!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was right up my alley! Dark, gothic, and richly written, Sfetsos gave me a creepy read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm excited to try out some of her other works.

This book humbled me felt like a dream the whole time I was reading it I’m absolutely blown away with how this book was written and how much I loved it just absolutely amazing

Boy, oh boy, was this a brilliant story!

Gothic tales are a little guilty pleasure, and when I saw the cover for this, I immediately thought this was for me, and it didn't disappoint me.

Beginning with typical, a family member dies and needs to sort out the estate in a creepy gothic house by the sea. I was concerned that Wing of Sorrow would be another haunted house story, but I was surprised.

I was impressed by the depth given to the characters interwoven through the story; there may not be many characters, but writing emotionally realistic characters, not many writers can do well, and those that do generally are in much longer stories.

While I don't remember the book mentioning the setting in terms of geographical location, the cheeky little Australian references made me smile.

DarkLit press doesn't miss. Thank you for providing an ARC on Netgalley; I'm looking forward to seeing what comes from Yolanda Sfetsos and will be going to try some of their stories that are already available.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. Yolanda Sfetsos' 'Wings of Sorrow' has a gorgeous cover, perfectly made for this anxiety-inducing horror story about a couple getting embroiled in the wife's creepy family secrets. Although the book's synopsis seems to highlight the story's gothic atmosphere and the intricate legacy haunting the wife's family, what drew me in was the amazing pace with which the tale turns into body horror, even if the transformations' explanation falls indeed on a past curse and a haunted house. The story unfolds really fast (the aunt's ghost appears almost immediately, major revelations happen quite quickly), so I for one didn't really feel the gothic vibes all that strongly. That said, the story harbors a major mystery and everything revolves around it: the idea that some people should not fall in love, should not get married, should not share their life with another human being, unless they are fully cognizant of the cost of such a decision. This is emphasized repeatedly, to the point that, when we are finally told why this should be so in the case of the wife (who went ahead and did get find love and did get married), the issue itself has become rather secondary. The emphasis is now on the cost itself, the story's opening into myth, dark fantasy, and the body horror I mentioned above. The ending fits the story perfectly. In fact, the book might have been a novel, involving far more twists and developing in a far slower pace. Sfetsos decided, however, to speed things up, often telling us what we should know instead of putting us through the grinder till we realize what's going on on our own. I'm not sure this really works very well, since I appreciate riddling out things myself more than just being told what's happening. Still, the story will satisfy all kinds of horror fans and does not disappoint.

I’m a sucker for a dark, gothic style book so I flew through this one. Super strong opening that dragged a little towards the end, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. 4.5 stars, rounded up!

Thank you to Yolanda Sfetsos, DarkLit Press, and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Wings of Sorrow is a world well-told, with dark corners of storytelling and chilling descriptions. A book well worth visiting for readers looking for the thrilling and metaphysical.

This had everything that I was looking for from a horror novel, I thought the horror element worked with what I was looking for. The characters were everything that I expected, it was a strong overall concept and was invested in the setting and horror element. Yolanda Sfetsos has a great writing style and I’m glad I got to read this.

i did finish this book but it was just a mid book, the writing is very great, but the story was a little boring to me 3/5 stars

The ideal blend of a wonderful gothic with its focus on inheritance, dark family legacies, a multigenerational curse, a house and tower that forces your stay, and the inseparableness of a nest and a cage. For fans of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE and THE CRANE HUSBAND, Stetsos's book of sacrifice and torment will sure to haunt your mind.

First of all, this cover is spectacular! I also am a sucker for an inherited house trope. I absolutely loved the ending—though it made me sad, I totally get it. This is definitely gothic horror, not romance! Very spooky, a solid 4 star read.

I will say that I kept getting images of Moira Rose in the crow costume during various points in the story, which was of no fault of the author's but mine alone for loving Schitt's Creek.

i need an inherited haunted house to explore with my newly-married-to partner.

im going to start this review by saying that the author does a really good job of encompassing a gothic horror setting, it was alluring and so FRESH. it was very easy to visualise and follow along, and despite being such a short novel (novella?) it was eventful and kept the reader on their toes. i really like bird feathers.

the cover is incredibly detailed and illustrated in a way that matches the vibe of the book!!


the thing that bothered me the most is that this author is australian...but uses the american way of spelling, which really threw me off because i was picturing a house on a cliff in australia. also wanted to know more details on the "curse" and how thera is able to see her auntie's ghost? it was very confusing at first lol

"If only she wasnt married to a man who saw the magical and romantic side of anything creepy. What she called disturbing he saw as charming" THEY ARE LITERALLY SO PERFECT TOGETHER. (wish we saw more of their interactions, but i know the main genre isnt romance)

the epilogue and ending was PERFECT and i will be thinking about it for the rest of my life. it was perfectly illustrated and so satisfying knowing that (spoilers!!)

thank you NetGalley and DarkLit Press for allowing me to experience this!!

Thera and Hector are newlyweds who have decided to go to Thera’s recently deceased aunt’s home to sort and clean out the house for only a week. Thera is uncomfortable and becomes more worried about returning to the house. Why? Upon arrival the house is strange and worrisome. There are paintings that move and deep scratches in doors. Ravens and crows are gathering on top of the creepy-looking house. As Thera’s sees her aunt’s spirit, who gives her a statement that tells her to remember. What does Thera need to remember? Hector is able to get ideas to write that short story and is confident it will finally give him his chance to become a writer. Thera is happy for him but can’t stop wondering what her aunt tells her that she came back as it is her destiny. She had no choice but to return home. What is Thera’s destiny?

The author has written a creepy horror story. There is much more going on in the story than I thought initially. It was secretive about Thera’s role until the ending. I did enjoy reading it except that the ending made me wonder if the author was going to write a sequel to it. I actually would like to think so but I don’t think it has to. I would like to have something resolved that wasn’t.

The cover design for this book is awesome. It pulled me in, and I couldn’t wait to read this book. When I opened the eBook on my phone, I was taken aback by the unprofessional appearance. The background is black, and the text is white and justified to the right. 
  
Most people will be turned away by a book that presents itself as amateur. I'm not sure if the writer did this to bring discomfort to the audience/enhance the unease while reading horror, but all it did was frustrate me, and I considered quitting multiple times. I committed to reading and reviewing this title, so I bypassed the issue by having my phone read the book to me… but that only got me halfway through the book before I DNF. I felt like a meta gamer a quarter of the way through because the plot line and character's actions were predictable. After so much of that, I stopped reading.

There are so many pop culture references, that I am curious if there will be copyright issues. Maybe it was just me, but I didn’t care for it. It felt lazy to constantly reference other things instead of showing them to the audience. One or two in a discussion is fine, but it became overwhelming.   

This book is listed as a horror, so I thought the writing would have a physical impact, such as chills or have me “on edge,” but I never transported from being told a story to being submerged in it.   

Writing a book is a tremendous feat, and I applaud this writer for completing it. I think this story could be great with more development and leaving more things for the audience to question. The pieces came together too quickly, and instead of stringing me along with leading questions, I got bored.   

Clearly, some people did not feel the same way, so read it and see for yourself—maybe this story was just not for me. From the premise, I wanted to love it, but I didn’t.

Review will be on Amazon once released.

What a beautifully macabre cover! It matches the high production values of the book, if that makes sense. Perfect for fans of Darcy Coates. Think of this as like a Blumhouse movie of a novel. It's creepy, executed professionally but plays it a little safe down the middle of the road. I think if the characters were developed more, and felt more real I'd have enjoyed it more.

The premise and cover of this book were very intriguing, but the writing quality/style and storyline didn’t grab me, and I was compelled to DNF after 30 pages. Thank you for the opportunity to read this title, DarkLit Press!

I really like the premise of this book, I'm a huge fan of gothic horror!

I really enjoyed the first half and the ending was interesting!

In my opinion I feel like it needed more description to really perfect the atmosphere of this creepy mansion. I also think it needed a bit more mystery or to be resolved sooner because it felt like it started dragging once the reader was exposed to what was happening and the main character was being too stubborn to listen. (This is just my preference in books.)

Overall it was an enjoyable read and the cover is beautiful!

3 ⭐️

Solid read, beautiful writing, gothic, mythical, old horror books vibes, interesting story.

The first half of the book totally gripped me, I couldn’t get away, but further it felt slightly dragged.

The cover is majestic, I’ve set it as my wallpaper!

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley, I enjoyed this reading experience.

#wingsofsorrow #NetGalley