When Thera inherits a house on the cliff from her estra…
Wings of Sorrow
Author: Yolanda Sfetsos
Rating: 4/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads: 3.6/5
Date Read: April 2024
"These walls had a way of manipulating their surroundings and thoughts, making impossible things appear real. It had a way of making dreams and nightmares feel as real as being awake." --------------------------------
Plot Summary: 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.
TL:DR: 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.
Thoughts and Feelings: 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.
