Suffer the Darkness

by Yolanda Sfetsos

Kae Roscoe's daughter went missing in the woods sixteen months ago but when she returns, she's not the same person. She hardly speaks, doesn't eat, responds with extreme violence, and things get worse when she's released from the hospital. There's definitely something very different about Molly, and her reappearance is making strange things happen to everyone around her.

Genres: Horror, Novella, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Adult, Ebooks

144 pages, Paperback

First published June 18, 2023

About the author

Writer. Bibliophile. Collector. Animal lover. Horror freak.

My name is Yolanda, and I live in Australia. I write horror tales that bleed into other genres. I'm a horror freak from way back and a total bibliophile! I also collect cute stuff, love cozy vibes, and enjoy going for walks.

You can find all my book & social media links here: https://linktr.ee/yolandasfetsos

Reviews

[Brandon Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, fun read about a lost but recently re-appeared young girl, and a possible possession!

It was the first book I’ve read in about three weeks and I tore through it in like an hour and a half.

[Wayne Fenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was planning on reading this one next week because I already have a book on the go, but Adam Hulse said I'd love it, so I read a few pages out of curiosity.

And... um... ended up reading it all in pretty much one go.

This one, like Yolanda's previous work, is swiftly paced and extremely visual. She gets straight to the heart of the story. There's no picking around the bones here, you know?

I'm hoping this book will gain her a few more fans.
I think it just might.
Why not pick it up now while it's still at a bargain price on Kindle, pop it on that TBR pile. Near the top, of course.

Five stars.

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the general story well enough; the weird fever dream aspect was great and the ending was solid too. However, every single character was annoying as all get outs, especially Kae and the constant eyeroll inducing behavior really got in the way of the story.

[Syn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suffer the Darkness hits the ground running. You are immediately pulled into this dark and disturbing story. When Kae's daughter Molly returns after being missing for 16 months something is not right. Something is very wrong...

A dark adrenaline rush of a book. What happened to Molly and why does she seem not quite right? What is in the woods? Why are horrible things happening when Molly is near? All the answers to these questions await you nestled within these pages. Do you want to know? Do you wish to Suffer the Darkness?

A fast-paced strange dark story of things that lurk beyond the veil and yet close by in the woods. Just waiting for that moment to break on through to the other side.

[Brian Bowyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilling!

A two-sitting read for me, which certainly would have been one, if not for work. The writing is exquisite, and of the story itself, I'll say only this: SUFFER THE DARKNESS is riveting! I'm eager to read more of Sfetsos's fiction. Highly recommended!

[Daniel Lorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suffer the Darkness is an incredibly creepy read that captivated me throughout each ominous and chilling scene.

Brilliantly crafted and one I will remember!

I look forward to checking out more of this author's work.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A creepy quick read that is perfect to get you ready for spooky season! Atmospheric and chilling.

[Amy Noelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love me a possession story and I thought this was a pretty good one. Too short for everything that was going on in the story, I wanted more pages to explain things better and for it not to feel so rushed. But overall I had a pretty good time with it. It was a fast read and creepy in parts, had fun ideas. I’ll for sure read more from the author!

[Damien Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there’s folklore, and wooded areas, I’m creeped out. Suffer the Darkness is filled with both. Yolanda Sfetsos took the movie Mama and injected it with more Insidious style creepiness than odd jump scares. Suffer the Darkness feels like the possession horror of the late 70’s and early 80’s written with a modern sensibility. When I think of dark fairy tales or folk horror(?) I always think at the center should be a story of loss. Someone is seeking something lost and they find the darker and more ancient side of nature. This book hit that in stride. Creepy moments abound, some that reminded me heavily of the creepiness of Pet Semetary. A creepy little book that makes me regret living in the woods. K thx.

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If you venture into the woods alone, he'll be waiting for you. If you look deep into his eyes, he'll come for you. If you're brave enough to stay, he'll never let you go."

A great mix of possession and folklore. A small town supernatural horror that will make you want to keep reading even after the last page. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it certainly didn't end the way I thought it would. I flew through it so quickly and was a little disappointed when it ended. Highly recommend.

Thank you to DarkLit press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[thevampireslibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was packed with horror tropes I absolutley love, supernatural small town horror and possession, this was a truly haunting narrative that takes a fresh perspective on possession, incredibly suspenseful and atmospheric this book should be next to the word 'eerie' in the dictionary, I enjoyed the plot twists and ending and thought it was unlike any other story in its genre, I really loved this and can't recommend enough, it was over too soon 🥲
.

[W.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read

This story was good from start to finish. With so many unexpected plot twists that I definitely wasn't expecting that ending until it was happening.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” – Aristotle

Wow, this was an action packed, thrilling and chilling story. A missing teenager returns sixteen months after her disappearance. Her mother is overjoyed, but her daughter is beyond mentally and physically damaged… there’s a darkness inside her. Soon people start dying and disappearing.

This tale delved into the horror of a missing child, and combined that with a folklore and supernatural plot. It was great, but the ending really threw me for a loop; it honestly shocked me, and I can’t come to terms with it.

[Debra Castaneda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a few chapters of the book before switching to the audiobook, narrated by Jennifer Pickens, who deliciously amped up the creep. This is a fast, chilling read about a teenage girl who returns home after being lost in the woods for an extended time. When she shows up, she's no longer the same person. Fast forward to the end, there's a perfectly good reason for it and I should have seen it coming but I did not. And speaking of the ending, there's a neat twist there. If you're looking for a solid folk horror story with lots of creepy moments, don't miss Suffer the Darkness.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yolanda Sfetsos’ ‘Suffer the Darkness’ has been on my radar since I first saw the synopsis; imagine my joy when Andrew Robert of DarkLit Press offered ARCs! It’s a novella, so it’s not too long, but it feels like a short novel: the intricacies of evil, finding an opening in the woes of a dysfunctional family, and taking advantage of the teenage daughter’s difficult relationship with her mother, was told with such care to detail and compassion that it felt very real and very heavily layered with deep emotion. I loved it from the first couple of pages, when the teenage daughter reappears after missing for some months, and the mystery only deepens. The theme of a lost child coming back to their family radically changed has always been a favorite horror trope of mine; here the plot kept me turning those digital pages and making me wonder about what is really going on, since critical hints were lacking. The story also made me occasionally angry at the mother, though when I reached the twist in the end I realized I'd been very unfair to her. But if books are about what they can make you feel, then here is the mark of a very good storyteller! And, indeed, I actually thought the mother’s plight was beautifully written, even if the story begins one place (at first it appears as domestic horror) and quickly goes somewhere else (folk horror via urban legend) - in the best of ways. I'd highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a somewhat quickly paced but highly evocative read. And I also suggest you download and read the prequel short story, “Time to Return,” for free on the DarkLit website!

[Maddy (maddys_needful_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 stars, rounded up for Goodreads)

Brief summary: Kae's teenage daughter went missing in the woods sixteen months ago. When she returns, there's something... different about her. Where has she been? Was a part of her left back in the woods, or did she bring a part of the woods back in her?

This is a thrilling possession tale with a unique twist I did not see coming! I've never read a story quite like this one, and that is a quality I absolutely love.

I couldn't put this book down once I started it. There are small town horror and folk horror elements that I absolutely loved, and some amazing descriptions that I won't talk about more because of spoilers.

This novella is the perfect classic horror that I think I could recommend to all horror fans - nothing too extreme, and nothing I feel like I need to give content warnings for, but there are some truly creepy scenes and a fresh take on the possession story.

(Thank you to Darklit Press for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.)

[SugarC · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all thank you to Darklit Press for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review! So here it goes.

This was a great tale. With vibes of urban legends and stories passed down to scare children. But the way the author told this the visuals were painted to play like a mini horror movie. You could feel Kae's feelings and took the painful road she was on. The weave of am I going mad and reality was so amazingly done. If demons and possession is your jam, this is one for you.

A great story to read by the campfire. Absolutely give it a go if you want to feel spooked and want a page turning tale.

[Jana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Almost unreadble- full of tropes, lazy writing, underdeveloped characters. Can't really understand all the positive reviews, the story barely made any sense, the horror was over the top and unconvincing, the 'evil' other women trope is boring as hell not even redeemed by the lazy twist at the end. Maybe I am too harsh with the one star but c'mon, I did suffer through this book more than the darkness

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only disappointment with this book is that I would’ve loved to read more of it! Succinct, supernatural horror, interesting characters, intriguing storyline, and pretty good world-building, considering the length of the story. 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to DarkLit Horror and the author Yolanda Sfetsos for this ARC

[Zachary Ashford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun. A quick, easy, and gripping read.

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

“She’d lost her daughter on a summer morning, and a stranger had returned this winter.”
I tried to write a normal review but my insides just kept screaming at me. “Write what you feel” they said…but how do I write down clenched teeth and overwhelming dread? How many h’s do I put in “Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!” before it becomes obnoxious? How do I explain the pain I felt as my friends Kae and Roy go through a supernatural Hell just when the nightmares are supposed to be ending? How do I write down that I enjoyed all the suffering that I went through?
This was one of those books that I wanted to stop reading when I was almost half way through because, at that point, most of the characters were still alive and I didn’t think that was going to last.
Do you like to feel things when you read? Of course you do, you must get this book so that you too can Suffer the Darkness.

[Wendy Dalrymple]

If you love small town, supernatural horror, be sure to check out SUFFER THE DARKNESS!

Full review up at Voices from the Mausoleum!

https://www.voicesftm.com/suffer-the-...

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheReaderGrows) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you love small town possession folk horror? Then you just may want to SUFFER THE DARKNESS. This 122 page novella starts with Molly showing up after disappearing for sixteen months in the woods. But Molly isn't the same.. and now everything as they know it will change.

This is a fun, quick read that hits all the right notes. I love stories like these. The ending was a delight but I was expecting it so I wasn't utterly surprised. The pacing keeps you barreling through these short pages but as an avid horror reader, the storyline wasn't much new to me. I wanted a little more character development and more history on the evil presence. As a quick bites read, it definitely satiates the horror appetite. Eat responsibly ;).

[Demi-Louise Blackburn]

A tale that hits the ground running and doesn't stop - a quick and intense read. There's a lot of mystery instilled at the beginning which makes it difficult to put down and really propels the story forward. The relationship between Kae and Molly is hard to stomach in how frustrating it is, but interesting to see unfold as the story goes. You desperately want things to get better but things continue to decay, even when Kae is doing all she can. Loved the twists as we edged closer to the ending, too. It was brutal and unexpected. Great read!

[Javier Rivero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suffer the Darkness is a captivating blend of possession and folk horror. Despite its brevity, this story manages to maintain suspense in every sentence, making it a quick and intense read. In an era of slow burns that often lack substance, the overall darkness of the story is refreshingly rare.

I yearn for more books written in this gripping style; the haunting narrative will undoubtedly linger in my mind for the next few months.

[Dom Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so absorbed through this whole story! I loved the way it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. There was a short span of time where I thought things were going too smoothly, but the ending came in clutch. Enjoy the adventure and don’t get sucked into the darkness!

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast super creepy read. I really enjoy this book and listened to the audiobook which was also great. A must read

[Allia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ARC in exhange for an honest review.
I was really excited for this book. It hooked me right from the beginning. The way this book was written allowed me to fantasise about all the different ways in which this book could go. The conclusion felt planned and genuine which was such a nice relief. Was just a great well rounded read.

[Vi Reaper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A myth comes creeping into reality.

After her teenage daughter goes missing in the forest, her mother is initially relived when the girl is found. However that joy quickly starts to evaporate as the girl who returns is not who she used to be. A darkness, a powerful hatred has taken hold leading the mother to a heart breaking conclusion and then a desperate fight to rescue the teens soul from a that has been devoured by what was thought to be nothing more than a myth about a monster that lives in the woods.

Too say much more about the plot would ruin the enjoyment of this book. There are many twists and turns as loss and hope are laid out through the paranormal and the intensely human facets of horror.

[Adam Hulse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book does not mess about. This is a thrilling, chilling crawl through a families worst nightmare. Take Insidious, Antlers, and Hereditary, mash it up, and then throw it in your eyes! Sfetsos has done a remarkable job of throwing surprise after surprise in what on the surface appeared to be a standard possession horror tale. I was struck with how professional and well polished the story was from start to finish. Suffer the Darkness is a quick read because it's such a great page turner. I was shocked, I was entertained, and I was invested. Sfetsos blends sub genres together beautifully until they go for your throat. Do not miss this one!