TW: drowning
The thin line between the living and the dead is there, if you look close enough. It draws you in as fleeting moments of sadness and grief rain down over those succumbed to its power. They step over the threshold without even realising it, The Boatman waiting patiently for their one-way trip to the Underworld.
When 17 year-old Corey’s supposed best friend Bree, steals her boyfriend and ruins her life, she wishes her dead.
But it was only a wish… wasn’t it?
The strange boy she’d kissed that night had heard her say it, and yet he was nowhere to be seen when Bree’s body was found in the murky waters. The reeds revealing the tragedy of loss as unanswered questions threaten to implode the young people of the tight-knit community.
Corey’s unrelenting guilt, anger and frustration at the death of her friend appears to devour her very soul. Leading her down a dark path where reality and the Underworld begin to blend into one, it’s not long before she travels over to the other side, unaware of the power she holds within.
Hades, Hermes, the three Furies, and all that roam the bleak realm, are determined to make her stay. They see darkness in her which she fights to ignore – a losing battle but she doesn’t give up. She watches them and learns their ways, repulsed but morbidly intrigued at the work they do – after all, guilty souls need to be punished. Don’t they?
The longer she’s trapped in the unforgiving darkness, the more Corey begins to lose herself, struggling with the hate that lies within. Dangerous and foreboding powers rumble underneath her human facade, threatening to explode with every test she’s given. Unsure who to trust, the veiled truths and lies stop her at every turn, muddying the waters of her mind as she tries to find a way home.
A keen gardener in the land of the living, Corey unwittingly plants seeds in the world she finds herself in. To the Gods’ and her own amazement – they grow. A spattering of life in an otherwise untenable existence. A miracle, if you will.
With Bree now in the Underworld, seeking penance for her misdeeds, Corey must decide where her heart lies. In the living world with her family amid the constant memories of her friend? Or in the underworld with a God that will accept her for what she truly is?
But at what cost?
For those new to Mel Salisbury’s all-consuming written creations, ‘Her Dark Wings’ would be a fine place to start. Be prepared to sit and breathe in the power of her words until the last page is turned. This haunting, mesmerising and yet tender story of love, with just the right amount of regret, revenge and retribution, will ensure every reader checks over their shoulder and consider what the shadows are that sometimes appear at the edge of their vision. Leo Nickolls tremendous cover design captures it all!
A truly life-affirming story of the power of friendship – in more ways than one.
