Praise:

“A chilling and deeply psychological horror work that forces us all to face the deepest fears of our souls…” ~K.C. Finn, Readers’ Favorite 

“A spellbinding blend of horror and satire perfect for fans of Clive Barker,” ~”Midian Unmade,” Haruki Murakami, Angela Carter, Neil Gaiman.

“Dark fantasy at its best, Umbra is a story that is symbolic, fertile in the interpretations it allows readers… A spellbinding story that had me enthralled and completely pulled in. This is a story for readers who are seekers.” ~Romuald Dzemo, Readers’ Favorite

“I never read anything so beautiful and unnerving at the same time. Yana Barbelo crafts a tale that is imaginative yet intriguing, delighting readers and frightening them at the same time. The writing is incomparable… You need to read this story to discover its beauty.” ~Ruffina Oserio, Readers’ Favorite

In the beginning was the Darkness: formless, empty, and alone. And its name was Umbra.

And Umbra the Darkness said, “Let there be a seed.” And there was a seed. And Umbra saw that the seed was good, and she let it grow.

The seed grew and became a body, and Umbra saw that the body was beautiful, and she called it Woman.

Then Umbra the Darkness said, “Here is Woman. She is my daughter. Let the air become her breath. Let the water become her blood. Let the stones become her bones. Let the fire become her life.” And it came to be so. And Umbra saw that it was good.

Then she blessed the Woman and said, “Go to every corner of the earth, sail every sea, cross every forest. Hunt with wolves, fly with birds, dance with all my demons. When you find the Sons of Stars, lie with them, and make them many.” And the Woman did so, and it was good.

Then Umbra the Darkness said, “Let there be a great light inside the Woman to shine upon the world, its every sea, and every forest, and every Son of every Star.” And it came to be so. The Woman’s light grew. Bigger and bigger it grew, and it became vast. And the Darkness shrank. Smaller and smaller it shrank, and it became tiny. And there came morning, the First Dawn.

Then the Woman rose and saw all that the Darkness had made, and She saw that it was very good!

And the Woman said, “Let the Darkness return to rest behind my eyes, to be my shadow, to lead me, and to follow.” And so it came to be. The Darkness returned, and the evening came, the First Night