House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Get swept away by this haunting (Bustle) YA novel about twelve beautiful sisters living on an isolated island estate who begin to mysteriously die one by one. This dark and atmospheric fairy tale inspired story is perfect for fans of Yellow jackets."Step inside a fairy tale". Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed. Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor with her sisters and their father and stepmother. Once there were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last - the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods. Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that her sister's deaths were no accidents. The girls have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts.
- Suggested age range - 12-17 Years
- Format - Paperback
- Product dimensions - 5.4" W x 8.2" H x 1" D
- Genre - Fiction
- Publisher - Random House Children's Books, Publication date - 08-04-2020
- Page count - 416
- ISBN - 9781984831958
Web ID: 11774711
Didn’t love as much as anticipated
I wanted to love this story, but certain parts fell flat for me. For the positives, the author did a great job creating a spooky atmosphere and I really enjoyed the storyline. Fairytale retelling are my go-to at the moment, and this book was good enough to satisfy my love for the genre. It certainly wasn’t perfect, though. The romance was superfluous, important characters/themes were introduced very late in the book, and the ending felt like an easy way out. On top of that, several questions were left unanswered. Craig set up the major premise of the book but only tied up half of the big plot points. I did still find the book enjoyable, and found the sequel House of Roots and Ruin to be much better.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Thrilling
I absolutely loved this, the story, the mystery and all the twists. The romance. Beautiful.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Dissaponted
House of Salt and Sorrows (Sisters of the Salt, #1) - by Erin A. Craig This is a stand-alone book. Even if it is the series starter, it has a full story to tell. In the Kingdom of Arcannia, where Queen Adelaide and King Alderson rule, there are many dukes and duchesses. Ortum Thaumas is the 19th Duke of The Salann Islands (Selkkirk, Astrea, Salten, Vasa, and Hesparus). The duke and his family live on Salten where his four-story castle is situated. He lives there with his second wife, Morella, and the remaining eight of the twelve daughters he had with his first wife, Cecilia. The story opens with the death of Eulalia as the High Mariner -priest- is about to return her body to the water and the salt, as prescribed by their god Pontus, who created the Salann Islands and its people from the Salt. The book is narrated from the first-person point of view of Annaleigh Thaumas who has the suspicion that her sister Eulalia was murdered. As it turns out, on the night she died, Eulalia was about to elope with Edgar Morris, an apprentice at a clockmakers' shop, a man beneath her. There is a rumor of a "curse" on the family. Originally twelve sisters, only eight are still alive. Camille, the oldest, Annaleigh, The triplets - Rosalie, Ligea, and Lenore, and the youngest three - The Graces - Honor, Mercy, and Verity. Ava, Octavia, and Elizabeth are deceased - all died under mysterious circumstances. After two of the triplets are found dead - Ligea and Lenore - Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who - or what - are they really dancing with? Can Annaleigh stop the curse on her family before it's too late? Will they believe her if she tells them what she has discovered? I read the second book in the series first, and again I was bothered by the author's use of the first-person point of view. This time, I felt that the plot was not as believable as the one in the second book. Even though I knew the characters and their tragic story, I was not as involved with them. Too many secondary characters and too many plots and twists - most of them very confusing - that distracted me from caring about the characters and the story. I was disappointed.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great fantasy read with mystery and romance
I loved this book so much! It has fantasy, mystery/horror and romance all in one. I couldn't put it down.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Cool Concept and Spooky Imagery
I love the idea of a classic fairy tale made spooky, and I believe Craig pulled this off beautiful. I was invested in the story, and genuinely worried for the sisters as they did their best to find joy and purpose in a terrible situation. You may love the ending, but I was personally a little disappointed in the twist. I won't get into spoilers, you may love the ending you may not, but overall it was a very cool read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Magic throughout
Loved this book! One of my new favorites.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Truly a twisted tale
It was a good book written very well.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Couldn’t put it down
Bought this book on a whim and I am so glad I did. It was such a quick read and I didn’t want it to end!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com