House of Salt and Sorrows was a macabre Edgar A Poe type twist to the Brothers Grimm tale of The 12 Dancing Princesses. You know the moment at the end of a horror movie when the protagonist gasps; alluding to the audience that the big baddy hasn’t died/been defeated after all? Well.. almost EVERY single chapter of this book was gasp inducing.

Told from the point of view of one of the sisters; Annaleigh, we are first introduced to this story at the funeral of one of her elder sisters. We soon learn that from the moment their mother died at child birth, one after the other, each sister had died for one cause or another. But it wasn’t until this last death that Annaleigh began suspecting that something was amiss and it had nothing to do with the supposed curse that was on this family after so much death. After meeting a handsome stranger then coming upon a secret door, Annaleigh must fight to figure out the causes behind her sisters deaths before another one falls prey to something straight out of a nightmare.


Without spoiling too much, I will say this story caught me by surprise, it captivated me from the first page and although I am praying for a sequel that answers so many more questions... It did end in a manner that left some of my book anxiety appeased.

This book had me at The Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling link. What a wonderful premise and the story did not disappoint. This is a darker, more Gothic version of the old fairy tale and therefore a more "grown-up" version of the story. Really well done and definitely recommend it. I am already anticipating what this author does next.

#HouseofSaltandSorrows #NetGalley

This book truly messed with my mind. It took me a while to get into as it started out slow but I’m so glad I finished it! The creepy, atmospheric gothic storyline with heavy Greek mythology influences truly surprised me.

Annaleigh reminded me of someone who lived in the 1800s. Despite the somewhat shaky plot in the beginning, the writing draws you in and makes you want to find what truly happened.

House of Salt and Sorrows is an excellent mix of fiction and reality which is great for readers who like dark mysteries with a twist!

I love when we get retellings that tell a story we don't see much of. And this re-telling of Twelve Dancing Princesses fits right into this category. I was so excited to see that we were getting this story and I was even more excited to see that everyone was loving it!
Twelve sisters live in a manor by the sea and there is a bad curse floating around them. The curse then starts killing the sisters one by one. Annaleigh knows something is going on and vows to find out what is going on. All the while her sisters are sneaking out and going dancing to these fancy balls in fancy dresses and slippers. Can Annaleigh find out what's happening before she's the next to be found dead?
Unfortunately, as excited as I was for this one, I didn't feel that way after I finished it. It had some really great things, but also some really meh things.As for the meh things, the plot really threw me. At times I was eager to keep turning pages, but then at others I was bored out of my mind. It seems like it was nothing happening for long periods of time, but when things started happening, they REALLY started happening. But I was hoping for more of the exciting times.
As for the re-telling tho, I thought it was pretty solid. But this is where I had to really sit and think about what I wanted to rate this. I never finished the "real" story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I know the gist of it, but I never read it all. Which is why I wasn't surprised I wanted to skim this story at some parts. But in the end I did like it and I thought it was a really solid retelling of the story.
As for what I liked, I LOVED the creepy parts of this! I found that the parts that had something weird going on made me not want to put the book down. I don't read much YA horror anymore (because there's not much out there) and it was something that I've missed so much. And this filled that void for me for minute.
Everything else, like the characters and writing style were ok and I didn't really find anything that stood out from other YA books I've read. This was a solid book, but nothing that made me want to shout about it from the roof tops. I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. I think it was the hype. But all in all, I did like this one and I hope we get more unique re-tellings from Craig in the future.

Annaleigh’s family has been beset by tragedy. Four of her sisters have died, some apparently naturally, others under mysterious circumstances. But after so much grief, her remaining sisters seek to find some joy, especially as they can’t help but feel like they’re all cursed. When they find a mysterious doorway that always takes them to the most fantastic balls, it seems like their luck has finally changed. But has their luck actually changed, or is there something hiding in the shadows, waiting to take the rest of the sisters?

I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

House of Salt and Sorrows is a young adult fantasy novel by Erin A. Craig. It’s her debut novel, and it’s also a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I don’t know about you guys, but The Twelve Dancing Princesses has been my favorite fairy tale since I was a kid. I had a huge book of so many fairy tales and that was the story I turned to the most. And unfortunately, not everyone seems to know this story, let alone adapt or retell it. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to find out about House of Salt and Sorrows, and, even better, when I scored an ARC for it!

I honestly didn’t know what I expected when I started this book but I definitely wasn’t expecting the creepy atmosphere going on. Craig infused every single bit of this novel with this atmosphere, even as the air in the story was filled with the smell of salt. Not just that, but Craig made sure to sprinkle in more details to the world, including religion and tradition, lots of which end up being important later on. I liked getting these bits of information as if it was so commonplace, because it is commonplace to the characters. For them, it’s a great bit of gossip to hear that a god stopped by the local clothing store, while for us it would be absolutely mind-blowing.

The story is definitely very plot-led rather than character-led. The story is more led by the many many twists of the plot rather than anything else. In fact, there’s so many twists that it’s hard to keep up. But that makes for a very exciting book, actually. I was reading the last 25% of the book one night before going to bed, and I had such a hard time putting it down and going to sleep. I wanted to keep going, but I couldn’t. And then I finally closed it and dreamt all night of who was behind everything in some very vivid nightmares. Yes, nightmares. It got that creepy and gruesome.

So all the twists, you know, most of them were unexpected. I kept being blindsided by them, but I was having a great time not knowing what was going to happen. It made me keep asking questions, and I reached the point where I literally questioned EVERYTHING in the book. It’s the strangest feeling to not know so much in the book, to feel so confused and lost and scared, but it worked! I kept reading the very next morning right after I woke up and didn’t put it down until I was done.

It was mostly the twists that kept me reading. I kept thinking that there was more character work that could be done. There were so many sisters in this book, and yet we get little connection to any of them. Despite the novel being told through Annaleigh’s first person POV, we get remarkably little of her relationship with her sisters. It was even harder keeping all of them straight. The only relationship the novel really develops is that with the future love interest, who’s very interesting and all, but he ends up being way too perfect in my opinion and then, just when he has a twist that I was thrilled about (no matter how sad I was), the novel undoes it only a few pages later.

House of Salt and Sorrows was a terrifying but compelling retelling of my favorite fairy tale, and I had a good time reading it. This novel comes out August 6th, and you can preorder it from Delacorte Press here.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. The premise and worldbuilding had potential — I love fairy tale retellings; I’m intrigued by the island setting, and their polytheistic belief system — but as a whole the novel seemed scattered, and the plot felt awkwardly paced too.

It certainly doesn't help that there are so many characters: I know it's based on the 12 dancing princesses so there's a reason there are so many sisters, but even our narrator (Annaleigh) wasn't as fleshed-out as I would have liked. The romance subplot felt like it was ticking boxes off a checklist rather than developing organically, so honestly I wasn't for or against it because it barely registered for me.

For the first half or so I was drawn in by the atmosphere, the desire to get to know each of the Thaumus sisters better, all the creepy goings-on. But ironically, by the time the story was in full swing I found myself a little disengaged, even bored. And around the 2/3 mark the narrative suddenly became really plot-heavy with reveal after twist after reveal, so although I appreciated finally getting answers, they weren't as satisfying as I had hoped; the epilogue in particular was disappointing in its predictability.

I freaking loved this book! I haven't been freaked out by a story in a very long time and then, along came this gem. I literally couldn't read this at night because I was constantly looking over my shoulder. The descriptive detail was done so amazingly that it took no effort at all to insert myself right into the story.

Annaleigh is one of 12 sisters. It's rumored that her family is cursed because her sisters are dying off one by one in strange "accidents". When she gets information that leads her to think that maybe they weren't accidents at all, she enters into a world of magic and ancient gods. A world where she quickly learns that nothing is what it seems and can she really trust anyone?

I really enjoyed all of the relationships, especially between the all of the sisters and then the one between the girls and their father. They would do anything for each other, and their interactions felt real and didn't leave me thinking "yea, that's reaching a little". I hate when relationships in stories aren't believable because then you end up not caring one flip about the characters and that ruins a book! No need to worry about that here.

This was definitely a page turner for me and I can't wait to see what Erin Craig comes out with next!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Erin A. Craig, and Random House Children's for the opportunity to read House of Salt and Sorrows in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, an absolutely charming and exquisite debut novel! What a talent for writing that already has me intrigued as to what Craig will craft next!

Inspired by "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," House of Salt and Sorrows is told from the first-person perspective of Annaleigh Thaumas, one of twelve daughters to Ortun, Duke of Highmoor, a glorious manor by the sea. The catch is, Annaleigh creeps closer and closer to becoming the heir, because her sisters keep dying. The locals call it the Thaumas curse, and the daughters can't help but feel lost hope, seeing the constant death as a curse themselves. The novel opens with the funeral of Eulalie, but Ava, Elizabeth, and Octavia have already been lost, leaving eight of the twelve sisters still alive.

To top things off, their mother died after giving birth to their youngest, and Ortun has a new wife, already pregnant with hopes her child will be a son to inherit Highmoor instead of the current eldest daughter, Camille. On the islands, though, daughters can inherit, no questions asked. 

I love the gentile political aspect of this novel as well as the mystery of the sister's deaths, for Annaleigh begins digging around and very shortly suspects that her sisters were murdered.

But the sisters have mourned for a year after the death's of each of their siblings, putting their lives on hold to mourn as society dictates. When the girls decide to host a ball and move on with their lives days after Eulalie is sent to the salt, they finally learn the joys of dancing and parties. As Annaleigh seeks the truth of her sister's deaths, she learns of a myth that the sea god Pontus uses a doorway to travel anywhere instantly. She makes a game out of this for her sister's, but when they actually find this doorway, they use it to go to balls across the land, dancing through pairs and pairs of shoes. But some sort of strangeness beyond mortal comprehension is behind everything.

As much as I want to say more and could go on and on about Annaleigh, I cannot, or the allure of reading this whimsical book will be lost. A few things to note: the cover is absolutely gorgeous. Brilliantly well-done to give off both a haunting allure, but also filled with high-class. Also, the name Annaleigh is similar to Poe's Annabel Lee. Coincidence? I thought the connection was fun and creepy, very fitting for this novel full of murder by the sea.

A book I would highly recommend to teen readers, those who love a good mystery with an otherworldly twist, lovers of retellings, or even Jane Austen fans (a vibe I personally felt with this novel and loved).

One of the best book releases of 2019!

(Book teasers trailer from Underlined embedded into blog post).

Holy snap! This book was such a surprise! I loved this gothic, and morbid retelling. The world building was lush and was written in a way that laid out this eerie tale. The characters were fantastic and felt fully developed even with so many people involved. I think it should be noted that this book can be a little detailed in gore and actually may have TW for suicide and violence.

This was a strange mix of mystery, magical realism, and ditsy romance. Overall the story was unique and engaging. I definitely stayed intrigued by what was happening and wanted to know how it all turned out. It was also a little scary at times which I loved. It took a turn I didn’t expect and left me with a few questions at the end. The plot was kind of spliced for me. Integral parts of the story felt randomly added or that they were an afterthought to move the plot along. I also got a little confused with the characters because there’s so many of them. The main character refers to some as The Graces and I thought it was the set of triplets in the family but then, halfway through the story it seemed to shift and it was another set of girls. The writing kind of reminded me of a romance novel where the women are really ditsy. One of the sisters is rather annoying in her selfishness and I could have done without it. Also, we didn’t find out what happened to some of the sisters which I wanted to know for sure. Definitely will recommend this book to patrons who want an easy read around Halloween.

This book is beautifully dark and original! I am definitely going to keep an eye on Erin A. Craig from now on, because this book, her debut, has really impressed me.

Fans of the Gothic? I got you. Fans of mythology? I got you. Fans of psychological novels? I got you. Apparently, this novel is based on "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" fairy tale. I have not read it, but it would not surprise me at all, because nobody can deny that House of Salt and Sorrows has some enchanting/creepy vibes.going on there.

The characters in this novel are magnificent. Twelve sisters that are misteriously dying, a suspicious stepmother, and a handsome foreigner that seems to arrive just when Highmore is in total chaos. I am going to tell you something: little girls are the epitome of horror stories. I would not say this book is purely a horror book, since it also has fantasy and romance touches; however, it is consistently spooky and I loved that.

Craig's writing is so delicate and poignant I could not believe it.. She plays with very complex concepts, such as grief, madness or naivety (all of them pretty Gothic, as you can see) and she incorporates them perfectly into her plot. Twelve cursed sisters that live in an isolated and superstitious island? This book was calling me, not to mention that the title and the cover are gorgeous.

The only thing that I did not like was the romantic component. It was too subtle for me; I wish there had been more escenes between the couple to actually make me feel that they were not merely infatuated with the idea of love. But, again, that is also very typical of Gothic novels, so it did not bother me too much. I was not expecting such a dreamy ending, to be honest, but I liked it. You have to give this book a try!

This one is SO atmospheric and spooky! The 12 Dancing Princess is one of my most FAVORITE fairy tales from childhood, and so many people have never heard of it, so I'm SO excited that it's getting some attention now with this masterful retelling! Part ghost story, part murder mystery, part romance, this book is 100% incredible writing, and it gets DARK. Erin A. Craig hold no punches, there is plenty of death and gore, suicide and blood. It starts off a little sad and spooky, but it gets haunting fast and each page builds upon the last one and it gets darker and darker and darker until the shocking conclusion. If you aren't hooked at the beginning, just keep going--if you aren't in it for the atmosphere and the 12 Dancing Princesses retelling, the action really starts about 1/3 of the way through!

For those of you who know me, you know that I love myself a good mystery!

Annaleigh was once one of many, but death has come to her sisters in line of succession. Known as being “cursed” by neighboring families, the girls find themselves struggling to find suitors.

Suddenly seeing the ghosts of her dead sisters, Annaleigh starts to believe the deaths of her sisters was no accident, but pre-determined.

When a friendly person starts to help Annaleigh uncover the mysteries behind her sister’s deaths, danger lurks closer than ever before. Will she figure out the mystery behind her sister’s deaths before she is next?

“It shouldn’t matter what your parents did, just what you do as a person.”

Craig introduces readers to a place where ghosts roam freely, death could be the next step you take, and nothing is truly as it appears. The author does a great job of creating the creepy murder mystery atmosphere, but adds a touch of paranormal into the picture.

Erin A. Craig’s new book “House of Salt and Sorrows” is one of my favorite books releasing in 2019. Craig’s book has mysterious twists and turns, along with love and magic. Her character development was detailed and enjoyable to read about. I have added this book to “must read again” list.

Thank you NetGalley for access to a early copy of Erin A. Craig’s new book the House of Salt and Sorrows for honest feedback.

Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte for an advanced e-copy in exchange for a review!
What pulled me to this book a few months ago was the cover and the summary. The cover is gorgeous (!) and that description made me what to know what the heck was happening to these sisters by the sea. The book that I read was full of mystery, ghosts, suspense, and a romance that was actually adorable. Once I found that this was actually a retelling, I was super interested in the original and y’all, Craig does a GREAT job of creating her own story.
House of Salt and Sorrows follows the Thaumas sisters: there used to be twelve of them, but the eldest four have died by more and more tragic circumstances. Annaleigh truly thinks her most recent sister’s death was not an accident, but a murder. While she explores the circumstances of her sister’s death, the rest of the girls find a door that leads them to wherever they can think and that allows them to attend balls where no one thinks they’re cursed. As the girls begin to dance the night away, Annaleigh joins them, but soon isn’t sure if they’re something that they should attend. As her youngest sister begins to draw Annaleigh along with her dead sisters in a gruesome death, Annaleigh begins to see these ghosts, believing that they’re leading her to their killer or that she’s going mad. When she runs into a mysterious stranger in town, she hopes to find out what is going on soon as this stranger has secrets of his own that may or may not be connected. What follows is a story that keeps you on the edge, is full of twists, and may or may not have scared me out of my wits.
I’m not really one for scary stories, ghost stories, or horror stories (granted I’ve read a decent few like this in the past few months). Craig did an excellent job of keeping it high with the ghostly-horror-thriller vibe and pulled it off well. I was absolutely drawn into the story and as Annaleigh got deeper into the mystery, the more I couldn’t stop reading. This story is well-paced, well written, and well thought out.
I loved seeing the development that Annaleigh goes through in dealing with everything that happens in this book. As she’s the main character, we really see most of what happens through her eyes. Seeing her piece together everything that was happening was really well done. She absolutely was truly one of my favorite things about this book. Her journey in this book of grief was one that I could definitely read over and over again. I also really like the relationship that develops between her and Cassius. Based on the understanding that the eldest becomes the inheritor of the estate, Annaleigh is super surprised when Cassius has an interest in her as most people pursue her in the hope that the curse is real and she’ll soon be the inheritor of the estate. But, Cassius is unlike any of the men she’s met before and truly, he’s also probably one of my favorite character arcs included in this story. He truly cares for Annaleigh and becomes a huge part of this story.
House of Salt and Sorrows really hope is one that you’ll consider picking up. This is a perfect end of summer/beginning of fall read. It’s got the ocean feel of summer and the ghost feel of fall. Truly, this book is one to look out for!

"After so many years of staid blacks and tepid behaviors, the balls were invigorating. Intoxicating."

*ARC provided via NetGalley for an honest review*

I wish I loved this book more because Erin A. Craig has such beautiful writing and created an eerily gorgeous atmosphere.

SUMMARY
*A 12 dancing princesses retelling*
Four of Annaleigh's elder sisters are dead.
The Thamus Sister's were once revered throughout the kingdom, but with each subsequent death the town begins to wonder if the family has become cursed. However Annaleigh begins to question whether these deaths truly were accidents, of if there is a darker truth to it all. As Annaleigh begins to investigate, she and her sister's get caught up in a game of balls through a magical mirror. But as each night of dancing gets longer, and her sister's grow more and more tired. When a handsome stranger comes into play, Annaleigh begins to question everyone around her and unveils sinister forces at play.

REVIEW
Let me start with what I enjoyed about this book - the world building. It was phenomenal. Erin A. Craig has such lyrical writing and you can vividly imagine every image she paints with her words. The gowns and the balls came alive in the way that the wrote them. I also think that she managed to create a creepy atmosphere without losing the enchantment of the world she fabricated. It was a perfected blend.

While I think that the ending felt very rushed and quite messy, I did enjoy how Craig made me question the plot alongside Annaleigh. I was wondering how much of the story was real and what wasn't. Had I been wrong the whole time or right?

Sadly, the characters all fell flat for me. I am someone who needs strong characters, and this book did not have that. I never cared much for the sisters and found myself sometimes getting confused between who was who. There was just too much going on at times and it hindered my enjoyment. Furthermore, there was no depth or character development. I think that the sister's had so much lost potential.

Also, I did not find this book nearly as creepy as I hoped to. I don't know if it is because I am accustomed to reading thrillers, but the eerie aspects of this novel did not hit the mark for me. I thought that they created a whimsical and spooky atmosphere, but it did not do anything to move my emotions.

Furthermore, I normally do not mind insta-love, and more often than not I love it - but I had a lot of trouble getting behind it in this case. The relationship between Annaleigh and Cassius started out as a purely physical attraction and they never really seemed to grow from there. I think my favourite moment of this book was when Cassius brought Annaleigh to this specific magical place, but even then it did not build up the romance the extent that I needed. I just found it very "meh" and I wasn't squealing to support them like I do with most romances.

Overall, if you enjoy retellings and books with an eerie and enchanting atmosphere - still consider this book. Just because I did not love it, does not mean you wont.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
I love retellings and when I was in high school, they were there, but not as popular as they are today. The ones I would read is the 12 dancing princesses, so I’m use to this retelling.
This, however, is very original for a retelling. It has grit, twists, and darkness to it. I love Annaleigh’s narrative and the fact that it is hard to figure out what is actually real or not. There is a mystery as well. Who is killing the sisters off one by one? Is it someone close to them or could it be magic?
I docked it a half star since I guessed a small piece of the story, but other then that it was an amazing story that keeps you gripped.

Thank You Erin Craig for hosting a Giveaway of your AMAZING book. All opinions are my own.

I give this book five stars.

I don’t even know where to start. I just finished this book moments ago, and I cannot wrap my head around it, or put into words how much I loved it.

I love that this book was both dark and light. But a lot heavier on the darker side. I do recall reading The Twelve Dancing Princesses growing up, and I remember watching a Barbie movie with my daughter when she was growing up, so I could appreciated this this dark, sinister retelling.

Craig gutted me a few times throughout this book, there are some deaths that really just pulled at my heartstrings. (Sidenote, I won an annotated copy, so I know that certain scenes really hurt the Author to write too)

The character development was spot on for me too, Annaleigh, Verity, and Cassius were among my favorite. I loved the details in the world that Craig built, it was so vivid, and imaginative, and another thing, the names of the characters and the villages were simple, and realistic. Nothing crazy, absurd, or hard to pronounce. (Which is a huge pet peeve for me in Fantasy books)

The last few chapters of this book wrecked me. When everything in this story wrapped up, and all my questions were answered, I was left with one thought. “I need more”

A very strange retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. You don't know what is real and what is a nightmare. Annaleigh must figure out why her sisters keep dying and what is causing the bizarre happenings in her home.

All I can say is WOW.

This book gave me serious Crimson Peak vibes and I loved every second of it. For a story that begins with a funeral, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm not much for things that are scary, but this had just enough creep factor to it that kept me interested but not hiding under the covers.

I won't give anything away because honestly, you need to read this book, but I will say that it plays tricks with your mind and that's just some brilliant writing.

I am a huge fan of fairytales and retellings and I was disappointed that I had never read the 12 Dancing Princesses beforehand. Obviously, that is now very high on my to-do list.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I understand some reviews that say there was a lull that made them uninterested or put it down--but trust me, you want to get to the end! Every single thing the book does or says leads to the mind-boggling ending that you truly can't miss out on.

This is me, waiting not-so-patiently for a book two so I can get more of my favorite characters.