Loved this atmospheric tale. I read the book some time ago and it still stays with me. I loved the quotes in the novel and highlighted so many sections. I think the story could've been a tad bit shorter and dragged for a little, but overall loved the 12 dancing princess inspiration.

I was so hoping for more from this book based on the description, but unfortunately, the book fell flat for me. The characters were not as developed as I had hoped and many of them ended up being killed making it hard to become attached to anyone in case they were next.

I was not familiar with the 12 dancing princesses fairy tale but in the end, it didn't matter this book just didn't execute the story I was hoping for.

I liked this book and enjoyed reading it, but I didn't love it. I feel like the story went downhill a little bit toward the end, but overall it was a good read.

Trigger Warnings: Stillbirth, pregnancy horror, child death.

When she was growing up, one of Sophie’s favorite fairy tales was the 12 Dancing Princesses, and so when she learned about House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig—a dark retelling of the story—she immediately added it to be TBR, where it sat for 18 months until she finally got around to reading it last month.

Annaleigh Thaumas is the daughter of the Duke and lives on the remote island of Salten, one of the five Salann islands on the border of Arcannia with her father, step-mother, and sisters. Once there were twelve daughters, but four of Annaleigh’s elder siblings have died tragically—a plague, a fall, a drowning, and a plunge from a cliff—leaving Annaleigh now second in line, the family trapped in perpetual mourning, and the locals increasingly convinced that the Thaumas family is cursed.

In an attempt to bring some joy to the younger girls, the sisters and their lifelong friend Fisher attempt to locate a mythical secret door once used by the gods to visit the island, a door that can transport them anywhere. Having located it surprisingly fast, the girls find themselves invited to a ball and sneak out to the glamorous event. Soon, they are disappearing through the door every evening to attend endless balls, parties, and masquerades, wearing through their shoes in the process. However, at the same time, Annaleigh has started to see visions. Her little sister Verity is drawing haunting and grotesque images of her dead sisters, even the ones she’s too young to remember and Annaleigh is becoming increasingly convinced that the deaths of her elder sisters might not be as innocent as everyone thinks.

With the help of the handsome Cassius, Annaleigh attempts to investigate and save her remaining sisters, but Cassius seems to have secrets of his own and she begins to wonder who she can trust, and who exactly her sisters are dancing with every night.

Sophie ended up enjoying House of Salt and Sorrows much more than she feared she might, given she rarely reads fantasy. The world-building is superb and Sophie found herself easily picturing the looming stone hallways of Annaleigh’s home Highmoor and the sumptuous balls the sisters attend each night, along with their beautiful dresses. The story is filled with traditional gothic elements as ghosts seem to wander the rooms at night and young women run along stormy clifftops in flowing gowns. There are also plenty of twists and turns meaning that Sophie didn’t spot the true villain until they were revealed at the end and also didn’t spot many of the other things that were going on—she wants to go back and read this one again soon knowing the truth about many of the goings-on across the Salann islands!

House of Salt and Sorrows has all the makings of a true gothic horror combined with a YA romance, while fans of The Selection will love its focus on gowns and balls. This one should be a YA classic and Sophie can’t fathom why it seems to have been largely ignored.

This was a fascinating combination of several different fairytale troupes. The imagery was captivating and drew the reader in, the main character was compelling, and you were rooting for her.

Sadly, this was a book I simply wasn't capable of getting into. No matter how much I loved the premise.

The vibe of this book is definitely that of a thunderstorm rolling in over an ocean cliffside.
It was very atmospheric and descriptive.
That being said, sometimes the effort put in to making the book so descriptive took away from the plot.
I should probably have my book lover card revoked because I totally admit to skipping through some passages just to move the plot along faster.

Welcome Back!

I have had the House of Salt and Sorrows on my TBR for a very long time now (since a bit before it came out)! I pre-ordered myself a copy and was really excited to read this book! So during my last night stand stack, I decided it was time, and I put this book in my stack! Around August, I decided it was time to start reading it! I wanted to physically read this one as I felt I would get more out of my experience with the book if I was able to read it that way (most of the time I love audio books but sometimes with fantasy books or fantasyish books I struggle with audio). So I jumped in! However, when life got busy, I ended up having to put it aside and only recently finished it!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Annaleigh and her family live at Highmoor, her family used to include her twelve sisters and her parents however, over the past few years her family seems to be shrinking. Her mother passed away and then her father remarried. Some of her older sisters have passed away and Annaleigh as well as her whole family have been in mourning nonstop for a very long time. But they decide to leave mourning and try to embrace life again! This includes their step-mom having a baby, which turns out to be babies and boys. Annaleigh only has sisters so this is a little weird but still exciting. However, as time goes on Annaleigh is disturbed by these nightmares and she is starting to think that maybe her sister’s deaths were no accident and she might be next!

I want to start by saying that I tried to keep the summary pretty short on purpose! There was so much to this story and so much that shocked me (if you look this book up on any form of social media people will spoil the bathtub scene for you, so be careful)! This book had so many haunting and horror filled surprises (in the best way, because that is absolutely what I wanted from this story)! However, I have to say towards, the end I definitely caught on to what was happening and guessed who was really behind everything. Outside of the twists and turns/ mystery, I loved the setting of this book and I enjoyed Annaleigh and her family as characters. Since I am such a huge cover buyer I have to talk about this cover. It is absolutely stunning. The colors, the texture (yes there is a little bit of raised up texture) and just the overall design make it one of my favorite covers maybe ever. I have already picked up a copy of Small Favors and hope to jump into that much sooner!

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

Deliciously dark and creepy fantasy, perfect for the spooky season! House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig swept me away to a castle on a secluded island where the daughters of a ruler are dying one by one. From the first page to the last, I found myself taken by the story, the characters, and the curse that haunts them. Told entirely from Annaleigh’s perspective, the story unfolds as she begins to suspect that her sister’s deaths are not the accidents they appear to be. Someone or something is haunting the Thaumas sisters, and Annaleigh is determined to solve the case.

What I Loved
-I adored Annaleigh and her sisters. The family dynamic after losing the four eldest sisters has shifted. The girls are all trying to find where they fit in their new roles as oldest. Every girl that remains is unique, not once did I find myself confused about which sister did what in the story. I loved the triplets and the Graces (the three youngest sisters). They completely stole my heart, and that may have been because we are inside Annaleigh’s head, seeing them and feeling what she is feeling.
-The mystery surrounding the family and the supposed curse made for a fast-paced read. I did not want to sit it down. It’s engaging and really makes you think and scrutinize the details. When I wasn’t actively reading the story, I was thinking about it, hashing out the details with Stephanie and Berls who I buddy read this with. Many predictions were made by all of us, and honestly none of us were right. The unpredictability of the mystery added to my enjoyment.
-This story is mostly psychological thriller, more than horror. Annaleigh is an unreliable narrator in that you never know if what she is seeing and reporting are actually happening. It adds to the tension of the story, letting your mind wander about what is happening, who is behind it, and can it be stopped. I personally loved this element!
-The setting of the story on an island nation is fantastic. They are an extension of the mainland, yet isolated and have their own customs. It’s reminiscent of late 1800s or early 1900s Greecian. There are gods and goddesses roaming the lands but also gas lamps and indoor plumbing. It’s an interesting world, one I’d love to revisit in additional stories if the author chose to write them.

What Left Me Wanting
Not much, honestly. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. My only complaint (if it can be called that) is the amount of gore which served as the horror aspect of the story. At times, it felt appropriate, especially when Annaleigh is seeing what she believes are ghosts, but at others it was there for the “shock and awe” factor. Despite that, it works well with the story and overall mystery that Annaleigh is chasing.

Final Thoughts
Overall, I really liked House of Salt and Sorrows. The mystery, the madness, the gore, all of it makes for a dark fantasy tale that is unputdownable. Deliciously dark and only mildly horrific, House of Salt and Sorrows will leave readers pondering the details long after they hit the end. I highly recommend it for fantasy readers who enjoy a thrill and mystery.

Absolute favorite book of 2019. This was such a dark, delicious read and it made my black heart so happy. I had never read 12 dancing princesses but I did before reading this and DANG this was one heck of a retelling.

I really liked this book. The setting was imaginative and the characters were memorable. Thank you for the ARC, I will definitely recommend this book and this author to my peers.

I had been putting off reading this because I heard it was very horror-esque and I'm a wimp, but it was really good right from the start. Even from the first page, we can see how unique and well thought out the world building is. It gets very dark but I wouldn't call it scary, just...vaguely creepy at times. It's also a very clever take on the Twelve Dancing Princesses story.

I was expecting the retelling but not the gothic romance/horror vibe that came with it. That was a nice pleasant surprise. I'm not big on the instalove stuff that ends up in YA but this one wasn't too bad. Probably because of the atmosphere of the book.

I really REALLY enjoyed this one. It was haunting, creepy, things got weird, and I liked the ending. Since things got weird, and I mean super weird, I couldn’t give it a full five stars. It was just a lot and I had to wrap my mind around quite a few things to get the full picture. But the story was great and I really enjoyed reading it.

The book begins with a funeral, and you quickly realise that death is going to be a significant part of the story. Annaleigh, the middle child in a brood of 12 children, is devastated at the death of yet another sister and suddenly finds herself as the second in line to the Thaumas inheritance. I loved the fact that the author did not feel the need to introduce cattiness among the sisters. They all love each other and would do anything to protect each other. This aspect of the story had a definite Little Women vibes. The relationship between the siblings was very wholesome to read.
The spookiness of the book manifests almost immediately. The first supernatural appearance was so unexpected that I had to stop reading for a while. The book has plenty of scenes that make chills run up and down your spine. With the question of who will be the next Duke or Duchess hanging over everyone's heads, it is no wonder that finding someone to marry is one of the most important aspects of the story. As expected, a clever and handsome stranger makes an appearance and competes with an old friend to win the heart of the main character. The author's brilliant timing makes the reader want to warn the girls that the man is definitely not who they think he is but the twist is entirely unexpected. I didn't truly believe it until I was at the very end of the book.
Annaleigh is a character that was made to be loved. Right from her beautiful name to her flaws that all of us can relate to, she is a realistic heroine. Her big heart wants justice for her dead sisters while also protecting the ones that are alive. She wants no part of the Thaumas wealth and would be happy to live tending to her beloved lighthouse. Her interactions with the supernatural world reminded me of Vasya from The Winternight Saga, without taking anything away from the originality of the author.
The main mystery in the story is about finding out if the sisters suffered natural deaths or if they were murdered. If they were murdered, was the murdered human or a supernatural being? Are the dead sisters coming back to haunt the ones that are living, or is Annaleigh going mad? What is the magic that lets them dance at glittering balls every night? Is there something sinister at play? These are the questions that haunt the reader at every chapter, but the author expertly weaves her magic with unexpected twists at every turn. If this is her debut work, I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us in the future.

Advanced copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since I read Jessica Day George's "Princess of the Midnight Ball" I've been obsessed with 12 Dancing Princesses retellings. I only just glanced at the summary of this book and I didn't catch that it was a retelling so I was pleasantly surprised. I actually wish the book was longer, I felt like I needed more time to understand the world building and get to know the sisters (other than Annaleigh,) Fisher, and Cassius. I also wish there was more dancing and more elements from the og fairytale, at moments it felt like an afterthought. It was mostly about the shoes and that only came in halfway through. I wanted more dancing and lavish balls.

I loved the unique seafaring island the girls lived on and all of the descriptions of the ocean and their traditions. The pantheon of gods was kind of confusing to me, it just felt like it wasn't explained enough. The eerie-ness in this story was on point though. The bathtub scene felt like it came right out of Guillermo del Toro's "Crimson Peak," and I mean that in all the best ways. "Entwined" by Heather Dixon has a similar vibe to this story, although not quite as creepy, and it's also a retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses.

The twist was easy to pick out from the beginning but there were also SO MANY red herrings that came after it that overwhelmed me. Edgar being afraid of Rolland seemed unnecessary, as did everything about Ivor and Jules. You could take them out of the story and it would change almost nothing. I didn't like that all of the sudden we got so much exposition at the end related to Morella and the duke's relationship. The way he treated her at first felt like it came out of nowhere since he was pretty kind and doting throughout the rest of the book. The duke's backstory also came too late in the game in my opinion. All of the sudden I'm learning the duke was a twin and his sister was supposed to inherit the fortune but she dies and Annaleigh thinks her late aunt's fiancee is the one who made the deal with a trickster god? Too much info at the end that's thrown out almost as soon as we learn about it.

I wasn't a huge fan of the romance. At first Cassius seemed suspish, fair, that'a what the author wanted us to think. I just felt like the romance between him and Annaleigh was undeserved. Him being half god really felt like something thrown in so he could die and then come back. I liked Fisher so much better but even then he only had a few minutes with Annaleigh before being killed and replaced by a trickster god.

This story hinges a lot on the "It was all a dream," concept which can work sometimes but there was too much back and forth in my opinion. Despite all this I actually did like the book. Maybe I didn't totally love it but it's a fantastic debut novel with a lot of unique concepts

Beautiful beautiful writing and oh so spooky! It's the perfect read for a cold, stormy night (although I couldn't do it because I'm too much of a chicken. Daytime reading for me!). I would have liked more about the other sisters, though.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin Craig is a unique retelling of the fairly tale ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses” for teens. It has a distinct gothic twist.

Annaleigh lives in a manor by the sea with her father, the king, her stepmother, and what is left of her, twelve sisters who seem to be dying off one by one accidentally. Local rumor whispers they are not accidental but because of a curse.
Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh also becomes increasingly suspicious that her sister's deaths were no accidents. Her sisters begin sneaking out at night to attend magical balls as a distraction, but Annaleigh does not totally trust them. Who—or what--are they really dancing with?
When Annaleigh' meets a mysterious stranger named Cassius who has secrets of his own, the story winds towards what was to me an unexpected ending that in some ways followed the plot line, and in others was a surprise and a bit non logical. Bits of this book were more shimmering and better written than others which didn’t quite gel with me.,

Thank you Ember and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s copy of this book and for allowing me to review it,

Spine-chilling and powerfully eerie, this novel has a strong mysterious story with weak backbone. For a debut novel, this shows so much potential.