I’m obsessed with all things Gothic so I’ve been dying to read this book ever since it was first announced. Well, it did not disappoint. HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS is one of the best Gothic stories I’ve ever read. The writing is gorgeous and cinematic, the characters are complex and compelling, and the worldbuilding is so lush you can practically taste the salt in the air. It’s spooky, swoony, and at times Haunting of Hill House-level scary. Also, the central mystery kept me guessing (and stressed out!!) until the very end. I can’t wait for more readers to experience this spellbinding book!

A fun and interesting take on the 12 dancing princesses tale. At first I was reminded of the Greyjoy family from Game of Thrones -- an island dukedom that buries its dead at sea. However, this is an island ruled by a duke who at one time had 12 daughters only to see them one by one, die mysterious deaths. Annaleigh, the middle sister believes there is something sinister unraveling her family and she sets out to stop further deaths.

I finished it in one sitting, enjoying this version of the popular fairy tale. It was easy to confuse the names of the sisters throughout the book and a few times I had to reread certain sections to make sure I got it correct, but overall this is a book that introduced me to Erin Craig, and I'd read more books by this author for sure.

I truly wanted to love this book after reading the synopsis and hearing all the raving reviews. Unfortunately, I did not. I felt the opening was too long and and that the story line was too klunky. A lot of it just felt contrived and nothing really interesting happened until the end of the book. I imagine the author felt like she was foreshadowing with Morella's cries of ecstasy with Ortun, only to have her act furitive when Annaleigh asked her about their courtship, but it felt wrong. Also, if Kosamara first took Eulalie, then there was zero explanation for the sisters who died first. Also, I'm assuming Morella and Ortun died in the fire but there was no mention, no sadness on the girls' part if this was the case. The book left me completely unsatisfied.

On a good note, I did like the character of Annaleigh.

I don't even have to explain myself here, I mean look at that cover! I came across this book while scrolling Twitter. The cover drew me in, it reminds me of House Greyjoy from Game of Thrones even though it totally isn't about that. It is in fact a fairytale retelling. I love retellings, especially when they are new, unique, and done well. I am a fantasy adoree, after all. Not to mention, after falling in love with this book and scouring the internet day after day to find an ARC, I did eventually find out that the author Erin A. Craig is from Memphis, TN. My hometown! In fact, I still live just south of Memphis in northern Mississippi.

I mean...there was too much about this book screaming for me to give it a go. So, when Netgalley gave me the opportunity to read the ARC I about screamed in the middle of a crowded store. Granted, I received this copy just as a slew of other events unfolded in my life. Lets just say 2019 is already out to be a difficult year.

This book was not hard for me to get into. The writing is done well and there is a dark, Victorian vibe given off by the details Craig uses when describing the MC's, Annaleigh, world. It is magical realism. The islands of Salann are written out as if they are a real chain resting somewhere off the far coast of Europe. The world, Arcannia, seems like a twin of Westeros  which made reading the story more interesting because I am a big GOT nerd.

Now, to give a bit more detail about this story. What we have is a spooky version of the twelve dancing princesses. Except, some of them have already died. Annaleigh is the daughter of Duke Thaumus, and she is trying to find out how her sister Eulalie, the lastest victim of a rumored family curse, actually died.

The details given in this story about this new fantasy world were exquisite. It is a world whose entire aesthetic is blue and gray. I am not even a fan of the beach, but I would chill on one of Craig's beaches. Not only has a new fantasy world been introduced in this story, but it is fleshed out with such depth that as a reader you can really see it in your mind. 

Now, this story is a mix of magical realism, horror, fairytale, and fairy story. There are magic portals, sea gods, and murderous intentions abound. In fact, it was so many things rolled into one that I couldn't help but think the story went back and forth trying to be too many things. Granted, it all worked. There was a lot of middle fluff though when the mystery of Annaleigh's sister's death was left behind for the magical aura of fairytale retelling. 

I do want to give credit to Craig for making the mystery of who murdered the sister an actual mystery. Usually, I can pick up on these things early in a novel but Craig made so many characters suspicious that you are kept guessing until the big finale. Granted, the second person I suspected did end up really being the bad guy; but, Craig had it written out so well that even I was like, "Damn, didn't see that coming." 

This book was slow to start, in fact the climax doesn't even really get going until the last ten chapters; but, those last chapters pull you in. I stayed up all night to finish the story. Granted, I am not a fan of happily ever afters, and this story did have one. I think the story would have done well if the last chapter ended about three pages sooner. I can live without a happily ever after.

**4 1/2 stars**
WOW! This was quite the debut novel! From the stunning descriptions of the sea, the dresses and the world building, this was amazing! The creepy atmosphere was moody like the ocean and I really loved this book. While I do admit the middle dragged a tiny bit, a couple minor things at the end were a little confusing and the romance didn't quite have enough of a foundation to care more about, I still loved this. Parts of this were seriously creepy at times while also pure enchantment. I'll read anything this author writes now. Review to come very soon on the blog! Go request this :D

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.
4.5/5 stars
I adore retellings, and this Twelve Dancing Princesses tale was so well done. Fans of Stephanie Garber’s Legendary will love this book because it has a super similar vibe, but is not a replica by any means. Annaleigh was a great MC and her emotions leapt off the page. Cassius was swoon worthy and perfect for the story. There were so many twists and turns, and the story was WAY darker than I would have ever expected, but not necessarily in a bad way. The half star loss was because I found myself a little confused at a few moments. This may have come from how quickly I was reading (I couldn’t put it down and NEEDED TO KNOW), so I may be able to amend this after my inevitable reread!

This book starts out dark and then gets downright terrifying. Prepare to have the lights on for a few nights to ward off nightmares. The story unfolds in a way that keeps you in the dark until the perfect moment. Revealing small pieces and scaring you into hesitating to turn the page.
Perfect for those who want a pure scare and deep read.

Hi all, so I am going to be sleeping with my light on for the foreseeable future because the Thaumas sisters story and because all the scary descriptions. In her debut novel Erin did not fail to deliver. A bone chilling retelling of the The Twelve Dancing Princesses featuring twelve sisters and the curse that is going to tear them a part. House of Salt and Sorrows is both thrilling and horrifying with a romance that will make you swoon and a curse that will make you crazy. Erin A. Craig's debut novel is not to be missed in 2019!

The Thaumas twelve is now down to eight. Four of the Thaumas sisters have already met tragic and untimely deaths and Annaleigh will do anything to keep her remaining sisters alive. The novel opens with Eulalie's body being returned to the salt and then the memorial back at Highmoor, the Thaumas family estate. Something about Eulalie's death doesn't sit right with Annaleigh, and soon she is looking for answers to her sister's death. But on the same day of Eulalie's memorial the Thaumas sister's stepmother, Morella announces that she is expecting. With Highmoor coming out of mourning with the thought of new beginnings and the Thaumas sisters discovering a door that will take them anywhere they please and with the stress of finding husbands attend ball after ball, dancing the nights away. As time passes and Annaleigh begins to uncover the secrets of her sisters deaths and learns that not everyone is who they say they are, but will she be able to save her remaining sisters in time?

I really liked Annaleigh's character. She was relatable and imperfect. She seems to have the weight of the world, the supposed Thaumas curse, on her shoulders, regardless to the fact that she is in second in line to inherit Highmoor after Camille, the newest heir to Highmoor after Eulalie's passing. I really enjoyed seeing how Annaleigh stepped up to the plate in times where Camille couldn't or wouldn't, especially in things that involved Morella. Where Camille rather escape through the door at night to dance at the balls, Annaleigh continued to mourn and befriend Morella. Their father remarried a woman so young that she is sometimes mistaken as their sister, but her pregnancy is taking a toll on her and with the Churning coming up (A big seasonal celebration) Annaleigh and her sisters step in the help. It isn't until The Churning (About 50% in) where things start too move quickly.

Where the first half of House of Salt and Sorrows is interesting and did keep me interested it wasn't until the second half did everything you learned in the first half of the book basically get thrown out the door and leave you saying: "What the hell just happened!?" I really enjoyed the romance between Annaleigh and Cassius. I think it worked perfectly in the setting that the Thaumas sisters are struggling to find husbands and Annaleigh bumps into Cassius on her search for answers about the supposed curse.

Overall I really can't say much more about House of Salt and Sorrows with out spoiling it. But it is super spooky and had plenty of "I'm sleeping with the light on" moments. Erin A. Craig is a master storyteller and I can't wait to see what terrifyingly amazing things she is going to come up with next. I hope one day she comes back to visit the Thaumas sisters because I really loved their story!

The story is a retelling of the German folk tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I was not familiar with that particular story, so I turned to my good friend, Wikipedia, to give me a little background.

Block quote:
Twelve princesses, each more beautiful than the last, sleep in twelve beds in the same room. Every night, their doors are securely locked by their father. But in the morning, their dancing shoes are found to be worn through as if they had been dancing all night. The king, perplexed, asks his daughters to explain, but they refuse. The king then promises his kingdom and each daughter to any man who can discover the princesses' midnight secret within three days and three nights, but those who fail within the set time limit will be sentenced to death.

If that doesn’t suck you in, what will?

The prose and world building in this book were so impressive. If I didn’t know this was a debut, I would never have guessed. The care that was taken to develop the settings, characters, and mythos of this story was so thoughtful and thorough that I felt like a native citizen, living all of the crazy, terrible events with this family and town. It takes a lot for me to be immersed in a book like that, and it always adds such a special element to the reading experience when it happens.

In addition to that, as you can probably guess, with twelve sisters and their related family, friends, and community, this book has A LOT of characters. I was concerned about that going in, because it can be difficult to read about that many people and keep them straight, when they’re all supposed to be important. Craig did a great job handling this. Each sister, the parents, the friends, and the staff, all had a unique enough voice and perspective that keeping them straight was effortless. The first couple chapters were written in such a way that the reader was introduced to their personalities organically, and that made their involvement in the story easy to track as they all progressed through it.

There is a stroke of darkness in this story, as well. As you can see from the description of The Twelve Dancing Princesses tale, there’s an element of risk right from the get go. But built into that are the superstitions and realities of a deeply religious society. Each city and region has a god that they worship, and in this world, the gods are real. When they interact with the people of this world, the consequences - the good and the bad, but ESPECIALLY the bad - are awe-inspiring. When all of the forces involved come out to play at the climax of this book, the effect is downright haunting. I loved it more than I’ve loved anything in a long time.

My favorite part of this book is how much it reminded me of Rebecca, which is an all time favorite of mine, and you should go read it immediately if you haven’t yet. The story has very little in common, but the setting and the tone are so similar, and it reminded of when I first read one of my favorite books. For those of you that might not be familiar, think grand estate with a grand history and a mystery no one quite knows how to solve. It’s dark and frightening and bright and beautiful all at once.

I only have two real complaints about this book, and they were both minor. First, the love story felt a little instalovey to me. There’s an effort to explain that away, but it didn’t really do it for it. I like how it ended up, so I can’t complain too much, but it felt a little like the inception of the romance was the weakest part of the story. Second, the ending. It happened SO FAST. The whole book is an amazing slow burn to an explosive culmination and then it’s just...over.

House of Salt and Sorrows is definitely going on my “Must Pre-Order” list, and I cannot wait to hold a physical copy in my hands! It will be released on August 6, 2019.

House of Salt and Sorrow
Actual rating 4.5 stars
pages 416

This book was a psychological thriller from beginning to end. I was reading reviews on this book before I began reading it and one of the reviewers said this book reminded her of Crimson Peak. When I read that I wondered how a YA retelling of the 12 dancing princesses could be similar to such a marcabe movie but after completing this novel I can assure you that if you like the movie Crimson Peak you would probably like A House of Salt and Sorrow. This book has gods, a touch of magic, plenty of murder, and a whole lot of secrets and mystery. I can not begin to express how amazing and intense this book was to read. The whole time I was reading I was wondering what was going on and I was trying to solve the mystery around the deaths of the sisters. There were times I thought I knew what was going on and then the book would throw me for a loop and I would be back at square one. When the mystery was finally solved I was shocked and utterly astounded at what had happened but I was pleased with the ending and fit with the overall tone and atmosphere of the novel.

Characters:
I enjoyed reading about the characters especially the sisters, but let me tell you there some characters that I just couldn't stand.


The ghosts of Annaleigh’s sisters: All of the ghosts were equally creepy and disturbing. I found that their deaths were especially unnerving

Eulalie died by falling/being pushed from a 100 foot cliff to the rocks below, breaking and twisting her body in horrible ways.

Ava died of the plague when she was only eighteen

Octavia fell from a ladder and bent her limbs at unnatural angles.

Elizabeth was found floating dead in the bathtub.

Living Characters:

Annaleigh:

Annaleigh was a strong character with a good head on her shoulders. Of all the sisters she was the only one that made rational decisions. I enjoyed reading about Annaleigh because she was so ambitious and driven to discover what had actually happened to her sisters. At times Annaleigh could be a bit over bearing especially towards her father when it came to the death’s of her sisters but than again I can imagine the urgency felt. I also found her kindness towards Morella (her step-mother) to be enduring. Overall I loved reading Annaleigh’s story.

Camille:

I honestly don't know if I like Camille or not. Sometimes she acted like an average older sister and other times I thought she acted a bit childish. But I can’t fault her for her actions due to the constant pain and grieving she must of felt towards her deceased sisters. In the end I came to an understanding of Camille characters and for now I will remain undecided as to what I think about her.

Grace:

Grace was such a sweet little character. Her innocence made her difficult not to love. I must admit however that at times I found her actions to be a bit disturbing, especially when Annaleigh finds the drawings of her dead sisters in Grace’s drawing book. But in the end I felt for Grace because of the torment she suffered.

Honor and Mercy:

Honor and Mercy were more so secondary characters. I did not see much of their individual personalities. If there is a second book I would love to see more of their characters.

Rosalie, Ligeoa, Lenore:

Rosalie, Ligeoa, and Lenore (other wise known as the Triplets) were your typical teenage girls looking for adventure. They were desperate to see the world without the haze of grief clouding their vision. I found that all three of the triplets were bubbly, full of life, and ready to live their happily ever after. I only wish that the outcome had been better for the twins.

Cassius:

I enjoyed Cassius, he was delightfully mysterious and a gentleman. At some points I wondered about his intentions but overall I liked him. I will say that his origin story put me off a bit. It felt like it was thrown together rather quickly but other than that Cassius was a great character and a perfect love interest for Annaleigh.

Fisher:

When I was first introduced to Fisher I really wanted him and Annaleigh to end up together, but as the story progressed I began to become leery of his character. At times he felt a little a fake and other times I felt like he was trying to hard.

Ortun (papa):

I did not like Ortun. I can’t say why for sure but there was just something about him. For one I didn’t like how easily he abandoned his beliefs because of Morella. I also hated the way he acted when he got drunk, overall I found his behavior to be undignified at times and later he would try to overcompensate for it.

Morella:

I also did not like Morella. There was something sly and shady about her. I could never put my finger on it but by the end my suspicions were confirmed. If you ask me she was to nice and to innocent, but eventually the truth was revealed.

I would HIGHLY recommend this book to people who enjoy a dark retelling of a fairy tale or someone who likes a good psychological thriller. Either way this book is bound to grab your attention and not let go. I would like to note that at times this book could be very graphic so I would not advise children read it or people with weak stomaches.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses is what you’d expect if you crossed Grimm Fairy Tales with an M. Night Shyamalan script. It is a fast-paced thriller that is haunting and keeps you guessing at every turn.

The story follows the cursed Thaumus daughters who have already buried three of their sisters and their mother. The girls venture off through a magical portal for nights of frivolous dancing to ease their minds from the six years of mourning that encompassed their lives, but that dancing comes at a price. The youngest daughter, Verity, is haunted by the corpses of her dead sisters and informs Annaleigh that their sisters do not appreciate being forgotten.

Once I started reading this book, it was so incredibly difficult to put it down. Erin weaves a horrifying yet magical tale that emphasizes that not everything is as it seems. The end of the book had me questioning everything that I had read.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While I enjoyed this story, I was disappointed that the author only created half of an original novel and the rest was borrowed from the story of the twelve dancing princesses. I expected more and deserved more. Half of it was fascinating and intriguing with new gods and portal jumping and tricksters, etc. I would have preferred the author have delved more into her own world building rather than borrowing bits and pieces from another story.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book, it held my attention from page 1. I love fairytale retellings, and it was nice to read one that wasn't so popular. House of Salt and Sorrow is truly a great read for young adult fantasy lovers. Can't wait to see if there will be a book 2!!

This story is beautiful. Erin's writing is so descriptive and beautiful. Each page is like looking at a tapestry and getting to admire all the beautiful threads that weave it together. I have no idea why this isn't getting more buzz because it is a delight!

No matter how many times and versions I’ve read if this, I still get swoony— and scared! :-) (good thing I wrote it!)

This is such a good book! I was instantly transported to Highmore and felt like I was really in the story alongside the Thaumus sisters. If you like creepy fairy tale retellings full of ghosts and cursed families then you'll love this book!

The world-building is really great and original, which is why I gave this three stars instead of two. Aside from that, the retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fell flat for me and I got lost trying to keep track of the huge cast of characters. I stopped reading at 30%.

Holy cow! I requested this from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review, and I have to say, I'm blown away.

The suspense is so chilling and creepy and What the H is going on here? that I flipped through pages quickly. But not so quickly that I couldn't enjoy the lush prose and beautiful descriptions that dropped me into the middle of this fairy tale nightmare.

And the characters! Ooooh, some sweet, some devilish, many a little of both, that you're kept guessing right up until the end. Annaleigh--don't you just love that name!--is the best. A good daughter and sister, but not so good that she doesn't have her imperfect moments.

And that ending! This book is well worth a second read just to spy all the clues I'm sure the author dropped to lead up to that end. Highly recommend!

DNF. I really, really wanted to love this book (just look at that cover!), but unfortunately the gruesome imagery and sexual innuendoes bandied about will prevent me from doing that.

I really liked and enjoyed this novel. Even though it’s a young adult novel adults can enjoy and relate to this book as well. It was well written and entertaining. The plot and characters were both entertaining and easy to follow. I look forward to reading more from this author.