House of Roots and Ruin is the sequel to House of salt and Sorrows. If you loved the first there is no doubt that you'll love the second even more. Its dark and moody and twisty. I loved it. I hope there will be a book 3. Erin A Craig is a master at what she does.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

I was so excited to read this book after speed reading House of Salt & Sorrows. I don't know why, however, I read the first few chapters, then put it down for 2 weeks. I do know that when I picked it back up yesterday, I read the last 90% of it in one sitting. I legit could not put it down it was that good.

House of Roots & Ruin picks up around 14 years after the events of House of Salt & Sorrows. This time we are following Verity, the youngest of the Thaumas sisters. The girl who at age 4 in HoS&S was drawing graphic pictures of her dead sisters. Even the ones she had no way of remembering. Almost 18, Verity has honed her drawing and painting enough that she is asked to go to a far away manor in the area of Bloem to do the official portrait of the duke's son. Against the wishes of her oldest sister and duchess Camille, Verity flees in the night to go on her own adventure. But similarly to her own home, the enormous manor house and it's inhabitants hold very dark and disturbing secrets. Verity is caught between hiding a part of herself to seem more normal, and wanting to solave the mystery she has stumbled upon. All while getting no sleep due to a pair of screaming birds who roam the grounds (or is it always the birds).

I loved Verity as our new FMC. It's not that she isn't afraid to do things, but she is willing to push past that fear if she knows it's going to get her where she wants and needs to go. Pushing past fear, to me, is an even stronger quality than being fearless. Alex our MMC was such a sweet soul with a quick sense of humor and sarcasm, but a huge open heart. You can feel the draw between the two of them instantly. One of my favorite things about them as a couple is Verity's reactions during their first romantic liasons. They are very real for anyone who has not had any romance in their life. Yes, it's awkward, no it's not perfect. And you likely will spend a good chunk of it overthinking everything. (Or, wait, was that just me?). I also loved that despite Alex being confined to a wheelchair since he was 4, he never views it as a disability. He talks about adjustments that had to be made to their manor and grounds, but he never comes off as biter or upset. Which is something I love. He is happy with who he is, and he doesn't spend the whole book wishing he could walk or stand.

Just like the first one, this book had me opening my mouth in horror and fear at many moments. So many things to terrify lie in the pages. But, if you liked House of Salt & Sorrows, you should definitely pick up this book. And Erin Craig definitely has left the door open for another book, which I anxiously await!

I am not usually one for the darker fairytales. In fact, if the writing weren't so good, this series? would probably be too dark/spooky for me.
Very atmospheric and dark, filled with flowers and poisons and romance and secrets and horror.

You don't have to have read House of Salt and Sorrows to understand this book, but it does provide some context.

Also I've never had an epilogue hit me so hard before.

It was really nice to revisit the world and characters of House of Salt and Sorrows. I always enjoy Erin A. Craigs stories, though I will say this one wasn't my favorite. I still really enjoyed it, but it felt like something I had read before and not quite as special as House of Salt and Sorrows and Small Favors felt. Curious to see if there will be a sequel though.

The atmospheric feel and vibe for this book is through the roof. The author really excels at this, but I often struggle with the plot development. Something just feel lacking for me. So even though this isn't my type of read, I will still get it for our collection as I'm sure our readers will enjoy continuing the world they got to know in the first book. Perfect for gothic lovers!

I was nervous about reading this book as I loved House of Salt and Sorrows and I wasn't sure how this would measure up. Thankfully, this story was equally wonderful! House of Roots and Ruin is a beautifully gothic tale about Camille, who is more haunted than she realizes. It's full of romance and heartache, and is so beautifully written. Craig is so talented! Can't wait to read even more from her!

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

I was initially a little wary of going back to this world. While i loved house of salt and sorrows, the story felt so complete, i wasn’t sure what story was left to tell, but i really enjoyed this one. Verity brings big baby sister energy and i found her rebellion so human and believable. The story took a little while to build but the impending sense of something awful hidden under beautiful artifice was so well done and by the time i hit the midpoint i couldn’t put it down because i was so nervous for Verity and didn’t know who to trust. I thought this was a very solid story and I’m curious 👀 what comes next. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an eARC of House of Roots and Ruin!

One of the most incredible books I have read this year. Absolutely unputdownable- I read in one sitting! House of Roots and Ruin is full of romance, mystery, suspense, and danger. From the beginning to the end, there's a sense of dread and excitement that keeps you on your toes at every turn of the page. House of Roots and Ruin is all I can think about and I can't wait to share my excitement with more readers! Add to your TBR's and add to cart!!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. I absolutely loved House of Salt and Sorrow and I am so excited that their is a sequel. This story follows the youngest daughter as she travels and learns about her power and solve a mystery. This book is a perfect combination of romance, fantasy, and horror.

I really enjoyed this book. The vibes and atmosphere are great- dark, gothic, a mysterious estate. Fans of horror will enjoy this story! I was getting freaked out by it but could not put it down.

I really enjoyed the scenes where Verity is exploring the house and grounds. I wish it was a place I could visit; it is really beautifully described. There are a ton of twists and turns in the story particularly right at the end. I think this would have been slightly stronger if there was one or two fewer shocking reveals and instead make a couple of twists more shocking- really show the readers the impact on the characters.

I did not realize this was part of a series, and you can definitely read this without reading the first book since the events are loosely connected and explained for those who did not hear House of Salt and Sorrow.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for an eARC of this book.

This is the 3rd book by Erin Craig that I have read and I have largely the same thoughts about this one as the other two. The author is very skillful is very descriptive and immersive goth settings and always has a big group of characters to follow. However, something always happens in the final 3rd of the book (the big twist and villain reveal if you will) and the story plot changes drastically (and not for the better imo). I think fans of this author will enjoy this book if they enjoyed the others.

First of all- thank you NetGalley for letting get an eARC of this amazing story.

Erin Craig does it again. They’ve e brought us a dense story that is filled to the brim with lore, drama, intrigue, magic and a beautiful twist and turn story.

If you loved House of Salt and Sorrows, please do not sleep on this one. Perfect for a good gothic read.

House of Roots & Ruin follows the youngest Thaumas sister, Verity, as she embarks on an adventure to Bloem to paint a portait of the future Duke: Alex Laurent.

However, this journey gets off to a rocky start when she learns that she's been seeing ghosts her whole life, and runs away from her sister's estate in the middle of the night to go to Bloem.

Once there, she finds out that despite their obvious beauty & decadence, both the Laurents and their family estate harbor darker secrets than she could've ever imagined.

Starting off with the settings, it was so fun to be back in the familiar estate of Highmoor (omg the nostalgia!). Then, once Verity arrived in Bloem, the imagery was breathtakingly beautiful!

The flora, the gardens, the house, the clothes, and just the general atmosphere were perfect. Once things took a darker turn in the second half, the contrast of the morbid descriptions made the story so much more entertaining!

Furthermore, there is so much drama!! From the romance, to (extremely) complicated family relationships, to the secrets hidden in plain sight throughout the house, I was thoroughly entertained throughout.

There are a ton of twists & turns, and my favorite one, by far, is the one at the end. I'm not going to give anything away, but WOW, that conclusion really got me!!

All in all, this was an excellent read, and I'm really hoping there are going to be more Sisters of the Salt books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

I'll be honest that I had no idea this was a sequel to "House of Salt and Sorrow" when I requested this. Once I realized this, I went back and read a synopsis of that book in order to refresh my memory. But honestly, this book can work pretty well as a stand-alone. You don't really need to read the first book to read this, as this takes place years later and almost none of the characters from the first book are in this one.

I'm struggling a little with my rating. There's no denying that this author excels at writing gothic stories. She puts so much atmosphere into her work, and the intensity keeps building and building in every moment. I love the characters questioning their reality and their sanity, and since it's in first person the reader has no idea what's real or imagined, either. It's fantastic. I think my problem is that I want to stay gothic instead of ending up supernatural with gods and so on.

I don't know why, but this author seems to hit some sort of weird wall once she gets to the climax. The story got pretty confusing once things started to be explained and revealed with a lot of "you were behind it! Wait no YOU were behind it!" Though at the same time, I also guessed where a lot of the story was going before things were revealed. One of the most confusing things was Alex's whole deal. It doesn't really make a lot of sense to me, but maybe it'll be explained in the next book.

I wish I could go into more detail on the book, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone. However, I will address the fact that Verity gets drunk at one point in the story and I'm fairly sure she is intimate with Alex. I don't know if they had sex since the writing gets super vague and flowery once things start leaning toward sex, but it still unsettles me a little that it's even a possibility. I also don't really like the final stinger of this book. Not because it's a bad stinger, but the implications behind it. Again, I can't go into detail, but let's just say it makes me very uncomfortable and disturbed that consent and abuse might be things to worry about in the next book.

So like I said, I'm torn. I was absolutely in love with the atmosphere and the gothic tone. I loved the implications of what Gerard was doing before the reveal and Verity questioning her sanity. Even the reveal isn't too bad because it has some great body horror going on. I just wanted the gothic stuff to keep going, and I didn't really care for some things that went on in the latter parts of the book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book! I absolutely love the narrative building style that Erin A. Craig utilizes. I discovered that one of my favorite genres of late is a fantasy novel centered around a mystery, so it’s not so much “let’s watch someone go on a journey to complete a task that only matters to this fictional world” but that echoes the universal longing for justice and investigation of crimes against loved ones that are so part of our world as well. Super book!

House of Roots and Ruin
Erin A. Craig @penchant4words
Sisters of Salt #2
Delacorte Press @delacortepress @randomhousekids

If you haven’t read #houseofsaltandsorrows I highly recommend it! Erin A. Craig latest installment is a breathtaking gothic expansion on the much loved first book.

House of Roots and Ruin lived up to all my expectations with its captivating storyline and with lush detailed world building. It’s definitely a twisty read, one that once you start you absolutely cannot put down.

The story starts off in an intentionally slow, in an ambiguous way as the author sets the perfect tone. Now this is the genius of Erin A. Craig, who deliberately gives you each piece of the puzzle, chapter by chapter. A hauntingly twisty read here that had me pretty much-questioning everything that was happening within the pages of this book. The way that the details were revealed to us was extremely well-done and the setting was creepily atmospheric which I totally loved. Craig’s writing is stellar as we follow the books heroine the youngest of the twelve sisters, Verity.

I was so excited for this book. I absolutely adored House of Salt and Sorrows and gave it a rave review on here and on my blog. I have been hoping Craig would return to this world, and when I saw that a sequel was coming I was quick on the draw to request it. Imagine my immense disappointment then at the review I am about to write...

I could not get into this book AT ALL. From the opening pages i kept wondering when the magic would happen - and for me it never did. I found it flat, the characters uninteresting, and the pacing to move at an absolutely glacial pace. I fell into the first book with the first lines and that excitement never left. It was dark and gothic and creepy and fascinating. This one had moments that flashed with that earlier brilliance, but on the whole I really struggled to connect with anything about it.

Verity simply didn't resonate the way Annaleigh did as a main protagonist. I found her relationships with everyone from her sisters to Hanna to Alex to feel forced and somehow implausible in ways I can't quite put into words (believe me, I've tried). I was irritated at everyone in this book and that feeling just kept growing as the story developed. This one just did not resonate with me at all.

I am in the vast minority here, but I wasn't even able to keep reading through to the end... I found myself turning pages and skimming whole passages just to see if it got more interesting or to hunt down the high points in language. They do exist but I was spending way too much time trying to find them for me to say that this was an enjoyable read and that is why I ultimately gave up on it..

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? IT ENDS ON A CLIFFHANGER? WITH NO FUTURE BOOKS? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? IM SO UPSET WHAT THE HELL IS THIS NO IM LITERALLY DISTRAUGHT WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?? HUH?? okay but in all honesty this book was just as enthralling as House of Salt and Sorrows, DESPITE my fury with the ending. It’s not even open ended. I LOVE open ended. It’s freaking CLIFFHANGER. i haven’t felt this betrayed since the end of Mark of Athena. Fix the ending and I’d be recommending this book more.

I absolutely loved being back in this world and following Verity along for her own story. The atmospheric writing is stellar, as I've come to expect from an Erin Craig novel. I loooved the descriptions of the house, the prose, and the steadily unsettling feeling of something being...wrong. Not to mention the language of flowers which was utterly perfect. Some people don't love cliffhangers but I literally screamed i loved the whole ending so much. The last two chapters were ::chef's kiss:: I cannot wait to read whatever is next.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!