Once I heard that this one was about witches, I had to have it. I just love paranormal stories about these crafty characters, so I took a chance on Salt even though I'd heard really mixed reviews about it. And I had to say, although I enjoyed it, I had a few problems with the plot and the main character.

I'm not too sure I'm enthusiastic about the sequel, though. I liked the characters, but the overall plot was not enough for this type of supernatural book. I wanted more action, and the mystery wasn't that hard to figure out if you were actually paying attention. But all in all, I liked it. :)

Overall I enjoyed this novel, but I did find it to be a little repetitive at times. It didn't really move for me at a fast pace until the closer to the end and that would have to be my favorite part. I think if you like books about witches then you might give it a try.

Penelope is a witch but unfortunately does not have powers of her own. This story follows her journey to finding the one who took her magic from her potentially dooming her to an early death. Instead Penelope fights against all odds that have been thrust in her way & becomes a member of an elite demon hunting squad. Now she is one step closer to finding the justice she has wanted since she was a child.

This read was a slow burn for me. I found myself really rooting for the FMC. I wanted her to fight for what she wanted to gain back. There were a few things that kept me from fully being engaged with this book. While it started off with a ton of promise I was lost a bit the further I got into it. Overall. It was a 3 star for me.

I rarely read the back of a book before reading it. I like everything to be a surprise without any indication of what will happen.

For some reason I was thinking Salt would be symbolic of something (did you ever see the movie, Salt, with Angelina Jolie?). Nope. It refers to actual salt, which you shouldn't leave the house without, by the way. Don't want to get stuck with a demon with no protection (especially if you are a witch without magic).

This was a really fun fantasy that kept me hooked. I loved the dynamics between Penelope and Carter from the beginning. They have amazing chemistry and I wanted to jump through the pages to watch their relationship unfold.

And the fact that Penelope was a screwed up witch just made everything better. She wants to join the elite-demon hunting force so she can find the demons who killed her parents, but she can't even pass the exams without borrowing magic (which means they have to be in the same room with her, which gets kind of tricky).

I'm not going to keep going because I don't want to ruin any surprises (for you people like me who hate the summary), but you should definitely read this one.

5 out of 5 Stars.

Penelope is a witch but one without powers of her own. When she was younger a demon attacked and killed her parents and stole Penelope’s magic. Penelope can only practice magic if she uses her family members to obtain the power from and they have to be within a certain distance for this to work.

In Penelope’s world a witch without magic normally doesn’t survive but Penelope did when her magic was stolen and now she is determined to find that demon and get her own powers back. When given the chance to join the elite demon-hunting force she jumps at the chance to take the tests so that hopefully she will pass and be able to track down the demon.

Salt started off rather well and I really thought I would enjoy reading about Penelope and her world but unfortunately this one slowed down for me and just couldn’t hold my attention very well. It seemed like a good set up to have this young witch looking for her powers but without the powers it also seemed a bit silly for her to toss herself into harms way so many times in the read. Normally I’m one that complains if the action is lacking but this seemed to be overly repetitive with magic-less Penelope getting herself involved in demon fights.

In the end I decided on 2.5 stars for Salt. Just a bit too repetitive and not very captivating to this reader unfortunately.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Penelope is hiding a secret that could cost her everything: she does not have her own magic since a demon attack when she was a child that claimed the lives of her parents. She hides the truth from everyone, hoping that she can find a way to get her powers back. When she encounters a strange boy who seems to catch her every time she needs some help, she is curious about him. But regardless of his charm, Penelope has bigger problems, such as passing the Enforcer exam without magic and finding out more about the mystery that ruined her life so long ago.

So I had wanted to read this book forever ago but I was put off at the time due to the negative reviews I saw for the book. Well, just a few weeks ago I stumbled across a very pretty cover and was lured into reading the book, without even realizing that this was the same book I cast a side a few years ago but with a cover-lift. Well, I am ever so glad that I picked this book up to read because I really enjoyed the story. It was full of well developed characters, a whole new side to witches, intense action scenes with danger and fighting, an incredible complicated mystery and a swoon worthy romance (that Penelope totally fights against). I enjoyed every minute of this story, even when I started it with trepidation.

See the pretty new cover that lured me in?


Not that there is anything wrong with the old cover, but this one is more eye catching (to me), but as a side note neither cover really describes what the book is actually about, but oh well.


I actually think that this image summed up the dynamic between Penelope and Carter the best

Sooo, to say the least, it was a very antagonistic volatile relationship, but like they say, there is passion where there is hate/violence. From the moment they first meet to all the accidental encounters along the way, they two of them had sparks shooting every time they interacted. I really enjoyed their dynamic, to say the least.
But as a side note, the romance was not the main focus of the story, instead it was something that did not even become a real idea until at least half way through the book. Instead, the story was more about the complexities of the magical world building as well as the danger and mystery surrounding Penelope's past.

Overall this was a dark interesting read that kept me engaged right from the start and I feel invested in these characters. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this story and now I now need to get my hands on the second book in the series ASAP to see what will happen next.

I received this title in return for my honest review.
For more reviews visit my blog at http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

Salt is highly entertaining! It has a fun romance that will curl your toes and its actions packed! It's a must read! The story will keep you engaged and you won't want to put it down, I loved every minute of it

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Salt by Danielle Ellison. Penelope, a young woman, lives with her sister and grandparents since their parents are deceased. The family members have magic, except for Penelope who lost her magic when her parents died. She's testing to become an enforcer but she needs her sister close by so she can use her sister's magic to help pass the tests. She meets Carter on the day she was struggling to kill a demon. Carter starts out as a mysterious stranger and becomes everything to Penelope as they work together to discover the truths about their backgrounds and family history. I rate this book 4 stars for suspense, action and dynamic characters!