House of Salt and Sorrows

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

Synopsis:

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.

Review:

House of Salt and Sorrows was an absolutely chilling novel and I loved it! It was atmospheric, thrilling, and even a little unnerving. I enjoyed reading this book so much and wish I could read it for the first time again. The beautiful and haunting scenes in this book have stayed on my mind ever since finishing it, and I’m still stunned by the way the author described things. There was a perfect amount of details without the writing being too overwhelming and lengthy, and the way she included such haunting details was amazing. Some of my favorite scenes from this book were in the balls Annaleigh and her sisters would attend because of the chills they brought. These scenes were so chilling and always gave you the sense that you knew something was wrong but you couldn’t quite place it.

Another thing that absolutely blew my mind was how towards the end of the book, there were times where you couldn’t tell if things were real or not. This book has many dealings in illusions and sometimes you couldn’t tell if what the main character was experiencing was real or just in her mind. This was really good in this book because sometimes other books that have scenes where you can’t tell if things are real or not, don’t hit the mark. You would read a scene and something really big and game changing would happen, just for you to find out it wasn’t real. This can often be really annoying if not done right, but Erin A. Craig did this perfectly. I wasn’t annoyed by not being able to tell illusion from reality, but was instead sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for the shatter of illusion or the breaking moment when you realize its real.

Characters:

I can’t really say who my favorite character was because everyone contributed to the plot and made the story interesting. The only negative thing I can say about a character is that sometimes Annaleigh’s sisters were a little mean and inconsiderate, but that just made the story interesting. If I’m being honest, I suspected every character in this novel to be guilty at one point or another. I had no idea who Annaleigh should trust and the illusion part of this novel just made it even harder to pin down a suspect. That made the ending even better because once everything was revealed and you saw why things were happening, it all made sense.

Conclusion:

Overall, this book was amazing and I really enjoyed it. It had the perfect spooky and haunting atmosphere and there were some great chilling scenes. If you want a beautiful and haunting easy read, I definitely recommend this book to you!

Let’s Talk:

• Have you read House of Salt and Sorrows?
  • If so, did you enjoy it?
• Have you read Erin A. Craig’s other book, Small Favors?
  • If so, did you enjoy it?
• What is your favorite thriller novel?