Get swept away in Erin A. Craig's mesmerizing House of Salt and Sorrows. As one by one her beautiful sisters mysteriously die on their isolated island estate, Annaleigh must unravel the curse that haunts her family. Be careful who you dance with. . .
HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS by ERIN A. CRAIG
Series: Standalone
Publication date: August 6, 2019
Published by: Delacorte Press
Genre: young adult fantasy, fairy tale retelling
SYNOPSIS
Four of Annaleigh Thaumas's eleven sisters have returned to the Salt, the brackish water that surrounds their lonely island home, their lives cut short, each more tragically than the last. Whispers throughout the Highmoor estate say the girls have been cursed by the gods.
When Annaleigh finds out that her sisters have been sneaking out to attend glittering midnight balls and dance until dawn, she's not sure whether to stop them--or join them. And when she begins to see a series of horrific, ghostly visions and more sisters die, she realizes she must solve the mystery--with the help of Cassius, a sea captain who knows much more about her than he should--and unravel the Thaumas curse before she descends into madness or . . . it claims her next.
When Annaleigh finds out that her sisters have been sneaking out to attend glittering midnight balls and dance until dawn, she's not sure whether to stop them--or join them. And when she begins to see a series of horrific, ghostly visions and more sisters die, she realizes she must solve the mystery--with the help of Cassius, a sea captain who knows much more about her than he should--and unravel the Thaumas curse before she descends into madness or . . . it claims her next.
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Praise for House of Salt and Sorrows:
“Step inside a fairy tale.”—Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval
“An eerie, lovely Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling full of ghosts and gods and a fascinating waterfront world and I’m reading it from behind my fingers.”—Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood
“Chilling and atmospheric.”–Laura E. Weymouth, author of The Light Between Worlds
Evocative details and lyrical, moody prose . . . a richly conceived story that blends mythic and Gothic storytelling.”–PW
“The novel’s vivid, evocative atmosphere will please fans of the gothic . . . chills aplenty.”–The Bulletin
“Equal parts gothic fairy tale and romance . . . compulsively readable.”—SLJ
“This moody maritime retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses blends elements of suspense and horror for a gothic twist on a familiar tale. A memorably built world populated with a hauntingly doomed family.”–Booklist
“Step inside a fairy tale.”—Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval
“An eerie, lovely Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling full of ghosts and gods and a fascinating waterfront world and I’m reading it from behind my fingers.”—Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood
“Chilling and atmospheric.”–Laura E. Weymouth, author of The Light Between Worlds
Evocative details and lyrical, moody prose . . . a richly conceived story that blends mythic and Gothic storytelling.”–PW
“The novel’s vivid, evocative atmosphere will please fans of the gothic . . . chills aplenty.”–The Bulletin
“Equal parts gothic fairy tale and romance . . . compulsively readable.”—SLJ
“This moody maritime retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses blends elements of suspense and horror for a gothic twist on a familiar tale. A memorably built world populated with a hauntingly doomed family.”–Booklist
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Erin A. Craig has always loved telling stories.
After getting her B.F.A. from the University of Michigan, in Theatre Design and Production, she stage managed tragic operas with hunchbacks, séances, and murderous clowns, then decided she wanted to write books that were just as spooky.
An avid reader, a decent quilter, rabid basketball fan, and collector of typewriters, Erin makes her home in Memphis, TN with her husband and daughter.
You can find her on:
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. CraigMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The author has taken a pretty innocent Brothers Grimm short story and turned it into something quite a bit darker and twistier. The foreboding atmosphere is layered throughout the entire story, gaining momentum and intensity as you near the conclusion. This is a gothic mystery about a girl named Annaleigh who must solve the suspicious deaths of her sisters before she or any of the other surviving girls fall victim too. There are ghostly apparitions, unexplainable events, and almost everyone at her father's estate Highmoor comes under suspicion at some point. Is the Thaumas curse legitimately wiping the family out, one by one as the townspeople are whispering behind their hands? Or is something more sinister at play that's worse than anyone could ever imagine?
Had we somehow angered the gods? Had a darkness branded itself on our family, taking us out one by one? Or was it simply a series of terrible and unlucky coincidences?
You do get a little romance intertwined between the threads of the overall mystery. Cassius is a mysterious newcomer to town who immediately gets a twinkle in his eye for Annaleigh. Their romance is a subtle undertone to the story, with just light flirting and long glances, that kind of thing. But he's very obviously hiding things from the very enamored Annaleigh, the question is whether or not his secrets are harmless or deadly. There is another boy who has his eye on her, but thankfully it wasn't a love triangle. I was so relieved that my suspicions were squashed almost immediately because I'm not a big fan of that trope.
I felt that the pace of the book really affected my enjoyment. This could have easily been a five star read, but there were stretches in the story where I felt it was progressing as slow as molasses. The writing style was lovely, very rich and descriptive and I thoroughly enjoyed how the author transports you into each and every scene. If I were judging on the last 25% alone, it would be an enthusiastic five stars. I needed a little bit more to hold my attention, as much as I loved the ominous mood that stretches through this surprisingly blood-stained tale. I wasn't expecting the amount of death that occurred, and it got pretty grisly toward the end.
When the people you love die … like my father, your mother and sisters … the thought that they could be trapped here … it’s unbearable, isn’t it? I can’t imagine a worse fate. Unseen, unheard. Surrounded by people who remember you a little less each day. I would go out of my mind, wouldn’t you?”
This was a wildly imaginative retelling of a classic fairy tale, and very impressive for a debut novel! I would definitely read more from Erin Craig in the future. She has a lot to offer the genre and I'll be excited to see what she comes up with next.
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