House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Book Summary
In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor with her sisters and their father and stepmother. Once there 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 her sister's deaths were no accidents. The girls 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. House of Salt and Sorrows is a spellbinding novel filled with magic and the rustle of gossamer skirts down long, dark hallways. Get ready to be swept away.
Book Details
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Published August 6th 2019 by Delacorte
Young Adult Fantasy, Retellings, 12 Dancing Princesses
Hardcover, 416 pages
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig is standalone, YA fantasy inspired by Grimm’s The Twelve Dancing Princesses and is full of ghosts and aquatic gods set in fascinating, maritime world dusted of sea salt and lichens.
One thing readers are going to notice right away is the brooding atmosphere and mythos of House of Salt and Sorrows.
I’m a fan of Gothic stories and Craig writes a tale that evokes the darker tones of one while still imbuing it with the charm of an old fairy tale.
The setting lends itself perfectly to this kind of story as it takes place on a set of rugged islands that are populated by people with the belief in a water deity and oceanic lore, which I found fascinating to read about.
The story takes its cue from The Twelve Dancing Princesses and I think this is the first time I have read this retelling with such a gorgeous, yet chilling, oceanic setting permeating its witting.
Death is never far away as Craig writes the story with four of the sisters lives already taken in tragic accidents. Usually, when reading a version of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, the sisters disappear, one-by-one. Here, their deaths are already haunting the story.
Although we do not get to personally meet them, through their remaining sisters reflections and mourning , they become individuals that feel real and we find ourselves sympathetic to.
The story becomes increasingly hard to put down as the protagonist Annaleigh begins to have ghostly visions of her deceased sisters deaths, leaving her suspicious that they were not accidents.
Annaleigh becomes even more concerned when her living sisters begin to sneak out each night—attending mysterious balls dressed in rich dresses and jeweled slippers where they dance all night, not returning until the next day dawns.
Each day the sisters wonder who will be next while at the night brings forgetfulness—but who or what are the dancing with. Is the curse part of these nights of abandonment or something else?
In the End
Readers can enjoy writing that is visually rich with descriptions—painting a hauntingly, moody atmosphere to settle into.
I ended up really enjoying the darkly atmospheric, maritime setting and chilling mystery. I did have some minor issues with the pacing, and despite its beautiful writing, I found myself putting the book down for breaks. But, it was never far away, and quickly picked it back up again. I’m looking forward to reading more stories like this from the author and cannot wait to see what she writes next.
