House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig - Restarting May 1st 2024

[Dr. Andy]

Farren, I read Four Dead Queens last week and it was amazing!!!

I should be starting this tomorrow and I’m super excited!

[Farren]

I ended up reading the next 100 pages earlier today instead of being a responsible adult.

Chapter 12-20

(view spoiler)[
Poor Edgar. Someone definitely thought he knew too much. I'm finding myself really annoyed with Camille. Before I just thought she was shallow, but now her closemindedness and stubborness are coming to light. I don't get why she believes wholeheartedly that the family is cursed, but Eulalie's engagement or possible murder is out of the realm of possibility for her. The hidden portal and the nightly parties are very interesting, and I'm curious to see what role Cassian plays in them, but I am not liking him as a love interest, like, at all...
(hide spoiler)]

[Farren]

Andrea wrote: "Farren, I read Four Dead Queens last week and it was amazing!!!

I should be starting this tomorrow and I’m super excited!"

I'd say this turns more fantasy than that one, but it has a pretty similar feeling when starting the book. So far I really like this one, but not as much, just because Four Dead Queens is one of my favorites of the year and hard to top.

[janel]

Clephiro (The Book Coven) I think I'd really like this as a movie! I think there were a few too many characters for the book, so a movie might really help expand.

Plus all the seas and cliffs and stuff would be aesthetic.."

I agree! I think as a movie, and maybe with some plot tweaking, it would be a nice Guillermo Del Toro movie!

[janel]

I really, really wanted to like this but I didn't - I think it just tried to do too much and none of it landed for me :/

Part of me thinks that I like gothic aesthetics only in movies, though: I tend not to like the setting in books no matter how hard I try.

I hope the rest of you like it though! <3

[Dannii]

I ended up on a six hour bus ride with no internet and finishing almost all of this off yesterday, so I'm catching up with my thoughts now :)

First quarter - (view spoiler)[This started off super strongly for me. I loved seeing the interactions between the remaining sisters. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a really good job of creating a voice for each character. The story is actually really harrowing, and hearing the voices of the youngest sisters, as they come to terms with the death of another sister was awful!

Also, creepy ghost-seeing children are so my jam. I would love to see an illustrated version of this book released with a selection of the sketchbook pages. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Second quarter - (view spoiler)[Despite loving the first quarter, my interest dwindled as the chapters passed by. It remained a compelling story-line and I also retained my intrigue of the curse on the sisters, but there was too little character development for me to remain emotionally attached to what was going on. Also, a dreaded romance is lurking on the horizon... (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Third quarter - (view spoiler)[I am aware of the tale that this is based on but I think I would have benefited from a reread before beginning this book. Some parts were confusing to me, and it may be my own fault for not understanding the original better. The balls came as a surprise as I did not remember about them earlier on.

I was never sure what was real and what was a figment of the girls' imaginations. Also, I never felt closer to each of the sisters than when the book opened. I'm not sure quite how, but I only ever became more distanced from them as the book wore on. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Fourth quarter - (view spoiler)[ I'm conflicted! I loved the atmospheric setting and the original premise for the story. I also loved the dynamic between the sisters. I was interested to learn about what exactly had befallen their family and why they were dying so quickly. However, the story set all this up and then seemed to alter direction into a hundred different side-plots and I was never sure where my attentions should have been directed.

I found my empathy was never fully there for any sister and this was a shame as I thought I would love being installed inside such a large family. I also never really loved the memory altering explanation and the conclusion felt a little underdone. I guessed that Cassius was an illusion but did feel bad when Annaleigh discovered this...and then was quite shocked to find him real. Morella's stillborn boy was such a sad scene, especially when Annaleigh could not trust it to be real or another illusion, but finding her as the villain as the story felt predictable. I never predicted that her twin boys weren't her father's though.

I think I'm settling on a 3 star rating as some parts of this did shock me whilst others did not, and I still loved the first portion. (hide spoiler)]

[Heather]

Chapters 1-11:
(view spoiler)[ I’m really enjoying the audiobook version of this book so far. The characters are easy to follow and get to know. I like the setting of this book and the direction that the plot is going in. I stopped here for today and I really wanted to keep going at the end of chapter 11. I have a bad feeling about the father in this book deep in my gut somethings telling me it isn’t going to be good. (hide spoiler)]

[HeatherH]

Heather wrote: "Chapters 1-11:
[spoilers removed]"

I do a lot of audios but bought this one in physical book form. Glad you're liking the audio, I may have to check it out as well.

[Farren]

I wanted to listen to the audiobook because the sample sounded really good but my library said the wait was approximately 12 weeks, and I was just too excited to wait that long after opening my Owlcrate box!

@Dannii: Omg yes the paperback should absolutely release with the sketches included and it could really use a family tree too lol

I almost picked up the book last night but didn't want to get too far ahead when I've already been leaving Siege and Storm in the dust for this book. But sadly that one just isn't holding my attention as much as House of Salt and Sorrows. Maybe because this book is just an easier read?

[HeatherH]

Half way through! Today was a rough day as far as reading time went but made it.

This book has some seriously spooky vibes sometimes. And creepy kids are totes a favorite thing of mine so I’m adoring the eerie scenes with Verity. She’s truly my favorite character.

Anyone else just not invested in Cassius at all? Bleh.

[Dannii]

Farren wrote: "I wanted to listen to the audiobook because the sample sounded really good but my library said the wait was approximately 12 weeks, and I was just too excited to wait that long after opening my Owl..."

Ooh, I love the cover changes for the Owlcrate editions. They are sos subtle but so pretty. Yes, this audio just flew by and I can imagine physically reading it being the same. I didn't fully love the book but it was certainly a quick and entertaining read, which is exactly what I needed whilst travelling.

I found the Grisha trilogy took me quite a while to get through, too. Some authors I adore but their books just take time for me and I have no idea why that is!

[Dannii]

Heather wrote: "Half way through! Today was a rough day as far as reading time went but made it.

This book has some seriously spooky vibes sometimes. And creepy kids are totes a favorite thing of mine so I’m ado..."

Verity was my favourite too. Hell yeah for creepy kids!

[Farren]

Heather wrote: "Half way through! Today was a rough day as far as reading time went but made it.

This book has some seriously spooky vibes sometimes. And creepy kids are totes a favorite thing of mine so I’m ado..."

Verity is a favorite of mine too, and I feel bad for her because she has grown up in constant mourning. No wonder she doesn't feel creeped out by the ghosts she sees.

I don't like Cassius but I am curious to find out more about him because I suspect he is something supernatural. I don't know what else would explain Annaleigh's infatuation with him when they've hardly interacted and she was more concerned with finding him than talking things out with Fisher lol

I didn't get any reading done yesterday but I'm going to try to get through at least the next quarter today

[HeatherH]

Farren wrote: "Heather wrote: "Half way through! Today was a rough day as far as reading time went but made it.

This book has some seriously spooky vibes sometimes. And creepy kids are totes a favorite thing of..."

I too thought he wasn't fully human. Maybe one of the gods they talk about or related to one. I wish the gods and the whole magic system around them got more explanation time.

[Dannii]

Farren wrote: "Heather wrote: "Half way through! Today was a rough day as far as reading time went but made it.

This book has some seriously spooky vibes sometimes. And creepy kids are totes a favorite thing of..."

I can't imagine what it must be like to grow up around such constant death at such a young age. I really liked their custom of wearing black for six months and then charcoal for another six, or something like that. I can understand how draining that must be for the little ones, though.

[Farren]

I like the customs but I side with the triplets and Camille that they spend too much time mourning and that I wouldn't want my family to feel miserable for so long after my death.

Chapter 21-30


(view spoiler)[
I was surprised that Rosalie and Ligeia died, especially without Lenore, because naturally I was expecting the oldest to die. Not that I want little girls to die, but I was expecting more than just Edgar's death by page 250, considering the bookmark that came with the book says "In a manor by the sea, one by one, twelve sisters are cursed. Who will be next?"

Did anyone else think the whole shoe mystery contest was kind of lame? Like who would give away their entire future AND ONE OF THEIR CHILDREN just to find out why their shoes are wearing out? 🤨

I'm glad we finally found out Cassius's secret, but I'm not thrilled that he'll be sticking around as a love interest.

I still suspect Morella and I don't think those are normal twins she's cooking in there, so my guess is that her and dragon guy are some kind of shapeshifters that are working together to kill off Ortun's family. But now that we know the ghosts aren't actually ghosts and Annaleigh is seeing things other people aren't I'm probably wrong about that 🤷🏻‍♀️
(hide spoiler)]

[Farren]

Dannii wrote: "Third quarter - I am aware of the tale that this is based on but I think I would have benefited from a reread before beginning this book. Some parts were confusing to me, and it may be my own fault..."

I agree with not feeling any connection to the characters and their story. Verity is the one I'm most interested in, but she's hardly present, and the MC spends more time thinking about her romantic feelings than the murder she was initially so determined to solve, etc.

[HeatherH]

Third quarter done...

(view spoiler)[ so Cassius is half god - called it. Still not overly invested in his character, or really many of them at all. Curious about Annaleigh's visions and the weeping woman/dragon man and why every single member of her family is weird as shit... (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

I don’t think I can use spoiler tags on mobile, so I’ll keep the updates really vague so I don’t spoil it for anybody 😉

At 25%!

There are waaaaaay too many capitalized details to keep track of 😂 We’ve got the islands, the kingdom, the houses, their gods, all the people...other than that, I’m digging it so far. I’m not fond of Morella though.

A blue dress the day after, really?

[Gabi]

I agree with you guys, Dannii and Farren, about how exhausting that much mourning would be. I think I would still wear black for half the year and charcoal for the other half, but maybe not keep with all the mourning restrictions? Like not leaving the estate, no balls or celebrations.

I definitely would not throw a party a few weeks after a funeral though. If I was Eulalie in that situation, I’d be mad.

[Farren]

Gabi wrote: "I agree with you guys, Dannii and Farren, about how exhausting that much mourning would be. I think I would still wear black for half the year and charcoal for the other half, but maybe not keep wi..."

I know it was the triplets' 16th birthday, but yes that was way too soon to throw a Ball.

I may have missed it, but since they celebrate The Churning every year does that mean the mourning restrictions are temporarily lifted? I don't remember them mentioning that but it seems like the family hosts First Night every year

[Farren]

I finished the last 90 pages today, and I'm more pleased with the ending that I expected to be.

Chapter 31-40

(view spoiler)[
So the Weeping Woman made them all dream they went through the Portal every night when really they were in their room sleep-dancing? For a debut novel, the author did quite well with descriptiveness and imagery, and this scene was one of my favorites. I was able to visualize it easily, the girls dancing arms outstretched towards invisible partners and the moon catching their black eyes as they twirled. This scene, the one with Verity's sketches, and when Annaleigh and Cassius return from the lighthouse make it easy to imagine this being a tv miniseries.

It sucks that Fisher was dead all along, but now I feel better about Annaleigh not having feelings for him when it was really the Weeping Woman in his body. I loved how crazy she made her feel when she tried to tell her family the truth and they were scared of her, had her convinced Cassius wasn't real, etc.

I knew Morella was behind it all, and that those were going to be some weird ass babies, but I thought she killed all or most of the girls, not just Eulalie by her own hands and Rosalie and Ligeia by
her pact with the dragon guy (sorry I can't remember those strange names). Elizabeth's death was unexplained and she was "going crazy" before it, so I just assumed it was something the Weeping Woman had done. I'm glad she and Ortun both died at the end, because he's a worse parent than Lori from The Walking Dead, and it turns out he's also a total scumbag when it comes to women.
(hide spoiler)]

[Farren]

Dannii wrote: "Fourth quarter - I'm conflicted! I loved the atmospheric setting and the original premise for the story. I also loved the dynamic between the sisters. I was interested to learn about what exactly ..."

The plot did go all over the place, and it seems like it's setting up for a murder mystery in the beginning, but after about 150 pages I don't think she even wondered about Eulalie anymore.

(view spoiler)[ I didn't believe that Cassius was an illusion and I thought who else could be breaking everything and leaving her messages, but I was disappointed that the author didn't really give anyone else to point a finger at except for Morella and it was too obvious. (hide spoiler)]

[HeatherH]

Farren wrote: "Gabi wrote: "I agree with you guys, Dannii and Farren, about how exhausting that much mourning would be. I think I would still wear black for half the year and charcoal for the other half, but mayb..."

They never explain how the Churning is handled being in mourning. Seems to be an oversight on the authors part IMO.

[Farren]

Overall, I ended up liking this book more than I thought I would with all of the mixed reviews, and I would absolutely read future books by the author. The second quarter of the book was weak and should have been shortened, and there was too much emphasis on the romance for me personally. I thought the world building and mythology was adequate for a standalone story, but that's probably because I prefer paranormal fantasy over high fantasy any day. I ended up increasing my rating back up to a 4 at the end, since it held my attention well, had a pretty unique plot for a YA fantasy novel, and was an impressive first novel.

[HeatherH]

Finished!

So the last quarter of the book flew by for me. I didn't want to put it down. There were a lot of twists I didn't expect to play out the way they did and I also got more invested in some of the characters that had fallen flat up to that point. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I would have loved to seen more information about the gods/magic system and to have had the sisters all fleshed out better earlier on in the story.

(view spoiler)[ holy madness - nothing was real! Also, fisher being dead the whole time? Probably the most saddening part for me of the whole book. I was terrified Verity was going to die and so glad she didn't. Also, I'm probably in the minority here, but I could have been content without Cassius coming back at the end. I was never invested in their love story - it felt fake and forced to me, there was literally no reason for her to love him based on the limited interactions they had. (hide spoiler)]

[Karen]

Wasn’t sure if people would still be on this. It’s on my TBR pile, so I’ll check again once I’m done with my current read.

[Gabi]

@Farren I’m still in the first quarter of the book, and I remember they said that for one holiday they always celebrate it despite the mourning. It might have been First Night, but there are so many details that I’m not 100% certain 😂

The book does feel kind of all over the place, but if some of these characters come to life later on, then I’m excited. I’d especially like to see more personality with Annaleigh. Right now she’s sort of just...there

[Gabi]

Of course Karen! Join in at any time! I’m only just starting the second quarter of the book!

[Gabi]

Yesterday, the lobby was so quiet and comfortable that I got to fit in 4 hours of reading.

Today, trying to find a spot to read is like Mission: Impossible 😭

[Gabi]

43%!

So in a passage it was stated that the child of one of their gods once visited one of their parties, like that’s completely normal. If the gods walking among them is common knowledge, I think that should have been stated earlier in the book.

Also, why all the fuss over believing in ghosts and magical objects then? If gods calling on rain right in from of them is normal, why not ghosts?

[Farren]

I didn't know this was a retelling of Twelve Dancing Princesses until I was putting the dust jacket back on and saw it on the back cover 🤦🏻‍♀️ I kept thinking why even have 12 sisters and not develop any of them and basically turn 6 of them into 2 people. So that explains why they weren't fleshed out very well, but I still think the author could have focused more on giving them all personalities and less on Cassius and the romance aspect.

Gabi wrote: "43%!

So in a passage it was stated that the child of one of their gods once visited one of their parties, like that’s completely normal. If the gods walking among them is common knowledge, I think..."

I took that to be a tall tale from someone trying to get attention, like when men lie about catching giant fish but somehow losing the evidence, meeting a celebrity, etc., and that the girls had made it into a game never expecting to actually find the door. Camille's skepticism was the most frustrating to me because she fiercely believed that they had a curse on them but thought ghosts and murderers were absurd.

[Dannii]

Gabi wrote: "43%!

So in a passage it was stated that the child of one of their gods once visited one of their parties, like that’s completely normal. If the gods walking among them is common knowledge, I think..."

I was wondering this too!

[HeatherH]

I almost feel like that part about one of the gods kids being at a party was solely thrown in for the purpose of (view spoiler)[ being able to use that for Cassius (hide spoiler)].

[Gabi]

@Farren Yes!!! Exactly, with both statements! I didn’t even think about the Camille thing until you pointed it out too

[Gabi]

Page 220, with the First Night party. Does anyone else think the party drama was rather...far fetched? Especially for Ortun, he seemed completely out of character to me.

[Cindee]

I am 104 pages into this book and all that has happened is her sister died with Annaleigh trying to figure out what or who caused her death. The story and characters are interesting so far the plot has not developed all that much yet.

[Heather]

25% finished:
(view spoiler)[ I love Annaleigh as a main character. So far she’s been grief stricken but, she still keeps going. I feel like the atmosphere in the book could be written a little more elaborate so, we can tell exactly where everything this happening at. I’m very suspicious about these dancing shoes that all the girls are worried about having though. (hide spoiler)]

[Heather]

50% finished:
(view spoiler)[ oh my god I have got to find out who is killing all these people!! My heart hurts for Annaleigh when they go in search of her triplet sisters. I couldn’t imagine walking up on all three sisters who appear to have committed suicide but I just don’t think that they did! (hide spoiler)]

[Heather]

75% finished:
(view spoiler)[ I definitely have got to keep reading now that Cassius found out about the door that the girls all traveled through to get to the balls. Honestly I was really shocked that none of the family believed Annaleigh after all the sisters and some other characters have been killed off. (hide spoiler)]

[Heather]

Finished:
(view spoiler)[ This book is about a group of sisters and their connection to the sea in the most mysterious way possible. I feel like the setting of this book was well written but, I needed a little more descriptive language so I could feel like I was with them. I listened to the audiobook and buddy read this with someone and I just felt like I needed to keep going. I felt connected to the main character and Cassius the most and honestly if I would’ve read a little more into it might’ve seen the big reveal of who murdered everybody but, I wasn’t paying 100% attention all the time. The ending I was very confused even though it was a great time in the future after the last chapter. I’m interested to see how Erin’s writing grows in the future. (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

CH 13 (view spoiler)[This is pretty fascinating and it makes me want to watch a twelve dancing princesses movie 😂. I love this world and how gritty and dark it feels. I never know what I should expect. I hate how the towns people treat the girls. I don’t think they’re cursed. Also I don’t trust their new mother. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 22 (view spoiler)[and now the dancing has begun. These girls sound SO tired. I’m tired just thinking about all of the dancing. I wonder if anyone else will die. The tone of this book doesn’t leave me much room for hope. I wonder if Annaleigh will get any closer to finding out what happened to her sister. I don’t trust Roland or Cassius. They’re hiding things. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 34 (view spoiler)[okay so my latest theory that it was Fisher is probably false since he is also dead. SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED!! I loved seeing that Cassius is a demigod. I hope that’s his only secret. I love him and Annaleigh together. I can’t believe all the balls have been fake! It was sooo creepy watching them dance by themselves. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ Ugh this was amazing!! I loved the ending. The stepmother made a lot of sense once we got to the truth and all the confusing threads were proved wrong. I am so glad Verity was saved. probably would've cried if she hadn't made it (hide spoiler)]

[Dr. Andy]

Heather wrote: "25% finished:
[spoilers removed]"

The atmosphere of this book was amazing!!

[Heather]

Right!! I wish we had more of her writing!!

[Gabi]

100%! Just finished it this weekend!

I enjoyed reading the book, but I didn't really like the book, if that makes sense? I was going to give it two stars, but this one part at the end made me so upset, it fell to a one for me:

(view spoiler)[ After spending an entire book of the family not believing Annaleigh, having them accuse her of being the murderer pushed me over the edge. Especially Camille. If Annaleigh can know better despite all the tricks of the Weeping Woman, I would think Camille would at least show a hint of doubt creep into her expression. (hide spoiler)]

Although I have to say, finding out (view spoiler)[ that Morella actually was behind all this all along (hide spoiler)] was pretty satisfying.

There was just so much chaos near the end, though! (view spoiler)[ And then suddenly on top of everything else: Fire! (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Cindee wrote: "I am 104 pages into this book and all that has happened is her sister died with Annaleigh trying to figure out what or who caused her death. The story and characters are interesting so far the plot..."

I do think the story could have had a few more layers of development, definitely. It was an interesting tale though!

[Sans]

Late to the party by Sarah's permission.

So. (view spoiler)[I was seriously creeped out for about half the book. I usually don't read ghost stories (yes, I'm 38 and warily respecful bordering on afraid of ghosts, you don't mess with what you don't understand or at least I don't!). I kept wanting to put the book down and walk away from it. I need to read through the other comments here to figure out if that was just me being me or if anyone else got the creepy vibes too. (hide spoiler)]