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

[Alaina]

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. . . .

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

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.

[Tiera]

I totes wanna crash this BR if thats ok?!

[Alaina]

Tiera wrote: "I totes wanna crash this BR if thats ok?!"

eeeeck just saw this! yes you can! I got sucked into Blood Heir so I will dive into this one next :D

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date changed. Restarting April 1st 2019. Happy Reading ☺

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[Tiera]

I need to crash this BR this month if that's ok?! I didnt get it read last month!

[Amanda]

I am LOVING this book so far! Wow is it amazing!

[Amanda]

end of ch 2 (view spoiler)[ Are you kidding? She thinks now is the right time??? How classless... it's almost like she's spitting on Eulalie's grave. She couldn't wait until after the wake even? She waited three whole months! I see an evil step mother story coming. After 12 daughters a promise of a son will diminish the girls. Ugh. At least they have each other, it must be nice to have such a large family. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 4 (view spoiler)[ Okay now that was soooo sweet. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 5 (view spoiler)[ Wow this book is really getting interesting. Suspicious omen from a blind man, cute bastard boy and a quest to prove hers sister's death wasn't a mere accident. This story has taken off quickly. Plus there is the promise of a ball to come and hopefully Cassius will be there. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

End of ch 6 (view spoiler)[ Her sister sees ghosts. Creepy that it's always a young child. Kinda horror-esque.

Oh no you don't Morella! Don't go trying to steal this girls damn birthright you witch!!

Oh wow! I am enraged for these girls. How did I manage to become so quickly emotionally attached to these characters already? AH THIS BOOK!! And to think that I thought it wasn't going to be that good! Obviously some amazing character development because I am PISSED at Morella!!

I'm so glad that their father didn't cower. He is more devoted to the girls than his new wife. Good for them and it means I don't have to hate him too. I feel like Camille does about Morella. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 8 (view spoiler)[ So creepy!! I love it! Wow. I had no idea that this book would be so good. Or so eerie! (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 9 (view spoiler)[ Wow this is kinda horror like. How am I supposed to sleep now?! Loving the eerie and scary elements. This book is amazing! How am I ever supposed to set it down?? (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 12 (view spoiler)[ The whole squid/sea turtle thing is clearly some sort of omen, but I'm a little confused on the nature of it all. She thought she was being attacked by something with tentacles in the bath, but the squid or octopus seems to be their family emblem, so that should represent them, shouldn't it? But then she was admiring the turtles earlier, so maybe the squid represents the curse. The whole thing about the clock and how it looks like it's going after prey, plus the vision/dream thing in the bath, and this now all make it sound like an omen or representing the curse. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 13 (view spoiler)[ The plot thickens! A hunt for a godly portal door and a shadow person that killed their sister. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 14 (view spoiler)[ OMG a magical ball! I forgot that this was a retelling of the 12 dancing princesses!! I don't really remember how that fairy tale goes, but I'm loving this story so much. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 15 (view spoiler)[ Wow this is amazing! This book is so eerie, but also so incredibly magical at the same time. But this is clearly no Disney version of a fairy tale. Ahhh I hope that boy she met, Cassius, will be there! I have always wanted to go to a masquerade! (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole]

I totally said I'd start this yesterday but haven't gotten around to it yet. I'll start it today for sure!

[Tiera]

I plan on starting tomorrow.. *crosses fingers*

[Nicole]

Sorry for the delay!

Chapter 4
(view spoiler)[I usually try to avoid all the new YA retellings, but this is pretty good so far. I can't wait to see what the 'curse' really is about or if it's even a curse at all. I bet that all of the deaths so far have been murders, but that's just my guess. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 16 (view spoiler)[ Some might hate a love triangle, but I find two guys fighting for a woman kind of sexy. Let's see if this is childish of sexy. I was never really one hoping for Fisher. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 18(view spoiler)[ I am not sure it was Roland. I think it was Camille... but then at the same time she was surprised when she heard about Edgar, but she has the motive because she is now the heir and everyone would just think it is the curse. She does seem a little cold sometimes... I don't know....

I also think he might be a god.


Was fisher the killer? Ugh I have no idea. He is hiding something though. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 20(view spoiler)[ I can't imagine what it must be like to be the child whose mother died giving birth to them... I've always wondered if children like Verity had these types of feelings. To deal with so much death and loss at such a young age must be so hard. She is so young and tortured, but kind as well. I can't imagine what it must be like to live a life so ful of death and fear that your other sisters will die too. She must have such a struggle. The pacing has lessened up since they went to the portal and to the first dance, but you think it would be the other way around and that it would get faster once they went to the dance. I wish they told more about the dances rather than the goings on at home. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 23(view spoiler)[ Wow. I really hated Morella in the beginning and she just kind of felt like the evil step mother archetype and this chapter really humanized her and showed that she's a lonely person. I don't know if I feel sorry for her as much as I have just grown to understand her more. In terms of character development she is written so well that it is hard to just purely hate her. All of the charcters are so real, so three dimensional. I would like to see more of Verity and Camille. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 27(view spoiler)[ Holy shit. Talk about creepy!! Now that is gross. This book is so dark! I would probably classify parts of it as horror and others as a beautiful fairy tale. The contrast is what makes it all feel so unique. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 31 (view spoiler)[ The whole dream dancing thing is so weird and confusing. So the balls were never real? So confused. I feel like this explanation kind of ruined what was a beautiful book. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda]

end of ch 38 (view spoiler)[ I kind of hate the ending. I absolutely loved the first half of the book and ever since then it has just gone downhill. I don't like the reasons behind the madness. I don;t like the climax, I don't like the resolution. The climax wasn't even exciting for me. It was like it was all magical and creepy and they didn't know how to end it so they just explained it all away and ruined the book. Different ending please.... Last half of the book deserves 3 stars and first half deserved 5. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole]

Chapter 21
(view spoiler)[Now I get how this is a retelling of The 12 Dancing Princesses, since now they're actually going to balls every day to dance. I like the magical aspect of this book and how they go through some kind of portal to get to the ball. This book is good so far! (hide spoiler)]

[Tiera]

14% (view spoiler)[ Not really all that sure where we are headed with this so far.. there are a lot of vague references and nothing has really been explained yet. I will say omg there are alot of female characters.. so far the only ones I have been able to keep straight have been the ones that are deceased... I even thought the step mom was a sister for an uncomfortable amount of time.. like right up until she announced the pregnancy. #awkward lol. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole]

Chapter 32
(view spoiler)[I'm shocked that two of the triplets ended up dead! I knew one of the remaining sisters was going to go sometime during the story, but it was still unexpected. I totally thought that Cassius/whatever his name is did it until we find out that the reason he knows all about Annaleigh is because he's a half-god. (hide spoiler)]

[Tiera]

20% (view spoiler)[ OMG how creepy is Verity and her sketchbook... *shivers* (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole]

Finished
(view spoiler)[Woah, that was so good!!! I loved the part where you think that Annaleigh is the one who's making everything up, but it's really the Weeping Woman messing with everyone else's minds. I had no idea that Morella was the one who made the deal with that demon guy, and she got the death she deserved. (hide spoiler)]

[Tiera]

43% (view spoiler)[ I don't really know what is going on lol. To be fair I have never read a 12 Dancing Princess' tale so that may be why. Right now we seem to just have a lot of dots that have no connection. I can't tell what information is necessary to the story line and what is just filler. Points include: The curse (is this a real thing), Seeing Ghosts (are these real ghosts or the imaginings of Verity and annaleigh), The Portal (so that seems to be a real thing but how and why is it here and what roles do these gods play in society), The Dances (What is the point of the dances?), The Murder (Was Eululee murdered? Will it matter if she was? What about the other dead sisters?)

In other words.. what the heck is going on lol. (hide spoiler)]

[Tiera]

47% Good lord my heart is pounding out my chest!

[Tiera]

Finished: (view spoiler)[ Here is sit wide eyed, and shell shocked. I was not expecting this.. Dark Fantasy bordering on horror to come from these pages. I'm so twisted about it really. Whew the madness, paranoia. I think this would make an awesome movie I'm thinking. Yea.. I think its going to take me a while to get over this. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date changed. Restarting September 1st 2019. Happy Reading ☺

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[Linaria]

Does anyone find the grief Annaleigh has seems kind of superficial.

[Linaria]

Also, is it just me, or are the sisters superficial too? They seem to not have many characteristics beyond their grouping.

[Linaria]

Tiera wrote: "Finished: [spoilers removed]"

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.

[Linaria]

Amanda wrote: "end of ch 38 [spoilers removed]"

I think I'm mostly with you. I like the concepts, but the second half's execution definitely left something to be desired for me. It was a little too rushed and the whole (view spoiler)[messing with peoples minds (hide spoiler)]

[Jaye]

Clephiro (The Book Coven) wrote: "Tiera wrote: "Finished: [spoilers removed]"

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 s..."


Agreed! All these rando girl names thrown around lol who

[Jaye]

When the MC didn't really care much about her sisters dying... yikes

[Jaye]

This book was SUCH a classic ya fantasy but I don't like that kind of thing anymore. Like when annaleigh would literally faint at stress? Wtf? And the romance

[Jaye]

The sea aesthetic was really cool and some scenes were pretty creepy but it just made me salty (haha) because this could have been a good one.

[Heather]

I’m starting this tomorrow so please don’t spoil it

[HeatherH]

Finished the first quarter of the book (ch1-11).

(view spoiler)[ I feel like the only sisters I've been able to get any semblance of a feel for are Annaleigh, Camille and Verity. Verity actually feels the most real to me so far - she's a creepy little kid! The scenes with her and her sketches are by far my favorite so far. Camille feels superficial and a little conceded. The rest of the sisters are names only and I can barely keep them straight. The father is irritating and seems to only care about the replacement wife and she's not a very enjoyable character either. Fisher was introduced this last chapter and while I hope to get a lot more of him, I feel like that most likely isn't going to happen. The love interest doesn't have much depth and almost feels insta-lovey right now so hoping that improves. (hide spoiler)]

[janel]

Clephiro (The Book Coven) wrote: "Also, is it just me, or are the (view spoiler)[sisters superficial too? They seem to not have many characteristics beyond their grouping." (hide spoiler)]

I'm only about halfway right now but I agree! In my opinion, (view spoiler)[a lot of books fail from doing this, throwing so many people at you but not giving you a chance to care about them. Plus I think it's been discussed about when you have a larger number of something, people care about the loss left - so the more sisters, the less we care when one dies, at least for me LOL (hide spoiler)]

[janel]

Heather wrote: "Finished the first quarter of the book (ch1-11).

[spoilers removed]"

I agree on the LI bit - (view spoiler)[it's just like "oh hello," "oh we're just gonna be into each other now" and there's nothing for me to cling to and care about! :C (hide spoiler)]

[Farren]

I can't get this on audio for like 3 months so I'm going to read my hardcover edition and jump into your buddy read if that's okay!

Heather wrote: "Finished the first quarter of the book (ch1-11).

[spoilers removed]"

I've also read through chapter 11 and I feel the same. I actually wrote down all of their names and ages and which ones had already died when I first started the book and I'm glad I did that because it has helped me keep everything straight.

(view spoiler)[
The drawings were also the most interesting part to me so far, but I am enjoying the story as a whole. The father is kind of a jerk, like he'll just buy them nice stuff but doesn't want to actually engage with them, and shows a lot more affection towards Morella. I am immediately suspicious of her, especially her reaction to finding out that her son will not become heir unless all of the girls die first....
(hide spoiler)]

Have you guys read Four Dead Queens? I loved that book and this one has a similar vibe—a murder mystery set in a fantasy world.

[Gabi]

Hi everyone! I'm going on a trip all of sudden so I thought I might take this book with me. I know this BR was planned to start on Sep first, but would it be alright if I join in too? I'll be starting some time tomorrow or the day after!

[HeatherH]

@Farren - I agree with your suspicions! Hoping to knock out another 100 pages tonight although I napped only a few hours after my night shift last night and am off so its possible I will fall asleep! lol
I haven't read four dead queens yet but I do own it so hope to get to it soon!

@Gabi - join in!! I'm BR'ing four books currently so I will still be working through this one when you start!!