House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Get swept away by this “haunting” (Bustle) YA novel about twelve beautiful sisters living on an isolated island estate who begin to mysteriously die one by one. This dark and atmospheric fairy tale inspired story is perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

"Step inside a fairy tale." —Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

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. Be careful who you dance with...

And don't miss Erin Craig's Small Favors, a mesmerizing and chilling novel about dark wishes and even darker dreams.

I bought House of Salt and Sorrows when it first came out and started reading it right away. But I didn’t finish it. I started reading it again a few months later, but again, didn’t finish it. Finally, after finding out that House of Roots and Ruin, the sequel to House of Salt and Sorrows, was coming out, I got off my butt and read it.

I have no idea why on Earth it took me so long to read this book. Part of it might have been because I’m actually not familiar with the fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, of which House of Salt and Sorrows is a retelling. But whatever the reason, it absolutely shouldn’t have taken me this long to read this book!

I loved Annaleigh! She’s strong but also shows vulnerability, especially when certain events take place. I also loved most of her sisters – Camille wasn’t my favorite, but I did enjoy the triplets and the Graces. They were fun characters. Not particularly sure how I felt about their father and I really wasn’t fond of Morella, their step-mother. But I did quite enjoy Cassius.

I’m a huge fairy tale retelling lover, so it isn’t a surprise that I loved this one. Even though I wasn’t particularly familiar with the fairy tale HOSAS was based on, a quick Google search told me all I needed to know about the original tale. I loved the way Erin A. Craig wove the story around the idea of the Thaumas sisters being cursed because of the deaths of so many of them.

There were several plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that I highly doubt most readers would be able to guess. Especially the big twist at towards the end – that one was definitely not expected! It truly was a great twist!

I really love the ending – mostly because I was so sad at one of the smaller plot twists revealed towards the end of the book. It was the perfect way to end HOSAS and I am looking forward the House of Roots and Ruin.

This one got 4.5/5 stars from me and I highly recommend this book for those who love fairy tales and fairy tale retellings.