House of Salt and Sorrows

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Manufacturer: Erin A. Craig
Brand: Fantasy Fiction
Brew: Hardback
Steeping Time: 416 pages
Tea Service: Personal Choice
Strength:

Synopsis: 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…

Any book that starts with a funeral is practically perfection.

Especially a somewhat creepy one where the coffin is put into a vault to eventually be broken down by ocean water which then carries the body out to sea. I have been craving something spooky for months now, and nothing has quite hit the spot. I tried The Hunting Party and The Lost Village, but neither one had the spook factor I was looking for. Thank you bookstagram for leading the right person to me who recommended House of Salt and Sorrows. I wish I could remember who told me about it because I’d like to send them a gift basket. They win the grand prize for best recommendation.

Our main character in House of Salt and Sorrows is Annaleigh. She is now the second oldest sister after recent deaths in the family and is understandably heartbroken at the loss of yet another family member. However, she tries to be a source of strength for her older sister Camille and her six younger sisters. Annaleigh is such a kind and caring person. It’s refreshing to have a main character who is simply good. She has seen pain and sorrow in her young life, but she isn’t vindictive or jaded. She’s simply good.

However, being a good person doesn’t always mean that life is good to you in return.

A rumor starts to spread after the death of Eulalie, the fourth sister to die under mysterious circumstances. The townsfolk are starting to believe that the sisters are cursed. It doesn’t help the family’s standing when the majority of the house decides to forgo customary mourning for Eulalie. The house had been in mourning for six years, with one death after another. Happier news, however, gives an excuse to skip the full mourning process. Although Annaleigh doesn’t approve, she’s overruled by the rest of the household. Unfortunately, this further hurts their reputation.

Annaleigh realizes the full scope of the locals’ dislike when she visits a nearby town. She is faced with angry townsfolk who don’t want her around because her mere presence might curse them as well. A bad situation, yes, but one with a silver lining. While there, she meets the mysterious Cassius, a handsome young man in town who has arrived to care for his father. Cue the gothic romance vibes.

All of the sisters realize how badly their standing has been affected when they decide to hold a ball for Lenore, Rosalie, and Ligeia, the triplet sisters who are turning 16. When the ball is poorly attended and no one will dance with any of the sisters, it is all too clear what people think of them. Enter Fisher, a childhood friend of the family who has a solution. He’s heard tell of a secret door that the gods use to traverse the world in a quicker fashion. If they can find it, then the girls are free to attend balls across the land and dance with whomever they wish.

While Annaleigh’s sisters are concerned about social standing, finding a husband, and simply enjoying life, Annaleigh is convinced that Eulalie’s death was no accident.

She’s determined to figure out what happened to her sister, even if no one else believes her. Early on in Annaliegh’s suspicions, Verity, the youngest sister, tells Annaleigh that all of the dead sisters are still at the house and she sees them all the time. Excuse me? Dead sisters roaming a gothic mansion by the sea? YES. ALL OF THIS, YES!

This book drew me in from the very beginning. I was glued to it from start to finish and simply couldn’t put it down. The pace is quick and engaging, even though there is a lot going on. The main plot jumps between a murder mystery, the dances, the ghostly apparitions that are plaguing Annaleigh, and a budding romance. I enjoyed each of these storylines, but the ghost bits were definitely my favorite.

At its core, House of Salt and Sorrows is a retelling of The 12 Dancing Princesses. The original Grimm’s fairytale is about 12 sisters who constantly wear out their shoes even though they never leave the castle. I’ve read all of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, but I’d forgotten all about this one. Personally, I love a good retelling and I think Erin A. Craig did a phenomenal job here. Because it’s a retelling, it is similar to Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. House of Salt and Sorrows is far darker, but it has the same themes of sisters using a secret door to go dancing in another world since they are both based around the same tale.

I had to remind myself that, ultimately, House of Salt and Sorrows is a fantasy novel.

The hardest concept for me to wrap my head around is that gods are real. The gods are spoken of as real beings, and examples are given of how they’ve shown up to festivals and interacted with the people that live in their regions and worship them. I think I struggled with that because whenever there is a creepy manor full of ghosts, my brain immediately jumps to the late 1800s. I had no problem putting all my faith in the magic door, however, so I don’t know what my excuse is.

The story is a Victorian-inspired Gothic fantasy novel geared towards the YA crowd. With that being said, I think it’s a YA book that plenty of adults would enjoy as well. I know I did! There’s a touch of romance and most of the characters are rather young, but the real focus of the story seems to be the eerie setting and overall creepiness of the tale. I couldn’t get enough of it! I have seen some complaints that there are loose ends, but I don’t mind that at all. Nine times out of ten, life isn’t wrapped up in a neat little bow. I don’t mind letting my imagination run wild with the frayed strings left behind at the end of a good story.

At the end of the day, House of Salt and Sorrows is one of my favorite reads this year.

It fully hit the mark for a spooky book and the only bad thing about it was that it ended. If you enjoy ghost stories, fairytale retellings, or are just looking for a spooky book, check out House of Salt and Sorrows!

Have you read House of Salt and Sorrows? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about it! Want to read it for yourself? Click here to get a copy of your own.
Cheers,
Lydia