HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS is an elegant and enchanting dark YA fantasy. Fans of the 12 Dancing Princesses will be delighted by this deliciously haunting retelling. Annaleigh is the sixth of twelve daughters whose lives have been filled with death. On the islands where they live and her father currently holds the dukedom, the eldest child inherits, whether or not they are male. Annaleigh never imagined she would be in a viable position to inherit, and she has been completely shocked by the events that have led to her having only one older sister, Camille, left. As the four before her have died, Annaleigh suspects that she or Camille are next.

The deaths began with the loss of their mother after childbirth and have continued for so many years that the mourning customs have been their only customs. The series of deaths have led the people around them to believe that the Thaumus family is cursed. However, Annaleigh looks beyond the deaths to suspect murder. As she investigates, stranger and stranger happenings have her second-guessing herself and everything she sees and knows.

With her new stepmother expecting and the shroud of sorrow hanging over the family for so long, everyone but Annaleigh is eager to move on and forget the past. When they find a portal that will take them anywhere, the sisters are all ready to adorn their beautiful gowns and shoes and dance all night at elegant balls. However, Annaleigh is focused on discovering who might be targeting their family before it is too late. With twists and turns and a handsome love interest, this book is completely spell-binding.

Annaleigh is a beautifully crafted character and easy to relate to. Through her eyes, we witness the (at times) horrors and mysteries that shroud the Thaumus family. This is easily a book which kept me up at night turning pages and is difficult to put down. The premise is expertly executed, capturing the 12 Dancing Princesses in a unique and completely fascinating way. As one of my favorite fairytales, I had high expectations, and they were completely met and exceeded.

In terms of the love interest for Annaleigh, this felt a little insta-love-ish, and I was on-board later in the story, though I had a hard time getting into them as a couple. I would have either liked more build up to the romance or for it to be excluded (there is certainly enough else to keep the reader’s eager attention). Other than that, the book has a fantastic build to a twisty and perfect conclusion. The setting is lyrically crafted and absolutely ideal for this dark and spell-binding story. Everything is wrapped up so well at the end also- what a perfect stand-alone novel!

I highly recommend for people who like horror/thrillers, mysteries, fantasy, and dark fairytale retellings. I would add warnings for murders, suicide, and mental illness. Perfect for fans of WINTERSONG and THE WHITE STAG. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Ugh, I feel like I might be in the minority but this book was just a big old nope for me.

Some things this book did right include horror and suspense-building and presenting a gothic novel that fills a hole in YA lit. I think that’s important to mention before I get into my problems with the book; I’m not against gothic horror in YA and I believe there is room for some serious growth in the genre. I am all for books that make you feel like you’re going crazy along with the characters and this book manages that aspect of horror.

However, the book ultimately let me down because of insane pacing issues, weak and passive characters, an 0 to 60 love interest, and the level of gore and monster madness at the end.

As I mentioned, gore and other aspects of horror can be impactful in the right light, but this book went from idling to racecar speed too quickly for me to wrap my head around it. This issue runs rampant throughout the book, including an “eh” to insta-love situation and the plotline in general. House of Salt and Sorrows is a book that leads its readers in one direction for a solid 3/4 of the book and then goes utterly bats**t in the last quarter, flinging readers in a direction that they hadn’t been prepped for. I think the best horror novels do a solid job of putting in little horror elements here and there throughout the novel to make the reader uneasy and guide them toward acceptance when things do get crazy. But this book doesn’t do that at all, and the result is a confused, baffled reader. (At least in my case.)

I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review. I started reading this book in hopes I would love it. I enjoyed the dancing every night and the grandness of it all. I felt that there was too much that the author was trying to do with this book and wish she had stuck with the main story. The mystery and the deaths alone could have made for great tale. Later in the book gods are thrown in and it becomes a jumbled mess. I feel like this author has promise and would read books by her in the future. I am sad I didn't love this!

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

This was a wonderful retelling of an old story. While it didn't adhere strictly to The Twelve Dancing Princesses storyline it was a great new take on the story. I enjoyed the romance that was subtly there and didn't take up too much room that it felt all about the romance. Instead, it was about the sisters and what was happening to them. There was one giant continuity error that made me stop and get confused but other than that this book was a great read that kept me up all night.

This synposis had me so hooked though sounding like a darker kinda little mermaid feel with them being people of the salt by the sea. It starts off kinda slow, but it definitely picks up and sends you on a mysterious adventure. I wasn’t sure what to expect and had about 5 suspects along the way. (What can I say, I’m suspicious xD)

Annaleigh was such a interesting character to me though. You can tell how fiercely she feels for her sisters especially her younger ones. The way she fights for them even when other family members wanted to move on or do stupid things (cough go to dances cough cough) I loved how the gods were woven into the story and the twist at the end was such a good way to wrap up and end the story!

If you enjoy a darker fantasy where you aren’t sure what’s reality and dreams than this book will be for you!

I requested an arc of this on netgalley and forgot about it. I knew i knew I didn’t trust the stepmom. Okay so i liked no loved this? I don’t know i expected something different but i still loved it, it was perfectly creepy and suspenseful. The ending was bittersweet but i want more, i wanted the reveal to be prolonged, i felt that it was so quick and easy to figure out but the writing felt enriched and full, it kept me speeding through wanting to find out more.

This debut 😱 It’s so atmospheric and enchanting! The authors personality makes it all of her own and give this a mood. They eerie elements were perfect!

There were threads of darkness and light throughout the story, tragic deaths brushing against the finery of life. The mystery surrounding the untimely deaths of Annaleigh's older sisters pulled me into the story and the creepiness (such as her younger sister Verity's strange drawings and talk of ghosts!) gave me chills. Loved this book!

The 12 princesses reimagined are in this gothic horror story.

I loved the creepy atmosphere and despite this being a debut, it was exceptionally well written with its juxtaposition between the light frivolity and the dark undertones. The mystery aspect was perfectly balanced with horror as Annaleigh tries to unravel the suspicious circumstances regarding her sisters' deaths.

I would've loved to give House of Salt and Sorrows a five-star rating but the Annaleigh/Cassius insta-love and the fact that Annaleigh made the worst decisions ever when investigating the murders. I was literally screaming at her when she thinks it's a *great* idea to go looking for clues alone at night with a possible murderer on the loose, because what could go wrong with her logic? 🤔🤔🤔

Other than that, I enjoyed this book and am genuinely looking forward to reading Erin Craig's future works. 9/10 would recommend.

*Thank you to NetGalley and its publishers for providing a free ARC*

This. I am blown away by how much I loved it. A gothic twist on the 12 Dancing Princesses. It’s written so well and even if I was a little confused over what was happening that was the point. Annaleigh is confused so it’s confusing to follow. This was detailed so well without being too much. 10/10 would recommend.

Annaleigh’s sisters have been dying one by one. Annaleigh suspects that there something suspicious with her sisters’ deaths. She investigate the truth. I really like Annaleigh. She is very compassionate and observant. I also like that she stays true to herself. I also love the writing. It was lush and evocative. The setting of Ireland was very atmospheric and mythical. I recommend this for those that love dark fairytales. Full review to come!

Thank you Netgalley for letting me review this book.
A really enjoyable and unique young adult novel. I loved the world and the creative characters. The story had lots of twists and turns. It was a fun read.

***ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review, all opinions are my own. Thank you.***

Look at that beautiful cover, let me take a minute to just admire the beauty of it. Does it really portray what the book is going to deliver in levels of a creepy supernatural story, not really, but who cares its so pretty.

I really liked all the characters, the dynamic between the sisters is really nice. There are a lot of characters in the book, the sisters are eight in total but they each felt unique enough to have their own voice even if only three of them really have a strong influence on the story. I loved the world that the author created, from the mythology to just the world itself. Its a small chain of islands that each have their own unique features. This story is dark, the nightly balls are thankfully a very small part of the story. The core of the story is Annaleigh trying to find the truth as she slips further into madness.

I know some others have mentioned and the description sells this as a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale but its truly not to me, perhaps a re imaging. While you can see parallels between the two stories, primarily the ruined shoes, this story goes much deeper than that and is so much more creepier. There are many influences on this story from fairy tales, mythology and the supernatural, deals with tricksters and twisted gods that make play things of mortals. The author has done a great job crafting her own mythology for her world and to call this just a straight retelling doesn't do the full story justice.

If you are looking for a straight retelling of the fairy tale this may not be what you want but its a great and dark fantasy mystery story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book. This fantasy has some bite. Fairy tales were usually darker than Disney portrayed and this book took this retelling there. It is spooky and creepy with an air of mystery. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy retellings and are looking for something new that will go outside the regular retelling box.

Although I finished reading it a few days ago, I’m still a bit entranced by this book. There was so much I liked about it: the uniqueness of the twist on the story of the twelve dancing princesses; the eerie, atmospheric pacing, filled with complications and revelations that kept me wondering what was really going on; the eclectic group of characters, each integral to the story. The tale was rather fascinating.
My only complaint (though I honestly think that’s too strong a word) is that it was difficult at times for me to figure out how much time had passed. Days in the story sometimes seemed like weeks, and weeks seemed like moments, so that I found myself going back to make sure I hadn’t missed something. But it didn’t detract at all from the overall story.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will definitely read this author again. This is one I will recommend to my friends. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait a bit: House of Salt and Sorrows will be released August 6, 2019.
Many thanks to Random House/Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own!

This book tells the story of the Thaumas family from Annaleigh's POV. The family has been in mourning for five years after the deaths of their mother and four sisters. The entire town believes the family is cursed...and the family is beginning to believe the same.
This book was dark and lovely at the same time. I'll admit that I was completely creeped out at times (which never happens me), and other times, I was wrapped up in the small moments of joy had by the sisters. This is definitely a unique take on the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I loved the mythology written into the book and can't wait to see what else Erin A. Craig has up her sleeve. I highly recommend this book.
#HouseOfSaltAndSorrows #NetGalley

Extremely atmospheric, haunting, and filled with an ethereal sense of historically-tinged Gothic horror, this was something unique. The dark fairy tale retelling trend is looking up for the rest of 2019!

World: ★★★★ 1/2
Plot Execution: ★★★ 1/2
Character Development: ★★★
Gothic Ocean Vibes: ★★★★★

Well hello, Gothic ocean-inspired fairy tale retelling! House of Salt and Sorrows was something I never knew I wanted until I read it. It's a full cast list of sisters and other residents of Highmoor Estate, located on one of several islands that are home to the People of the Salt (they worship a Poseidon-like god and love the ocean), and their Gothic experiences that occur as one by one the sisters succumb to mysterious deaths and something spooky and magical is afoot.

Annaleigh Thaumas is not the oldest sister, but as her older sisters keep dying, she finds herself being the second oldest in a family that has been living in a constant state of mourning for over five years. First her mother dies, and then one by one her oldest sisters meet untimely ends. Annaleigh doesn't believe that all of her sisters dying accidentally. With a distinctively historical flair, Annaleigh embarks on a whodunit narrative to find out who killed the last one her sisters, Eulalie, and find out if the rumors about her family are true—that the Thaumas family is cursed.

I loved Annaleigh. She was full of character, inquisitive but not aggressive, and felt grounded in her historical time period. Unlike other YA heroines who feel like modern characters plunked into historical settings, Annaleigh was very much grounded in her time. This meant that while she was independent and surrounded by semi-progressive characters, she still had to deal with the gender roles imposed on women during the (what appears to be) ambiguously Victorian/Edwardian inspired time period of House of Salt and Sorrows.

In the midst of Annaleigh's quest to find her sisters' murderer, another plot is bubbling. The group of remaining sisters and Annaleigh find a "portal" of sorts on the grounds of their estate that leads them to anywhere they mentally desire. As they have been sequestered for years in mourning with no balls or entertainment, they wish for a place to dance. The sisters find ball after ball through the portal, dancing their nights away with strangers in glittering settings....but is there something sinister under the surface?

As the nights continue and the girls burn through their dancing shoes as well as their energy, Annaleigh begins to suspect that there is something wrong with the portal, Highmoor, and the people around her.

In a more typical YA move, we are also introduced to a Mysterious Boy and an Old Boy Friend Who is Now Attractive—I'll admit, it does follow the path of a love triangle. I don't want to give too much about these characters away, but while I initially was bored and underwhelmed by their introduction to the plot, this love triangle quickly gained several layers, abandoned its triangle, and actually became incredibly spooky and surprisingly terrifying.

Speaking of terrifying—this book gets DARK. I loved it, but the last 25% was definitely much more graphic, spooky, and psychologically intense than the rest of the book combined. So if you're reading House of Salt and Sorrows for the spooky element, hold out until the end. It's awesome.

So, it seems like all praise... Why not 5 stars?

One of my main gripes about House of Salt in Sorrows was its strange characterizations that seemed to adapt as the plot required, and not vice versa.

Annaleigh's father is portrayed as a loving, progressive, and interesting character at the beginning...and then seemingly overnight, his characterization morphs into another layer that did not feel authentic, and by the end felt way too much like a plot device. Similarly, Annaleigh's older sister, Camille, seemed to waver between one persona and another without much justification. And finally, while I loved Annaleigh, I did find her unbelievably trusting a few too many times. She would be suspicious of someone on one page, and then on the next she would seemingly let go of those feelings.

However, griping aside, I loved this dark story. House of Salt and Sorrows is equal parts murder mystery, ghost story, sweet dream/beautiful nightmare, and an extremely dark rendition of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale. It's a lot for one concept, but with surprising skill the author managed to weave together these intense plot devices in an authentic and engaging way.

This was so captivating in the beginning. I was immediately sucked in. The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and the conflict is basically a murder mystery. Also there are ghosts. And princesses. The whose aesthetic is gorgeous.

There are few problems though. The pacing gets really slow around halfway through. It was difficult to push through and I felt like nothing was happening. The romance too, was kind of dull. Not enough conflict there. The stakes for the whole thing seemed kind of low actually, and the main character didn't have much personality. Her voice wasn't strong enough to interest me the whole way through.

I was initially so excited about this. The opening is fantastic. But then there is too much discussion about dresses and dancing, and occasional ghosts, and not enough was happening in the present of the story. This ended up being middle of the road for me, but I could see someone else loving it for the aesthetic and mood and worldbuilding alone. I loved all these things. I just needed the other areas of the story to be more developed and interesting as well.

This was so much darker than I had anticipated, for some reason.

There was something awfully enticing with how dark and creepy this was - for the first half. And while it still had me enthralled in the back half, it was dark in a way that I was becoming less keen on especially as I was getting frustrated by not understanding what was going on. It becomes very psychological, which worked but also could be somewhat discombobulated and hard to follow.

It was incredibly original though, which I highly appreciated, and there's an interesting world here to be explored, which I would be keen on seeing further retellings take place there.

I was hoping for a different direction for the love interest, as I didn't much care for the one Annaleigh likes best. He's actually not all that bad, I just didn't feel like they connected very well. Their relationship was bland and forced and just generally did nothing for me.

Interesting read but not one I'm sure I'd come back to frequently. Would definitely check out other retellings by Craig though.

3.5 stars

Whew, this was a hard one to rate! I adored 90% of this book. Like, 5/5 star material. It was the perfect mix of floofy, fairytale princess characters and creepy, murder-ghosts and curses subplots.

Things I loved:

1. The family aspect. I enjoyed watching all the dynamics unfold—father-daughter, sister-sister, and stepmother-stepdaughter. It added so much depth and heart to the story <3

2. Craig is an absolute master at suspense. And horror! This book got down-right creepy at times, and I love it all the more for it!

3 . The worldbuilding was well executed and super unique. I can't believe how well done this was for a stand-alone fantasy novel!

The last 75 pages or so were very different from the rest of the book though, which threw me off a bit. I hate to say it got too weird...but it got too weird. If the weirdness was set up earlier in the story, it might have worked for me. But <spoiler> the gods being real and demon babies and a barely explained magic system really seemed out of left field when it was all smooshed together in the last act. </spoiler>.

Overall, I did enjoy this and would recommend! I think I'm just super picky about weirdness-level consistency.

copy provided by Netgalley - all opinions are my own

A dark fantasy tinged novel with inspiration from The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Recommended for horror fans who like a bit of fantasy, fans of Crimson Peak.

I got this book from NetGalley which means I didn't have much promo material for it, just the title and a quick blurb, and this is a book you want to be prepared for. The title follows the current YA trend "____ of ___ and ___" and it seemed to be more of a fantasy or a fairy tale retelling, which made me think it would be a bit lighter than it is. Nope, please go into this book knowing what it is. It is horror. It has some hallmarks of YA (title, age of protagonist, being fairytale themed) but I think it loses a large possible audience trying to fit it in the YA slot. (Although it is dark, it's still appropriate for a YA audience who enjoys horror and gore.)

So, my enjoyment of the book was slightly lessened because I didn't know what I was getting into (a huge pet peeve of mine, I know some people don't mind), but otherwise I really did like it. The world building is integrated into the story instead of in large chunks, the idea that gods and goddesses are definitely real and even walk amongst mortals is first brought up in a way that could be a joke or a story, the mythology becomes slowly more important as the reader learns.

In my head, I kept comparing this to the movie Crimson Peak, where even the horror is beautiful and atmospheric. There are a few jump scares, which isn't very easy in book form, and a good combo of actual physical and psychological danger. The girls are a bit interchangeable, and describing them in units such as "The Graces" and "The Triplets" made it less likely that I was going to remember who was who. It isn't all that important to the story, but I did spend some time trying to figure out ages and remembering how old Rosalie is supposed to be etc.

The ending is fast paced and frenetic, never letting you get comfortable in a turn of the plot before revealing that was never the truth. It keeps you on your toes, not sure what really happened, or how reliable the narrator is, or if you were tricked along with her. There were several plot points I guessed and I'm fine with that because there were so many points where I figured I must be wrong. I always appreciate when a possible love triangle is shot down, and while there's a bit of insta-love and clunkiness regarding the love interest, I didn't really mind keeping that plotline streamlined so we can focus on the mystery and ghosts and curse.

All in all, I think dark fantasy and horror fantasy are often very sexually explicit, and it's great to have something in this niche that isn't. (There is kissing on page, and discussion of sex, but if a teen is able to handle the gore and horror than they should be plenty mature for this.)