Well written, creepy, fun. I really enjoy this author’s books. If you like gothic books,, you need to read this! The author has grown so much since the previous book and you can really tell through the writing.

A girl desperate to see the world. Oh, but she also sees ghosts...

I will admit, I was a bit hesitant to read this. I liked but didn't love its predecessor, A House of Salt and Sorrows. I did reread it in preparation for this review, though, and liked it better the second time. Being familiar with the cultural quirks of the sisters and their family definitely helped, as did having some (faded, surely) familiarity with the sisters. This book is based on one of my hands-down favorite fairy tales, the twelve dancing princesses, so perhaps my expectations were too high. But at the same time, some of my critiques stood strong - insta-love to an almost unbearable level combines with complex cultural practices to make it a bit off-putting. The imagery and well-crafted nature of the tale, though, balanced it out better the second time for me, hence its increased rating.

A House of Roots and Ruins, though, truly shows growth in the author's abilities. It is well-written, compelling, and just so creepily fun. We follow the youngest Thaumus sister, Verity, as she leaves home for the first time. She started seeing ghosts way back in book 1, so it isn't a surprise to the reader but is a surprise to her when she learns that she has been cloistered not because of her family's tragedy but because of her own difficulty discerning what is real and what isn't. But when she is invited to create a portrait for the heir of the Bloem duchy, she decides to take her future into her own hands. Quickly, Verity finds herself wrapped up in a whirlwind romance but something isn't quite right. We follow Verity as she questions her own senses, wondering if she is really losing her sanity or if the magic romance isn't quite what it seems.

This book featured absolutely everything a gothic tale should. Terrifying imagery, moments of true horror mixed with moments where we as readers are lost to what is real and what isn't.. Even as the reveals were happening, I wasn't sure if it was our unreliable narrator or if the events were real. I loved feeling unsettled and having those unsettling feelings pay off. Longer than the first, this book still reads so quickly and is excellently paced.

I wasn't sure about this when I started it, but man am I glad I did. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for this free and honest review.

Haunted by ghosts around every corner and greeted with romance at the door, House of Roots and Ruin was a thrilling sequel that rivals the first in every way.

"In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed."
Verity has grown up and lived in Highmoor. watched after by her older sister Camille, cultivating her artistic talents. When she is commissioned by the Duchess of Bloem to paint the official portrait of her son, Verity accepts immediately. However, Camille forbids her to go and is forced to reveal a secret that has been well-kept since they were children; Verity still sees ghosts, she just doesn't know it. In light of this new information and the knowledge of her sister's deception, Verity flees Highmoor to the lush countryside of Bloem where she is quickly captivated by the beautiful lands and charming Alexander Laurent. Soon she is thrust into a world of romance and trickery, as she must learn how to navigate the halls of Chauntilalie with only her wits- and the ghosts she meets along the way.

I didn't think my love for the first one could be matched, but here we are. I absolutely adored Verity in the first book, so I was excited to see that the sequel was centered on her! I love her character, I was rooting for her the whole time.

I think my favorite thing about this book was the atmosphere and the overall feel of the book and the world. I fell in love with the flowers and fields of Bloem. And past that, I was drawn in by the mysterious air of gloom and danger lurking around every corner in this manor. I loved second-guessing everything due to never knowing what was real and who was dead. The semi-unreliable narrator made this book all the more enticing and I simply could not put it down. Strangely enough, I also really looked forward to the chilling descriptions of the horrors that Verity sees. You know the ones that kept me up at night? Yeah, those. Loved them. Couldn't get enough of them.

Another thing I really liked, surprisingly enough, was the fast but adorable romance that sparked between Verity and Alexander. I really truly liked them together and thought they were quite cute. I also liked how this romance didn't take centerstage the whole time or take too much from the mystery and thrills.

It would also be remiss of me to not mention the ending. THAT ENDING???? HELLO????? I am already waiting for the sequel Erin. Chop Chop.

Basically, read this book. Now. Thank me later.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book as I enjoyed the previous book in the series. I am grateful to have gotten an ARC, and I will definitely be buying the book when it is released and tell my friends to pick it up.

I absolutely loved Erin Craig’s first book in the Sisters of the Salt series, House of Salt and Sorrows - atmospheric, suspenseful, emotional, thrilling, romantic, and not a little bit creepy in the best way - and was beyond excited for House of Roots and Ruin. And I’m ecstatic to say it absolutely lived up to all my hopes and more. It’s the perfect companion to the first book, and I highly recommend it.

Seventeen year old Verity Thaumas remained at her family’s estate with her older sister Camille. Their other sisters have scattered across Arcannia, but soon Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem wants Verity to paint a portrait of her son, Alexander. Verity would love to, but Camille won’t allow it because Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it. Leaving that night, Very has nowhere else to go but Bloem. She's captivated by the land and the impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. Though a romance begins, Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show.

This is book two of Sisters of the Salt, following "House of Salt and Sorrows." In that book, four sisters out of twelve had remained at Highmoor. They all were cursed, a gothic retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." Verity thinks the curse is done, though she sees ghosts as vividly as the living and interacts with them. She thinks she can strike out and build a new life in Bloem, an area known for beauty, flowers and high society. There are oddities in the house, which at first seem to have very reasonable explanations. Of course in time Verity learns there is more to it, and the rush to marry has a very unsavory reason. She is never sure who to trust besides Alex, leaving her very alone in the large estate. The final third runs at a breakneck pace, and I couldn't put the book down. I stayed up far too late to finish it, because I had to know what happened next.

Thank you Net Galley for the eARC!

One of my most anticipated books this year & it did not disappoint! I loved this so much, it was even better than the first one. I don’t read much YA anymore, but I thoroughly enjoying everything that Erin Craig has written. I can’t wait to see if there will be more from this universe.

House of Roots and Ruin is book two in a series and I can't wait to see what happens next. I have already preorder it for my shelves.
This is the story of Verity the youngest of the daughters of the salt as she sets out on her own after discovering a terrifying secret.
I would probably describe this as a YA thriller book. It's intense, romantic and suspenseful.
I really enjoyed this book even more so than book one. I liked Verity as a character and I enjoyed following her on this journey. I had to sit up and focus through some of the intense scenes to help by thinking loudly look out or don't go in there and Ahhh why. This always makes me love a book. It's like a movie in my head.

I liked this book even more than the first one, Sisters of Salt and Sorrows. It was so twisted and fantastic! It helped that I was prepared for an unreliable narrator going into this story. Verity has been able to see ghosts since she was very young, but she didn't know it until this book began, so she is constantly uncertain if the people around her are alive or dead. That makes this mystery so much more complicated. From the moment she arrives in Bloem, the flower-filled house clearly has dark secrets, and the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last line of the book! (The twist at the end and then the cliffhanger! Wild!) I also loved that while this book is suspenseful and spooky, it isn't actually scary. I am a baby and hate horror but I love a good suspenseful thriller, so I really enjoyed this spooky fantasy! I will say that the romance plotline felt a little off throughout the book, which made sense with all of the twists, but it made it hard to be happy for the couple (no spoilers) at the end of the book. But it is rare for me to like a second book in a series better than the first, so this book did a great job continuing the series! I'm hoping the last line in the book creates an opportunity for more spooky fantasies in this series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Yes, yes, YES! This is the gothic fantasy I want. While subdued for the intended age group of young adults, there was plenty of psychological horror, the sublime, and downright gruesome imagery.

My biggest gripe would be that it starts out slow, but when things pick up, they PICK UP. Gothic fiction often can be slow due to the build-up of atmosphere, but I wonder if a younger age group would get discouraged. It's a very good slow burn horror, but the horror doesn't kick in hard until past the halfway point.

All of that being said, I was most impressed by the fact that this is technically a sequel. I did not know this when I requested it. The author does such an amazing job with seamless back exposition that it doesn't take you out of the current story, and you're still able to follow the history and world building easily. Many, many praises for that, in my opinion, a sequel should always be able to be understood and enjoyed separated from its series.

The characters are realistic and engaging. The setting is beautiful and then suddenly grotesque as the story progresses, and there are some good twists. No spoilers, but the epilogue literally had me ruthlessly cheering out loud. I want more of these characters, I want to see what comes next!

I also appreciate that while it kept necessary archetypes for a gothic story, it didn't rely on tired and outdated tropes to paint a color by numbers emotional journey. It would have been so easy to, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Verity was an absolute breath of fresh air, with her ingenue outlook towards life, and such a strong femininity to her that was unashamed. Alex was delightful, a wonderful representation of healthy masculinity, and so soft and kind, I loved both of them so much.

I'm excited to read the first book and can't wait for the next one!

Short and Sweet Review
Its been years since the events of House of Salt and Sorrows took place. Now Verity the youngest sister is seventeen and she still lives in Highmoor with her eldest sister Camille, while the rest of their sisters have left and are scattered about. When Verity gets a letter from her sister Mercy explaining that the Duchess of Bloem wants Verity to come there and paint a portrait of their son Alexander. Verity is excited about the opportunity and wants to go, but Camille gives her a hard no, that’s when Verity learns that she’s able to see ghost. Verity ignores Camilles warning and goes to Bloem anyway and she learns that being at Bloem is more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.
Verity has lived at Highmoor her whole life and when she gets Mercy’s letter she knows this is her time to explore the world around her and see what’s out there. Camille immediately shuts down the idea and after they have an argument Camille reveals to Verity that Verity is able to see ghost and she doesn’t want her at Bloem sounding like a mad woman. Verity still feels like she needs to get away and she goes to Bloem with her sisters warning at the back of her mind. At Bloem Verity meets Dauphine, Gerard, and Alex. At first everything seems normal and Verity does her job starting the portrait of Alex. Alex and Verity begin to develop a relationship, these two have a lot in common, mainly how they’ve been sheltered. The Duke Gerard is a botanist and he has some weird plants growing in his greenhouse. Verity sees a lot of weird things at Bloem and she’s having trouble sleeping and she’s hearing things. Verity is determined to find out what’s going on at Bloem and she has to use her ability of talking to ghost to see if she can learn anything. Alex and Verity get engaged and that’s when things really take a turn, more unexplainable things are happening and Verity really has to dig deep to seem like she’s sane.
This book gives off a different feel than the first one, but the writing is hauntingly beautiful. I love the feel of a dark mansion with plants growing everywhere and the ghost also add to the gothic and horror theme. Alex and Verity have a slow burn romance and I also liked the representation of Alex, he’s in a wheelchair, but he does most of the things he wants in life and he’s special. There’s a lot of twists and turns in this book and even if you think you know what’s going to happen there’s another twist. I throughly enjoyed this book and loved seeing the secrets unravel and how Verity dealt with her new found freedom. If you enjoyed the first book, definitely get your hands on the sequel!

It's been 4 years since ‘House of Salt and Sorrows’ came out and I remember absolutely nothing about it other than it's a retelling of ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses’ and that it's super spooky. Luckily, a reread was not needed in order to enjoy this sequel!

And even though the books are technically connected, it makes much more sense to me to call this a companion novel set in the same world rather than a true sequel, as they are quite separate stories. But the one thing that definitely ties the two together is the atmosphere.

EAC is a master when it comes to developing a world shrouded in the dark and the mysterious. This isn't a story that will give you nightmares, but it's definitely one that will have you wary of the things that hide in the shadows. This story pulls inspiration from ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau’ and ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ and creates the perfect blend of scary sci-fi and creepy gothic paranormal.

So yet another book that just cements EAC's ability to weave a delightfully spooky tale!

Okay so House of Salt and Sorrow is one of my favorite books, despite my complicated feelings about the ending, so I have been looking forward to this book FOREVER, and truly truly could not believe I was able to read it early. I am so incredibly thankful.

IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. Picking up quite a few years after Salt and Sorrow, Verity is no longer a little girl and trying to find her own place in the world. I fell in love with Verity rather quickly. She's curious, trusting but cautious, passionate, eager, and ready for adventure. I felt so bad for her at the beginning of the novel - having her world upended learning her closest friend and so many of the people she's spoken too are actually ghosts, and everyone on the island probably thinks she's insane always talking to herself.

But this revelation brings her to the Bloem house, where Alexander lives with his parents, and all is...odd. Now I did not love Alexander as much as I loved Verity - he was nice and charming and had big dreams, but he was pretty average overall. But I really did enjoy the blossoming friendship and romance between the two of them and seeing how they both view life. One thing I really liked was how both characters were on different pages feelings wise, it wasn't insta love across the board or mutual slow burn - they developed their feelings at different rates and intensities and it felt very natural.

There were some parts of the story that I saw coming, a few of the reveals I was like CALLED IT, but some of the moments I could not have seen coming. This story gets a lot going on fairly quickly, and there's quite a few mysteries at play and I love the way in which everything is revealed. Craig did an amazing job with foreshadowing and laying hints for every big moment, there wasn't ever really a time where something came out of left field, and it just made everything so much more enjoyable.

AND THE ENDING.

THE ENDING.

The ending got me so good that I actually ended up messaging Erin about it, and she is so incredibly kind despite her slightly laughing at my despair. (I kid, she really is sweet)

But the ending has so much going on and so much revealed and then just leaves you going HOLY SHIT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

This is by far one of my favorite books of 2023 and I truly truly cannot wait for it be out in the world.

what a precious and fun read!! i am always so thankful to netgalley for giving me access to books before they come out. this was such an enjoying read! you should definitely check it out when it comes out!!!

I really enjoyed House of Salt and Sorrows, so of course I had to jump on the chance to read House of Roots and Ruin early.

It did not disappoint. I love the way Craig writes a lush and vibrant, yet gothic, world. It’s hard to describe honestly, but I loved every detail. Every crumb of secrets I could latch on to. I had wild theories and voiced recollections. (Thank the book Gods my BFF is also reading it.)

The story was so different from Salt and Sorrow, but similar. It felt like home in a way. I loved every twist and encounter. This world Craig created is one I’d happily revisit over and over.

3 out of 5 stars. To be released July 2023.

I love Erin A. Craig's first book, House of Salt and Sorrows. This book is a spin off of the first, following Verity as she is commissioned to paint a portrait of Alex, the future duke of Bloem. Craig crafts a creepy atmosphere in her description of the going-ons at Chauntilalie and plants seeds of distrust with Alex's parents. It took about half way through the book for things to start getting interesting as the twists and turns started to appear more. I didn't enjoy this one as much as Salt and Sorrows, but it was still enjoyable for what it was.

I loved the first book in this series (duology...? I don't know), and had high hopes for this one - I was not disappointed! I'd even go so far as to say you can definitely read this one as a standalone if you wanted to, not having to read the other book at all in order to get invested and enjoy this gothic, spooky, ethereal story.

4.25 stars!
I haven't read book 1 and I think you can read it as a stand alone in my opinion. The gothic fantasy mystery vibes the book provides is so good like I was like shocked. This book made me realize that I need to go back and read book 1 hehehe. The pacing of this book was overall a medium paced book (slow and first and then fast towards the end). The complexity of the characters and the plot was amazing and I do think that reading book 1 may provide some information and deeper details about the book 2!


Thank you netgalley, Random House Children's, and Erin A. Craig for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A lush and poisonous gothic fantasy that drew me in and wrapped me in a story I could not escape.

House of Roots and Ruin is everything that made House of Salt and Sorrows amazing, dialed up to 11. Rich, atmospheric locations filled with mysteries lingering in the shadows, complex characters that keep you guessing, and a story I had to stay up all night to finish.

And then sit there to think about what Erin A. Craig had just done to me.

This time we follow the youngest Thaumas sister, Verity who dreams of a life beyond the crags of Highmoor even if her sister Camille is staunchly against that idea. When the opportunity to use her skills as a painter arrives in the form of a request from the Duchess of Bloem to create a portrait of her son arrives, Verity jumps at the chance.

Which is when things take a turn. She and Camille clash, and she finds out that she has been seeing ghosts for years, ghosts she cannot tell apart from the living. Verity flees her home, heading for Bloem in a haze where she is welcomed with open arms.

There she finds the enigmatic Alex, whom she quickly finds herself falling for, strange screams in the night, the Duke performs strange experiments in his greenhouse filled with poisonous and hallucinogenic plants, and the strange demeanor of the Bloem family puts her on edge as she tries to find her way.

From there the story twists and turns, with a story that welcomes you in and then captures your attention entirely. I never saw the ending coming, and I devoured the ARC I was sent, savoring every syllable.

This is a book built for gothic romance lovers, and it does not disappoint.

I missed the sisters a lot so it was nice reading about them again. It had really good mysteries and plot twists just like the first book. And I recommend it for everyone who liked the first one.