Erin A Craig simply does not miss.

“House of Roots and Ruins” is a tangled web of deception and horror as youngest sister Verity hopes to make a name for herself and see a world beyond the island and its tragic past and when the opportunity arrives she finds herself in a dazzling world of wonder and love but something darker haunts the halls of her new estate and if she’s not careful it may swallow her whole.

Truly cannot say enough how much I love this author every book since I was lucky enough to get an arc of her first has been incredible and they’re just getting better and better!

This felt a bit like Crimson Peak with a sprinkle of Bluebeard as we follow a naive Verity so eager to see what all is out there and boy does she find it. The characters were fascinating and horrifying as the layers are peeled back showing all the skeletons that lay beneath.

There’s so much to unpack and I want to shout it from the rooftops but it would spoil everything so I am left racking my brain with what it all means and if there will be more to discover in future books (pretty please?). This sort of haunted gothic take on fairytales has truly been one of my favorite things and the sprinkle of mythology went up quite a few notches in explaining Verity’s unique skill set and opening the door for more chaos and tricks from the gods in the future.

I truly adore these books, I want to be friends with the author and more importantly I want you all to read this so you can tell me what if all means because my good that ending was incredible.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

This book is the sequel to House of Salt and Sorrows, and this author killed it!

The story follows Verity as a young adult. While the plot line is consistent with and includes facets of the storyline from the first book, this is a very different novel. The plot development was perfectly executed culminating into a suspenseful conclusion. This was a hard book to down! The reader will find themselves on a journey with the protagonist trying to figure out where the veil lies between reality and delusion, good and evil, and dead and alive.

Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Erin A. Craig for this ARC digital copy.

This is in some ways a direct sequel to "House of Salt and Sorrows" and a companion novel. The story is set in the same world and centers on the Thaumas family from that first novel. However, our narrator now is Verity Thaumas rather than Annaleigh, and the world expands as Verity travels to Bloem and away from Highmore on Salann. Verity has fled her home to gain some agency over her life, and as the novel develops, she both gains agency of choice, and struggles with the feeling of loss of control.

Because this isn't a direct sequel, it's not necessary to completely reread HOSAS but I would recommend being at least familiar with the plot and characters because they are important and often referenced! Other than a refreshment of the original narrative, I would recommend going into this story relatively blind - the less you know, the more the twists of the gothic horror will land and creep you out. And the book IS creepy (in the best way possible). Originally I was getting some strong Secret Garden vibes, but as the story progressed, I definitely saw inspiration from Crimson Peak, Island of Dr. Moreau, and The Haunting of Hill House. The inclusion of the language of flowers was a nice touch, and I'm really excited to read this again to see what I hints I catch about the twist(s).

The novel has a slow burn to start, but once the first major plot shift is introduced, it really starts to ramp up and ramp up hard. The novel as a whole is, I think, better-paced than HOSAS. There is more time given to the development of certain events and those events land more strongly because we have the time to let them sit and resonate. Be warned - the ending is both deeply satisfying and 100% WTF. I genuinely cannot wait to read what comes next.

I received this as a ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am so happy to see a sequel for House of Salt and Sorrow. I enjoyed the first book and happy to see we are coming back to visit little Miss Verity all grown up.

I'll admit it took me a little bit of time to get into it. It was a little too slow for me at first, but I think after a quarter of the way through, it really picks up. I literally could not put the book down once it did. I was sitting on the edge of my seat! The mystery aspect was well thought out and a good pace. Its nice to see every detail written becoming a well placed clue and not just straight up information dumping.

I absolutely adore Verity, Alex, and them as a couple! They are couple goals, quite honestly. It's also refreshing to see a male lead that is handicapped but is also so much more than that.

I really enjoyed this book, even better than the first. Definitely recommend it! It does sort of end on a cliffhanger and I hope to see more of Verity and Alex! I want to see more from this world and the other sisters' stories as well! Erin A. Craig has done a phenomenal job fleshing out the world in this book. It would be a shame not to!

Tropes off the top of my head:
- Amnesia
- Fish Out of Water (Very fitting for Verity)
- Dark Secrets
- First Love

It was such a delight getting to return to Arcannia, the Thaumas sisters, and the world of House of Salt and Sorrows. House of Roots and Ruin is a very different type of story than book 1, but I enjoyed it just as much if not more than the first book.

Verity is desperate for adventure. She longs to leave the island and find her own path in life away from her family. She's watched her sisters leave and create new, independent lives and with her approaching 18th birthday she believes its finally her turn. A portrait commission from the Duchess of Bloem feels like the perfect opportunity. Her oldest sister, Camille, opposes Verity leaving Highmore and is forced to reveal a long held family secret in a last attempt to prevent Verity from following thru with her plan. Shocked and confused, Verity flees her family estate for Bloem. Life at Chauntilalie at first seems like all Verity dreamed it would be, but dark secrets and evil motivations soon begin to threaten her hopes and dreams for the future.

What a wild wild Erin Craig has given us with House of Roots and Ruin! Vivid descriptions paint a fully fleshed out world that it was easy to not just see but also feel immersed within. I was captivated by the story, its unexpected twists and turns, and the dark, haunting atmosphere and setting created within the pages. My gothic loving self was over-the-moon happy with the claustrophobic, eerie tone of this story. We're given secret passages, a poison garden, ghosts, gods and goddesses, creepy Menagerie statues, grand and mysterious estates, long buried family secrets and all manner of gothic, nightmare inducing material.

This is another beautifully written, mesmerizing story from the pen of Erin Craig. Her storytelling once again captured me to where all life's responsibilities had to go on hold until I turned the last page and read the final stunning revelation. House of Roots and Ruin is modern gothic fiction at its finest. It was truly a pleasure getting to spend a few hours with Sisters of the Salt and People of the Petals.

Thank you to both Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for providing me a copy to read and review.

I am so glad Eric wrote this story about Verity. The little sister that drew and could see ghosts in the first book.
We love a lot of gothic horror, now with this installment we have a beautiful flower island with deadly consequences. Even the author states she researched a lot about flowers and their hidden meaning. It shows in this book! It was very descriptive, verity thought process was not mature in detective clues but she took in everything.
THEME TIME:
SECRET PASSAGES MANSION
FAMILY SECRETS
WHEELCHAIR REP
LOVE TRIANGLE
POISONS AND EXPERIMENTS
HORROR IN THE MOST GOTHIX WAY

I knew the plot twist was coming I just couldn't pinpoint when the page would come to fruition, BUT towards the end plot twist I did not see coming, I was shook.
Get ready to be scared cause the details do not stop in horror.

I LOVED this amazing sequel to House of Salt and Sorrows.
It’s set 10 years after the events of the first novel, and features Verity, the youngest Thaumas sister, as she deals with direct and indirect repercussions from previous events.
It was dark, and twisty, and romantic—had a little bit of everything. Can’t recommend enough if you’re into gothic fantasy.
4/5 ⭐️
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

I finished the ARC for this book at 3:37 in the morning because I could not put it down. When I say that this book was a RIDE, I just…
Yep. No words. I’m mad and if I wasn’t reading on my phone I would’ve thrown it across the room immediately upon finishing, but man can Erin Craig tell a STORY. More details to come once the book comes out.

I just…. Wow just wow this book kept me on my toes! I loved House of Salt and Sorrow so much to get more set in that world had me giddy at the idea. So you can imagine the scream of excitement when I got approved for this.
Once again an amazing book from an amazing author who writes YA gothic mystery in a way that not only keeps you guessing but keeps you drawn in until you read that last page and close the book. I can not wait to get my hands on a physical copy so I can annotate it like I did book 1

Holy crap. This book was absolutely INSANE. I’ve never seen so many twists and turns. The second you think you’ve figured out the mystery, another twist throws you off again. I’m still reeling from the end of the novel to be honest.

How can I even begin, but also be careful of spoilers? So Verity sees ghosts. But she doesn’t realize it until she’s 17 and asks to leave the grounds to travel to Bloem. She’s been asked to paint the beautiful heir to the Duchy who is paralyzed.

Her sister Camille refuses her request, worried that Verity will be seen as mad by others and sent to an asylum. But Verity wants to live, and leaves in the dead of night without her sisters permission. Then she arrives at Bloem and finds herself equally terrified and enchanted by the massive gothic manor and grounds. And Alex…the absolutely charming, caring soul who she falls for heart and soul…UNTIL she begins to unravel the tragic and horrific circumstances surrounding Bloem and Alex’s paralysis. As the truth begins to unravel, she’s forced to confront death and tragedy with the hope to save all she loves.

This book did not dissapoint. It was amazing and just as good as the first book.
It could easily be read as a stand a lone, I know this because I had forgotten what had happened in the first book and only went back to re read it after I read House of Roots and Ruin.
I devoured this book in one sitting and I am so excited to read hopefully the next book because that cliffhanger at the end was intense. I could not believe it!

This is a fantasy/gothic hybrid you never knew you needed in your life! “House of Salt and Sorrows” is followed by this novel, so if you enjoyed that one, you’ll definitely want to see what some of the other sisters have been up to.

While I do enjoy a good fantasy or gothic novel, I don’t particularly care for this series. I do not feel attached to any characters in particular as I do with other books/authors. While the plot and writing is flawless, it’s just not my preferred reading. That being said, there’s definitely an audience for this and people that will adore it.

House of Roots and Ruin is the sequel to House of salt and Sorrows. If you loved the first there is no doubt that you'll love the second even more. Its dark and moody and twisty. I loved it. I hope there will be a book 3. Erin A Craig is a master at what she does.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

I was so excited to read this book after speed reading House of Salt & Sorrows. I don't know why, however, I read the first few chapters, then put it down for 2 weeks. I do know that when I picked it back up yesterday, I read the last 90% of it in one sitting. I legit could not put it down it was that good.

House of Roots & Ruin picks up around 14 years after the events of House of Salt & Sorrows. This time we are following Verity, the youngest of the Thaumas sisters. The girl who at age 4 in HoS&S was drawing graphic pictures of her dead sisters. Even the ones she had no way of remembering. Almost 18, Verity has honed her drawing and painting enough that she is asked to go to a far away manor in the area of Bloem to do the official portrait of the duke's son. Against the wishes of her oldest sister and duchess Camille, Verity flees in the night to go on her own adventure. But similarly to her own home, the enormous manor house and it's inhabitants hold very dark and disturbing secrets. Verity is caught between hiding a part of herself to seem more normal, and wanting to solave the mystery she has stumbled upon. All while getting no sleep due to a pair of screaming birds who roam the grounds (or is it always the birds).

I loved Verity as our new FMC. It's not that she isn't afraid to do things, but she is willing to push past that fear if she knows it's going to get her where she wants and needs to go. Pushing past fear, to me, is an even stronger quality than being fearless. Alex our MMC was such a sweet soul with a quick sense of humor and sarcasm, but a huge open heart. You can feel the draw between the two of them instantly. One of my favorite things about them as a couple is Verity's reactions during their first romantic liasons. They are very real for anyone who has not had any romance in their life. Yes, it's awkward, no it's not perfect. And you likely will spend a good chunk of it overthinking everything. (Or, wait, was that just me?). I also loved that despite Alex being confined to a wheelchair since he was 4, he never views it as a disability. He talks about adjustments that had to be made to their manor and grounds, but he never comes off as biter or upset. Which is something I love. He is happy with who he is, and he doesn't spend the whole book wishing he could walk or stand.

Just like the first one, this book had me opening my mouth in horror and fear at many moments. So many things to terrify lie in the pages. But, if you liked House of Salt & Sorrows, you should definitely pick up this book. And Erin Craig definitely has left the door open for another book, which I anxiously await!

I am not usually one for the darker fairytales. In fact, if the writing weren't so good, this series? would probably be too dark/spooky for me.
Very atmospheric and dark, filled with flowers and poisons and romance and secrets and horror.

You don't have to have read House of Salt and Sorrows to understand this book, but it does provide some context.

Also I've never had an epilogue hit me so hard before.

It was really nice to revisit the world and characters of House of Salt and Sorrows. I always enjoy Erin A. Craigs stories, though I will say this one wasn't my favorite. I still really enjoyed it, but it felt like something I had read before and not quite as special as House of Salt and Sorrows and Small Favors felt. Curious to see if there will be a sequel though.

The atmospheric feel and vibe for this book is through the roof. The author really excels at this, but I often struggle with the plot development. Something just feel lacking for me. So even though this isn't my type of read, I will still get it for our collection as I'm sure our readers will enjoy continuing the world they got to know in the first book. Perfect for gothic lovers!

I was nervous about reading this book as I loved House of Salt and Sorrows and I wasn't sure how this would measure up. Thankfully, this story was equally wonderful! House of Roots and Ruin is a beautifully gothic tale about Camille, who is more haunted than she realizes. It's full of romance and heartache, and is so beautifully written. Craig is so talented! Can't wait to read even more from her!

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

I was initially a little wary of going back to this world. While i loved house of salt and sorrows, the story felt so complete, i wasn’t sure what story was left to tell, but i really enjoyed this one. Verity brings big baby sister energy and i found her rebellion so human and believable. The story took a little while to build but the impending sense of something awful hidden under beautiful artifice was so well done and by the time i hit the midpoint i couldn’t put it down because i was so nervous for Verity and didn’t know who to trust. I thought this was a very solid story and I’m curious 👀 what comes next. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.