House of Roots and Ruin is incredible. Erin A. Craig has such a talent for gothic horror. Her books absolutely sweep you away with their atmospheric writing. When I first read House of Salt and Sorrow, I was so sad that I did not have more books of hers to read and I am SO glad it got a sequel. This book gave me so many chills!! Absolutely iconic, beautiful, spinetingling, and compelling!!

There is something about Erin A. Craig’s ability to write a book that is so addicting, you can’t put it down. The first time I read House of Salt and Sorrows, I barely slept. I almost considered calling out sick just so I could finish it. When I saw she was writing a sequel, I was so excited.

House of Roots and Ruin was almost as addicting as its predecessor. It’s spooky. It’s scary. There were so many plot twists, nothing about this book was predictable. It was well written. Everything about it will suck you in from beginning to end. Although I would have loved to continue reading about Annaleigh, Verity was also a strong protagonist. Her character had intrigued me and this book answered a few unanswered questions from the first book.

However, I found this book a hard one to review. Did I spend far too many sleepless nights reading this, unable to put it down? Yes! Was I immediately sucked in like the first book? Yes! Did I love it as much as I did its predecessor? No, not really. I personally dislike the instalove trope. The relationship between Verity and Alex happened so quickly. And while I appreciate Verity’s insecurities and her struggles, the sudden love triangle seemed to come out of nowhere. I also dislike cliff-hangers and that ending frustrated me. It was certainly a plot twist meant to set up a sequel, but I didn’t appreciate it. A third book could have been written without the need for a cliff-hanger ending.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and I love Erin A Craig’s writing style. Her ability to write gothic horrors is top notch. However, I have to deduct points. It simply wasn’t as strong as the first book. This doesn’t mean I won’t read the next book. The moment it’s available, I will be up all-night reading that one too!!

I really liked this book! It was a little more YA than I usually read but it kept me interested through the whole thing. Will definitely read more by this author.

Erin Craig did it again. I loved House of Salt and Sorrows, so I couldn’t pass up reading House of Roots and Ruin. I loved getting to read Verity’s story. It kept me on my two the entire time and I fully feel that the mystery isn’t over. The book sweeps you into that world, i wish I could step in an explore the whole universe Craig has created. I’m already anxious to see what comes next in this series.

Erin Craig's follow up to House of Salt and Sorrows follows the youngest Thaumas sister, Verity, as she discovers that her house is still cursed after the events of the previous novel. Verity can see ghosts, but grows up not realizing this until it's revealed by her older sister, Camille. Desperate to break out of her sister's smothering guardianship, Verity takes a job with the People of the Petals to paint the duke's son, Alexander.

Craig has this ability to really get into her setting. Where you could practically taste the salt in HoSaS, HoRaR is over the top with perfume. Flowers everywhere! Flowers in the shape of unicorns! Flowers in the soup! It's a lot, but it's in keeping with the nature of the series, so it works fine. I mean, one might ask what the economy is like in a place obsessed with petals, but that's besides the point. Essentially, Verity and Alex hook up pretty quickly with the full-throated encouragement of his parents. Alex is in a wheelchair, which was nice disability rep, but otherwise he's a bit of a limp dishrag as far as personality. Verity has to spend arguably too much time soothing his fragile ego, and she spends a lot of time deciding whether or not she's actually into him, which hampers the romance for the most part.

There are some pacing issues--I felt the first half of the book was rather slow with moments of dread that were quickly explained away. When the book gets going it's like a 0-60 turn, but I did enjoy how it shook out and the twists leading up to the very end. It's an atmospheric historical fantasy horror asking interesting questions about perfection, and generally a meatier story than its predecessor.

This follow-up to House of Salt and Sorrows was even creepier than the first! I really enjoyed the 12 year time jump from the last book. Even though Verity's older sisters barely play a part in the story (except for Camille), I liked reading about them and what they were up to in passing. Lenore's situation did make me really sad though - if Craig continues writing about the Thaumas sisters (and I hope she does), I'd like to read about Lenore dealing with her grief and growing past the death of her sisters.
I definitely wasn't expecting the twists with Alex's family. I liked Alex, although I did think there was a little bit of insta-love and for awhile thought that Verity would end up with one of Alex's brothers. I really appreciated the presence of a disabled love interest who's still portrayed as attractive and desirable, and I liked that Verity verbalized that she didn't want to go be with someone else just because Alex was in a wheelchair.
I felt like the horror elements in this book were more in-your-face than the previous book, which I really liked. Most of the horror in HoSaS was dealing with death, but this book was way scarier to me.

This book was so much more well written than the first one in this series. I loved every bit of this book. I love gothic books and this one was so perfect. Haunted girl, haunted mansion, ghosts, pain, love, and lost... this was a very up and down book. The ending though!!!! so so good, makes it easy for Erin to add to this series. I cant wait to read more books by her.

Haunting,.... Spooky..... Mysterious...... this second installment in "The House of Salt and Sorrow" is a very captivating book. This storyline follows Verity Thaumas, the youngest of the infamous Thaumas Sisters as she strives to know who she is after the events in "The House of Salt and Sorrow". She finds life full of love, mystery and danger on her first time away from the family manor. This was a great and captivating book! I absolutely loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Erin Craig & Random House Children’s for an arc of House of Roots and Ruin in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

“In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.

When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.

Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.

But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade. . . .”

I am so happy to have gotten an early copy of the follow-up to House of Salt & Sorrows, which I loved! I didn’t even expect a sequel, but squealed with joy when I saw it!!! House of Roots & Ruin publishes on July 25, 2023 and I highly recommend picking up a copy if you enjoyed House of Salt & Sorrows and if you haven’t read House of Salt & Sorrows, read that one first!!

Dare I saw that House Roots & Ruin is better than Salt & Sorrows? Wowza – such a good book. Erin Craig is a master at YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy! No sequel slump happening here!

Twist upon Twist upon Twist – I now need a martini with a TWIST! Make sure that you allow yourself enough time to finish this in one sitting because I promise you that you will not stop once you start. And now that we got this sequel, I definitely want more. Erin Craig – do you hear me? WE NEED MORE!!!

Mark every notification app you have with the release date of this one and then RUN to grab your copy.

5/5 Stars

4.2 (rounded down to 4) out of 5 stars.

‘House of Roots and Ruin’ was a beautifully spun thrill of a story. When I heard we were getting another installment following a Thaumas sister, I didn’t think it would be like this! It is definitely for fans of indie horror rpg ‘Mad Father’- it’s full of the same thrilling, family secret heavy, blood behind the beauty story of a girl trapped in a whirlwind of the past resurfacing for closure.

Verity Thaumas is still cursed. Seeing ghosts and things beyond their realm, she’s haunted by secrets in the rebuilt Highmoor and when things come to light, she flees to Chauntilalie where only darker secrets and pasts await.
Erin Craig delivers her usual spooky read again with HORAR, and it was so binge-able, I was reading page after page whenever I could on vacation- so queue lines were definitely bearable!
As some others have said, the story is a little slow in the beginning. It’s a lot of introduction and getting a feel for Verity, filling readers in on little tidbits of what has happened since HOSAS.
I’ll also agree a bit that the romance arc of this moved on a little fast. It was a little hard to follow along with the swiftness of the two getting together, but it was all sweet nonetheless.
And of course, it wouldn’t be an Erin Craig book without plot twists! Just when you think you’ve figured out what is going on, she throws you in for another loop that’s got you wanting to read more. It gets a little messy, so be sure you keep up with names and remember- don’t stop to smell the flowers if you ever find yourself visiting Bloem 🌺

Y'all I picked this up because I liked House of Salt and Sorrows but didn't realize that this was a sequel of sorts (it's really more of a companion novel, I'd say). Luckily it's a sequel TO House of Salt and Sorrows and I found a recap of that book online and was able to move forward with this one (if a publisher is reading this, please put recaps in sequels). And I'm glad I did! Craig is excellent at creating the atmosphere of horror (like the carp scene GAH) and the worldbuilding in these is pretty epic. Our main character is pretty naiive, but that makes sense given her upbringing and she learns fairly quickly. There's also a large element of poisoning here which was fun as I was reading a non-fiction book about poison at the same time, so that matched up nicely (I'd recommend that book too FWIW - A Taste of Poison by Neil Bradbury). So yeah, if horror/fantasy with some romance sounds appealing to you, this one is a lot of fun. I'll be widely recommending it! 4 stars.

This captured my attention from the beginning. I felt drawn to the characters and the story was amazing! Definitely need more from this author!

This book was so creepy, but it in a good way. I loved how it always kept me guessing and it oftentimes made me uncomfortable. I may have nightmares after reading this but I'll be ok with them because this book was so good. I loved Verity's story and if you enjoyed Craig's previous books, you should definitely check this out.

When I read the first book, I had never expected it to have a sequel, and I was pleasantly delighted! This book is so intriguing and the characters entrance you. It’s hard to explain without spoilers if you have read the first book, so all I can say is…. Read this book immediately!

Without a doubt, I continue to marvel at how beautifully this author blends Gothic and fantasy elements. We return yo the world of House of Salt and Sorrow. Verity has grown up not knowing a deep secret about herself. However, she must face it when she runs away from home and finds herself attracted to the subject of her commissioned portrait. All of the characters were fascinating as the blissful setting slowly unravels to reveal the wickedness beneath, while showing young readers that passion and love are not always the same thing.

House of Roots and Ruin is the sequel to House of Salt and Sorrows, and follows youngest sister Verity. House of Roots and Ruin starts about 12 years after the ending of House of Salt and Sorrows. Verity receives an invitation to paint the portrait of Alexander Laurent, the son of the Duke and Duchess of Bloem. Verity’s older sister Camille forbids Verity from leaving their isolated island manor. Camille reveals that Verity is able to see and communicate with spirits, and it would be too dangerous for her to leave. Angry at this revelation and feeling betrayed, Verity flees to Bloem alone in the middle of the night.
I am not a huge YA fantasy reader; Salt and Sorrow was a solid three star read for me and I was expecting more of the same here, but I was pleasantly wrong. Roots and Ruin absolutely blew me away, pretty much from the opening. It was atmospheric and creepy, it’s fantasy with mystery and horror elements. I absolutely loved House of Roots and Ruin, and my fingers are crossed for a third addition to this series!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for and advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, this book really had me on the edge of my seat - I couldn’t put it down. I was constantly trying to determine who to trust and who not to trust, right up til the very end. I loved the gothic/creepy feel of Erin Craig’s writing. I actually liked this one even more than House of Salt and Sorrows. The twists were great and so was the way they were unveiled, layer by layer! 4.5 stars for me

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Whenever something is troubling you, you always turn to the water"

I have been waiting for this book since Erin described HOSAS as "currently a stand-alone" that line haunted me for far too long but I can say with confidence it was worth the wait.

An enthralling story following the smallest Thaumas girl, Verity. After all that occurred when she was just a child, she never did quite return to normal.

This book has all the interesting lore, spooky atmosphere, and twisty turns of the first with added experience and growth. I believe you can see and feel Erin's growth from her debut deeply with this novel belonging to the same universe.

It is a universe I would pay to continue reading in, and I will cross my fingers (and toes if needed) to get at least one more novel within it.

Somehow, the I-don't-like-horror-movies woman I am can not say no to whatever Erin writes, and I get sucked right in each time I pick up her work. She is and likely will always be an auto-buy author for me.

This was a great entry in the young adult Gothic thriller-fantasy, I loved the use of ghosts and doomed loves. It was what I needed from this book and am glad it worked so well in this genre. The characters I really felt for and was hooked on their story. It did everything that I was looking for. Erin A. Craig has a great style for the Gothic genre and it left me wanting to read more from them.

"I’d never seen anyone look so artfully put together. She was older than Camille, probably in her midforties. Her skin was darker than Alexander’s, a rich chestnut. Her hair was tightly curled and swept into a loose chignon, showing off the elegant length of her neck. Streaks of gold swirled in her burnished curls. Her back and shoulders were as straight as a ruler but she moved with polished grace, a bird with air in her bones."

All I can say is….wow. A lot of authors suffer from sequel syndrome but Erin A Craig blew it out of the park! This book had me hooked from the very beginning. I could not put it down for the last two thirds. The first third was a warm up, getting to know the characters, then we are met with twist after twist. I cannot wait to see what else she has in store for us and the Sisters of the Salt. She will always remain on my Insta-buy authors list.