H is for House

I’m doing folklore and book review posts to reach and please a larger audience. Previous years have shown select interest in both and to minimise blogging throughout the year, I’m focusing my efforts on April.

Focusing on an A to Z of my TBR (to be read) list, each letter will have books starting with that letter on my list, a book I’ve read and reviewed (with the review!) and one of my books matching the letter with a link about more info about the book.

I chose the books this year quite randomly from my Goodreads Want to Read page. Some are quite creatively added to letters.

If you’d rather check out my folklore post for today, go here.

You can read reviews for from previous years for this letter here, here and here, and my year-end reviews here, here, here, here and, most recently, here and here.

My TBR

About the Book I’ve Read

House of Salt and Sorrows (Sisters of the Salt #1) by Erin A Craig

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they 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 the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters 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.

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

A friend had recommended this, warning that it’s a bit scary. The first half of the book was delightfully gothic, but nothing really scary. And then the penny dropped… Wow. The worldbuilding, the various twists and turns of the plot, and the horror underlying it all makes for a great novel.

I liked the retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, the magic of the world and how it all skirted the line between dark fantasy and horror.

There’s even a mystery – or several – to be unravelled. Before Annaleigh’s mind unravels. And there’s a romance thread woven through this island tale.

A lot of fun to read, moments of not knowing who to trust, and a fulfilling ending.

About the Book

House of Roots and Ruin (Sisters of the Salt #2) by Erin A Craig

A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.

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. . . .

Check it out on Goodreads.

My Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book. I had high hopes for this one as it had the most interesting sister (Verity) as the main character. But… The pacing is slow as it’s bogged down by a lot of description of the scenery and repetitive scenes (how many times can Alex be sweet?) – and the big no-no: peacocks screaming her awake every other page. I have peacocks, so I know how they sound. And their cute screeching during mating season isn’t the stuff of nightmares, so each time it’s described as such, I just stopped reading. Which is why it took me over two months to read this book…

There were interesting moments (ghosts, candles, a poison garden, the language of flowers, secret passage ways) which kept me interested enough to keep reading, but it only became interesting as a story about 60% in.

The letters that were strike-through, were difficult to read and didn’t add to the story, only to my irritation (see section on maligning peacocks).

For most of the book Verity is obtuse, bratty and has no agency except when running away from home – or scared of her own mind and every shadow/sound. Not quite a heroine to root for. It was very gothic-heroine of her to go traipsing around in her nightgown in the middle of the night in a (possible) haunted house. And even when she learns of the horrors of the house, is warned to leave by ghosts and Harbingers, not really feeling the same as her fiancé, she stays. Why?

There are action packed scenes, twists, and a very gothic ending – but the story is mired with too much description of the scenery. And unlike the cherished bonds of sisterhood that were so much part of the fabric of the first book, this one threw them off like unwanted shackles. The sisters were almost an afterthought.

I won’t be continuing the series.

Trigger warnings: Eugenics (can’t go into it as it gives away plot points), blood, ghosts, gaslighting, drugging unsuspecting women, abductions, drug-induced hallucinations.

My Book

Morrígan Unleashed (Irascible Immortals #8)

Remember that you can request all of my books from your local library!

I hope you enjoyed this. For more books I’ve read and reviewed, check out either my Pinterest board about reviews or my Goodreads profile. Alternatively, you can check out my reviews on BookBub. Have you read any of the books? Loved or hated any of them?

You can now support my time in producing book review posts (buying books, reading, writing reviews and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion.

*FYI, my reviews are my honest opinion and if something bothers me, I tell it straight. How else will anything change? My opinions are based on being a voracious reader and book buyer, not an attack on the author.*

*If you have difficulty commenting, check that you’ve ticked the data use block beneath the comment before leaving your comment. (Protecting your privacy per regulations.) If you’re still unable to comment, try enabling all cookies in your browser. On a device, like a tablet, go to settings, find your browser (eg Chrome), and uncheck “prevent cross-site tracking” AND “block all cookies.”