Thank you to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review. I apologize for my lateness!
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. I love reading books based on lesser-known fairytales. Think The Twelve Dancing Princesses, but more creepy and romantic. I loved it. Now, I’ve never actually read the original tale, but I don’t think that had much bearing on my enjoyment of House of Salt and Sorrows. This book was always going to have my heart because of its atmosphere and world. Annaleigh's life is filled with gorgeous dresses and silk shoes, but also tinged with grief after the death of her sisters. She balances her mourning with her family's desire to move forward and her own budding romance. However! There is also an element of mystery (which will always, always get me) because Annaleigh’s sisters have all died dramatically, and she wonders if they might have been murdered. The mystery aspect of the novel is as sweeping as the glamour. I was deeply invested in finding out what happened to Annaleigh’s family, and found myself easily carried away by various aspects of the story. The plot grows more and more intense towards the end, and Craig brought the novel to a solid conclusion. Of course, I never wanted the book to end at all! I was trying to unravel the mystery as Annaleigh put the clues together, but a few twists had me gasping in surprise. House of Salt and Sorrows seems like a magical book from the very beginning, what with the rituals of Salten and the Thaumas’s glittering lifestyle, but the magic becomes more real towards the end of the novel. Despite the late introduction, I found everything completely believable, and didn’t hesitate to let myself fall into Highmoor. No fairytale fantasy would be complete without a romance either, and especially one with a mysterious stranger! Cassius, Annaleigh’s new beau, has some secrets of his own, but oh my wow! What a stunning and romantic relationship these two had! I’d put this one in the books with Feyre and Rhysand of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Harper and Rhen from A Heart so Fierce and Broken. Overall, House of Salt and Sorrows earns 5/5 stars from me! It was one of my favorite reads of 2019, and I hope you all will pick it up as well.
0 Comments
Hello all! I am in sunny California, enjoying a little bit of R&R before I must return to my real life. I'm here on a true vacation, so I unfortunately don't have that many bookish destinations, but I did make time to visit The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles! I picked up a few special items, which will of course be revealed in an IGTV video later this week, along with the books I've brought with me on the trip.
Later this week I'll be driving up to San Francisco--anyone have any bookstore recommendations while I'm there? I haven't ever been, and I'm very excited to start exploring and see some of my family again. Happy Tuesday, everyone!
My perfect reading nook: blankets, fluffy pillows, a window nearby... and the scent of my favorite candle which matches my book. If you agree with me, then you need to know about these ten bookish candle companies! I've included my favorite photos from their Instagrams, so head over there to learn more about these wonderful shops--disclaimer: the specific candles pictured in my selection of photos might not still be available, but they all still have an incredible selection for you to order from!
Because I read so many books from libraries, I don’t own copies of many of my favorites. I typically buy books I haven’t read yet, or books that I’ve reviewed ARCs of and loved. This is mostly because I don’t often reread books, so I save coupons and gift cards for buying books that are new to me. I’m less likely to buy a hard copy of a book if I’ve read a library copy or if I own the ebook, which is unfortunate because it means that so many of my favorites are books I don’t own! Here are just a few of the ones that got away:
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sharing this copy in exchange for my honest review.
Tala Warnock has little use for magic – as a descendant of Maria Makiling, the legendary Filipina heroine, she negates spells, often by accident. But her family’s old ties to the country of Avalon (frozen, bespelled, and unreachable for almost 12 years) soon finds them guarding its last prince from those who would use his kingdom’s magic for insidious ends. And with the rise of dangerous spelltech in the Royal States of America; the appearance of the firebird, Avalon’s deadliest weapon, at her doorstep; and the re-emergence of the Snow Queen, powerful but long thought dead, who wants nothing more than to take the firebird's magic for her own – Tala’s life is about to get even more complicated…. I am… very confused. I love Rin Chupeco’s writing so much, as well as the ways she shifts her fantasy writing away from the typical Western approaches. However, this book just didn’t hook me, and I’m not totally sure why. I think my main source of confusion is the world building, which is central to the story but somehow never fully fleshed out. There’s Alice in Wonderland inspiration, “spelltech” (what?), as well as the Slavic Firebird myth and an Ice Queen. What do these stories have in common? How are they somehow combined and real? The best part of the book is clearly the characters. Tala is cool—she’s a bit of a chosen one, but there’s a reasonable explanation so I don’t have a problem with this. She’s Filipina, living in the US (where there’s a royal family, but many aspects of our IRL government are still in place), and has a tight-knit family around her neighborhood, who are all affiliated with Avalon. Alex, the Prince of Avalon, is kind and dorky and I just! want! him! to be! SAFE! I love him so much, if anything happened to him I would reach inside of this book and resuscitate him myself. Well… that’s an exaggeration. However, he and Tala are the best characters in this novel, so my love is justified. Two things about Alex that I like: first, he’s gay (queer rep, yay! see my list of 2020’s hottest LGBTQ+ YA here!) and he’s not given a tragic story because of that. Yes to having queer characters in fantasy novels! No to the bury-your-gays trope! Second, he’s got an angsty backstory and new curse to live with, (a la Rhen from A Curse so Dark and Lonely), a trope I love. A hallmark of Chupeco’s books is the diverse cast, which includes characters of many ethnicities, gender identities, and sexualities. So many people will be able to find themselves in this novel, and I can definitely get on board with that. I appreciate how much attention Chupeco gives to the plot, so each character has clear goals and motives. Even the side characters had purpose, which helped me remember them. Two of my favorites are Lola Urduja and Tala’s mom, who are both fierce warriors. They had some truly awesome fight scenes in the book. Even through my confusion, I didn’t want to put the book down, just so I could find out what happens to Tala, Alex, and Avalon. In the beginning, I worried that I wouldn’t feel connected to Tala’s quest because I couldn’t understand the world, but that fear faded as I kept reading. I wouldn’t say that everything makes sense at the end, but I am surprised by some of the different plot points and excited for their potential in future books. As always, the writing is perfect. I’m a big fan of Chupeco’s prose; I find it deft and adaptable, which serves all of her novels well. I will be anticipating the second book in the series, in the hopes that it fleshes out more of the world building and characters. 3/5 stars. I am still confused about the ways fairytales and the real world intersect here, but the pace picks up in the second half of the book, so I didn’t want to stop reading. Perhaps other readers will be able to unlock the secrets of this book’s magic, but until the sequel comes out, I will say it’s just not for me. |
The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
Categories
All
Archives
June 2023
|