House of Salt and Sorrows was a great debut. It really showcases Erin’s writing skill and sets up for a stunning career.
I loved the atmosphere and bending of fairy tale with spooky bits. Fairy Tale’s at their base were not all Disney levels of happiness and delight. They’re dark and well grim. Ha. This really reminds me of something I would have found in my original book of Grimm’s fairy tales. It’s got a breathtaking religion, Gods who may or may not be real, and enough atmosphere to truly drive home the creep factor.
I really adored the writing. As far as craft is concerned, this is a stellar example of what it’s like to immerse the reader in a world that is not their own and make you present. When reading I could smell the salty sea and hear the crashing waves in the background. Just whoa at all the imagery.
The twelve Thaumas sisters are dying. The story opens on the funeral of the fourth sister to meet her end and is told from the point of view of Annaleigh. She is the sixth sister, so not yet the oldest living sister, but up there. As she thinks on the death of her sister’s she begins to have visions that make her question the true reason why they might be dying.
Her journey takes her through meeting handsome men, devilish deals, romance, and some absolutely horrifying bath’s. I consider myself to have a very stalwart mind, but I happened to be reading the bath scene while in a bath and it was… unsettling.
The story was really appealing. Enough that it was easy to overlook the parts I felt a little meh about.
The voice is used in such a way to remind me of Maggie Steifvater’s prose. I really like The Scorpio Races and it gives off that quaint village by the sea vibe. I imagine it’s hard to comp this title to others, but I would pick the atmosphere of The Scorpio Races, but scarier, with the God-play like Tamora Pierce’s Trickster’s Choice and Trickster’s Queen.
This title was provided on Netgalley in return for an honest review.
A.J. Eversole 