Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - House of Salt And Sorrows

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

House of Salt And Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

38 reviews

offbrandclubsoda's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

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anielabooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

This book was such a rollercoaster for me. I came in with little knowledge of horror books and only the Barbie’s version of a 12 dancing princesses under my belt. Thankfully, the horror wasn’t very intense. I was so invested in the story the entire time and was very satisfied with the ending. I also loved the romance aspect of the book as I found myself falling in love at the same time as Annaleigh. I honestly did not predict the ending, which I liked. I particularly loved the motif of the sea turtles throughout the book; it really made the last few chapters that much more heart-wrenching. I’m so glad one of my followers recommended this book to me.

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katvou's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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readwithria's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I don't know how I feel about this book, but I know that I liked it enough to finish it.

I don't have much to say as a preamble so I'm going to get straight into the lists

Things I liked:
- I like that Craig decided to group up the younger sisters to make them easier to keep track of
- I really liked the setting and how the religious celebrations were linked to location
- I think the spooky/horror aspects of the book

Things I wish were different:
- While I appreciated grouping some of the sisters together, it did make them less individualistic, which I didn't love
- I could not for the life of me figure out how old Morella, Mercy, or Honor were. I know the triplets were 16 and Verity was 6, but the two older Graces are just somewhere in between I guess? And Morella was apparently not much older than Camille and Annaleigh (19 and 18) but had been working as a midwife for 5 years before the beginning of the book? I was very confused
- I wish there had been another chapter or two of resolution between the last chapter and the epilogue. I don't actually feel like I got any closure
- I almost think the last third of the book could have been stretched into a second book. Have book one stop at the lighthouse, or even earlier

when the two triplets die

and have book two really dive into the madness and the beguilement with the unreliable narrator aspect played up.
- I don't think the world-building was as strong as it could have been. I didn't figure out something major about their religion until almost 75% of the way into the book. I think the book was trying to be too much with the fantasy religion, ghost story, murder mystery, romance/love triangle, and family drama. If it had picked two or three it would have been much stronger.

All in all, this was a 3.5 star read for me. I liked it, but I didn't love it.

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nutmegandpumpkin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

It took me a while to get into (it only started really picking up for me around pg 123). But once I did get into it, I really did enjoy it.
At first it was hard to keep track of all the names because there were 12 sisters plus more characters (though four of the sisters are dead from the beginning). Although I liked having a large cast of characters, it was a bit confusing for a while.
There were also some cliché romance moments and a bit of instalove which isn’t my favorite but didn’t ruin the whole thing.
It felt like it was trying to be a little too much all at once: a psychological thriller, horror, fairy tale retelling, fantasy, romance, family drama, mystery. I think this might be why it felt a little all over the place and rushed in some areas.
HOWEVER, I really just loved the ~vibes~ of the whole book and I did NOT expect it to get so dark and unsettling but I enjoyed that (despite it being a shock). I had also totally thought I guessed the twists but BOY was I WRONG lol.
The description was lovely and the tension, suspense, and mystery definitely kept me intrigued.

would recommend!

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zoepagereader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was a wild time, and not in a good way. An author has to know when there are too many plot points in a book and I’m sorry, but a Twelve Dancing Princesses murder mystery retelling set in a newly created fictional world with many murders and ghosts as well as new gods and a (maybe) love triangle with a Monday’s Not Coming styled semi-twist at the end is too much. Way too much. 2.75⭐️

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