booksonawire's review against another edition
5.0
I was unfamiliar with the original take, Twelve Dancing Princesses, so this felt very new and fresh. And it was so atmospheric, she painted a gorgeous world plus it gave me the chills on a few occasions. I was able to guess the big reveal, but had such a good time reading it, I didn't mind...4.5 stars
mermaid42's review against another edition
4.0
This book is amazingly atmospheric. The isolated island and the sea being so prominent felt really great. I loved the mystery elements. However, it went downhill in the last quarter for me. I was not a fan of the insta love and the twist was rushed. Nothing was completely explained and things were just left dangling as coincidences.
zanhoven's review against another edition
4.0
I love how the author got me to question my own conclusions throughout the novel. The fantasy and horror elements were also well written. However, my one complaint would be... why do girls need a guy to feel complete? I felt like this re-telling didn't need the romance elements that was written. Overall, a good read .
kaceecavazos's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! Very spooky and atmospheric for a fantasy book and actually kind of scary especially for a YA book. Perfect for the fall! Gothic manor murder mystery vibes with a hint of romance.
ishamafae's review against another edition
2.0
House of Salt and Sorrow
Brief Summary :
- 4/12 sisters are dead, instead of being concerned everyone tries to go business as disuse even when it seems potentially dangerous. MC is the only one on the case but she gets pretty sidetracked.
Most Important Aspects:
- Character
- Cassius and MC's relationship is weird as heck, they’ve barely had conversations and they’re already kissing. All the siblings don’t have anything interesting about them except that they’re dying and one can see ghosts and it’s not the MC. I’m confused as to how I’m supposed to feel about the dad, one minute he’s caring and mourning and trying to move on and then he’s angry and a drunk. Sisters also stupid for going to dance in who knows where when so many of them are dying.
- Calling them characters is generous as their more like empty boxes moving about because there is nothing to them
- Worldbuilding
- Reminds me of Crown of Coral and Pearl or something like that. The town that worships the sea and its involvement in everything. Different culture compared to the mainland.
- Apparently, there’s magic and I never noticed until Cassius shows up and says he’s a demigod kid. Feels out of the left field and can see ghosts. Like I can remember precisely 1 conversation about their pantheon
- Plot
- See I don’t really know what was going on because it feels like a bunch of stories at once. I could follow until there was a magic reveal and then the book is like “is it magic or is she going crazy” but the thing is neither of these things had been foreshadowed or built up to make me think this was something that could happen
Similar Things:
- Mexican Gothic
- Crown of Coral and Pearl
Star Rating - ⭐️⭐️
Brief Summary :
- 4/12 sisters are dead, instead of being concerned everyone tries to go business as disuse even when it seems potentially dangerous. MC is the only one on the case but she gets pretty sidetracked.
Most Important Aspects:
- Character
- Cassius and MC's relationship is weird as heck, they’ve barely had conversations and they’re already kissing. All the siblings don’t have anything interesting about them except that they’re dying and one can see ghosts and it’s not the MC. I’m confused as to how I’m supposed to feel about the dad, one minute he’s caring and mourning and trying to move on and then he’s angry and a drunk. Sisters also stupid for going to dance in who knows where when so many of them are dying.
- Calling them characters is generous as their more like empty boxes moving about because there is nothing to them
- Worldbuilding
- Reminds me of Crown of Coral and Pearl or something like that. The town that worships the sea and its involvement in everything. Different culture compared to the mainland.
- Apparently, there’s magic and I never noticed until Cassius shows up and says he’s a demigod kid. Feels out of the left field and can see ghosts. Like I can remember precisely 1 conversation about their pantheon
- Plot
- See I don’t really know what was going on because it feels like a bunch of stories at once. I could follow until there was a magic reveal and then the book is like “is it magic or is she going crazy” but the thing is neither of these things had been foreshadowed or built up to make me think this was something that could happen
Similar Things:
- Mexican Gothic
- Crown of Coral and Pearl
Star Rating - ⭐️⭐️
malosdirh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.0
stephaniebookish's review against another edition
4.0
I have definitively decided on a 4 because I couldn't stop thinking about this book for WEEKSSSSS! I devoured it in a day and tbh what threw me off was the ending, which I thought was too convenient of an ending, but I digress.
I am not a big scary movie or book fan because my imagination runs wild and I'm convinced something is out to get me, but this book was the right amount of spooky/creepy. There was some interwoven magic that I ended up enjoyed a lot more than I thought I was going to. And there were some really disturbing moments that set this book apart.
Honestly, this book is compulsively readable if you aren't a big scary movie/book fan, this is perfect. But prepare yourself for an annoyingly convenient ending (:
I am not a big scary movie or book fan because my imagination runs wild and I'm convinced something is out to get me, but this book was the right amount of spooky/creepy. There was some interwoven magic that I ended up enjoyed a lot more than I thought I was going to. And there were some really disturbing moments that set this book apart.
Honestly, this book is compulsively readable if you aren't a big scary movie/book fan, this is perfect. But prepare yourself for an annoyingly convenient ending (:
bayni017's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book, young adult first person as so many ya are. I was creeped out a few times but overall it kept my interest. This is a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. Super fast read.
marie_maude's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75