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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Overall, this story was compelling and well-written. It's got rough subject matter though. So, you'll need a strong stomach to enjoy it. There were some things I really liked. As well as some things that annoyed me. There are some spoilers in my detailing of these pros and cons.
One of the things I enjoyed most was that this book kept me guessing. Lake turned Lucian into an unreliable narrator. Especially in his memories. Every flashback chapter had me hyper-fixated on details looking for small clues and questioning everything that was happening. is this what really happened? Or is this just what Lucian's broken mind experienced?
Some of the things I didn't like so much...
I already don't like extensive flashbacks in books. It takes a while to build momentum in a story and lots of jumping back and forth means it is slower building for two storylines. The first 10 chapters were predominantly flashbacks of graphic sexual abuse. Before we have any attachments to any characters. It felt rough and like I had to force my way through for a bit. For no real reason. Plotwise there was no need to start off with the gritty stuff so soon. Those flashbacks could have started a little later to at least get the audience invested before dropping plot bombs.
EVERYONE was repeatedly sexually abused? That seems excessive but fine. Why the double standard though? Lucian is graphically abused in detail multiple times on the page. I'm still not entirely sure what exactly happened to Isa. Her abuse was left very vague. There was never any clarification on if she was molested, raped, attempted to be raped, or gang raped (which are all possibilities that were implied). Which wouldn't bother me if I didn't have to sit through multiple scenes of Lucian being abused by 3 separate women.
The story felt unfinished. After talking about trying to dismantle the family business and run off somewhere he doesn't have a reputation... Lucian ends up setting down more roots in town. He buys Isa a failing bookstore smack dab in the center of a town where they are both hated and ostracized... located an hour away from the house they continue to live in? I'm not sure what the plan here is. The secret society knows Isa exists now, knows her name, and has plenty of resources to find her. And Lucian's plan is to stay exactly where they are and just hope no one notices?
One of the things I enjoyed most was that this book kept me guessing. Lake turned Lucian into an unreliable narrator. Especially in his memories. Every flashback chapter had me hyper-fixated on details looking for small clues and questioning everything that was happening. is this what really happened? Or is this just what Lucian's broken mind experienced?
Some of the things I didn't like so much...
I already don't like extensive flashbacks in books. It takes a while to build momentum in a story and lots of jumping back and forth means it is slower building for two storylines. The first 10 chapters were predominantly flashbacks of graphic sexual abuse. Before we have any attachments to any characters. It felt rough and like I had to force my way through for a bit. For no real reason. Plotwise there was no need to start off with the gritty stuff so soon. Those flashbacks could have started a little later to at least get the audience invested before dropping plot bombs.
EVERYONE was repeatedly sexually abused? That seems excessive but fine. Why the double standard though? Lucian is graphically abused in detail multiple times on the page. I'm still not entirely sure what exactly happened to Isa. Her abuse was left very vague. There was never any clarification on if she was molested, raped, attempted to be raped, or gang raped (which are all possibilities that were implied). Which wouldn't bother me if I didn't have to sit through multiple scenes of Lucian being abused by 3 separate women.
The story felt unfinished. After talking about trying to dismantle the family business and run off somewhere he doesn't have a reputation... Lucian ends up setting down more roots in town. He buys Isa a failing bookstore smack dab in the center of a town where they are both hated and ostracized... located an hour away from the house they continue to live in? I'm not sure what the plan here is. The secret society knows Isa exists now, knows her name, and has plenty of resources to find her. And Lucian's plan is to stay exactly where they are and just hope no one notices?
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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:
Yes
The only thing keeping this from 5 stars for me is the relationship development. It wasn't exactly insta-love but it seemed to go from one extreme to another VERY quickly, which seemed oddly contrary to both characters.
I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. Lucian Blackthorne in particular, had an interesting backstory along with his infamous status in town. Isa, while we didn't get the detailed chapters of backstory like Lucian, we learned about her troubled past throughout the book.
Of course, Blackthorne Manor had its own charm as well. The setting was well described throughout the book.
The plot twists at the end...I found most predictable but as I read a lot of thrillers, plot twists are often easy for me to guess. Still, I enjoyed the book and guessing didn't take away from that.
I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. Lucian Blackthorne in particular, had an interesting backstory along with his infamous status in town. Isa, while we didn't get the detailed chapters of backstory like Lucian, we learned about her troubled past throughout the book.
Of course, Blackthorne Manor had its own charm as well. The setting was well described throughout the book.
The plot twists at the end...I found most predictable but as I read a lot of thrillers, plot twists are often easy for me to guess. Still, I enjoyed the book and guessing didn't take away from that.
4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Together we are madness. And there is music in madness, and madness in love.
It doesn't matter what the world thinks of us.
Because we're the composers, the conductors of our own fate, and we write the notes to a beautiful, dark melody that no one else can hear.
Master of Salt and Bones is a gripping and suspenseful dark romance that I did not expect to enjoy so much. It was dark and a little nerve-wrecking and eerie.
I must say I usually avoid reading dark romances especially ones that have a fair amount of triggers in it.
Let's just say it's not my cup of tea.
What was appealing about this one is it gave me a compelling story that radiated between the past and the present, a cast of complex characters and a delicious slow-burn romance that kept my heart racing.
To properly flesh out this review, I must divide it into sections to highlight every important point as follows:
• Story:
The story starts off with a nerve-racking prologue that does a good job at making you uncomfortable and keeping you in suspense, an intentional move by the author to stir up your senses.
We follow 19-year-old Isadora Quinn whom recently was hired for as a companion for the Blackthornes or to be more specific the ailing mother, Laura Blackthorne.
The Blackthornes have a dark and ruthless reputation that precedes them. Making anyone wary of their affiliations and most especially the current Master of the castle in Tempest Cove located on the highest cliff, Lucian Blackthorne.
The rumors and superstitions do not deter Isa from accepting this job. Little does she know, the castle is a seperate universe from the world with its own secrets that may alter Isa's life forever... and her heart.
Parts of the story shed light on the secret society known as Schadenfreude run by rich and powerful sadistic men that the Blackthornes are secretly associated with.
Other parts navigate through the secrets and tragedies that only touch the surface of the truth in it for if you dive too deep... you may find yourself in darkest depths with no way out.
But I promise you'll have your fair share of plot-twists that most may feel predictable but they still manage to make your anticipation grow even more.
The first 30% of the book was the most disturbing part of the book for me, and I'm glad it took a different direction after it.
...
• Characters:
- Isadora Quinn:
I found Isa to be a dull in the beginning but I guess that is because she is an average person with average traits and nothing more to her. But she is a person with her own insecurities and trauma that shaped her to who she is until she meets Lucian.
In the second half of the book, her personality spikes as she begins to become this fiesty woman and it made me enjoy her development as a character since I can trace the changes in her from the very first moment she is introduced to the last page.
- Lucian Blackthorne:
The Devil of Bonesalt. The Mad Son. The Monster of Tempest Cove.
Lucian is an intimidating man with a chilling reputation earning him such monstrous titles that may or may not have to do with his scarred face or the rumor that he had murdered his wife and 4-year-old son.
For 33 years, he had been groomed by his father in unfathomable and terrifying ways. He is a man that has no notion of happiness nor love. A man shackled by tragedy, grief and deviance.
He is thrust into a society of predators and locked at some point in an asylum. He may have caused the deaths of his wife and son since he is a man with blood on his hands.
I really enjoyed his characterization he is such an appealing man with such a complex personality.
The world slices me open once again, and I bleed out the misery trapped inside of me.
The secondary characters do not blend into the background, each contribute to a certain part in the story and some may be a part of something so twisted.
...
• The Romance:
There's a lot of delicious sexual tension going on between Isa and Lucian. I wouldn't call it Insta-love, but they are instantly attracted to one another much to their frustration.
The slow-burn and build-up towards the culmination of the romance makes it so good that it kept me invested.
I love that there is a tinge of Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera dynamic in the romance. Lucian is a scarred hero while Isa is a a heroine thrust into his dark world and brings light to it despite both being broken souls.
"You're my curse. Staying away from you, is like trying to hold my breath when the tide is rising."
His words dance around my head, the deep timbre of his voice titillating my senses. "I want to drown in you."
...
• The Writing:
I'm so impressed with the writing I can't remember a moment where I was bored out of my brains because the writing is so immersive and does an excellent job at keeping me engaged with the story.
The pacing flowed with the writing and it managed to maintain a balance that made the flow not too fast nor too slow.
...
I think this book has the perfect combination of dark romance, mystery intrigue, psychological thriller, and a cast of morally grey characters
There are a few trigger warnings in this book for: emotional and physical abuse, sexual assault, drugs, attempted/r*pe, a hint of pedophilia, self-harm, suicide.
This book may not be for everyone, also it's not a fantasy and it's set in the modern world. It has some very dark and twisted scenes but it's not on the same level as the darker and more triggering books I've read before.
Together we are madness. And there is music in madness, and madness in love.
It doesn't matter what the world thinks of us.
Because we're the composers, the conductors of our own fate, and we write the notes to a beautiful, dark melody that no one else can hear.
Master of Salt and Bones is a gripping and suspenseful dark romance that I did not expect to enjoy so much. It was dark and a little nerve-wrecking and eerie.
I must say I usually avoid reading dark romances especially ones that have a fair amount of triggers in it.
Let's just say it's not my cup of tea.
What was appealing about this one is it gave me a compelling story that radiated between the past and the present, a cast of complex characters and a delicious slow-burn romance that kept my heart racing.
To properly flesh out this review, I must divide it into sections to highlight every important point as follows:
• Story:
The story starts off with a nerve-racking prologue that does a good job at making you uncomfortable and keeping you in suspense, an intentional move by the author to stir up your senses.
We follow 19-year-old Isadora Quinn whom recently was hired for as a companion for the Blackthornes or to be more specific the ailing mother, Laura Blackthorne.
The Blackthornes have a dark and ruthless reputation that precedes them. Making anyone wary of their affiliations and most especially the current Master of the castle in Tempest Cove located on the highest cliff, Lucian Blackthorne.
The rumors and superstitions do not deter Isa from accepting this job. Little does she know, the castle is a seperate universe from the world with its own secrets that may alter Isa's life forever... and her heart.
Parts of the story shed light on the secret society known as Schadenfreude run by rich and powerful sadistic men that the Blackthornes are secretly associated with.
Other parts navigate through the secrets and tragedies that only touch the surface of the truth in it for if you dive too deep... you may find yourself in darkest depths with no way out.
But I promise you'll have your fair share of plot-twists that most may feel predictable but they still manage to make your anticipation grow even more.
The first 30% of the book was the most disturbing part of the book for me, and I'm glad it took a different direction after it.
...
• Characters:
- Isadora Quinn:
I found Isa to be a dull in the beginning but I guess that is because she is an average person with average traits and nothing more to her. But she is a person with her own insecurities and trauma that shaped her to who she is until she meets Lucian.
In the second half of the book, her personality spikes as she begins to become this fiesty woman and it made me enjoy her development as a character since I can trace the changes in her from the very first moment she is introduced to the last page.
- Lucian Blackthorne:
The Devil of Bonesalt. The Mad Son. The Monster of Tempest Cove.
Lucian is an intimidating man with a chilling reputation earning him such monstrous titles that may or may not have to do with his scarred face or the rumor that he had murdered his wife and 4-year-old son.
For 33 years, he had been groomed by his father in unfathomable and terrifying ways. He is a man that has no notion of happiness nor love. A man shackled by tragedy, grief and deviance.
He is thrust into a society of predators and locked at some point in an asylum. He may have caused the deaths of his wife and son since he is a man with blood on his hands.
I really enjoyed his characterization he is such an appealing man with such a complex personality.
The world slices me open once again, and I bleed out the misery trapped inside of me.
The secondary characters do not blend into the background, each contribute to a certain part in the story and some may be a part of something so twisted.
...
• The Romance:
There's a lot of delicious sexual tension going on between Isa and Lucian. I wouldn't call it Insta-love, but they are instantly attracted to one another much to their frustration.
The slow-burn and build-up towards the culmination of the romance makes it so good that it kept me invested.
I love that there is a tinge of Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera dynamic in the romance. Lucian is a scarred hero while Isa is a a heroine thrust into his dark world and brings light to it despite both being broken souls.
"You're my curse. Staying away from you, is like trying to hold my breath when the tide is rising."
His words dance around my head, the deep timbre of his voice titillating my senses. "I want to drown in you."
...
• The Writing:
I'm so impressed with the writing I can't remember a moment where I was bored out of my brains because the writing is so immersive and does an excellent job at keeping me engaged with the story.
The pacing flowed with the writing and it managed to maintain a balance that made the flow not too fast nor too slow.
...
I think this book has the perfect combination of dark romance, mystery intrigue, psychological thriller, and a cast of morally grey characters
There are a few trigger warnings in this book for: emotional and physical abuse, sexual assault, drugs, attempted/r*pe, a hint of pedophilia, self-harm, suicide.
This book may not be for everyone, also it's not a fantasy and it's set in the modern world. It has some very dark and twisted scenes but it's not on the same level as the darker and more triggering books I've read before.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Gun violence, Rape
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated