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boucherkatelyn's review against another edition
5.0
The paranormal addition throughout this gothic romance made it better than the first for me. This sister’s story was also more interesting. I think the romance development was softer and slower which made sense for the story. Definitely less characters to keep track of in this one compared to the first as well.
kyky88148's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
IMO it was better than the first one
espurrr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
This book has ruined me. Alex is one of the sweetest, most endearing characters. He is so thoughtful and intelligent. Verity deserves everything good. The flirting through flower language is adorable. The plot hits so many gothic high points. The atmosphere is perfect and really adds to the tension. And that ending. I'm certainly going to be thinking about this book for a while too come.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
amiascah's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Second audiobook of this series and I am still loving the gothic vibes and the suspense.
'House of Roots and Ruin' book two in Erin A Craig's 'Sisters of the Salt' series brings us back to Highmoor and the Thaumas sisters. Verity, now seventeen, the youngest sister has beens living there after her oldest sister the now Duchess had it rebuilt. All her other sisters have moved on and started their own individual lives which Verity longs to do as well. When a letter from their sister Mercy comes with news that the Duchess of Bloem is interested in Verity bringing her talents as a painter to their home to do a portrait of their son Alexander Verity believes this is her chance. Until Camille forbids it and eventually reveals that Verity should never leave Highmoor because unbeknownst to her she's been seeing and talking to ghosts all around her. Hurt by her sisters decision to curtail her life she sneaks out and travels to Bloem in defiance of her sister determined to take her fate into her own hands. Once there Verity thinks she has made the best decision of her life, meeting Alexander and falling love. Everything seems perfect, until it's not, until the nightmares can't be exlapined away anymore and she finds the truth behind the beauty of Bloem.
spoilers
I would normally say im not a gothic of spooky of thriller reader, movies yes, love them but to sit and read not usually my jam, so discovering these books on audiobook format has been eye opening. I didnt care for this book as much as the first, the romance was missing for me, but the last bit made up for a lot of the lacklustre in the beginning. It was weird going in expecting the grim and grit of Highmoor, especially how the first book started with a burial and water everywheres, to end up at Bloem where everything was too bright, too beautiful in a happy cheerful way. I missed the general unsettled feeling that I had the whole time with 'House of Salt and Sorrows'. Another thing that might have made book one hit stronger is growing up on the coast with the ocean in my backdoor made me feel a connection with the Thaumas girls that I didnt feel at all with the Laurent family.
I can't say if I like Verity of Annaleigh more. Both were fun heroines to watch with very little wanting to yell at them for making dumb decisions. They stood up for themselves, advocated for themselves and didnt wait around like a damsel in distress for a guy to help them. Verity was definitely more naive and gullible than Annaleigh. Even though Im pretty sure they were the same ages for each of their books I felt like Verity came off way younger. I didnt like Alexander at all, I felt like he was a wet blanket and maybe I would have said fuck it and join Victor in burning everything down. Also I'm not sure I felt like their love was believable, Julian said something along the lines of sarcastically being shocked that Alexander fell in love with the one girl brought to his cage, which makes sense. Though I'm definitely not reading theses books for the romance.
Also that ending I was just waiting for there to be a hint of this isn't Alex. Normally I would want the next book to forget them and completely move in to another sister, I hear its Lenore, but man I want to know which brother this is, impossible I know but it would be an absolute head spin if it somehow was Julian cause that would be even more unsuspected. But seeing what happened with the burial preparations it looks like it'll just be a switch between Victor and Alexander.
No matter who's the subject of the next book I'll be definitely looking for the audiobook.
'House of Roots and Ruin' book two in Erin A Craig's 'Sisters of the Salt' series brings us back to Highmoor and the Thaumas sisters. Verity, now seventeen, the youngest sister has beens living there after her oldest sister the now Duchess had it rebuilt. All her other sisters have moved on and started their own individual lives which Verity longs to do as well. When a letter from their sister Mercy comes with news that the Duchess of Bloem is interested in Verity bringing her talents as a painter to their home to do a portrait of their son Alexander Verity believes this is her chance. Until Camille forbids it and eventually reveals that Verity should never leave Highmoor because unbeknownst to her she's been seeing and talking to ghosts all around her. Hurt by her sisters decision to curtail her life she sneaks out and travels to Bloem in defiance of her sister determined to take her fate into her own hands. Once there Verity thinks she has made the best decision of her life, meeting Alexander and falling love. Everything seems perfect, until it's not, until the nightmares can't be exlapined away anymore and she finds the truth behind the beauty of Bloem.
spoilers
I would normally say im not a gothic of spooky of thriller reader, movies yes, love them but to sit and read not usually my jam, so discovering these books on audiobook format has been eye opening. I didnt care for this book as much as the first, the romance was missing for me, but the last bit made up for a lot of the lacklustre in the beginning. It was weird going in expecting the grim and grit of Highmoor, especially how the first book started with a burial and water everywheres, to end up at Bloem where everything was too bright, too beautiful in a happy cheerful way. I missed the general unsettled feeling that I had the whole time with 'House of Salt and Sorrows'. Another thing that might have made book one hit stronger is growing up on the coast with the ocean in my backdoor made me feel a connection with the Thaumas girls that I didnt feel at all with the Laurent family.
I can't say if I like Verity of Annaleigh more. Both were fun heroines to watch with very little wanting to yell at them for making dumb decisions. They stood up for themselves, advocated for themselves and didnt wait around like a damsel in distress for a guy to help them. Verity was definitely more naive and gullible than Annaleigh. Even though Im pretty sure they were the same ages for each of their books I felt like Verity came off way younger. I didnt like Alexander at all, I felt like he was a wet blanket and maybe I would have said fuck it and join Victor in burning everything down. Also I'm not sure I felt like their love was believable, Julian said something along the lines of sarcastically being shocked that Alexander fell in love with the one girl brought to his cage, which makes sense. Though I'm definitely not reading theses books for the romance.
Also that ending I was just waiting for there to be a hint of this isn't Alex. Normally I would want the next book to forget them and completely move in to another sister, I hear its Lenore, but man I want to know which brother this is, impossible I know but it would be an absolute head spin if it somehow was Julian cause that would be even more unsuspected. But seeing what happened with the burial preparations it looks like it'll just be a switch between Victor and Alexander.
No matter who's the subject of the next book I'll be definitely looking for the audiobook.
aerussom_25's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Erin A. Craig knows how to write the perfect unreliable narrator in an unfamiliar situation. I ate this book up! I loved Verity as a main charcter, to see her grow up and she her personality on page because she was so young and barely in the first novel. We saw her grow into herself and find her voice. She was curious, sometimes to her own fault, but she is young and in a new place and kind of a new world because of the unfamiliar customs she encounters. The setting was my second favorite thing about the book. Craig fully expanded upon the world we see in House of Salt and Sorrrows and took us to a beautifully rendered world of flowers and plants and beauty. She set up the world of the People of the Petals that you don't think to look beyond the facade they put up. The beginning of the book is so pleasantly wonderful, but slowly descends into something other worldly and dark. The one thing that I didn't love in the beginning, but kind of came to understand, was the romance and how fast they seemed to love each. But it made me think about how in fairytales and fairytale type books, like this one, the main characters kind of fall in love really fast, so I amended my qualms for it in the end because Verity and Alex do have a nice relationship. I loved the plot twists and I especially loved where this book decided to go in the end. But I NEED ANOTHER BOOK ERIN! I NEED ANSWERS FOR THE ENDING!!
the_savannahhumphrey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
nojadednt's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know why all these reviews of people bitchin'. I liked the second one better than the first and the first one was good! I can't wait for book 3. Honestly I was skeptical of following the younger sister as an adult I thought all the years in between would be too big or a gap but I truly enjoyed it.
bmags's review against another edition
4.0
This was objecting a great book, I just really struggled to get into it. A map or list of Gods would majorly help, I just kept feeling very lost. But I do think that’s partially my fault.
But I really loved all the characters and I loved Verity, her inner dialog was fun, always questioning very anxiously. I’ll definitely be re reading this once the next sister of the salt novel comes out, which god I hope it does! I want more of this world!
But I really loved all the characters and I loved Verity, her inner dialog was fun, always questioning very anxiously. I’ll definitely be re reading this once the next sister of the salt novel comes out, which god I hope it does! I want more of this world!