Reviews tagging 'Gore'

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

90 reviews

thenonmouse's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

mysterymom40's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Blood, Gore, and Body horror

Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Death, Sexual harassment, Grief, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Medical content, and Gaslighting

Minor: Misogyny

character talks about using sex to get a wish fulfilled; very gory birth scene; scary dreams; scenes with characters in distorted body forms

slvt4b00ks's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

This book was such a treat. I have never really read anything tho close to horror. Definitely do not read at night if you’re prone to nightmares or scare easily. I love how many allusions there are to Edgar Alan Poe. There’s even a character named Edgar. This author has certainly mastered the macabre, I think mr. Poe himself would have loved this story. The ending had so many twists and turns, I was concerned that like our main character, I could not separate nightmare from reality. Please please please read this. I have no regrets other than that I wish I read this sooner. The book had been sitting on my shelf for a full YEAR, untouched. I almost feel as though the cover does not do it Justice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Body horror, Suicide, Pregnancy, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Classism, Blood, Animal death, Alcohol, Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Gore, Chronic illness, and Child death

snowmuzu's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

2.75

HOSAS was okay. It had a promising start, and I was really into the atmosphere of the story. I liked the setting of the story as well as the world being inhabited by real, physical gods -- I just wished more time had been spent on fleshing out the world. Annaleigh's siblings, aside from Camilla and Verity, did not have their own personalities. Instead, the younger three were lumped together like the triplets, and I had trouble remembering who was who because most of the sisters were just names to me. The triplets being exactly the same personally peeved me. It is such a cliche that siblings born together must be 100% alike. As a twin myself, I can personally say that while we are very much alike, we have our own interests and hobbies. 

The romance in this book was not my favorite. Annaleigh seemed to instantly love Cassius for no other reason than his attractive face (not that I can fault her for that). There was little growth in their relationship, and the kiss scenes did not move me. 

Additionally, the ending of the book was too obvious. I guessed most of the ending about a quarter of the way in. 

Despite my criticisms, Craig's writing was easy to digest, and the mystery of Eulalie's death was compelling enough to keep me mildly interested for most of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Gore

Minor: Blood, Body horror, and Pregnancy

purplehulk713's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Macabre and enchanting, like a ballgown woven from spiderwebs. The world-building of Arcannia, especially of the gods and their canon was fascinating and clever. “We are the People of the Salt.” The motif of dancing was exquisite, both as a breathless art and a dangerous temptation, magical, even. The story’s mystery is incredible, always keeping you guessing, even if you do grasp some pieces of the puzzle you don’t have them all. Death surrounds Highmoor, but Annaleigh seeks to protect life, her cleverness and loyalty to her family (especially her sisters) makes her a lovable, formidable, and powerful protagonist. Believe me, you’ll have trouble figuring out who the antagonist is. The salty seaside atmosphere is the perfect setting for a horror retelling of a classic fairytale. There are also plenty of edge-of-your-seat reveals. The one thing about the climax that slightly disappointed me was that it didn’t let Annaleigh shine as much as I thought she would, taking on some bold protective battle against the evil invading her home. But I guess it still showcased her development in avoiding temptation. It also showed her strength even in the face of loss, perhaps her greatest challenge in the novel. A unique pantheon of gods with potent and wonderfully crafted abilities creates a mesmerizing lore. Erin A. Craig does an impeccable job at balancing and blending the opulent and the sinister. Do you wish to escape your grief? Rest from the bitter and wearisome struggles of the everyday? Do you long for the joy that makes your heart light and your soul sing? Can you hear the melody? Well then, dance with me?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Murder, Grief, Medical content, Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual violence

theillustriousgatsby's review

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Medical content

Moderate: Murder

offbrandclubsoda's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, and Death of parent

Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, and Suicide

anielabooks's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Pregnancy, Death, Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Grief

Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, Child death, Gore, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

katvou's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Child death, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Gore, Pregnancy, Blood, Gaslighting, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Toxic friendship and Sexual content

howlsbreakfast's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

THIS BOOK HAS ME FLOORED I LOVE IT. THE AMOUNT OF EMOTIONS THIS GAVE ME EVERY CHAPTER, CONFUSION, DISBELIEF, DOUBT. LOVE IT. I love Cassius Corum 🫶🫰.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Murder