A review by booksta_adventure
Master of Salt & Bones by Keri Lake

4.5

“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚. 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 … 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

This one is pretty dark, so definitely check those TWs before diving in. 

Isa has been hired to be the “companion” of the mother of her small town/island’s mysterious recluse, Lucian. Lucian is a man with many secrets, a scarred face, and a past full of trauma. 

This was a haunting, and often disturbing read. The romance is slow to build, but oh does that tension and angst burn. 

There is a lot of mystery about both the MCs pasts, especially Lucian’s. I really enjoyed the slow untangling of secrets with flashback scenes showing us how the true past differs from the rumors rampant in this small community.

The setting and the *feel* of the story definitely gave off Jane Eyre vibes, with a Beauty and the Beast twist, all while taking place in modern times, and a lot more 🔥.

Definitely recommend this one to those of you who enjoy a captivating gothic romance.

Audiobook notes: I really enjoyed both the narrators. In particular, I enjoyed Stefanie Kay’s performance of Lucian’s voice; it just made him seem lighter and smitten in his interactions with Isa, even with all the darkness around them. 🖤

What this book is giving:

✅ Dark Gothic Romance

✅ Contemporary

✅ Mysterious Recluse

✅ Age Gap (She’s 19, He’s 32/33)

✅ Spooky Castle

✅ Secret Society

✅ Scarred MMC

Rating: 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ /5

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5