A review by enchantingreads_rosyreviews
A Wrecking of Salt and Fire by E.K Condos

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

“No one should ever feel shame over the pain others inflict on them. The person who did this… they were small. They needed to see pain in others to ease their own. That is never acceptable. Never the answer… Don’t cry, Princess… The ones who cause us the most pain are rarely ever worth our tears.”

This truly felt like if Pirates of the Caribbean (with a dash of Killian “Hook” Jones from Once Upon a Time & Damon Salvatore’s dreamy self) mixed with Greek Gods & Mythology. It’s an extremely fast-paced magical romantasy that will reel you in from the beginning. I was yelling at characters, swooning over others, & audibly gasped in several places. Emily’s writing, mainly her descriptive detail, on-point theming to the region, & complex character profiles, is exemplary! When she writes about someone feeling anguish, I can feel it. When she describes someone awaking from nightmares that continue to plague their mind, I feel like I’m reliving that traumatic experience. Her strong female leads are ones to admire & her male leads are equally strong & swoony. Plus, all of her characters are so emotionally complex that peeling back the layers & diving into their motivations & backgrounds is guaranteed to keep you reading. I absolutely loved this incredible journey across the seas, inspired by Greek mythology, & showcasing inner-strength after trauma.

"'...I look at you and my world disappears into nothing but the damning echo of your heartbeat—how it calls to me even in a dreamless sleep... You say you can't say no to me. I can't hear no from you.'"

There's so much I want to say, but I know I'll spoil something in this richly complex story & I definitely don't want to do that. But I will say this. If you like Damon Salvatore and Killian "Hook" Jones? You'll like a certain pirate in this book. If you like Homer's Illiad & The Odyssey tales or Greek mythology in general? Then you'll love this high seas adventure. If you love an unrequited love story, complex characters, overcoming trauma, romantasy themes, twists & turns, swoony male characters (and a few disgusting men too), strong AF female characters, an adorable (yet deadly) fluffy white cat & an action-packed story? Then you MUST read this book. Emily knocked it out of the park with her debut & this is a FANTASTIC read. 
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