Paperback: 400
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: 2019
Language: English
Rating: 5 / 5 stars
In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.
Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?
When Annaleigh's involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it's a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.
Any curse could be broken, if one only dared. That is what every fairy tale we've ever read taught us.
Were those stories, in fact, wrong?
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.
Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?
When Annaleigh's involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it's a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.
This book is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses and I am a big fan of retellings.
Now I've read To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo last year and loved every single page of it. I thought that would forever be my favourite retelling out of all but it appears that another dark and twisted retelling later, I changed my mind.
House of Salt and Sorrows is a very creepy and unsettling story about 12 sisters who keep on dying. The villagers are blaming a curse which may or may not be true, whispering and spreading rumors while the girls are trying to reassure one another.
"There's no curse." Lenore rushed to her side, snapping at me.
Annaleigh is one of the older sisters and she is very determined. Doubts start clouding her mind and questions are keeping her awake at night. 'What if's' become her companions throughout her daily activities until she finally decides that she must uncover the truth. Was it truly a curse - or was it, in fact, murder?
She seeks help with her investigation, but her sisters turn their backs on her, convinced it's just a phase of Annaleigh's grieving process.
She snorted. "There was no shadow. Eulalie wasn't pushed off the cliffs."
This didn't stop her though and truthfully, this wouldn't have stopped me either. I always thought that our intuition knows better than our conscious mind.
At the beginning of the story, the Thaumases are grieving. They have lost so many important members of their family and as is tradition, the mourning process lasts a year. After losing their mother and 4 of their sisters, the Thaumas girls felt trapped in a never ending circle of grief. When does it end?
"I'm tired of mourning."
"And I'm sure your sisters are tired of being dead, but that's how it is!"Shortly after, they discover a hidden door that it is said to be one used by the gods while travelling in the mortal world. Eager to escape the monotony of their home island, the girls start attending balls, dancing the night away and losing themselves in the music guiding their every move.
Night after night, they come home with their shoes destroyed, which drives their father mad trying to find out why.
"It's maddening. I'm almost willing to offer up my estate to find out what's behind all this!"What happens though, when the beautiful fantasy of pretty dresses and handsome partners turns out to be a living and breathing nightmare? Will Annaleigh be able to see the truth in time or would one little bargain with the devil doom them all?
A little bit of romance is also present in the story, but it was not great, at least in my opinion. It seemed rushed and honestly I didn't care about them as a couple. They were lacking the chemistry and it was easier to picture them as a team solving a mystery and nothing more.
There is one teeny tiny thing that I wish I could have found more of in this book, and that is a more detailed description of the characters. Like yeah, the main features were mentioned: eye color, hair color and skin tone, but that was about it and it wasn't for all of the main characters. In order to properly picture them in my mind, I personally, need more than that.
All in all, the book was really good and one of the best mysteries I've read so far. I like the ones that are able to keep me on my toes the entire time and this one did just that.
If you're a fan of fantasy and mystery, then I think you should definitely give this book a chance.
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