House of Salt and Sorrows
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-05 04:30:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Erin A. Craig
- ISBN：B07KDVTR4Y
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Get swept away in Erin A。 Craig's mesmerizing House of Salt and Sorrows。 As one by one her beautiful sisters mysteriously die on their isolated island estate， Annaleigh must unravel the curse that haunts her family。 Be careful who you dance with。 。 。 。
Four of Annaleigh Thaumas's eleven sisters have returned to the Salt， the brackish water that surrounds their lonely island home， their lives cut short， each more tragically than the last。 Whispers throughout the Highmoor estate say the girls have been cursed by the gods。
When Annaleigh finds out that her sisters have been sneaking out to attend glittering midnight balls and dance until dawn， she's not sure whether to stop them--or join them。 And when she begins to see a series of horrific， ghostly visions and more sisters die， she realizes she must solve the mystery--with the help of Cassius， a sea captain who knows much more about her than he should--and unravel the Thaumas curse before she descends into madness or 。 。 。 it claims her next。
Four of Annaleigh Thaumas's eleven sisters have returned to the Salt， the brackish water that surrounds their lonely island home， their lives cut short， each more tragically than the last。 Whispers throughout the Highmoor estate say the girls have been cursed by the gods。
When Annaleigh finds out that her sisters have been sneaking out to attend glittering midnight balls and dance until dawn， she's not sure whether to stop them--or join them。 And when she begins to see a series of horrific， ghostly visions and more sisters die， she realizes she must solve the mystery--with the help of Cassius， a sea captain who knows much more about her than he should--and unravel the Thaumas curse before she descends into madness or 。 。 。 it claims her next。
Reviews
Jitka Waldhauserová
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A very very solid YA fantasy。 This was a pleasant surprise， because I really enjoyed the horor aspect of this story。 I will now deffinetely read the Grim tale that was used as a source material。Finally a YA retelling that is unconventional and original！
Alyse Davis
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I felt like there was so many elements that the author tried to cram into the story that became that it became very muddled。 I liked the story and I thought it was really creative， but I feel like she tried to do too much and it missed the mark for me。
Ena
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So chilling， gruesome and dark but also brilliant， romantic and mysterious。 I loved it。 Its the best horror story I've read so far。 I loved the story。 I like dark stories。 Its scary and sad but also very fun to read。 I liked the characters too。 Especially the main character， because she was so caring and courageous。 I didn't quite expect the twists in the book。 This book was totally unpredictable。 If there was a problem with this book， I'd say there was too many twists and while i liked the e So chilling， gruesome and dark but also brilliant， romantic and mysterious。 I loved it。 Its the best horror story I've read so far。 I loved the story。 I like dark stories。 Its scary and sad but also very fun to read。 I liked the characters too。 Especially the main character， because she was so caring and courageous。 I didn't quite expect the twists in the book。 This book was totally unpredictable。 If there was a problem with this book， I'd say there was too many twists and while i liked the ending， the antagonist got defeated way too easily。 。。。more
Kristen
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4。5: If you think this will be anything like the 12 Dancing Princesses Barbie movie， you are incorrect。 Yes， it is a retelling of that story but not the version you’re probably thinking of。 This book was spooky， and a little terrifying at times， but I could not stop reading！ I even wanted it to go on longer after it ended to find out what the future held for the girls。
Meeghan
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Wow wow wow。 Wow。 This books honestly reminded me of Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House; like that show， I was told this book would be scary， which it definitely was at parts， but at its heart， it’s about family and is extremely sad。 The scariest parts for me were definitely the final chapters。 I just。 Wow。 Definitely in my top three favorites now！
Amélie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I predicted the villain after the first couple chapters - Erin A。 Craig did a good job with making me second guess myself when Cassius came along！A few questions/gripes/omg moments: - What wasn't clear if the older two siblings （Ava and Octavia） die because of this deal， or from natural causes？ I feel like it may have been mentioned and I just missed it？- The instalove was cringy。 Honestly though， I was probably 80% okay with the romance by the end。- Pacing - the middle part was slow going （I fo I predicted the villain after the first couple chapters - Erin A。 Craig did a good job with making me second guess myself when Cassius came along！A few questions/gripes/omg moments: - What wasn't clear if the older two siblings （Ava and Octavia） die because of this deal， or from natural causes？ I feel like it may have been mentioned and I just missed it？- The instalove was cringy。 Honestly though， I was probably 80% okay with the romance by the end。- Pacing - the middle part was slow going （I found）， while the ending was rushed。 I would have liked more for the ending！- Fisher。。。 what a twist！ Didn't see that one coming！This book is probably as scary as I can go。 Recommend！ 。。。more
Natalia
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3。5This was undoubtedly a rare one。Adored the mystery， the dancing， the creepy events and bits of magic。The world， the people and their traditions were captivating， original and nothing like other books i read。I personally loved the strangeness of the so told curse and how I went from laughing， to fully scared， to anxious about what was going to happen from one second to the other。 The real rollercoaster of emotions。The sisters were my absolute favorites， obviously。 Their bond was so beautiful a 3。5This was undoubtedly a rare one。Adored the mystery， the dancing， the creepy events and bits of magic。The world， the people and their traditions were captivating， original and nothing like other books i read。I personally loved the strangeness of the so told curse and how I went from laughing， to fully scared， to anxious about what was going to happen from one second to the other。 The real rollercoaster of emotions。The sisters were my absolute favorites， obviously。 Their bond was so beautiful and heart-wrenching。 Some parts reminded me slightly of Little Women， which I stand for。The romance was more a insta-love thing， but enjoyable and cute。What missed the mark for me was the ending。I am not sure how I feel about the midstory 180º turn where it went from full paranormal to 。。。 something else。The way in which the main conflict was explained and resolved， though entertaining， it felt confusing and certain aspects kinda pull out of nowhere。 The final revelation also somewhat predictable？I think the fact that I'd had so many theories in mind made it seem disappointing when I reached the conclusion and everything was rushed and underexplained。 The Gods and religion side had potential but was displayed in a way that didn't sit well with me。 I just needed more information or something else that I still can't quite point out。Overall… this was an interesting， unique and fast reading， which I wish it had a stronger finale。 。。。more
Victoria Karimy
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This book was honestly very creepy。 When i saw it was a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling i was really excited to read it unfortunately it was not like the barbie movie AHAHA anyways it was good but not really for me！
Susana M。
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This was a surprisingly dark read！ It was effectively spooky， atmospheric and immersive。 I didn't care for the romance and it wasn't at all necessary， but I give it a pass since it is YA and it didn't overtake the story。 I didn't want to put it down and practically inhaled it， very fun adventure。 This was a surprisingly dark read！ It was effectively spooky， atmospheric and immersive。 I didn't care for the romance and it wasn't at all necessary， but I give it a pass since it is YA and it didn't overtake the story。 I didn't want to put it down and practically inhaled it， very fun adventure。 。。。more
juli :）
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4。5-5 i'm not sure yet BUT THIS WAS SO GOOD THE PLOT TWISTS SODOKF 4。5-5 i'm not sure yet BUT THIS WAS SO GOOD THE PLOT TWISTS SODOKF 。。。more
Elizabeth Paige
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I’m literally terrified right now。 Wtf I feel like that book was a fever dream
Kendall （Books with Kendall）
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DNF @ 35%I was bored and just didn’t care about the story。
Catherine Laurel
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Wow wow wow！ I could not put this book down！ It was really a haunting retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses story。 The twists and turns kept me turning the pages throughout the whole book。 It’s been awhile since I’ve had to take a moment to processing everything after finishing a book but it happened with this one & it honestly has become my favourite book。
Ileana
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My rating is actually 3。5/5⭐。
Chey
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Meh。 It very a very slow start for me， didn’t get truly good till the last 10 chapters。 The ending was nice though。
kelsey
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this was actually pretty good。。。 3。5 stars probably！ i dont usually read horror but im interested in the 12 dancing princesses fairytale （one of the best barbie movies， just saying） so i gave it a go and the atmosphere of the audiobook was really well done！ the whole thing was fun and the fantasy elements were interesting and i enjoyed myself quite a bit
Julia
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Ugh！Not at all what I expected。Too much YA， too little actual mystery。
Cathrine Koop
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This book had so much promise and the beginning was really good， and I think that is why I ended up being so disappointed by it。 As it went on， there was very little pay off for all that build up in the beginning， and the romance was kind of unnecessary， cringe， and too sweet in stark contrast to the dark and eerie atmosphere， consequently diluting it which was a shame since it was by far the best quality of the book。
Fiona Baldwin
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Took a bit to get going but the ending was great
Lena
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The ending took a surprising turn。 While I thought this book was interesting， I didn’t particularly like it。 I thought it was too dark。
Akshita
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3。75 stars “We are born of the Salt， we live by the Salt， and to the Salt we return。”This was quite a good book。 When I read that this book was meant to be a retelling of Brothers Grimm's 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses'， also known as 'The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes' or 'The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces'， I came in with different expectations than what I ended up reading， but in a good way。If you wish to read this book because it's a retelling， then I must say that while this story had almost 3。75 stars “We are born of the Salt， we live by the Salt， and to the Salt we return。”This was quite a good book。 When I read that this book was meant to be a retelling of Brothers Grimm's 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses'， also known as 'The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes' or 'The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces'， I came in with different expectations than what I ended up reading， but in a good way。If you wish to read this book because it's a retelling， then I must say that while this story had almost all the elements of the original story， the author still built an entirely new world by adding a layer of horror and mystery to it。 The original story was quite sparse， so having to read this story， with its dark fantasy， mystery and horror elements， was an absolute pleasure。 I am still getting used to having a love story develop in a standalone with no sequel to elaborate on it， but this book delivered as close to a slow burn as is possible。 The characters were well written and there were elaborate descriptions of situations and places that made it very easy to visualise。 The rest of this review contains spoilers。What I liked about this story: “Flushed with starlight and moonlight drowned， All the dreamers are castle-bound。 At midnight’s stroke， we will unwind， Revealing fantasies soft or unkind。 Show me debauched nightmares or sunniest daydreams。 Come not as you are but as you wish to be seen。”- Plot: Setting aside the first one-third of the story， I was immediately intrigued by the mysterious deaths of the three sisters （excluding Ava）， the latest of whom was Eulalie。 From the moment Annaleigh suspected of her sister's murder， the story got loads better。 Verity's horrifying drawings and conversations with her dead sisters， combined with Annaleigh being introduced to the ghosts of her sisters set a very mystical precedent to the story。 As the fairy shoes were introduced， I was all but ready to dive into dancing myself， as I was very glad to see the original story shine through for a bit。 A mysterious portal that opened up into ballrooms far away， where Cassius himself came to dance on the first night， filled with decadence and beauty; I was eager to see more of the story。 When Cassius revealed his half-god nature， I was surprised。 When he went on to reveal other shocking truths， like the fact that he had never attended any balls， that the balls were not real （I must say， this was eerie， reading of the sisters dancing by themselves in their sleep）， and that Fisher was not really himself， all of it was something I wasn't expecting。 I guessed at Morella's big reveal， but the fact that there were so many other revelations that surprised me， like the Goddess of Madness and Nightmares coming out to cause the Thaumas Dozen harm， etc。， was the very reason for me rating this book four stars and not just three。- The Sisters: It was hard to keep track of the sisters in the beginning， but starting from Camille and all the way down to Verity， all characters were well-written。 Verity's ominous drawings and chilling narrations of her interactions with sisters long dead had me liking her immediately。 I didn't see enough of the other Graces to form an opinion of them， but I loved the triplets， especially Rosalie and Lenore。 Annaleigh's determination to find her sister's killer， her passion for Cassian， her slightly stubborn nature， her kindness towards Morella， her inner mind strength at being able to see through the madness surrounding her were so easy to love。 The triplets were interconnected in a way that definitely must have had a supernatural element to it， and it saddened me to see Lenore left behind in a world without Rosalie and Ligeia。 Camille had certain traits that were easy to dislike which is probably why I liked her character。- Cassius and Annaleigh: “You are my world，” Cassius said solemnly， without a moment’s hesitation。“And you are mine，” I echoed。Their story was as close to slow-burn as was possible， but they had an instant connection from the moment they met。 In fact， Cassius was intrigued by Annaleigh long before he even saw her， just based on stories told to him by Octavia and Elizabeth。 He couldn't lie to save his life， of that I am sure， considering he froze every time he lied， but I would like to think that being in Annaleigh's presence freed him up such that he never censored what he thought。 Cassius' reveal as a half-god is something I wish we had seen more of， but his protectiveness towards Annaleigh and his willingness to give up anything to save her life was entirely endearing and more than made up for any qualms I had。 The words I EXIST not only helped Annaleigh， but also helped me to let out a sigh of relief because I was beginning to question Cassius' existence。 The way their story ended， with Annaleigh's wish coming true， was so wonderful， but I am curious to know how a wish could bring back someone from the dead。 “Of all the wishes tonight， yours was almost the loudest， nearly the most hopeful。” He smiled。 “The second easiest to grant。”“Almost？” I asked， looking up at the night sky。 Starlight rained down around us， and I couldn’t imagine a more achingly perfect moment than the one I was in now， nestled between the stars and the salt with the man I loved， who was equal parts both。“There was only one louder，” he murmured before his lips descended once more。 “Mine。”- Hope for a continuation: While there weren't any unanswered questions at the end of this book， there are some things I would love to know more about: the fate of the Thaumas sisters' father， how the sisters are going to adapt in this new world， how the locals will react seeing as they still think that a curse is upon their family， if there is more to that monstrous baby that came into existence at the end of the book， and obviously more of Cassius and Annaleigh， and maybe a potential love interest for Camille。 。。。more
Definitely Maybe
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I feel this book is a 3。75 stars， so I rounded it up to 4。 I really liked the retelling the fairytale of the 12 dancing princesses。 I liked how the author keep the fairytale and its elements intact and then ended up putting an interesting spin that blew my mind。 There's a lot of gore/horror。 I scared myself a lot of times， irrespective of whether I was reading it during the day or at night！ My issues are that the story starts very slowly， but even then， the romance between Cassius and Annaleigh I feel this book is a 3。75 stars， so I rounded it up to 4。 I really liked the retelling the fairytale of the 12 dancing princesses。 I liked how the author keep the fairytale and its elements intact and then ended up putting an interesting spin that blew my mind。 There's a lot of gore/horror。 I scared myself a lot of times， irrespective of whether I was reading it during the day or at night！ My issues are that the story starts very slowly， but even then， the romance between Cassius and Annaleigh doesn't feel organic。 It feels very rushed and unfortunately Cassius character was not very fleshed out， so it was very difficult for me to process that he was the main male lead。 For a long time， I felt like it was Fisher who is the main guy。 But overall， I liked the story！ Very dreadful！ 。。。more
Clare
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I loved the mystery and fantasy of the book。
Liwia13
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4，5-4，75/5。Guys，świetna książka。Naprawdę mi się podobała。 Mroczny klimat，świetna intryga，nieprzewidywalna fabuła。 Świetni bohaterowie，a wątek romantyczny był w tej książce bardzo przyjemnie przedstawiony i aż się na niego czekało。 Nie był na siłę，zrobiony był subtelnie i delikatnie。 Świetny retelling，który jest idealny na lato。Ostatnie co chcę dodać-ludzie o słabych nerwach，nie czytajcie tego jak ja w nocy。 Bo to może być potem dla was nieciekawe。
Lena
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Giving 4 stars only because the book was very chaotic at the end， but it is literally so good！ I’ve had so much fun！！！
Jill！
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a beautifully told yet haunting tale， this chilling stand-alone is now one of my favorite stories to read with all the lights on。
Kirstin Culp
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So I enjoyed reading this book， but I didn’t really connect the way I hoped I would。 The story was interesting and some of the plot twists got me but I felt like some things were still missing！ However I did enjoy this read and the ending made up for any confusion I had haha。 I also like the spooky vibes this book gives off and I felt like my mind was being messed with at certain scenes。 So overall pretty good book！
Purelake
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This book got more chaotic as it dragged on。 It kept me guessing at every turn and although the creepy and dreary can't-tell-fantasy-from-reality vibes were there， what made me read on was the fact that putting down the book would have meant not having a clear idea of what happened， and that was a bother。 It's like watching a movie you know will have a weird aftertaste because you have to see how it ends。--------- SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT ---------One of the things I liked about this was being This book got more chaotic as it dragged on。 It kept me guessing at every turn and although the creepy and dreary can't-tell-fantasy-from-reality vibes were there， what made me read on was the fact that putting down the book would have meant not having a clear idea of what happened， and that was a bother。 It's like watching a movie you know will have a weird aftertaste because you have to see how it ends。--------- SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT ---------One of the things I liked about this was being able to guess a few things things correctly （who made the bargain and what was part of the bargain）。 Not being able to guess anything doesn't make an author clever， in my opinion。 However， I guessed who the villain was and it didn't feel great。 His motivation？ Trick and fornicate。 Yep， that's right， it was the totally-not-suspicious dragon man all along。 And guess what？ He's actually a dragon， he did the Thing™️ with their stepmother who made the bargain， he tricked her by making her human son with Ortun be stillborn while his son with her （an actual dragon） lived， and finally he did the do with her again （since she wanted to call off the bargain） then ate/killed her afterwards--in front of Camille and Annaleigh， of course， both of whom he offered to do this with also。 Tricks， a bargain， and a child reminds me of Rumplestiltskin， tbh。The romance wasn't the best。 Fisher was the guy-who-was-a-friend-of-the-girl-until-the-other-guy-showed-up， which was cringy。 Had it turned into a love triangle， I would've rated this two stars。 :"3 The ending was kind of cute though。 It was absolutely needed for this book lol。Overall it's good if you like being spun around until you're dizzy and if you have a fantastic imagination， but I would not recommend it if you • don't want to guess who the villain is the moment he's introduced • could do without the feeling of this book never ending • could also do without cringy "spiciness" • are expecting great character development • are also expecting great romanceHere are the things it has in common with the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses: • The trees in the forest are silver and gold， and they dance in a fairy-tale castle across a lake for hours。 • They wear their shoes out from the dancing and their father decides that whoever figures out why their shoes are so worn will have his place and one of his daughters' hands in marriage。 • Cassius basically turned invisible when everyone but Annaliese forgot he existed， which is almost the same as having an invisibility cloak， and like the soldier in the tale， he was the one to figure out why their shoes were so worn。 。。。more
Kaitlin Marie-Brown Salter
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Pros: Love the world building and the writing style！！ Was a really unique and made me what to be in the story。Cons: It was a little hard to keep track of the sisters。 Also took off a star for the ending and the killer reveal。 I was really disappointed by who the murderer is， considering this is a fairytale retelling。。。
Abigail
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