House of Salt and Sorrows
- Downloads：4154
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-30 12:12:51
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Erin A. Craig
- ISBN：1984831925
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Catherine
，
Wow！ What a read！
Chi Shinrin
，
This book made me feel so many feels。 While it was slightly predictable， it is a beautiful retelling and I’m in love
Donna Lundy
，
5 stars。 Really enjoyed the fantasy， horror feel to the book。
Ankita Aakankshya
，
It's a good retelling of the princess story。 It's a good retelling of the princess story。 。。。more
Tiktak
，
3。5*
Nikki E
，
Is it unfair to ask for more sorrow from a book with sorrow in the title？ I was only able to connect with a few of the characters， so if some of them died。。 it didn’t carry that much weight。 tbh it took me about 70% in before I was hooked， but then I was HOOKED！ I had high hopes for this spooky retelling， and overall it wasn’t disappointing。
Krysten
，
I cried idk why exactly。 But this was fun and disturbing。
Katie Cheung
，
Maybe more three and a half。 I haven’t really decided。 I’m not going to lie， I was pleasantly surprised by this book。 I mean， I only picked it up because it’s a twelve dancing princesses retelling。 Although， I ended up finding it quite interesting and really， weirdly， creepy。 Also， bonus points for it being a fantasy that I thoroughly enjoyed。 Plus it’s a standalone！
Emily
，
A beautiful take on the 12 Dancing Princesses。 I originally picked this up because the Barbie 12 Dancing Princess is my favorite Barbie movie so I must try this book。 It is eerie and breathtaking in every chapter。 The twists that continuously go on as the story unfolds had me on the edge of my seat and my house could have burned down around me I was so enthralled。 Another book that has easily become one of my favorites。 I wish I could read it again for the first time。 This story has ghosts， sist A beautiful take on the 12 Dancing Princesses。 I originally picked this up because the Barbie 12 Dancing Princess is my favorite Barbie movie so I must try this book。 It is eerie and breathtaking in every chapter。 The twists that continuously go on as the story unfolds had me on the edge of my seat and my house could have burned down around me I was so enthralled。 Another book that has easily become one of my favorites。 I wish I could read it again for the first time。 This story has ghosts， sisterhood， and a compelling protagonist you cannot help but feel for in every instance。 。。。more
Kirsten Bielarski
，
So trippy， even I was unsure what to believe。 Pleasantly surprised that It had such a lovely ending！
Niya📚
，
3 1/2 stars
Christine
，
What a delightfully dark and twisty journey this book was。 I was absolutely swept up in the dark halls， scent of briny saltwater， and the creepy sound of gossamer skirts when everyone should be sleeping！ This is a retelling of the Grimm fairytale The 12 Dancing Princesses。 It's a tale of 12 sisters possessed to dance nightly while locked in their room until they've danced through their shoes。 It was one of my favorite tales I studied in college so I had high hopes for this book to live up to。 Th What a delightfully dark and twisty journey this book was。 I was absolutely swept up in the dark halls， scent of briny saltwater， and the creepy sound of gossamer skirts when everyone should be sleeping！ This is a retelling of the Grimm fairytale The 12 Dancing Princesses。 It's a tale of 12 sisters possessed to dance nightly while locked in their room until they've danced through their shoes。 It was one of my favorite tales I studied in college so I had high hopes for this book to live up to。 This tale follows Annaleigh as she works to unravel the truth behind the curse that plagues her family and killing her sisters。 There are strangers， eerie settings， dark and supernatural happenings， and twists at every corner of this story。 If you enjoy period Gothic fairytales， and unsettling happenings I'd recommend this book， a cup of tea， and a good thunderstorm or at least ask Alexa to play you some rain storm sounds。 。。。more
Susan
，
I loved this book！ It was gorgeous and enthralling。 Terrific world building！
Tonya Boyle
，
Audible was okay， ended up reading most of it on kindle。 MWADVM April book club。 Loved it。 Grimm’s fairy tales made real。
Felicia Streger
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4 stars。 -----Spoilers-----I did enjoy the story。 The characters were good， I didn't even realise it was a twelve dancing princesses retelling at first but i liked it。 For me the story took a bit too many turns。 I didn't realise what was real or not and a lot of plot points got laid out， a lot of threads were spun and it felt hard to tie it together towards the end。 I would have loved if there actually was a curse and Verity was seeing their dead sisters。 It also would have been a twist （althoug 4 stars。 -----Spoilers-----I did enjoy the story。 The characters were good， I didn't even realise it was a twelve dancing princesses retelling at first but i liked it。 For me the story took a bit too many turns。 I didn't realise what was real or not and a lot of plot points got laid out， a lot of threads were spun and it felt hard to tie it together towards the end。 I would have loved if there actually was a curse and Verity was seeing their dead sisters。 It also would have been a twist （although a boring one） if Annaleigh had killed all her sisters without her knowing it。 Personally for me， meddling with gods is a pretty boring trope compared to monsters or ghosts。 I was also disappointed after all the focus on Pontus that he wasn't involved at all。 Overall a lot happened and I did enjoy it but the end felt a bit rushed。 A lot happened in short time and the romantic ending felt unexplained。 How could Cassius actually get back just like that？ Because of a wish？ I recommend reading it though， and I think I would want to reread it again。 。。。more
Leena
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ok I really enjoyed this book it was elegant， magical， and dark， but there was a few plot holes and a LOT of things they didn’t explain。 Not to mention the Heartbreaking goodbye the main character had with her love interest only to bring him back three pages later。 That really ruined the ending for me。 Over all this was a very enchanting dark fantasy with a few sports that could have been stronger。
Allison
，
3。5
Amna Rahim
，
4。2 stars 0。2 STARS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL COVER！！！Can I just start off by saying the writing of this book was BEAUTIFUL！！！ 💕 😍 The descriptions were exquisite， the vocabulary was just so juicy and descriptive。 The writing was pretty， but it still flowed well without getting too caught up in empty words and purple prose。 It was so atmospheric and dark and mysterious。 I was like creeped out the whole time I was reading this。Ok so the characters。 I liked Annaleigh。 I FRICKING LOVED CASSIUS HE WAS AMAZ 4。2 stars 0。2 STARS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL COVER！！！Can I just start off by saying the writing of this book was BEAUTIFUL！！！ 💕 😍 The descriptions were exquisite， the vocabulary was just so juicy and descriptive。 The writing was pretty， but it still flowed well without getting too caught up in empty words and purple prose。 It was so atmospheric and dark and mysterious。 I was like creeped out the whole time I was reading this。Ok so the characters。 I liked Annaleigh。 I FRICKING LOVED CASSIUS HE WAS AMAZING！！！ And I was so happy he came back at the end because of the wish thing 🥰🥰🥰！！ And it wasn’t even unrealistic because so many other died。 This is an amazing story as a retelling and as an original。 My only knowledge of the 12 dancing princesses story is the barbie movie for it lol。 So I knew who the villain was going to be from the start。 It was just such a beautiful dark story and I loved all the sisters。 I loved their different flawed characters and their bond。So now the stuff that contributed to 0。8 stars being taken off。。。So firstly， it was a little slow at some parts。 Honestly， the author could have shaved at least 60 pages off of this。 Also， it got quite confusing sometimes， especially at the end。 At first I thought I was just dumb for being confused but I saw a lot of reviews saying the same thing。 Lastly， although this wasn’t like horror horror， it was still kind of horror and I’m a chicken 🐓 so I was seriously scared at some points and I even slept in my sisters room one night so ya。 Anyways you should pick this up， hope you enjoy！😊 。。。more
hanjana
，
This was actually brilliant！ And the ending left me utterly heartbroken。
Amanda
，
I really enjoyed this book。 LOTS going on。 Ghosts and gods and murder and betrayal， romance， magic， it had everything。 At parts it felt like there were some loose ends and false leads that went nowhere， but the writing was great。 I loved the take on the Twelve Dancing Princesses。
Gina
，
Mind "trippy" Mind "trippy" 。。。more
Kathryn （Katie） Burlo
，
This book was weird， sad， and filled with horror all together！ A retelling of 12 Dancing Princesses， “House of Salt and Sorrows” follows Annaleigh who has lost four of her sisters to terrible and sudden deaths。 On top of that， she’s experiencing creepy visions， and she feels conflicted about where she and her sisters are dancing every night。 Is it causing the accidents/deaths？ Is it safe？ On top of all that， there’s slow-burn romance between Annaleigh and Cassius which I LOVED。 The twist at the This book was weird， sad， and filled with horror all together！ A retelling of 12 Dancing Princesses， “House of Salt and Sorrows” follows Annaleigh who has lost four of her sisters to terrible and sudden deaths。 On top of that， she’s experiencing creepy visions， and she feels conflicted about where she and her sisters are dancing every night。 Is it causing the accidents/deaths？ Is it safe？ On top of all that， there’s slow-burn romance between Annaleigh and Cassius which I LOVED。 The twist at the end， the villains， and the descriptions are all so amazing。 This book literally gave me chills！ Just wow - exactly my favorite genre and soooo spooky！ If you thought the Brother’s Grimm were already morbid and creepy， you haven’t read this book。 And I highly， highly recommend you do！ Consensus: 5/5For more reviews and book boards， visit my IG！ @katiebreads 。。。more
Jennifer
，
This book perfectly blended together the aspects of many genres into one cohesive story。 The book starts as a historical drama， then transitions to murder mystery， horror， fantasy， paranormal， and then continues cycling through these。 I thought the book was really well written， and kept you guessing with all its twists and turns。 In addition to the great story， this book is also gorgeous。 The outside cover has an interesting design， but then the flyleaf is black with silver octopuses and other s This book perfectly blended together the aspects of many genres into one cohesive story。 The book starts as a historical drama， then transitions to murder mystery， horror， fantasy， paranormal， and then continues cycling through these。 I thought the book was really well written， and kept you guessing with all its twists and turns。 In addition to the great story， this book is also gorgeous。 The outside cover has an interesting design， but then the flyleaf is black with silver octopuses and other sea life and is stunning！ I try not to judge a book by its cover， but having a great book with a beautiful cover is always a win win。 I look forward to reading some of Erin Craig's other works！ 。。。more
Tori
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 If I'm being honest， this book disappointed me a little bit。 I went into it knowing it was a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale， and I expected to really like it。 To be fair， the extent of my knowledge of this fairytale came from the Barbie movie version。 Regardless， it still did not live up to my expectations。For starters， the first 100 pages were really slow。 I tried to read this book last month and only got about 15 pages in before I stopped and started a different book。 Thi If I'm being honest， this book disappointed me a little bit。 I went into it knowing it was a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale， and I expected to really like it。 To be fair， the extent of my knowledge of this fairytale came from the Barbie movie version。 Regardless， it still did not live up to my expectations。For starters， the first 100 pages were really slow。 I tried to read this book last month and only got about 15 pages in before I stopped and started a different book。 This time， however， I did manage to power through those first couple chapters but it took me a few days to actually get interested in the story。 The biggest problem for me was that we're given lots of names right at the beginning with very little to help distinguish each character。 There are 12 daughters， but the story starts out with 4 of them already dead。 At first I struggled just remembering which girls were alive and which ones were already dead。 Eventually， it became clear who was dead and who wasn't。 But we still had to keep track of 8 names: the 2 older sisters， the triplets， and the 3 youngest sisters who are referred to as the Graces。 Honestly， aside from Camille and Annaleigh， I don't remember any of the other sisters' names。 I will concede that once I got over 100 pages into the book， the story started getting interesting。 The triplets have a ball to celebrate their 16th birthdays， but no one wants to dance with any of the sisters because they believe the family is cursed。 The girls really want to dance， so they find another way: through a magical door that transports them wherever they wish to go。 So they go through the door to a ball far away from home and dance all night long。 This was the only aspect of the book that truly reminded me of the original fairytale。However， the plot took a strange turn once all the gods and goddesses were introduced。 I'm usually a huge fan when fantasy books introduce their own religious or spiritual aspects; the world building is often my favorite part of the story。 But I don't feel like it was well-executed here。 My primary reason for this is because the supposed "curse" on the Thaumas sisters is due to someone making a deal with the god of mischief。 It just felt like a cop-out to me。 But I did predict it was their stepmother， Morella。The plot just felt all over the place。 In addition to the random god names thrown around， we also learn the youngest sister， Verity， is seeing ghosts。 Annaleigh doesn't believe her at first， until she also starts seeing the ghosts of her dead sisters。 The introduction of the ghosts is where the author ultimately lost me。 I was perfectly happy with the dancing princesses and the mystery surrounding all the deaths in their family， but adding the spooky element took the plot in a direction I was not expecting and didn't like。 This was also attributed to the deal with the god of mischief， which felt like another cop-out to me。 I was just not a fan of the gods or the ghosts。 If there had been no ghosts， I probably would've liked this book more。Then there were the love interests。 Annaleigh is reacquainted with an old love interest from childhood at her sisters' birthday ball。 She also meets a second love interest while out at the market。 This created an unnecessary love triangle。 I also would have been on board with it if she had chosen the first guy。 But no， she chooses Cassius。 She has literally known him for such a brief amount of time， and they didn't even really spend that much time together， yet they claim to love each other。 When he ultimately dies， she makes a wish to the gods to bring him back because she's in love with him。 I just wasn't buying it。 They did not know each other long enough。 If this were a series and they got together at the end of it， I would buy that。 I know YA fantasy books love to do this， but if you're going to do it do it well。 Their romance just felt rushed and unrealistic to me。Also， wtf was that ending？ Like， I understand shock factor and everything， but it just felt unprecedented。 This is a world that has gods and some levels of magic， but there was nothing previously established to make me believe or accept that the god of mischief can suddenly sprout wings。 Or that his offspring would be a literal monster。 The stillborn baby and Morella turning into a pile of bones when she died would have been sufficient， but the monster baby was just too much。 It just didn't make sense。 Overall， this book was disappointing and not at all what I expected。 The beginning was boring， the end was confusing， and I was just not a fan of the ghosts。 If you're a fan of the original tale and you want a spooky， horror retelling， then check out this book。 Otherwise， don't。 。。。more
Julia
，
I've never heard of this book before but got pleasantly surprised when I received this book as a gift from a very good friend and fellow bookworm。 I found the first pages/chapters difficult to read - so many characters！ And it was kind of hard for me to figure out what kind of story this was as I didn't have a clue what to expect。 So I kind of had to fight my way through， but in the end， it was definitely worth it。 I have never read a book of this genre before， but it turned out to be a great re I've never heard of this book before but got pleasantly surprised when I received this book as a gift from a very good friend and fellow bookworm。 I found the first pages/chapters difficult to read - so many characters！ And it was kind of hard for me to figure out what kind of story this was as I didn't have a clue what to expect。 So I kind of had to fight my way through， but in the end， it was definitely worth it。 I have never read a book of this genre before， but it turned out to be a great read and I was rooting for Annaleigh to find out what's happening to her and her family。 So as soon as the story got interesting and exciting for me， I finished the book quite quickly and definitely enjoyed the mix of fairytale and eeriness。 。。。more
Ciara Enright
，
I really liked this book it has lots of beautiful imagery and a good plotline。
T S
，
Very dark and atmospheric。
Zen
，
4 stars。。。 maybe 4。5？Overall The House of Salt and Sorrows was an excellent read。 Erin’s storytelling is very well done。 However， I had trouble following the plot at times。 It seemed a little all over the place， quickly switching back and forth from a death （and questions of a murder）， what is basically an insta-love （blegh， first of all; second， way out of character for the logical MC）， to illusions randomly sprinkled in then not being mentioned for a long while， lavish balls， and lots more mag 4 stars。。。 maybe 4。5？Overall The House of Salt and Sorrows was an excellent read。 Erin’s storytelling is very well done。 However， I had trouble following the plot at times。 It seemed a little all over the place， quickly switching back and forth from a death （and questions of a murder）， what is basically an insta-love （blegh， first of all; second， way out of character for the logical MC）， to illusions randomly sprinkled in then not being mentioned for a long while， lavish balls， and lots more magical happenings toward the end。 I cannot put completely into words just how confused I was the last third of the book， and just how incredibly frustrated I was。The ending was such a plot twist， and I honestly did not expect any of the events that occurred。 The epilogue did leave me completely satisfied with the way it wrapped everything up。 。。。more
Stephanie
，
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book， the 12 dancing princesses is probably one of the fairy tales I’m least familiar with and I wondered how that would factor in。 But thankfully， this was more a fantasy mystery book with just the basic essence of the original fairy tale。 I really enjoyed this book！ It was action packed from the start and had a very mysterious and haunting plot with entertaining characters。 The atmosphere was wonderfully creepy and I enjoyed the erie twists of the story。 I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book， the 12 dancing princesses is probably one of the fairy tales I’m least familiar with and I wondered how that would factor in。 But thankfully， this was more a fantasy mystery book with just the basic essence of the original fairy tale。 I really enjoyed this book！ It was action packed from the start and had a very mysterious and haunting plot with entertaining characters。 The atmosphere was wonderfully creepy and I enjoyed the erie twists of the story。 The only drawback for me was it felt like it went on a bit long in the second half。 4。5/5⭐️ 。。。more
Jasmina Krasovec
，