ARC Review: Sisters of the Salt #2

House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig

Publication Date: July 25, 2023

Summary from NetGalley:

In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.

When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.

Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.

But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade. . . .

ARC provided by Random House via NetGalley for an honest review.

Confession:

This is an amazingly well done dark and twisty tale. I think it might even be darker than the first book. It starts out a little slow, but the suspense slowly builds until you get to the fast paced and unbelievable twists at the end.

I really liked Verity, even in the first book, I felt like she was someone I would like. Now she is all grown up and so unsure of herself as she ventures off into the world. Much of her hesitancy and doubt in herself is due to her sister’s mishandling of her youth. I get why they did what they did, but what a way to mess a person up. Yes, she sees and talks to ghosts, but why not just admit that to her, it would have been far kinder I think. But it was good to see her grow throughout the book. Starting off rather timid and socially awkward, but slowly growing into a strong young lady, and someone not to be trifled with. It was a satisfying journey and even when things around her were going to hell, she was able to keep her wits about her.

Alexander was a bit harder to like, not that he wasn’t a nice person or difficult, he was just kind of a bit flat, and I’m not sure a good fit for Verity. But I could respect his feelings for her. Alexander is in a wheelchair due to a childhood accident, and I loved how that part of his life was handled. The author was up front about the hardships this caused, but no one seemed fazed by it, and it certainly did not impact their romance in any way.

The one thing I really liked about the romance, was how Verity reacted to Alex’s first kiss and touches. She was so unsure of herself and couldn’t shut her mind down with thoughts about whether or not she was doing it right, and was it suppose to feel like this, type of questions. It was nice to see a first kiss, and some other ones, that was not all heart melting and over the top sensations. This felt right for her character.

As soon as Verity reaches Highmoor, you can tell that something is off about the house and the family. The suspense is slowly spun out through the slow reveals of what is really going on and why Verity was asked to come to Highmoor. There are many twists in this dark tale, some a little hard to take, but the true horrors are not revealed until closer to the end. The pacing is a bit slow, but slowly picks up as the suspense mounts until it all comes crashing together at the conclusion. Even though the book ended a bit predictably, it was still done masterfully and so skillfully that I still felt the tension and the shocks as things were revealed. The ending was shocking, and I so hope there is going to be a sequel because it can’t end like that.

I don’t think you really need to have read the first book in order to enjoy this one. It wouldn’t hurt, as I think it sets up Verity’s character and her relationship with her sisters well. If you have read the first book, you will really want to read this one. It is so dark and twisty that it will keep you guessing until the end.