Book Review: House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

**Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Genre: YA
Release Date: August 6, 2019 
Description:

"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. House of Salt and Sorrows is a spellbinding novel filled with magic and the rustle of gossamer skirts down long, dark hallways. Get ready to be swept away."

Well, this unraveled into an unexpected story. Not sure why, but I didn't go into this book aware of how strong the fantasy aspect was. Maybe this is why I didn't enjoy this as much as I expected to. I liked the mystery part of the story, as it was weird how the sisters began to mysteriously die off in weird circumstances. At first, I thought it was a great start to the story, especially since this takes place on some strange religious island. There wasn't anything too extravagant happening at first, but when supernatural elements began to increasingly occur and revelations are made, the more confused I became. In all honesty, I wasn't too keen on that aspect of the story because of how it was developed into something much bigger. It was interesting to learn the mystery behind the deaths, though I found it a bit anticlimactic and the culprit kind of predictable. Also, none of the characters really stood out to me, but none were awful.

Overall, this was an unexpected read. It was entertaining until about halfway through, but if you like fantasy mixed with supernatural then you might enjoy this more than me.

Overall rating:  3/5