House Of Salt And Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

Genre: YA

My Rating: ⭐⭐ 1/2

This was a highly anticipated read for me since the summer, and I was very excited to join in the Bookish Ladies Club buddy read.

I tried to walk into this one not expecting anything, but even then I was left feeling like it was overhyped.

The good..

-The atmosphere. I’m a fan of dark retellings, and liked the setting of this story. The mention of ghosts made for an eerie kind of read.

– I also liked that this was a murder mystery, which was great initially, but things started to go a little downhill for me.

The bad..

-The story is kinda slow to start and a bit too descriptive at times.
– I already figured out who the villain was as soon as they were introduced, so for me, it wasn’t surprising.

– Not gonna lie, there were some major eye-rolling moments: like when the girls are having their dresses and shoes made, and the moment Annaleigh meets Cassius. Ugh..this instalove story didn’t work for me.

But here is where things get ugly..

– There were too many elements: mystery, ghosts, fantasy & magic. The ideas were good, but the execution was kind of a mess, making the last portion of the story weird. I felt like I was reading an entirely different story.

Overall, I was intrigued and wanted to see where things were going, but it was a bit of a letdown.