My thoughts

Narrative and Plot

House of Salt and Sorrows has a deep melancholic voice. If you’re listening to the audiobook, the narrator ( Emily Lawrence) does a pretty good job of luring you in to the story with that gloomy and mysterious tone. This is your perfect October read. It is dark, mysterious, enchanting and certainly has a few spooky elements.

The plot is intricately woven and always keeps you on your edge. There is danger lurking at every corner along with the spectacle of Highmoor and the dancing. There’s some fairy shoes involved too! The story gets twisted and tangled. The ending seems to be a bit too simple for all it’s trouble. However, that doesn’t take away the thrill of the entire journey.

Characters and Conflicts

Annaleigh is our protagonist. It is through her eyes, we get the entire story. The book utilises the first person narrative in the best possible way. Annaleigh ventures out to figure out the truth behind the misery that seems to have caught their family. In this dangerous endeavour, everything becomes surreal.

With each turn, the suspense grows and the tension only excavates. Even then, there are lighter moments with the sisters. The bond and love is close to my heart and anyone can relate to that sense of protection you feel towards your siblings. It takes sometime to get accustomed to the sisters’ names and identifying them. But ones you figure that out, each one seems to have a well defined personality.

The romance in the book is teasing and light and just enough to pique your curiosity and ship for the couple.

A heap of conflicts build up chapter after chapter. In that regard, this book is a real page turner. The one where you’ve read 300/400 pages and still have no idea where the plot leads you. It makes your heart race with the anxiety over the remaining number of pages and remaining number of conflicts (if you know what I’m talking about.) . The conflicts become a twisted knot and in the end it all unties, just like that, by pulling a single thread. That caught me off guard. But other than that, it is quite a strong story.

There are some really gory details and scenes involved in this book. It can spook you up at this particular time of the year. So, go for it if you really want to get into that Haunted House feeling.

Conclusion

This is a must read for Spooktober. Or any other time, if you’re a fan of the dark enchanting fantasy genre. House of Salt and Sorrows, is a book about family bonds and grief. If that’s up your alley, you should definitely pick this one up.