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  • House of Salt and Sorrows

  • Written by: Erin A. Craig
  • Narrated by: Emily Lawrence
  • Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (123 ratings)

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House of Salt and Sorrows

Written by: Erin A. Craig
Narrated by: Emily Lawrence
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Publisher's Summary

Georgia Peach Book Award nominee

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Get swept away by this “haunting” (Bustle) YA novel about twelve beautiful sisters living on an isolated island estate who begin to mysteriously die one by one. This dark and atmospheric fairy tale inspired story is perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

"Step inside a fairy tale."—Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor with her sisters and their father and stepmother. Once there 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 her sister's deaths were no accidents. The girls 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. Be careful who you dance with...

And don't miss Erin Craig's Small Favors, a mesmerizing and chilling novel about dark wishes and even darker dreams.

©2019 Erin A. Craig (P)2019 Listening Library

What the critics say

"It’s a fairy tale, a young-adult romance (though gothic enough for adult readers) and a whodunit too."—The Wall Street Journal

“A tingling and chilling read.”—Huffington Post

"An eerie, lovely Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling full of ghosts and gods and a fascinating waterfront world and I'm reading it from behind my fingers."—Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood

What listeners say about House of Salt and Sorrows

Average Customer Ratings
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A spooky story

I don't usually read these kind of books, I am usually an epic fantasy series type of reader/listener. But this was a nice change⁰ and I quietly enjoyed it! performance was great story kept my interest throughout.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Twists and turns in a fantasy world

I was expecting something straight forward and boring but this novel turned into a delight! It’s full of magic and fantasy and mystery.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Utterly Obsessed

I chose reading this book over sleep, multiple times. That’s how deeply this books mystery/whodunnit vibes sunk its hooks into me. I just had to know what happened next and that need only got stronger the farther along I got! This book is a definite must read.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

No real storyline

Except that life goes on easily after someone dies. Throw on another one. It was getting repetitive.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love it !

It was very interesting and kept my mind from wondering.
The time went by fast and I didn’t expect that ending!!
I imagine a movie and I’ll watch it!!!
I will come back and listen to this book again !!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Disjointed and disappointing

I love YA, and I loved the premise of this book. However, it felt disjointed and forced and the ending did not feel strong. This is personal preference, but I really wish the narrator wasn’t American - it didn’t feel authentic to the setting.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Gothic mystery that keeps you guessing

If you are hoping for a dark fairytale romance, this is not that book.

There is not much romance in this book at all.

There are ghosts, gods, mysterious deaths, strange premonitions, curses, insanity and twisted plots. A main character who is not a damsel in distress, if you like that, this is your book.

The haunting descriptions of scenes play very clearly in your head as the author paints elaborate pictures. I could easily see this as a Tv series fit for lady Gaga. There’s some great imagery here.

It’s a slow moving story, that gracefully waltzes across your mind in its own time. You do get caught up in the melody and don’t mind the pace.

Very well performed overall.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Slow and Boring

Super slow getting into anything, fair amount of inconsistencies, lame ending. Not worth it to me.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An Absolutely Riveting Horror Mystery

Like Crimson Peak meets classic folktales, House of Salt and Sorrow is a thrill to read/listen to. The narration is beautifully acted and the story itself draws you in like the embrace of a constrictor snake. Once you start, you won't want to stop, and I can attest to this because I listened to it in one sitting. It was macabre and heartbreaking and the mystery at the core of the story will keep you guessing until the end.

Highly recommend this title. The story and writing are top notch!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Spooky, romantic fantasy

I really enjoyed this book. The creepy elements had a slow burn but by the end there was some great horror/gothic moments. The romance was geared a little toward teens but I still enjoyed it. Well written and well read.

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  • Sarah
  • 2019-10-30

a novelized folk tale

My favorite part of this story was the description. I would read other tales by this author just for more of the imaginative descriptions.

I also really liked a protagonist who made mistakes, who succumbed to intense opposing forces, who struggled to weather adversity.

I didn't like the predictability, but that may just be me. The villain could be identified by name alone from the beginning. The setting up of some of the story elements seemed a bit ham-handed. However, the concept here is a sound one and fairly unique. It may be reminiscent of a fairy tale, but this veers far from the dancing princesses story I know.

What I really disliked about this book was the audio. I think I have listened to this reader before. Her elocution is great; what bugs me is the nasal quality of her voice. Every word sounds as though she ran it through her sinuses on the way out. I will probably just avoid buying books with this reader in future.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Booniecat
  • 2019-08-28

a creepy, gothic mystery!

An interesting retelling of the Dancing Princesses fairy tale, this book takes the basic premise and makes it new with a gothic, atmospheric and very creepy story. The narratation was very good, and brought just the right voice to the main character. The first part of the book was a little slow, and seemed to lose its focus a bit as the timely discovery of a magic portal to amazing balls where the sisters can dance all night distracts the main character from her dective work in the murder mysteries, but it is all worth it because the slow, creepy build really brought it all together by about 2/3 of the way in. The author is particularly adept at slow burn, creepy scenes...several times I was on the edge of my seat with the vivid imagery! The threat of madness and real vs fantasy was well handled as well. Most questions were answered, and the world building was interesting enough I would love to read more stories set in this world. Not perfect, but an excellent listen and I will be looking for more from the author!

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19 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Cassandra
  • 2019-08-29

Wow!

I downloaded this before a trip because it sounded intriguing and I needed a longer book to fill travel time. WOW! Craig’s story is a delicious mix of beautiful, magical, mythical, and creepy. I really love the twists and turns she takes the reader/listener down. If Haunting of Hill House crossed with a fairy tale, this would be it. This book was meant to entertain me for a few hours between point A and point B then back again, but it thoroughly grabbed my attention long after my trip was over!

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17 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Karissa Eckert
  • 2019-09-28

Unique but very slow

This was a retelling of the "Twelve Dancing Princesses", which was my favorite fairy tale growing up. I was very excited to read this and it ended up being...okay. I normally love fairy tale retellings but this one was very slow, you could have had this book be quite a bit shorter and the story would have been just as good. Most of the action and excitement takes place in the last few chapters of the book.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life as the daughter of a Duke on a small island. However, her peaceful life has been shattered by the intermittent accidental deaths of her sisters. When she starts having ghostly visions and a mysterious door to another realm is found, Annaleigh begins to wonder if her sisters’ deaths were really accidents at all.

So, first...other things I didn't like (aside from the poor pacing). I had trouble engaging with the main protagonist, Annaleigh, she was just so serious and so good. In fact that's another issue I had with this book; it felt like it took itself way too seriously and was just way too dramatic. No humor or fun dialogue here.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration might have been part of my issue with this. The narrator does an excellent job with most character voices but Annaleigh's voice sounds breathy and dreamy, almost overdone.

There were some things I liked about this book as well. The description in this book is pretty amazing, I never had trouble picturing characters or settings. There are strong horror elements throughout, enough that the story is very creepy and at points the description is a bit naseauting. I liked how this horror was woven into a classic fairy tale. I also liked that this blended elements of madness and almost Lovecraft/Cthulhu-like themes into the fairy tale as well.

Regarding the horror elements...I would only recommend this book to older young adults. This book includes a lot of very descriptive and gory horror elements. There are also a lot of other mental health things going on here like suicide, madness, and self-harm. Just a heads up to anyone sensitive to those topics.

Overall, although the ending was interesting and I liked how the fairy tale was blended with themes of horror and madness, this is a book I would have been fine with skipping. Personally I wouldn’t recommend, there are better fairy tale retellings out there. However, if a horror and fantasy themed retelling of the twelve dancing princesses intrigues (and you don’t mind a deliberately paced story) you might really enjoy this one.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Heather
  • 2019-09-15

reviews

i went back and forth with purchasing this audiobook. There really wasnt anything i really liked about this book. I didnt like the narrator and the way she portrayed the main charecter. All of the sisters where downright annoying except for verity and camille being one of the most annoying characters i've encountered in a long time. I loved the direction the author was trying to take it, but it was just so many antagonist that it almost made it not worth finishing. all in all i rate this a three. The picture they painted was beautiful. the rest was not.

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16 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Kelly C.
  • 2019-08-23

Not For Me

I have heard several people talk about this one. I actually do not know if I know the fairytale that is it a retelling for, but I was still excited to give it a try. I really loved the beginning, but then it went a little too slow for me. I liked the mystery behind the sisters and the curse. As the story goes on though it veered off too much. I did not care at all about the ball and the dancing. It just made the story drag on. I wanted to get back to the mystery and if the sisters were killed. There was so much filler that did not bring anything to the story. I know it all comes together in the end, but I just kept feeling like I wanted it to be over. Yes, there was exciting parts but even then I could not get into this one. I should and could have pushed through to finish this as I got so far. I seriously read around 80% and then skipped to the end to get it over with. This one was just not for me.

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12 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Kindle Customer
  • 2019-09-07

Wow!!!!!

This book is magnificently written! Spellbinding fantasy so relatable you would think it’s true. Bravo!!!

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Megan
  • 2020-08-02

amazing twisty turny book but...

this book was amazing. it was a slow start, but once it picked up pace I actually got annoyed with my husband for interrupting me. the but is that there's a lot of untapped potential. the author could EASILY turn this into a series. the world building is immaculate. The Author could make each of the surviving girls go through other fairy tails, like beauty and the beast, or even have the Trickster come back to cause trouble with Cassius and Annaleigh. make something come of the little monster baby. something. This book had me clamoring for more that I feel I'm not going to get. but it IS amazing writing and an amazing world. I want to know more about the people of the petals, bone, stars, everything. I want to know more about the gods that walk among the people--which is seriously such a great concept. GIVE ME MOOOORE

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Carly
  • 2020-07-19

Interesting premise but let down by underdeveloped characters and world

I loved the 12 dancing princesses tale as a kid and was so excited about this book but ultimately the lack of depth let me down. Most of the scenes felt like plot points to move the story along rather than truly earned emotional moments.Like Annaleigh and her love interest spend probably a combined 12 hours with each other over the course of a few days and they are instantly in love, saying they were waiting their entire lives for each other. And I can’t tell you one unique thing about the guy because he falls into the tall, muscular stranger with beautiful eyes that tucks a stray hair behind her ear stereotype. Also the women in this story feel so flat. The author sets up a pretty patriarchal society and calls out some of the unfair traditions but then does nothing about it. It felt like a false open because it leads you to believe Annaleigh’s emotional/personal character arc would involve some realizations or growth in this area- but no such luck. In terms of the writing, I did enjoy the descriptive language, particularly when we encounter magical scenes. But the dialogue didn’t live up to that high bar. It was so exposition heavy, like villains/antagonists explaining their master plan. It felt so unnatural and led so some characters feeling unrealistic.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • caylie
  • 2019-09-06

So So So Good!!

It was so good!! Intense, sad, exciting, and just overall amazing!!!! I loved the ending!
There were times that I was confused, but thats because I didnt read the story this was spinned from. But it was good even without that!

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  • Sophia Martin
  • 2022-09-18

Really great story full of gothic elements

I very much enjoyed it. It tics a lot of boxes for me: gothic angst and imagery, octopi and the sea, and fairytales. I was disappointed in one major thing, which is why I took away a star. I won't go into it as it is a spoiler. One other thing seemed unresolved, as well. But setting those two flaws aside, it was delightful in so many ways. I do recommend it.

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