House of Salt and Sorrows

Erin A. Craig

Aug 2019 · Sold by Delacorte Press

About this eBook

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.

Ratings and reviews

This book is wonderful, I love the unsettling atmosphere that tinges even joyous moments and the way the events play out. I couldn't stop reading once I started, waiting for the truth to be revealed as I was made to question every event that happened before with each subsequent happening. My only disappointment is that the romance aspect feels somewhat shoe-horned.

I was intrigued by the first few chapters from the sample that i need to purchase this book. 12 Dancing princess was one of my favorite stories growing up, so I was curious how this book, which is inspired from that story, will be like. I enjoy the read quite a lot, but i feel like the ending could be more flesh out. it's a bit rushed to me and i was left a little disapointed.

A haunting story wrapped in fairy tale atmosphere House of Salt and Sorrows reimagines the tale of the twelve dancing princesses to beautifully spooky effect. Main character Annaleigh Thaumas is torn between mourning the deaths—one very recent—of four of her older sisters or moving on with her life. Her youngest sister's ghost sightings complicate the issue, as does Annaleigh's growing doubt of her own sanity. Staged against the backdrop of a Victorian-reminiscent manor on a stormy island, it's the perfect recipe for a spot of Gothic horror.

About the author

Erin A. Craig has always loved telling stories. After getting her BFA in Theatre Design and Production from the University of Michigan, she stage-managed tragic operas filled with hunchbacks, séances, and murderous clowns, then decided she wanted to write books that were just as spooky. An avid reader, an embroidery enthusiast, a rabid basketball fan, and a collector of typewriters, Erin makes her home in West Michigan with her husband and daughter. Her debut novel, House of Salt and Sorrows, has sold over 100,000 copies; her second novel, Small Favors, was an instant New York Times bestseller.