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#erin a craig
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“We are born of salt and starlight.”
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bookishdeer · 5 months
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House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig.
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melanielocke · 1 year
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Book recommendations: horror
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Horror & fantasy romance ended up in a tie in my poll. I chose to do horror first mainly because the book I'm reading right now will be on the fantasy romance first and I need to finish it first.
I have been reading some horror lately. It's not my most read genre, but I have a big enough pile that I could pick out the ones I think are really good. Most of these aren't necessarily so scary it keeps you up at night, but they can be eerie, very atmospheric, dark and occasionally very messed up. I'll mention the type of horror and what kind of scary elements are in there. All of these are YA, I don't have many adult horror books on my shelf.
I'll start with House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Iris is the youngest of the three Hollow sisters. When they were young, the three sisters disappeared from a busy street. It should have been impossible, but there was no trace of them. A month later they reappeared, changed, and with no memory of what happened to them. Iris has tried to forget what happened, and stay away from the weirdness that followed. But when her oldest sister Grey goes missing, Iris and middle sister Viv go looking for her. If they want to find Grey, they will have to uncover the mystery of the past.
This book is creepy and has a rather horrifying twist near the end when you learn what really happened in the past. I think this is one of the scarier books on this list, but it's done really well, with monsters chasing Iris and her sister around and an eerie parallel world
Rep: bi main character, lesbian side character; Korean side character
Other books from this author: The Invocations (horror, coming early 2024); Our Chemical Hearts (contemporary), a semi-definitive of worst nightmares (fabulism)
The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Two hundred years ago in small Oregon town Sparrow, three sisters were accused of witchcraft. Stones bound to their feet, they were thrown into the harbor and drowned. Ever since then, the sisters have returned once a year as ghosts. They each possess one young girl in town and kill one boy.
The town has long accepted their fate and Penny is no different. But then Bo Carter enters the town, unaware of the danger he's just stepped into. Penny can't trust him, but she wants to save him from the danger just the same.
This book has one big twist. It's not super scary perse, nor is there any gore, but very atmospheric and that's where this author excels. Would recommend it for people who aren't used to reading horror.
Winterwood is the next book by Shea Ernshaw
Once again set in a small, isolated town in Oregon, this book follows Nora Walker, a girl descended of a line of witches. She is connected to the Wickerwoods, dangerous haunted woods that only she can enter during full moon to collect lost things.
In the middle of winter, with the power out and all connection to the outside world lost, Nora finds a boy in the Wickerwoods. Oliver went missing from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago. By all accounts, he should be dead and yet she found him. Oliver has no memory of what happened the past weeks.
Nora quickly bonds with him, but realizes she has to uncover the mystery of what happened to him and how he could survive so long in the woods. And it soon turns out Oliver was not the only boy who went missing.
Much like the Wicked Deep, this book excels in its atmosphere and the way it portrays a very creepy forest. It has an interesting plot twist, though not as strong as the one in the Wicked Deep. It's not keep you up at night scary, and also has a lot of focus on the romance.
Other books from this author: Long Live the Pumpkin Queen (Nightmare before Christmas book); A History of Wild Places; A Wildnerness of Stars
Next: Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
This book is set on the isolated island of Sawkill rock, where girls have been going missing for decades, stolen away by evil no one has dared fight... until now.
Marion is new to Sawkill rock, trying to escape the tragedy that befell her family
Zoey's best friend was the last girl to disappear, and she is determined to find out what happened, and if Val has anything to do with it
Val is the queen bee, the daughter of the richest woman on the island. But she has a dark secret.
This book was not entirely what I expected when I bought it, but I loved it. This one is rather creepy, I think, though not what would keep me up at night (to be fair, movies are more likely to keep me up than books due to being scary). It creates an isolated atmosphere, but another strong point in this book is the relationships between the three girls and the development there. Marion and Zoey become friends and team up to uncover the mystery when Marion's sister disappears. Zoey hates Val. But Marion might have feelings for Val.
Rep: Sapphic relationship, Zoey is Black and asexual
Also by this author: Furyborn trilogy (epic fantasy); Extasia (horror); Winterspell (Nutcracker retelling)
House of Salt and Sorrow by Erin A. Craig
This is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses
Annaleigh is one of twelve sister. Or, she used to be. Four of them are dead due to strange accidents, and people are saying her family is cursed. Annaleigh becomes more and more suspicious that her sister's death were no accidents.
Then, her sisters start sneaking out, going to glittering balls and dancing the night away. Annaleigh does not know if she can come with them or stop them, because where are they really going and who are they dancing with?
If Annaleigh does not find out what happened to her sisters soon, she might be the next one to die.
It's been long enough that I do not remember exactly what happened in this book, but I do remember that it was eerie and there was an interesting plot twist when Annaleigh finds out where they really go dancing.
The book stands on its own, but there will be a companion coming out this year, House of Roots and Ruin, which follows one of Annaleigh's sisters
Also by this author is Small Favors
I read this solely because someone told me it would make a good comp title for the book I'm querying, and this is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin.
Ellerie is the daughter of a beekeeper in Amity Falls, a small town surrounded by mountains. They're very isolated and have to go on supply runs to a bigger city to make sure they have what they need. But during a supply run, all people on it die. More and more strange things start happening, slowly building up. Monsters in the woods, people acting strange.
Ellerie finds herself in a race against time to save herself and the people she loves before her town goes up in flames.
This book has a kind of strange pacing. The last part has a lot happening, but before then it's all a very slow build up. Most of the incidents with monsters, Ellerie does not witness, she hears about it second hand. She befriends a strange boy who has come to town as a trapper, catching animals in the forest to sell their hides. He won't give her his name, making me instantly suspicious, but their relationship builds up for such a long time that I was constantly questioning if he could be trusted or not.
My biggest criticism of this book is that I could not tell you when it was set. It took me a while to figure out it was America, though the religious small town feels very American to me, but I couldn't tell you the time period. Likely historical. But when? Who knows, certainly not me.
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
Mars and his twin sister Caroline have always been inseperable. But that summer, Caroline went to Aspen summer school alone. Mars no longer felt welcome there due to his gender fluidity. But when Caroline dies unexpectedly, Mars decides to take her place at the camp to feel more connected to her. It does not go as expected, and Mars quickly remembers why he stopped going. But he befriends Caroline's old friends, a group of girls called the Honeys because of the bees they tend to. But he soon finds something is seriously wrong in the camp, and it might very well have caused his sister's death.
This is a book about grief for a large part, and I think inspired by the author's own grief for his sister. I especially loved the way the Honeys were characterized in this book, and their friendship with Mars, and the story is also about a very femme queer person being accepted within a group of feminine girls.
Rep: gender fluid MC; queer side characters
Also by this author: Reverie (contemporary fantasy); Be Dazzled (contemporary); Beholder (horror, coming in October)
The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould
The Dead and the Dark is a paranormal/horror mystery set in a small town in Oregon. Because apparently Oregon is where all the spooky paranormal mystery things happen? I don't know, it seems to be a popular location
Logan's two dads host a ghost hunting show together, and have traveled to this town, which is also their hometown, for the new season. But teenagers are disappearing and there might be something really spooky going on here, and Logan has the feeling her dads are keeping secrets from her.
Ashley is a girl who has lived in this town her entire life, and her boyfriend was the first to go missing. Now, Logan is her only hope to find him.
This is a sapphic story as well as a paranormal mystery, but the emphasis is more on the mystery, I think. There are ghosts in here and a pretty sinister and quite creative explanation for what is happening in this town and why.
Rep: sapphic relationship, main character has gay dads
Last on this list is Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
Trans boy Benji is on the run from a cult. A fundementalist sect that unleashed Armageddon, killing most of the population. They believe that one chosen one will end the world for them and they made the ultimate bioweapon to do this.
Benji is rescued by the teens from the ALC, a queer youth center, and their leader Nick. Benji is immediately drawn to Nick, he's slowly changing into a monster capable of destroying the world and Nick knows.
Still, Nick allows him to stay with them as long as he can control the monster and use it to fight on their behalf.
This is I think the goriest book on this list, with lots of details on the ways Benji is slowly transforming into a monster. It's written by an autistic trans man. Benji is trans, while Nick is autistic. There is a lot of creepy fundamentalist religion in this book, as Benji was raised in the cult and their whole idea is that they should kill everyone not part of their world with their bioweapons.
Also from this author: The Spirit Bares its Teeth (coming September)
@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @beyondlifebeyonddeath @ikissedsmithparker
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princessofmanyfaces · 7 months
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House of Roots and Ruin
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A 3 Star read for me | Sadly only three stars after the first one was an immediate 5 stars.
It was mostly boring but I fought through the pages because I knew it was all building up to an amazing, mindblowing plot twist
...only that the plot twist wasn't as amazing and mindblowing as it was
I will forever recommend the first book to anyone who asks but sadly not this one.
I already rold my friend while reading that if the first book was Barbie in the 12 dancing princesses in dark then this one would be Barbie as the island princess 
I guess it's my disappoint is my own fault because I really, really had high hopes for this one
ALSO if you read thsi review before reading the book and have hopes to meet Annaleigh and Cassius again, I'm sorry to destroy your hopes, I was sad, too. They were only mentioned once or twice 
⭐⭐⭐
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eynnwwyjth · 6 months
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Faye lore because I just got off work and I'm exhausted
One of my favorite books ever, like in the top 3, is The House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
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angelaanimates · 7 months
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So the other day I finished House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig and I absolutely loved it. That ending?!!!!! Anyway, I had made a HoSaS pin and it got me wondering what a verity HoRaR pin would look like.
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shallyne · 10 months
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Also I finished Gothikana today and I loved it and I loved that it was spooky but not scary.
If you liked House of Salt and Sorrows you should read Gothikana and vice versa. It's not the same but the vibes are similar
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caribeandthebooks · 2 months
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House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Young Adult Fiction
Setting: N/A
Description: In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed. As one by one her beautiful sisters mysteriously die on their isolated island estate, Annaleigh must unravel the curse that haunts her family. Be careful who you dance with…Read more on Goodreads/Storygraph
Content Warning information can be found via the above Storygraph link.
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elliepassmore · 1 year
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House of Roots and Ruin review
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5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy horror, plants, magic, fairytales, mystery
House of Salt and Sorrows review here
Big thanks to Delacorte, Netgalley, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! I absolutely loved this! There's a lush setting, ghosts, murder and mysteries, and plants plants plants! The setting is atmospheric in a very different way than Highmoor was. Where Highmoor had the drafty manor and moody sea vibe going, Chauntilalie has plants galore and twisting rooms and gardens. I really loved the descriptions of the estate and surrounding land. It was so beautiful but kept so many secrets and horrors. I also loved the obsession with plants, experiments, and genetics. It was perfectly creepy in a completely different way. There was so much focus on perfection in Bloem, and within Chauntilalie itself, and even botanical experiments took on a sinister tone. One thing I will say is that this book is much, much less scary than HoSaS. I didn't actually mind the horror aspect from the previous book even though I tend to be easily freaked out by that stuff. At the same time, this book has a different take on creepiness/suspense that I think works well for this book. The perpetrator is different, the motive is different, the setting, the targets, and I think the focus on switchbacks and suspense works very well for this book. Verity starts the story feeling restricted by her life in Highmoor. All of her sisters aside from Camille have left the estate and are living their own lives and Verity is well past ready for her turn. Despite having spent most of her life either with Annaleigh at Hesperus or with Camille at Highmoor, Verity is extremely compassionate and eager to help other people. She also has the ability to see beauty where other people might not. Verity's compassion is part of what jumpstarts things, though there are already undercurrents of things being not quite right. I really liked Verity's journey in this book as she tries to figure out who she is and how she wants to live her life going forward. Alex surprised me. I thought he was going to be one of the problems at Chauntilalie but he turned out to be a fantastic friend (and more) to Verity. He has slightly different views of what constitutes beauty than most of Bloem, including his parents. He also seems to have the same compassion as Verity. I really like Alex's character and how gentle and sweet he is. Their love is both insta-lovey and not. Alex and Verity begin flirting almost immediately and quickly begin courting. While it happens quickly, I appreciate how Verity takes time to figure out what she wants and make the distinction between lust vs love. Camille is the only sister from HoSaS that's in this book, though all the living sisters (and the dead ones, actually) are mentioned. So we get updates on Annaleigh! Camille comes across as quite strict and inflexible at first, but her concern and love for Verity is real. There are a handful of other side characters who play various roles as well. Dauphine and Gerard are Alex's parents and are immediately welcoming to Verity. Marguerite is Alex's grandmother and is not welcoming to Verity...ever. Other characters are a bit spoilery, but there's multiple layers to each that slowly get revealed over time. Also, that ending...we're going to get more from the Sisters of the Salt, right?! I absolutely need to see another book with the Thaumas family in it, preferably one that centers Verity again or Annaleigh (or both), but I would also love to see something with Mercy, Honor, or Lenore. I feel like each of those three has a really good setup for a future book, and Lenore feels like a bit of a mystery in and of herself.
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drowninginabactatank · 6 months
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Today's booktography is House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A Craig. This is the Barnes and Noble exclusive edition I got via BookAddictionAu which is a wonderful Australian bookish small business!
This book is a follow up to House of Salt and Sorrows, a gothic horror retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale.
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robinberries · 1 year
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listening to your favorite songs and reading can be something so personal
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Fall is coming, and I can’t wait (nor resist the decor) 🙊
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bookishdeer · 4 months
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Books I would love to be able to read again for the first time:
1. House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
3. A Court of Thorns and Roses (and by extension, the whole series) by Sarah J. Maas
4. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
5. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
6. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
7. The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
8. Twisted Lies by Ana Huang
9. Vow of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
10. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
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finished 'small favors' by Erin A Craig and the atmosphere was so good so dark!
bookstagram 🐇🖤
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Stand Alones
House of Salt and Sorrows:
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A 5 star read for me. It was confusing me a lot but the plot twist was jaw dropping. This book got me back into reading and it will always have a special place in my heart. It's a 12 dancing princesses retelling.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nächstes Jahr am selben Tag:
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A 2 star read. It wasn't good and I associate this book with toothache.
⭐⭐
One Day in December:
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A 1 star read. I think this was the worst book I've ever read and I never want to experience this again. The plot was not there. The romance was uninteresting. I hate the main characters.
The Bridge Kingdom:
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A 3 star read. I know this is not a standalone but this is the only book on the series I've read and idk if I'll read the second book. It wasn't a bad book, it was good but it was so hyped up that I got excited and it left me disappointed.
⭐⭐⭐
We were liars:
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A 4 star read. I loved the chapter lengths. Unfortunately it was kind of boring until around 200 pages but not too boring, I did stay hooked enough to keep going. And in the end I sobbed.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Dragon's Bride
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A 4 star read. It was very spicy. Of course it was, it's Katee Robert. It wasn't my cup of tea but it was still well written and the characters are cute.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
To Kill A Kingdom:
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A 3 star read. Another case of it got so hyped up that it disappointed me. It was good and well written but it wasn't amazing and I didn't like the love interest.
⭐⭐⭐
Daisy Jones & The Six:
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A 3 star read. It was fine. It was a read out of my fantasy comfort zone. I adore Camila and I cried a lot at the end. Most of it wasn't really my cup of it either though.
⭐⭐⭐
Kingdom of Villains:
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A 2 star read. Probably the most disappointing of them all. Title was very misleading. The characters weren't likeable. The plot was weird. The writing was weird. I didn't like it.
⭐⭐
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lost-forest-heart · 2 years
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This summer I'm off to find me a dude in the woods who won't tell me his name and plays word games and is tall and lean but muscular with a vulpine nose that was broken once or twice and tattoos on his arms like shackles binding him to sins beyond his control, and hazel eyes that can't decide between being amber or green.
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