House of Roots and Ruin

Sisters of the Salt

By: Erin A. Craig

Narrated by: Phoebe Strole

Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Number One New York Times Best Seller

A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.

In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.

When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.

Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.

But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet facade. . . .

©2023 Random House (P)2023 Listening Library

Critic reviews

An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!

A Publishers Weekly best seller!

A USA Today best seller!

"Another triumph by Craig, a twisty gothic romance that drew me in from the first sentence. There's something comforting about stepping into Craig's worlds, she crafts them well, and they're so suffused with light that the darkness comes as a surprise. I'll be recommending this one everywhere."—Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns

"Terrifying and beautiful, Craig has given us another heartstopper!"—Lauren Blackwood, New York Times bestselling author of Within These Wicked Walls

The Ending Pissed Me Off

There better be an actual resolution to this plot when the sequel comes out in two years i stg

great story and great performance!!!

this story was wonderfully written and beautifully performed!!! could not wait to finish it.

Couldn’t stop listening!

I couldn’t stop listening to this one. I absolutely loved the first book in the series and while this could be considered a companion novel and not a sequel it was just as good as the first. It was creepy (but not too creepy!) and ended on a note that I can’t imagine that there won’t be more to come. Truly I stayed up until 2am finishing because once you hit chapter 43 forget it, things go up in flames.

Love It!

I love the first book. The second book what’s better! They must read for YA lovers anywhere.

Amazing, aesthetic, and just over all enjoyable

I read house of salt and sorrows and I lived that book as well. I think the writing paints a picture and the detail is lovely. I will say some aspects of it is a tiny bit predicable but the way it’s set up makes it just as exciting. Not to mention some of the details are just- I would have never been able to predict that. You know it’s a horror book so your just waiting on the edge of your seat for the other show to drop and when it does- omg it’s amazing

Left me wanting the next book!

I loved the way she describes this world! It’s incredible, I get lost in the book and went through both books in just a few days. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Incredibly Spooky and Great for Summer

I loved this. The atmosphere was perfection. It was eerie and unsettling with a veneer of beauty that I really appreciated. The manor house itself sounded so elegant and beautiful while hiding all of its inhabitants' terrible secrets. Verity was a great character to follow through all of this and her investigation into everything that had happened at that house held my interest the entire book. I loved all of the ghosts, poisonous plants and scientific experiments. And the ending made me want to scream.

Overall, this was an incredibly spooky read that would be perfect for anyone's spooky season TBR and a fitting companion sequel to House of Salt and Sorrows.

So Good

So good, what a great listen. Narrator was very good. Perfect for the end of summer.

Twisted Tale

I've struggled with my rating, and I absolutely hate the waxing between a 5 and a 4. A lot of consideration goes into the star rating. Did I love it? Is it a favorite? How did it make me feel?

This, without a doubt, would've been a 5 except for the secret passage scene where our heroine discovers an unsavory book. Of course, she's likely to have had the reaction to the erotic scenes on the pages. But what purpose did the scene serve? I was really uncomfortable with it and waited to see where that thread would lead. Maybe it went toward the more passionate dreams/scenes? Was that the reasoning? I can see that...but still, I'm not a fan of the entire scene at all.

I loved the world building and the twistedness of every little thread being pulled tautly. I really would love to read another book because the ending and epilogue left that door wide open. There's something so very speldid about a mind-blowing book that turns you upside down, even if you suspect it's verging on a precipice.

great sequel!

wow this was great! and that ending! Holy cow! and great narration as well! hope the wait for another book isn't too long!