House of Roots and Ruin

English language

Published July 25, 2023 by Random House Publishing Group.

ISBN:: 978-0-593-48254-4

No rating (1 review)

A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from New York Times 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 …

A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from New York Times 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 façade. . . .

3 editions

lastblossom reviewed House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig (Sisters of the Salt, #2)

A beautiful gothic horror that combines stunning imagery and a genuinely creepy mystery. Strong recommend.

No rating

I devoured this in a day, and my heart is still pounding even as I write this review. I have a deep love for gothic horror and for stories about flowers and things that grow from the earth, so this book is my "reese's peanut butter cups" of storytelling. A quiet sense of dread permeates the story, with paranoia ramping up on each page, as literal gaslights light a beautiful house full of terrifying secrets. I loved the thorough world building, and the imagery and location are very clear in my mind. It can be easy for the heroines of gothic novels to feel a little too unaware of their surroundings, but Verity is a good balance between canny and trusting. She's definitely out of her depth, but never in way that seems like she is actively being a fool. While there is a romance in here, a lot of …

I devoured this in a day, and my heart is still pounding even as I write this review. I have a deep love for gothic horror and for stories about flowers and things that grow from the earth, so this book is my "reese's peanut butter cups" of storytelling. A quiet sense of dread permeates the story, with paranoia ramping up on each page, as literal gaslights light a beautiful house full of terrifying secrets. I loved the thorough world building, and the imagery and location are very clear in my mind. It can be easy for the heroines of gothic novels to feel a little too unaware of their surroundings, but Verity is a good balance between canny and trusting. She's definitely out of her depth, but never in way that seems like she is actively being a fool. While there is a romance in here, a lot of it develops off page and through time skips, so readers don't get to see much of it unfold in real time. The tradeoff is that we get to focus on the mystery, with plenty of clues and some incredibly creepy reveals. Strong recommend for anyone in the mood for some gothic horror.

Of note, this book is a follow-up to House of Salt and Sorrows, but you don't need the previous book to jump into this one (there will be some spoilers for it, though).

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

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