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Written on Apr 24, 2015
- ISBN10 0316404519
- ISBN13 9780316404518
- Publish Date 23 September 2014 (first published 1 January 2014)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Little, Brown & Company
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 416
- Language English
Reviews
Katie King
Written on Sep 24, 2014
**3.5 stars**
I was really excited for Salt & Storm when I requested it on Netgalley, and I'm so glad it didn't disappoint!!
Avery was raised by her grandmother, the island's witch, so she observed her spells and waited for her chance to unlock her magic and succeed her. Her mother returns to her life and steals her away to a posh house on the exact opposite side of the island. Cursed by her mother, Avery doesn't see her grandmother for the next 4 years. When she foresees her own murder (she can interpret dreams), she knows she must unlock her magic to break the curse and find a way to her grandmother's for help.
Some people didn't like the author's "flowery language," but I actually really enjoyed it! The exposition was a very welcome change from the flat worlds I've encountered in my past few reads. I never felt like it was boring or dragged on at all. The author also does a great job of diversifying the events, so Avery doesn't spend the whole book focused on one task. She tries to unlock her magic, then break the curse, then stop her own murder, etc. The changes in pace are a great touch to keep 400 pages from getting boring. And it worked! I devoured this book over a period of 24 hours, something that has recently seemed impossible. :)
Another great point is the plot. I really enjoyed the entire premise of the book. There wasn't a LOT of magic but what there was was interesting. It's not like Blue Is for Nightmares where all the magic is just lighting candles. The backstory about the previous island witches was cool as well. There was also a little heartstring-tugging.
I will say that it is not without problems. For one, I wouldn't classify this book as a historical romance. Technically it takes place in another century, but this fact is so understated that I couldn't even tell you WHEN it takes place. It really has no bearing on the story. Second, the romance was a little too instalove-y for me. A romance with Avery's childhood friend would feel more natural. Avery's friendship with Tane felt okay, but the passionate love felt a little out-of-thin-air.
Finally, the ending bothered me. I understand that Avery is making her own future instead of one decided for her, but it didn't feel right to me. This is a personal opinion of mine, so it didn't have any bearing on the rating, but I thought following tradition would've been a better choice.
Angie
Written on Aug 19, 2014
Salt & Storm is incredible. I knew I was going to love it from that amazing opening chapter, and I did. I held onto that love even when the author ripped my heart out and messed with my emotions. Just...wow. A historical setting, a taste of the paranormal, and a swoon worthy romance are the ingredients for a perfect book when mixed correctly, and oh, how Salt & Storm mixes them right. Avery has lived on Prince Island her entire life, just like the generations of Roe women before her. It's a small whaling community, and as the island witch, her grandmother keeps the whalers and their families safe. But her time is coming to an end, and Avery should be taking over, since her mother has sworn off magic. Then she has a dream, where she dies, and she knows she'll never be the next witch unless she can find a way to change the future.
The alternate history setting of Salt & Storm was perfect, and not just because the mid-1800s are my favorite to read about. It just fit with the magical aspect and really amplified the struggles between Avery and her mother (a character that I loved to hate, so much!). I also loved getting to know a little more about whaling, which is probably weird. But Prince Island is almost as dependent on whales as they are on the Roe witches. It's a time where kerosene is starting to gain popularity, and whales are becoming increasingly rare. It's no wonder the town folk go a bit mad when learn about Avery's grandmother's failing spells...
Salt & Storm has an amazing romance! It doesn't really come about until halfway through, and then does become quite important, but not in an annoying insta-love way. It tugged at my emotions, made me smile, and made me cry! Yes, I cried! It is tragic and beautiful and sad and...my emotions! Avery and Tane--the tattooed harpoon boy!--come together because he was told of a young witch who could interpret dreams. He agrees to help her get to her grandmother if she reads all of his dreams for him. Of course, they grow close, and then there's a twist and it killed me! But then I figured out another twist that would untwist that twist, but then it didn't matter because it was all going to happen regardless! And then I cried. Quite the emotional investment on my part.
I absolutely loved Salt & Storm! I do not have a single complaint about it, except maybe that it broke my heart and I was not expecting that. I went into this expecting excitement, adventure, magic and romance! Well, I got all of that plus more! Avery's relationship with magic, her mother, and grandmother was amazing and I didn't see that all coming! Her romance with Tane was sooooo good and tragic! Then there's her relationship with the island and their inhabitants, which was complicated and certainly screwed up. I just loved everything it had to offer!
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
Suz @ Bookish Revelations
Written on Jul 7, 2014
I fell in love with the history and life that Kulper breathed into the world of whaling, the lifestyle the townspeople lead, and the history of the Roe Witches on Prince Island. It was deeply rich and incredibly intriguing, watching the the events take place through Avery's eyes, and aching while she longed to get back to her grandmother and that little cottage that her mother took her away from. I was completely fascinated by the fishermen and their superstitions and the lengths they would go to in order to obtain some charm or form of magic that would keep them safe and ensure that they brought back a bountiful amount of goods. In a genre so full of readily available paranormal stories of witches that heavily focuses on the magical aspects, this story was unique in the way that Avery would have to experience insurmountable pain in order to become the witch she was destined to be. It gave this dark chilling fantasy an interesting and original edge, that it needed to keep me buried in the pages.
Avery is a little different, in the fact that she's a plucky, quick-witted, and determined young woman. She knows that she was born to be the next witch to care for Prince Island and all of the people who live there. She also knew that her mother had put a curse on her, when she had taken away from her grandmother, that was so strong that it wouldn't allow her to return and it would keep anyone from being able to help her. Filled with rage and hatred for her mother, she will stop at nothing in order to ensure that she becomes the next witch and to break her mother's curse, so she can get back to her grandmother. Able to read dreams and tell people their future, she soon meets a beautiful dark skinned man with tattoo's she later discovers hold magical powers of their own.
Tane is filled with rage, pain, and revenge brewing deep inside of him. Half-dead and on a mission to seek out and kill every man possible that slaughtered his family and destroyed his own island, he is told by this shaman that he will meet a witch and she will be able to help him. That witch is Avery and when he first approaches her to read his dreams and tell his future, he tests her, which does little more than annoy her. Later on down the line, when she is desperate enough and he has convinced her that he will be able to help her break her mother's curse, the two make a bargain with one another. She'll read his dreams and tell his future and he will set about helping her to break the curse. These two were wonderful to read about, with their witty banter, the frustration, the attraction, and the love that poured forth from them were amazing. One of the things that I personally loved, was getting to see Avery through Tane's eyes, and seeing her become the strong woman that he kept telling her she was.
Where Kulper really impressed, was the relationship between Avery and her mother, and the reason her mother had taken her away from her grandmother and that little cottage Avery longed to get back to. It wasn't until closer to the end of the novel that I decided that I didn't hate Avery's mother as much as her mother hated herself. I could see why she had done the things that she did out of love and protection for her daughter, even though it was hard for Avery to see that for herself. Those last few moments Avery spent with her mother, were some of my favorite moments in the book itself. It was just beautifully written and filled with so much bittersweet pain and sorry. The sacrifice that her mother ended up making for her at the end, definitely caused me to tear up a bit. Sweet pain and misery is how you become the witch, there is no choice at the end of the day, your future is set and whatever is going to happen will eventually happen. It was wonderful to see that the Kulper brought this point home in such a poignantly and embittered way.
Salt & Storm is a wonderfully intense novel, that is just as gorgeous and wonderfilled, as the poetic lyrical way the Prince Island and the sea were illustrated. If you enjoy novels where the author doesn't shy away from putting their characters through sheer hell, then this is the book that you should be reading. I would strongly recommend it, if you enjoy historical paranormal fantasies, that are dark, illusive, dangerous, and full of twists and turns. It was truly one of my favorite reads this year and it is definitely on my auto-buy list, once it's released.