Leah’s ARC Review of “House of Roots and Ruin” by Erin A. Craig

By: Leah

Originally posted on Leah’s Books.

House of Roots and Ruin

• Author: Erin A. Craig
• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Publication Date: July 25, 2023
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Series: Sisters of the Salt #2

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: ableism, death, violence, gore, murder, death of a child, forced drugging, blood

Plot Summary

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. . . .

Overall Impression

I really enjoyed the first book, even when I thought it was a standalone. But when a sequel was announced, I was thrilled. I enjoy Craig’s writing style, which comes across like a combination of a fairy tale and a gothic thriller, without ever getting too creepy or scary. Naturally, I was hoping for more of the same. Fortunately, Craig delivered big time with this one.

While the first book ended when Verity was still young, she’s grown into a lovely young lady now, but she’s still dealing with a lingering curse. We get to see how all of her other surviving sisters have fared, but Verity is still living at Highmoor, so not much has changed for her. Until she receives a letter inviting her to come to Bloem and paint a portrait of the duke’s son. Camille won’t allow her to go, and ultimately reveals a secret that has been kept from Verity for years—she sees ghosts.

But Verity sees an opportunity to live her life as she wants to for once, and jumps at the chance. Only, when she gets to Bloem, things aren’t quite what she was expecting. Everything seems perfect in the beginning, and she falls in love with Alexander, the duke’s son. But as more and more secrets are revealed, she has to reevaluate everything she thought all along.

I loved and was pleasantly surprised by the disability representation in the story. Alexander is paralyzed and in a wheelchair, and he has resources that he can use to keep himself as independent as possible. He’s never infantilized or treated as less than because he’s disabled, and that kind of representation is so important, especially seen in a love interest. 

I really liked Verity too. It’s her first time being outside of a setting that is fully dominated by family, and she’s just had the bombshell dropped on her that she is the only one who sees ghosts that she converses with. Verity struggles to identify who is a ghost and who isn’t because they seem so really to her, so when she’s outside of a comfortable zone for her, it’s very nerve-wracking, especially since she’s trying to make a favorable impression on the family she’s visiting with. She’s easy to like, and while I was often frustrated at how much she missed, I had to remind myself that this was her first time away from home and exposed to people who didn’t necessarily want what is best for her.

Alex was a little flat, but he came across as just a Prince Charming type—handsome and gallant, but not much to him other than that. The other side characters were more interesting, but that was what made the story so intriguing. There were a lot of plot twists, but after about the halfway point, I started being able to predict some of them. By the end, I was able to see the plot twists coming a mile away, although there were a couple that I didn’t predict. 

Ultimately, although this was a bit predictable, it was a really good read. I loved picking it up and diving into this world, with all of its shadows and mysteries, and I enjoyed uncovering all of the answers. Even right up until the end, I didn’t want to put the book down, and really enjoyed reading it. It’s moderately paced throughout the book, and it’s the perfect follow up to The House of Salt and Sorrows.