Master of Salt & Bones

Product Information

I think this book has the perfect combination of dark romance, mystery intrigue, psychological thriller, and a cast of morally grey characters I don’t want to really get into any specifics with this because there are so many potential spoilers that I might veer too close to, and really, this is a book that should be read instead of read about. trigger warnings: child abuse, rape, murder, violence, knife play, breath play, explicit sexual content, non-con vibes Either this was tamer than her other romance titles, or I'm becoming immune, but this story didn't make me read only in daylight with my hands over my eyes. And I'm so grateful, because right now, with the way things are in our world, I needed a consuming read that didn't completely disturb my mind while reading it.

Two broken, secluded, distinguished MCs and their extremely emotional, tragic, heart breaking, angsty, pant melting story! About a week ago, I wrote an article devoted to Gothic Romance because I think it’s a very underrated and undersaturated subgenre right now, and I’d like to see that change. After drafting it, I bought nearly every title on the list, and now I plan to work my way through them. Funny how things changed over time. How the fairy tale twisted into something far more crooked, darker than I ever imagined.

There's a lot of delicious sexual tension going on between Isa and Lucian. I wouldn't call it Insta-love, but they are instantly attracted to one another much to their frustration.

Isadora, or Izzy, our female lead, is from a small fishing village on an island off the Massachusetts coast, much like Martha’s Vineyard, and thanks to her lineage, she’s something of a pariah. Lord, did I relate to her. I must say I usually avoid reading dark romances especially ones that have a fair amount of triggers in it. The pacing flowed with the writing and it managed to maintain a balance that made the flow not too fast nor too slow. He calls us forbidden, an unsalvageable tragedy, with no happy end. Maybe we are. But in this story, he’s the one who needs saving. Please bear with me whilst I put into words how much I friggin loved this Audio version of Master of Salt and Bones.Sharks don't compromise, they hunt to kill, and Lucian is one of the more cunning in this sea of corruption." There were a loooot of murders in this book, too much, imo, actually. I didn't really get the point of them though, this subplot was the weakest, it involved characters that I didn't care about, the murderer and their reason was super idiotic and it honestly contributed nothing to the story. There were also a lot of other things in this book that I just can't place in the above-mentioned categories.

The rumors and superstitions do not deter Isa from accepting this job. Little does she know, the castle is a seperate universe from the world with its own secrets that may alter Isa's life forever... and her heart.

Stefanie Kay

I went in search of the villain, instead, and found him alone and in pain, living in a castle of bones.❞ Overall: I didn’t expect to love this book too much and I’m so happy to discover this shiny gem. It was smart, heart pounding , entertaining. Lucian was raised in that castle of horrors, living alongside his demented father and psychopath of a mother, his life was doomed to the chaos and misery he was destined to share. Not even the son was immune to the tortures that lay within. There was, however, more than a shred humanity beneath his stone-cold exterior. Although he kept it well guarded, other than when he hired someone to take care of his mother, it lay bubbling beneath the surface, waiting to be set free. I loved the cover (yes, I stared at it for five minutes straight before reading) and it didn't incite a single feeling in me that would have warned me what this story held. It was twisted, dark and not a usual fairy tale. I don't know why they didn't mention the warnings but they should have. There weren't any major particular details BUT it does mention (superficially) physical, sexual and substance abuse, and BDSM and sadism too but not between Lucian and Isadora (MCs). It looks like a long journey but I wish there would be more parts. It never bores you. The pacing, psychological high tension, too gothic world building were well developed. The characters are dark, deeply layered, likable.