I have some mixed feelings about Salt and Storm, but I will say that I liked it more than I expected to. My anticipation of reading this book has been a bit of a rollercoaster since I added it to my TBR, and I am glad that it impressed me more than I expected. There is not a lot of unique stuff going on in this book, but it hit the right points for me and told the type of story that I like to read from time to time.

My biggest complaint about Salt and Storm is the narrative voice. The language is a bit stiff and we spend a lot of time in the protagonist’s head. I think I would have had a lot less patience with this book if I had listened to the audiobook instead of reading a physical copy. The setting of the island isn’t well described, but its history and vocation is clear enough to build a community picture if not a landscape.

In general, Salt and Storm suffers from amateur writing. Everything could do with a little more fleshing out. The characters are one-dimensional and the storytelling is one-dimensional. Nothing is particularly surprising in the plot, although there are good ideas even if not surprising ones.

The main reason I am being so lenient about this book is because atmospherically and story-trope-wise, this is one of my favourite types of witchy books to read. Salt and Storm tells the story of a line of witches who have been both gifted and cursed. Like the best sorts of these stories, the tragic love life of the witches takes front and centre. The perspective of Avery and her family is a little different than many of the countryside witches that I have read recently in other books. This is an historical fiction account, and it takes place during the 19th century. Whaling is a prevalent occupation, and outside of things like Moby Dick, you rarely see this career as front and centre. I appreciated the way Kulper dealt with this – she was honest about the gruesomeness of the occupation well not being overly grotesque in her writing and not justifying the occupation. This was simply the part of history this story settled in, and she set out to tell the truth, but in Avery‘s eyes she also empowered the animals instead of their murderers, which I appreciated.

Honestly, I am really just a sucker for seaside witches. As a bonus, Salt and Storm takes place about 50 miles from where I live, which means that a lot of the shortcomings in the world building in this book are easily filled in by my own imagination. As a result, this book may have worked better for me than it would many others. The writing is, objectively, a bit lacking and there were certainly genre cliches, but I would recommend this book to the right reader. ( )

Salt & Storm has me so conflicted, it's a little hard to explain. Avery's story started with a bang. Watching her learn the trade of being the Sea Witch, of learning to control the swells and skies, was amazing to me. Learning of her curse was better still. Although I knew that this was a historical romance (the synopsis makes this quite obvious), I was honestly hoping for continued excitement. Perhaps more depth into the witches and their powers? Alas, this was not to be.

If you're looking at this story from a historical romance perspective, it's near perfect. The setting comes alive on the page. Kendall Kulper writes in way that allows the reader to feel the salt spray, and taste the tangy air of the whaling community perched on a tiny island. In the same respect, the simple people of Avery's island are laid out very well. I had no doubt in my mind that I was on board for a story about a simple whaling town and their Sea Witch.

I can't quite say that the romance is on the exact same level as the setting though. There may be plenty of readers out there who absolutely adore Tane and his mysterious existence. I wasn't so easily swayed. Tane, as a character, had so many things left unraveled. My character driven mind ached to know more about him. To know who this person was that gave himself so readily to Avery. I'll admit I was rather frustrated that I never got the knowledge I wanted. That, compounded on the lack of a quick moving plot, made this a very slow read for me.

The ending did pick up again, and the last few scenes were rather interesting! If I was basing my review on the beginning of this story, and the ending, it would have been closer to four stars. For the slow middle, and the fact that it took all my willpower to move through that portion, I've decided to settle on three stars. If you're a historical romance reader, I'd recommend this! Chances are that you'll appreciate Salt & Storm much more than I did. ( )

I would have liked this so much better if I read it when I was 16. Interesting fantasy premise with nautical touches, but a lot riding on the way adolescent girls think about first love and dealing with parents. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This story was atmospheric and beautifully written. Unfortunately, it was also paced very slowly, which lessened my enjoyment.

Opening Sentence: Despite my mother’s best efforts, I never forgot the day my grandmother taught me how to tie the winds.

The Review:

Welcome to Avery Roe’s world. She is a living legacy, heir to the great sea witches that have descended back in time. The sea witches protect the islanders, they have great power. They can wield storms and lives, but at a price. Avery is supposed to become the next sea witch, until her mother steals her away, determined to take her away from her destiny just as her mother had chosen to leave magic years ago. Avery wants to be the sea witch, but she doesn’t have power and she can’t get away from her mother. But then, a dream: she will be murdered. It has been prophesied and there is no way out unless she manages to escape and find her grandmother to teach her how to use magic. Because once you become the Roe witch, you cannot be killed. A boy named Tane with foreign magic may be her only chance.

Salt and Storm was a slow read, for me. Slow plot, slow romance, slow plot twists. However, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I was intrigued enough to read on even in the most lagging parts, because of the strong world-building and interesting plot. I was very unsure of how it would go down, and honestly I am not surprised that the author wielded the ending the way she did. It was tragic but an exciting twist that made sense in the long run. Anyway, one of the things I liked the most about Salt and Storm was the rich backstory to Avery’s family. It was complicated, but I was extremely drawn in by the prospect of sea witches and a lineage that went that far back. I also was intrigued by the town and how it functioned, it’s strong economic interest in whaling. The whole idea of it reminded me of Moby Dick, in a way. The rich imagery created to describe the water and the whales made me imagine them clearly in my mind.

Avery and Tane had a budding love that took a while to develop. I had heard beforehand that it was a “slow burn” but it felt kind of awkward between them at first. Their conversations seemed forced and they didn’t have many of them. There was no obvious click, nothing that stood out to me as real chemistry. As they began to know each other, their connection grew deeper and less strange to me. I grew to enjoy them as a couple, enough for the story and a star of my review tone saved. Their love took half the book to develop into even a kiss but when it did, it was intensely passionate. They might have took a while to act on their feelings but when they did, they hit the ground running.

How do I feel about the twist? The truth uncovered about the sea witches and the way they find their powers? Well, the twist was sort of predictable. I saw it coming from the beginning but it still had an impact on me. I was very sad, that’s all I’ll say, though I didn’t cry as I do when I’m very emotional. The way that sea witches come into their magic was extremely surprising though I suppose there were hints — hints that I should have caught onto. But, be it as it was, I didn’t catch on until late in the plot line when it was being given away. Great detective skills, eh?

Overall, I enjoyed Salt and Storm. It was a book with lots of intrigue, but it was very slow. I’d imagine that if more action was added and the plot was sped up a little I would have crossed the boundaries to loving it, but sadly that was not the case. Avery was a determined female lead, even in the face of desperate times, and her voice was beautifully written. The idea of a sea witch was wonderful and unique, and I loved all the descriptions of the oceans and the waters and their cabin. I could imagine standing on the cliff, looking out onto the water, with all the beautiful imagery in the story. The scene and world building was rich, and I was very interested in the Roe’s past — actually, maybe a little more than Avery Roe herself to be honest. Her story was exciting and different but it moved at a snail’s pace. This book could have easily cut off a large chunk and would have been just as good, probably better. Tane himself I wasn’t a huge fan of. I didn’t hate him, but their wasn’t much allure either. This also lowered my interest in the novel. In the end I would encourage very patient readers to delve into this story. If you stick it out and push through boring parts, it really is worth it. With all my complaining about the slowness, I really did feel close to the characters and was crushed at the end. (Not that the end didn’t deliver. It was just sad.) Oh, and look at the beautiful rich colors on the cover! Happy reading!

Notable Scene:

I hate her. I hate her. I wanted to scream at her, at her lies and her duplicity, pretending to be nothing but a gentlewomen, sweet and caring and good. I wanted to leap across the room and rip the paper from her hands and shout at her that Tommy almost died, died, because of her! But I know what would happen then. She would stare at me, cool as a pitcher of water, letting me get excited, letting me get scared, letting me admit that I tried to defy her. And then she would have every excuse to pack me up and send me off to the mainland- to keep me away from magic, to keep me safe. If I wanted to beat my mother, I would have to play her game. I didn’t blink.

FTC Advisory: Little Brown Books for Young Readers/Hachette Book Group provided me with a copy of Salt & Storm. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

This was such an interesting story. I expected one thing as I read this, but it became so much more. I loved the world and magic that Kulper has invented here. She not only composed beautiful, rich descriptions of the place, she effectively created a sense of history, tradition and folklore.

As readers, we feel and see with Avery--including her biases. But I didn't realize this until later when it becomes clear that Avery's world is more complicated than she thought. I was genuinely surprised by some of the developments in this book. Not the least of which was the significance of the mother-daughter relationship, which actually took precedence over the romance. A breath of fresh air.

My criticisms lie with the pacing and love story. Kulper did not sell or earn the love story. Avery feels tingles when he looks at her or touches her and then all of the sudden: love. It was the kind of thing I had to take their word for. During this time—falling in and enjoying love, unlocking magic—the story lost its momentum.

But overall, it was very good. ( )