Review: Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Release Date: September 23, 2014

Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: 416
Source: eARC for Review

ISBN-10:  0316404519 

Rating: 5 Hearts

Book Description

"A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future.

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.

Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for."

Review

Short and Sweet:

An incredible story to get swept up into, Salt & Storm will bewitch you and keep you breathless from beginning to end!

To Elaborate...

First of all, books about witches are among my favorites, but that doesn't mean I will automatically love every one. So I've been a little nervous about really diving into Salt & Storm. I was afraid that my expectations were too high. However, I really shouldn't have worried, because from the first chapter I became wrapped up in life on Prince Island. The mysteries of the Roe witches captivated me and Avery's situation tormented me. I wanted answers for her. I felt impatient, frustrated, powerless and desperate along side her.

Avery grew up with her Grandmother, the current Roe witch, in a small cabin a few miles outside of town. As a child, she helped with spells and fell in love with everything about being a witch. That is, until her mother took her away and set her up in her new husband's lavish home to live a quiet, 'normal' life. Cursed by her own mother and unable to return to take her place as the next witch, Avery spends her days interpreting dreams for sailors on the docks and unsuccessfully attempting to return to her Grandmother. She WANTS to become a witch, but every time she tries to flee a powerful curse causes her to pass out cold before she can make it more than a few steps. But when Avery dreams of her own murder (something only possible before she becomes the next Roe witch), it adds a foreboding sense of urgency to unlocking her powers.

When a mysterious boy with his own strange magic offers to help her break her mother's curse in exchange for her help deciphering his dreams, Avery is just desperate enough to try it. But everything she thinks she knows about Prince Island and those on it will be tested and when it all leads up to an impossible choice, Avery will surprise everyone, even herself.

Salt & Storm has more than its fair share of magic, a swoony romance and a heartbreaking ending. Kendall Kulper is absolutely on my auto-buy list and her lovely debut novel deserves to be on yours!