House of Roots and Ruin
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4.2 • 47 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from 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 facade. . . .
Customer Reviews
Compared to the first…
Excellent ending, but the path there was rough.
As with most sequels, I found this to be a bit of a let-down after the excellence of the first book. The romantic aspect felt smunched and forced, without any real clarity, the male lead was darling but a little flat (I suppose for contrast), and the resolution of the main conflict seemed unclear.
That being said, I did enjoy the main character’s personality and growth, the stakes were high, and the author maintained the horror aspect very well. The ending was, as I said, excellent. It could mean one of two things, which, added to the cliffhanger, is delightfully tantalizing.
My biggest problem with this book is the heightened sexuality, which is of course a matter of personal preference.
Overall, it was worth it, though I did skip some scenes here and there. If you can get over a weird love triangle, and some other minor things, I’m sure you’ll love it!