Plot: 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. . . .

I first read House of Salt and Sorrow, the first book in this series, 5 years ago and it blew me away. A dark gothic re-telling of the 12 dancing princesses that left me thinking about it for half a decade. Last year, while perusing Forbidden Planet London I stumbled upon a 99p paperback copy of House of Roots and Ruin. I didn’t know there was a sequel let alone already out in paperback. I snatched it up quickly.

There is always a pressure with follow up books to out perform the original or, in my case, prove to me that my taste has not changed that much in 5 years. There is nothing worse than realising your faves don’t resonate with you as much as the years go by. But there was no reason for this worry as House of Roots and Ruin enveloped me in an amazing story of ghosts, strange plants and curious patriarchs.

Going into this book knowing nothing as amazing as I truly was a blank canvas of knowledge. I did have to remind myself of the events in Book 1 but I truly think you don’t need to have read book 1 to enjoy book 2. They feel very standalone in nature but I do feel that you would get a better reading experience if you did read book 1 first.

Verity as a character was steadfast, brave and in a way whimsical. At the beginning of the book she dreams of leaving her ancestral home and traveling the world, meeting new people, finding purpose outside of being a Thaumas girl. She ends up running away to the small Duchy of Bloem to paint the portrait of the heir Alexander. I really enjoyed Verity as a character and I felt she was incredibly relatable despite her very unrelatable circumstances. She has a big heart, a lot of compassion but also stands up for what is right no matter what. I just found myself really engaging with her as a character.

The main setting of Chanteleilie is a fascinating one of mysterious flowers, confusing hallways and an amazing lake that the reader gets to visit about halfway through the book. I love a creepy Manor House, always have and always will and this house was no exception. I enjoyed watching Verity explore it and try understand its history. The inhabitants of this grand house are not all as they seem and as you read Verity interact with them you have a sense of unease throughout their scenes but an unease you can’t identify. It’s this uneasy tension that really elevates the novel as you can’t put the book down because you need to know all the mysteries and the secrets the characters and the house are holding back. I guessed a couple of things right but also was completely taken a back by some of the reveals in this novel.

Overall this was an amazing sequel to an already great series and I am excited to read the next book in the series out next year!