So while I loved this book, I can’t gushingly recommend it like I would with any other five-star read. But if you might be okay with those triggers, then my god do you have one hell of a book to look forward to. The potential in this book was huge, but there was so many wrong things, that just made me lower my rating. Two stars are for the plot, because I finished this book in two days. I only read it because I wanted to know all the secrets from Lucien and his family. I finished this book almost a week ago, and I've been constantly thinking about it ever since; if that's not the telltale sign of a personal 5 star read, then I don't know what is. Each time I bring myself to type of my feelings surrounding the gothic, yet contemporary atmosphere, the haunted, tragic characters, and the dark and disturbing plot of Master of Salt & Bones, I can't quite find the words to do it justice. I found Isa to be a dull in the beginning but I guess that is because she is an average person with average traits and nothing more to her. But she is a person with her own insecurities and trauma that shaped her to who she is until she meets Lucian. I KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO BE DARK but I don't think I was prepared for how dark it ended up being. The entire idea behind the "Schadenfreude" cult was the most off-putting thing for me. It was so out there and obviously not real, but at the same time, it was so well written that the extreme cruelty was almost believable and it just made my skin crawl

There were only a few deviations. What was it about the crow and the shadow? When I read the description of the book here on GR it said it was fantasy and that’s why I bought it. I’ve been waiting for this plot twist the whole time and maybe he was a shapeshifter but no. So maybe the raven and the shadow were just another brainstorm? I’m not sure, these 2 were never explained. This book is hidden, underrated gem. It’s twisty, angsty, surprising, extremely smart. There are so many jaw dropping moments. It was like walking in the minefields. Anytime an unexpected bomb may explode and shakes you to the core with new revelations. Master of Salt & Bones' reminded me a bit of the fairytale Beauty and The Beast, but in a darker, more tormented, and demented way. If you are looking for a romance book, you should look for something different. First genre when you look on goodreads says this is supposed to be a dark-fantasy-gothic-romance, and romance in this book is probably one of the reasons why my rating is so low. The relationship between Lucian and Isadora started with lust, but it's not even the worst thing anyway, because the worst thing is that Lucian was interested in Isadora mainly because she was young (he is 19, he is 33) and she was a "forbidden fruit". I love age gap romances but the romance in this book was just bad.

Because we're the composers, the conductors of our own fate, and we write the notes to a beautiful, dark melody that no one else can hear." In reality, my knight is scarred and broken, living alone in a castle of bones that overlooks the sea. He isn’t searching for me. He never was. i absolutely loved the gothic vibes and was gripped by the unaplogetic wrongness that is the entirety of this book. I must say I usually avoid reading dark romances especially ones that have a fair amount of triggers in it.

When you feel dead inside, you inevitably reach for things that make you feel alive. Pain. Adrenaline. Drugs. That’s how vices are born. That’s how you became my obsession. You are what makes me feel alive. Like a breath of air after drowning.” Told in dual POV and with a shifting present/past timeline, this story unfolds at a measured pace with various plot points intersecting until it all starts to unwind during the last quarter of the book. Together, Lucian and Isadora try to find a common ground, and find it physically, but ambiguity remains that can permanently wedge them apart. But I promise you'll have your fair share of plot-twists that most may feel predictable but they still manage to make your anticipation grow even more.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. Slowly building love interest. Attraction, yes, but their mutual romantic interest took time. They built a relationship, trust, loyalty. I am aware about. Makes the climax so much sweeter

Since I couldn't connect to either one of them and some of the stuff that they said to one another made me want to puke - I wont dive into them much. In a way, I guess you can say that they had a romance.. full of weird lust and shit. Again, I didn't really like them and nothing was making me be like - wow, this is steamy as shit and I might like them?This book has one of the most disturbing plot. Seriously, Lucian and Isadora, whether individually or together, are like magnets for all kinds of predators. You’ll get the twists and turns, the thrill and horror. The only problem is that the ending is a little rushed, and it doesn’t really amount to anything. 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.

Their relationship was supposed to be "sex only" at first, but it never really was, and the H became super obessive to the point of being toxic (I know that this was discussed in the book - he admitted that she was his obsession, but it was never dealt with, and that's just..... not healthy, sweetie :)))))); acceptance is just the first stage) For a few months, desperate for an escape nineteen year old Isadora will be hired as a companion to Lucian's ailing mother. Being a daughter of a sinner and father unknown she's lived her life striving to escape the hold the island has on her. There were also a lot of other things in this book that I just can't place in the above-mentioned categories.Other parts navigate through the secrets and tragedies that only touch the surface of the truth in it for if you dive too deep... you may find yourself in darkest depths with no way out. Please bear with me whilst I put into words how much I friggin loved this Audio version of Master of Salt and Bones. I went in search of the villain, instead, and found him alone and in pain, living in a castle of bones.❞ But this isn’t about me, it’s about the book. If Izzy is a pariah, then Lucian, the male lead, is nothing short of the specter that haunts the entire island. He’s the ghost story kids tell to scare each other. People cringe at the very mention of his name. The driveway to his home, a castle said to be built on the bones of his family’s enemies, is lined with crosses to ward against his evil. I found myself from the off, intrigued, engrossed and a little bit obsessed as to what was going on in that Castle. It toyed with my mind, so many scenarios playing out.