House of Salt and Tears (Vol. 1 Sisters of Salt)

The first sister died of a terrible illness, the second slipped down a massive staircase, the third was found drowned in her bathtub, and the fourth fell off a cliff. Who will be next? House of Salt and Tears is the first volume of an immersive duology filled with magic, romance, secrets, and ghosts from the past.

Legend has it that the sea god, Pontos, created the islands of the Salície region and their inhabitants, the Salt People. To this end, he endowed human form with cunning, beauty, fidelity, curiosity, and, of course, salt from the sea. At the end of their lives, the Salt People cannot be buried; they must be returned to the water and, ultimately, to the salt.

Upon returning her deceased fourth sister to Sal, Annaleigh Taumas feels two emotions: profound sadness and fear that she will be the next to die. She once had eleven sisters—the Twelve Taumas—but after losing four of them, the halls of Highmoor Manor became melancholy and silent, filled only with grief and memories.

Aware of the terrible events surrounding the Taumas family, the Salt People believe the girls are cursed by the gods. But the Taumas sisters try at all costs to ignore the gossip and malicious glances and begin sneaking out to attend magnificent masquerade balls. However, little by little, they realize that their escapades and encounters with mysterious people may be fun, but they also have a sinister element. After all, who are they dancing with?

Amidst magical nightlife adventures and an overwhelming passion for a newly arrived, enigmatic boy, Annaleigh can't shake the feeling that something is deeply wrong behind her sisters' increasingly tragic deaths. Investigating the mysteries threatening the Taumas family seems to be the only solution to prevent the shadows from falling upon them all—and to prevent herself from being the next victim.