Review : Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett

Summary (from Goodreads)  

Title : Blood and Salt (Blood and Salt #1)
Author : Kim Liggett
Publication Date : September 22nd 2015
Publisher : Penguin Teen
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Romeo and Juliet meets Children of the Corn in this one-of-a-kind romantic horror.

“When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the deepest ocean. You will be all in—blood and salt.”

These are the last words Ash Larkin hears before her mother returns to the spiritual commune she escaped long ago. But when Ash follows her to Quivira, Kansas, something sinister and ancient waits among the rustling cornstalks of this village lost to time.

Ash is plagued by memories of her ancestor, Katia, which harken back to the town’s history of unrequited love and murder, alchemy and immortality. Charming traditions soon give way to a string of gruesome deaths, and Ash feels drawn to Dane, a forbidden boy with secrets of his own.

As the community prepares for a ceremony five hundred years in the making, Ash must fight not only to save her mother, but herself—and discover the truth about Quivira before it’s too late. Before she’s all in—blood and salt. 

Personal Thoughts

Ahhhhh! To think that I nearly skipped on Blood and Salt! I'm not much of a horror reader. I've read my fair share of Stephen King novels, but when it comes to YA, I've avoided the genre. For one, I'm too much of a wuss, but also I worry that I'll be forced to read through cliched and silly heroines. Blood and Salt though, rocked my world! It was creepy, atmospheric and had some very sexy kissing!

Blood and Salt isn't your typical horror book. It's creepy sure, but not because it's gory and bloody. Now, don't get me wrong, there was lots and lots of gore and bloodiness, but the true scary experience of reading this book arises from not knowing what is going to happen next. The novel opened up with the main character watching a dead body hang from her kitchen ceiling and it's all very normal to her. This weird and disturbing set the tone of the whole book. Let me tell you, Kim Liggett does weird really well. The beginning of the book was a bit slow with the protagonist, Ash, discovering all these family secrets, but the writing was so lovely, it was hard to put down. Kim Liggett has a vivid writing style. She transports you to her scenes through her words and it's quite the experience.

Blood and Salt was an atmospheric book, and my favorite scenes involved the cornfields, which were themselves almost like a living breathing character. It terrified me and at the same time, fascinated me. The community that Ash and her twin belonged to in Quivara was also very compelling. They were a cult-like community, with some ancient traditions and beliefs. It was so interesting reading about them and the author did a great job at making the community and the people in it to life. Together with all the gasp-out-loud moments that the book had, Blood and Salt was a mesmerizing read that held my attention throughout. It's not very often that an author is able to shock me with her twists, but Kim Liggett had my heart racing with all the shocking turns of events.

The setting and the plot weren't the only aspects of this novel that were excellent - the characters were just as fascinating. The protagonist, Ash, was a tough nut to crack in the beginning, because you aren't sure what exactly what's going on with her. She ended up being quite the captivating heroine. All of her actions were driven by her love and loyalty to her family and I loved that about her. Her bond with her twin brother was one of the highlights of the book for me. It portrayed the ups and downs of sibling relationships authentically. There were moments in the book when I wasn't sure of Ash's intentions and that added so much depth to her character, in my opinion. She went through this phase where she almost drowned in the cults traditions and it was interesting to watch.

Blood and Salt is described as being a horror-romance and the description is apt. I enjoyed the romance in Blood and Salt quite a bit. It felt instant because of the strong attraction that Ash and Dane felt for each other at the beginning, but here's the thing, I believed in it. The fact that their relationship was forbidden added an intensity to it. Ash and Dane had a lot of chemistry between them and Kim Liggett sure knew how to heat up the pages with the sexy kisses between the two of them. I found myself rooting for this couple.

Blood and Salt ended up being quite the thrilling read for me. The book does ended with a slight cliffhanger (that HURT), but I've been assured that a sequel will be releasing next year that I'm impatiently waiting for. Kim Liggett is a debut author to watch out for because this author is clearly talented and Blood and Salt is a book that should not be missed out on!

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

  

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the ARC of Blood and Salt.