Review: House of Roots and Ruin

House of Roots and Ruin

Written by: Erin A. Craig

Delacorte Press

2024

A thrilling gothic fantasy, House of Roots and Ruin is perfect for readers who like a little romance mixed into their mysteries.

House of Roots and Ruin is a perfect follow-up to House of Salt and Sorrows, keeping with that gothic fantasy vibe and capturing the eerie atmosphere throughout the novel.

Haunting

I loved House of Salt and Sorrows, so I was ready to dive back into the world of Craig with some pretty high expectations. Craig lived up to all those expectations.

In House of Roots and Ruin, we follow Verity, who seems trapped on the family estate in Highmoor with her older sister Camille. All her other sisters are living their lives. When Mercy, one of her sisters, presents a chance for her to use her painting abilities to begin living her life, Verity wants nothing more than to jump at the chance. That is until Camille reveals that Verity still speaks to ghosts and doesn’t know it.

Feeling betrayed, Verity decides to sneak away in the night and take the painting job, leaving for the luxurious landscape of Bloem.

I loved the change in setting here and how some scenes are reminiscent of the story The Yellow Wallpaper. The Bloem estate is home to a celebrated – and somewhat eccentric – botanist so that floral and earthy atmosphere transcends the greenhouse and bleeds into the home. And considering Verity cannot tell the dead from the dead, there is a lot of second-guessing here. What’s real and what isn’t? It makes the reader second-guess alongside her. There is a slightly sinister and twisted plot here, which puts Verity and Alexander in danger.

An eeriness reminiscent of Crimson Peak haunts the pages of the story, albeit without the incestuous bit, and The Island of Dr. Moreau. As the story progresses, the unsettling atmosphere continues to build and build until it reaches that crescendo. Then it just explodes, and you’re hooked.

Enticing Romance

I love the romance between Verity and Alexander because it differs significantly from how the romance developed in the previous novel.

He’s wheelchair-bound after a childhood incident left him paralyzed from the waist down, but he’s so sweet and thoughtful. Alexander sees Verity. He nurtures her and helps her believe in herself. They balance each other out so that it’s not to believe why Verity would fall so deeply in love with him.

Final Thoughts

All I have to say is that House of Roots and Ruin was absolutely amazing, and after that ending, I am not okay. My jaw hit the floor, and I need to sequel now.

Cynthia Ayala

Cynthia Ayala-Bujnicki majored in Writing and Publishing from Emerson College. Editor-in-chief of Cyn's Workshop, she loves to read and write while tending to her pepper plants. She currently lives in South Florida with her husband, two kids Dante and Selene and two furbabies Mr. J the Kitten who Thinks He's Batman (yes, that is his full name) and Nyx.