Review: Salt by Danielle Ellison is a very entertaining, engaging book with a cute romance.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 20, 2014
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Salt by Danielle Ellison is a very entertaining, engaging book with a cute romance.Opening Sentence: Gran always told us to not leave home without salt in our pocket.The Review:Penelope is a witch, one of the many that reside secretly in a world of Nons, people with no magic. But ever since she was small, she’s had no magic unless she can draw from her family, and only when they’re close by. A demon stole it when her parents were murdered. Penelope will need all the help she can get, be it from the mysterious Conner or her best friend and sister, to discover her heritage and get back her magic.I liked Penelope, her snarky attitude and sass. Sometimes she whined, and it was in those times I wanted to take a break on the book, but most of the time she was relatable and funny. She is a great main character, with the right blend of intensity and strength. The point of view from which we listen to her reminds me in many ways of how the Percy Jackson series is written. There were no complicated paragraphs about the meaning of life, the writing style is simple and straightforward, not very unique.Carter was an interesting love interest. At the beginning I was not a fan. He showed up very conveniently where and when Penelope needed him most, and was too sarcastic for my liking. I feel as if the author was going for a Will Herondale like character, confident, mysterious, funny. Sadly, I felt no attachment to Carter the first few times we met him and only really started to enjoy him towards the middle. As his sarcastic facade fades, we see more of the turmoil brimming within his mind. His attempts at humor were less frequent and more funny, and a more sensitive but still strong interior began to leak through. This gentle, funny Carter was a character I could identify with more than the one from before.When Penelope and Carter admitted their feelings for one another, I immediately was floored by the amount of kissing. Kissing on the cheek, lips, forehead, between every sentence. Kissing, kissing, kissing. The whole passion thing soon became less sweet and more cheesy as the kisses increased, but luckily after a few chapters this died down and their romance became officially “cute” again.Salt was full of action. It had a lot of fight scenes and lots of clues to the mystery of Pen’s magic. I liked following along with the characters as they discovered who they were and what happened in their families. I enjoyed Penelope and Vassago, a demon, most of all the characters, and the story flowed well without any boring parts. World-building was good, but could have been improved even more, but altogether Salt was a read that I don’t regret. I’d recommend this to any lovers of Percy Jackson or fans of the Shadowhunters from the Mortal Instruments/Infernal Devices series. Yes, it wasn’t perfect, but the story was enjoyable and I’m excited for a sequel. Hopefully some of you pick it up soon! (It’s extremely cheap at the moment. $3! Please keep in mind this is subject to change.)Notable Scene:Then his mouth is all I can think about and I lean into his kiss. My body is on fire as his warmth seeps through my clothes. He lowers me down on the bed, and we’re both way too big, legs hanging off and over each other, but I don’t even care. My heart is pounding. I’m kissing Carter.FTC Advisory: Entangled: Teen provided me with a copy of Salt. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review