Salt & Storm has me so conflicted, it's a little hard to explain. Avery's story started with a bang. Watching her learn the trade of being the Sea Witch, of learning to control the swells and skies, was amazing to me. Learning of her curse was better still. Although I knew that this was a historical romance (the synopsis makes this quite obvious), I was honestly hoping for continued excitement. Perhaps more depth into the witches and their powers? Alas, this was not to be. If you're looking at this story from a historical romance perspective, it's near perfect. The setting comes alive on the page. Kendall Kulper writes in way that allows the reader to feel the salt spray, and taste the tangy air of the whaling community perched on a tiny island. In the same respect, the simple people of Avery's island are laid out very well. I had no doubt in my mind that I was on board for a story about a simple whaling town and their Sea Witch.I can't quite say that the romance is on the exact same level as the setting though. There may be plenty of readers out there who absolutely adore Tane and his mysterious existence. I wasn't so easily swayed. Tane, as a character, had so many things left unraveled. My character driven mind ached to know more about him. To know who this person was that gave himself so readily to Avery. I'll admit I was rather frustrated that I never got the knowledge I wanted. That, compounded on the lack of a quick moving plot, made this a very slow read for me.The ending did pick up again, and the last few scenes were rather interesting! If I was basing my review on the beginning of this story, and the ending, it would have been closer to four stars. For the slow middle, and the fact that it took all my willpower to move through that portion, I've decided to settle on three stars. If you're a historical romance reader, I'd recommend this! Chances are that you'll appreciate Salt & Storm much more than I did. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really wasn't sure whether to rate it 3.5 or 4 stars, but settled for 3.5 in the end. The reason being that while Kulper actually did write a pretty intriguing story that kept me gripped from start to finish, there were some things that didn't quite convince me. I'll start with the things I liked though. For any fans of Historical Fiction with a dash of Fantasy and Magic, this is the book for you. Some reviewers have argued there was not enough Witchcraft in this book, but I would disagree. There was plenty of spell-making, charms and sorcery to keep me going. I would also say that I liked the romance. It advanced the story, had a purpose and I liked the two characters as a couple. They felt a little rushed, but then there was supposed to be a sense of urgency so I'll forgive that. The author's knowledge of the time period and lives of the Islanders felt well-researched and I enjoyed reading from that aspect. In other areas though, I remained unconvinced. I'm not sure if the use of 'cAPitaLs LiKE thIs' was purposeful, nor the fact that sentences didn't start with capitals either, but it grated on me a little and I didn't really understand why it was like that. It was a bit of a slow-starter too, and I didn't really start getting into it until about halfway through. Still, it was an enjoyable book and though I'm not sure if it's a stand-alone or a series starter, I would be interested to see what our Kulper does next with this world.
Do You like book Salt & Storm - Für Ewige Zeiten (2014)?
Written for me? Why, thank you. EXACTLY the type of witch story I love.
—Fab
Sooo melodramatic. But not bad for its milieu.
—Taylor
