Publisher: Little, Brown Books
416 Pages
You don't know what you must give up to become a witch.
Avery Roe wants only to claim her birthright as the witch of Prince Island and to make the charms that have kept the island's sailors safe at sea for generations, but instead she is held prisoner by her mother in a magic-free life of proper manners and respectability.
Avery thinks escape is just a matter of time, but when she has a harrowing nightmare, she can see what it means: She will be killed. She will be murdered. And she's never been wrong before.
Desperate to change her future, Avery finds a surprising ally in Tane—a tattooed harpoon boy with magic of his own, who moves her in ways she never expected. But as time runs out to unlock her magic and save herself, Avery discovers that becoming a witch requires unimaginable sacrifice.
Avery walks the knife's edge between choice and destiny in Kendall Kulper's sweeping debut: the story of one girl's fight to survive the rising storm of first love and family secrets.
So, I know absolutely nothing about whaling, which I assume is like most people, so Salt & Storm opened this whole new world.
I know what my dream means. I will be killed. I will be murdered. And I've never been wrong before.
Avery Roe comes from a long line of Roe witches, women who protect Prince Island and ensure the success of the whalers. Raised by her grandmother since her own mother refuses this life, Avery dreams of the day when she will take her place as the Witch. But before Avery can come into her full powers, her mother shows back up and takes Avery, hoping to raise her away from magic.
Avery is not completely without magic. She possess the ability to read dreams and does this for the sailors without her mother knowing. Every day she plans her escape back to her grandmother to continue her training but then she has the dream. The dream that tells her she will be murdered. With the clock racing, Avery's determination to get back to her grandmother rises and she meets Tane, a tattooed harpoon boy from a whaler's ship docked in their port. Tane also possess magic and promises to help Avery if she helps him and reads his dreams.
This book was nothing as I expected. Avery was very determined but also a little blind. She saw what she wanted to see: a life stolen from her, a mother who didn't love her. Which was believable at her age, why would she question anything else? She was on a journey...one that included first love. Her romance with Tane didn't overpower the book. Instead, it burned slowly throughout. While they both were discovering their fates, they were also discovering each other. While they didn't have me swooning, I loved reading about their times together.
Kulper did a lot of research for this book. One of my favorite parts about this read was the author note at the end where she explained how she went about writing Salt & Storm. A delightful debut novel from Kulper and I look forward to reading more from her.
Oh my gosh, this book sounds fantastic-ly unique! Amazing review :)
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Thank you! It was definitely unique and I recommend it if you're looking for something a little different :)
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