Review: Sisters of Salt and Iron (Sisters of Blood and Spirit #2) by Kady Cross

Title: Sisters of Salt and Iron

Series: Sisters of Blood and Spirit #2

Previous book in this series: Sisters of Blood and Spirit

Author: Kady Cross

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: March 2016

Published by: Harlequin TEEN

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: Lark Noble is finally happy. She’s trying to move on and put the events of the past behind her: the people who avoided her because she talked to the ghost of her dead twin sister, the parents who couldn’t be around her anymore and even the attempt she made on her own life. She finally has friends—people who know her secrets and still care about her—and she has Ben, the cute guy she never saw coming.

Wren Noble is lonely. Unable to interact with the living, she wants to be happy for her sister’s newfound happiness, but she feels like she’s losing her. It doesn’t help that Kevin, the very not-dead guy she was starting to fall for, seems to be moving on.

Then Wren meets Noah, the spirit of a young man who died a century ago. Noah is cute, he’s charming and he makes Wren feel something she’s never felt before. But Noah has a dark influence on Wren, and Lark’s distrust of him drives the sisters apart for the first time in their lives. As Halloween approaches and the veil between the worlds thins, bringing the dead closer to the world of the living, Lark must find a way to stop whatever deadly act Noah is planning, even if it means going through her sister to do so.

My rating: ★★★★★

I really loved the first book in this duology so I was very excited to read this one, and I’m happy to see that it turned out to be another great read! There was some unexpected mythology in there that I really appreciated, and I just really love the sisters and their complicated relationship.

Right from the start I knew I would love this book...

Ghosts are such douche bags.

Lark is really snarky and I love her! She’s also very badass and kicks serious ghost ass! She’s great! I also really liked Lark’s friends. They were so nice and made an effort to acknowledge Wren even though they couldn't see her. It was so sweet! And then Wren interacting with them... I loved it so much! 🥰

And speaking of Lark’s friends, I totally get that Lark has a boyfriend, and I like him, I really do, but there’s a spark between her and Mace that I just can’t ignore. It’s not just me, is it? Lol. I totally shipped them right from book one, so that fact that they weren’t together made me sad.

As for Wren, she met a super cute, charming ghost, Noah. And things happened way too fast between them. It was kinda instalove-y, which I do not like. But also, the guy, to me at least, was super sketchy right from the beginning. Lark, too, was very iffy about him. But throughout this whole book, Wren was acting kinda strange and sometimes did some surprising things. This was a very difficult time for Wren as she pulled away from Lark and just tried to find herself and interact with more of her kind... the dead. It was very sad to see, but I also understood her reasoning: She doesn’t belong in the world of the living.

And I concentrated all of my attention on the boy I could have, rather than the one who could never be mine.

It was so sad! 😩 She just wanted to make a connection and make ghostly friends. I got that, but I was also a little frustrated with Wren and her naiveté. It’s understandable, but still frustrating. However, she was quite a savage at times, and very snarky. I liked that! Lol. Especially there at the end when they faced the big bad—she was incredible! I just love the sisters as a duo in general. Even though their relationship was a bit rocky at times, I really did enjoy their sisterly relationship, hardships and all.

Speaking of the girls, we actually went into what the girls are, cause there is a term for it. I really liked learning about this and getting to know what they are. It was so interesting! I loved that twist!

“It would be nice if [Alys] or Emily would come to us and explain everything.”
Wasn’t that the truth. “I'd like a manual, thanks.”
“I’d settle for a tweet.”

😂

Melinoe! That’s what they are! Now, Melinoe is a very minor Greek goddess and she is NEVER mentioned in any retellings or other mythology books. But basically, she is the daughter of Persephone and either Hades or Zeus—she’s one half light, one half dark, and she is the Underworld goddess of ghosts and such things. Lark and Wren are descendants of the goddess! Anyway, I absolutely LOVED this! It made so much sense! And every generation of their family has one! It’s so interesting! What happened with Alys and Emily?? WOW. And the girl's grandmother and HER TWIN! She had a twin! But the wrong twin was born dead. The grandma was supposed to be the dead twin, but Alys was tricked into killing grandma’s twin in the womb! It was SO crazy!

But yeah, I really loved that aspect—It was so good! The book also had a bit of humor here and there. It was very dark and I loved it!

His gaze was on our charred and gruesome companion. “Did we just commit ghost murder?”
I shook my head. “More like aggravated assault, I think.”

It was also a bit gory, which I also loved. And it actually gave me some Supernatural vibes with all the salt and burning and all that. I approve 😉 Lol. It was just a great duology with an interesting, unique premise. And that mythology twist was just the cherry on top! I am very much looking forward to reading more books by this author. I've had her Steampunk series on my tbr list forever. Now I can't wait to read it!

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! 😊