{Tour Stop} Review & Giveaway: Salt by Danielle Ellison

Salt by Danielle Ellison
Genre: YA Paranormal
Series: Salt #1
Publication Date: January 7th 2014
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Page Count: 266
Rating: ★★★★
Buy Link: AMAZON



Synopsis: Penelope is a witch, part of a secret society protecting humans from demon attacks. But when she was a child, a demon killed her parents—and stole her magic. Since then, she’s been pretending to be something she’s not, using her sister’s magic to hide her own loss, to prevent being sent away.

When she’s finally given the chance to join the elite demon-hunting force, Penelope thinks that will finally change. With her sister’s help, she can squeeze through the tests and get access to the information she needs to find "her" demon. To take back what was stolen.

Then she meets Carter. He’s cute, smart, and she can borrow his magic, too. He knows her secret—but he also has one of his own.

Suddenly, Penelope’s impossible quest becomes far more complicated. Because Carter’s not telling her everything, and it’s starting to seem like the demons have their own agenda…and they’re far too interested in her.

Something for Everyone

Witches hunting demons. A girl with everything to prove and a secret she is desperate to keep hidden. A mysterious boy with secrets of his own who does strange and wonderful things to the heroine's heart rate (when she doesn't want to strangle him, lol). A quest that leads to more questions than answers, and may or may not reveal truths that will rock the very foundation of the world the girl and boy live in.

Any of that sound good to you? If you answered yes, then Salt's got your name on it.

Whether you're into action, humor, magic, mystery, or you're all about the romance, you'll find some or all of what you're looking for within this book's pages. It's got a bit of everything for everyone. For me, the biggest draw was Pen's relentless search for the demon that stole her magic - a search that took her down roads she never expected to travel. Following along as Pen played detective, unearthing clues and trying to piece it all together, was boat loads of fun. I also enjoyed the world-building. It wasn't too much, and wasn't too little - it was just right. And of course the romance. I'm a sucker for the romance every time, and Pen and Carter gave me an interesting one. It wasn't quite instalove, but it wasn't an agonizingly slow burn either. It fell neatly in the middle, and that worked for me.

Hands down, though, the best part of the book for me was the final 15-20%. Author Danielle Ellison explained certain key mysteries in a way I didn't expect, and better still, she did it in a way that didn't seem too far-fetched or "out there". It was like a million light bulbs turning on, all at once, and suddenly, all the things I'd been scratching my head over, or hadn't been able to quite put my finger on, made perfect sense. It was rather brilliant, actually.

What Salt did best, in my opinion, was prepare the stage for the series. The sets have been built, the actors are in place, and now, it's just a matter of seeing how it all plays out. There are plenty of story avenues left to pursue, and just enough plot threads left dangling to leave fans hungry for more.

4 Stars ★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Danielle Ellison is from a small town in West Virginia. She spent her childhood pretending to fly and talking to imaginary friends. When she grew up, she finally flew away (in an airplane) and started traveling the world. She hasn’t stopped yet, but someday she may decide to settle in one place. Her real life friends would definitely like that; they would probably also like if she stopped talking to her characters out loud.

SALT comes out in August 2013, and then it's sequel. In October 2014, FOLLOW ME THROUGH DARKNESS (book one of the BOUNDLESS Trilogy) comes out. She's got a busy few years! 

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