Sisters of Salt and Iron Review

Book: Sisters of Salt and Iron
Author: Kady Cross
Series: Sisters of Blood and Spirit #2
Genre: YA paranormal
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 352
Release: March 30th, 2016

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.

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An excellent sequel!

This book picks up a little ways off from the ending of the first book. Life is better than normal for Lark: she now have a group of friends who know about her abilities to communicate with ghosts, and accept her. As a result, they accept Wren, even though they can't see her. For Wren, she's happy that Lark is happy, but at the same time, is a bit lonely because Lark is hanging out more and more with her living friends. Until she meets Noah, an intriguing and mysterious ghost, who finally makes Wren feel like she belongs somewhere. But Noah isn't quite the gentleman he appears to be, and his influence over with Wren begin to drive the two sisters apart...

There was such a difference in Lark's mindset in this novel. She was so much more open, more trusting. Having friends who had her back definitely helped, as she didn't always have to have her guard up. Lark's compassion grew, as she went from solely caring about her and Wren's safety to her friends' safety to her entire town's. What I particular liked about Lark in this book was that she firmly believed in Wren, even when she bang to turn. Not once did her faith in Wren waver, knowing that Wren would always do the right thing in the end. 

Wren definitely went through the most change in this book. Her fascination with Noah set warning bells ringing right away for me (I mean, the synopsis pretty much gives it away), but I completely understood Wren's interest. Her attraction to Noah was logical: given that she spent most of her time with Lark and never her own kind, the fact that Lark suddenly has new friends and less time for Wren makes her lonely. Of course Wren would jump at the chance to belong somewhere again, especially if it's somewhere she should feel like she belonged to in the first place, like with the other dead. So I didn't blame Wren. I understood it, and felt Lark's devastation as my own. But at the same time, we got to see a glimpse at Wren's darker side, a side where she completely embraces her darkness and acts like a malicious ghost. It only stirs the possibilities of just what she's capable of, especially after we get a bit of general description of Wren and Lark's roles...

I particular liked the growing relationship between Lark and Wren in this book. With their new friends, Lark and Wren's relationship shifted, as their focus was no longer solely on each other. It was nice to see a very natural tension growing between the two, one formed of love and loneliness. I mean, all siblings go through feeling left out one way or another, which made Lark and Wren's strained relationship very relatable. But, like any sibling relationship, in the end, they made up, their bond stronger than every. The only difference is that with Lark and Wren, their relationship literally makes them stronger!

Lark's friends were fantastic. Ben, Kevin, Mace, Roxi and Gage were the perfect supporting characters, emphasis on supporting. Not once did any of them steal the glory from Lark or Wren; it was very clear that Lark and Wren were the stars of the show, that everything that happened did so on the accordance of their actions. It really let Lark and Wren shine, let them grow without interference or other egos getting in the way. They were the leaders, with trustworthy friends who would go through hell to help them save the town.

We get some answers regarding the mysterious issue of Lark and Wren's identities, starting with their great-great grandmother, who also had a twin with identical circumstances. Emily and Alys played a large role in this novel, and I'm certainly will be playing an even bigger role in the next. I'm excited to see what more the author will bring forth in the next book, and how the revelation will affect everyone!

The pacing of this book was fast and gripping. It was exciting, and I couldn't put it down. That being said, I did feel like there could have been a bit more build up towards the revelation of Noah's plans as well as the final confrontation, but it didn't affect the plot or pacing in any way. I also feel like the Melinoe could have been more elaborate in description in relationship to Lark and Wren's immediate circumstances, but there's a possibility the author is saving it for the third book, which is fine by me.

In conclusion: a great book! New revelations, new twists, new vengeful ghosts and haunts. Definitely read it if you enjoyed the first book, and if you're looking for some snarky paranormal action and sibling love!