However, unbeknownst to Rhys, Ash's lifelong visions of a hanging girl have increased in frequency and she soon realizes these images are memories of events that occurred centuries earlier. Desperate to find their mother, Ash and Rhys travel to the eerie cornfield to save their mother from what they consider to be a religious cult. The family now lives in New York, but just before the summer solstice, Nina returns to Quivira to fulfill her destiny as a vessel for her ancestor Katia. Nina Larkin escaped from Quivira before giving birth to twins Ash and Rhys seventeen years earlier. Katia's quest for immortality results in betrayal and death and the Larkin women are called upon to carry out their fate in Quivira as Katia's 'vessel'. The history of Quivira is rather convoluted, goes back centuries and features a love triangle between Katia Larkin, Alonso Mendoza and Spanish explorer Coronado.

This debut novel by Kim Liggett centers on Ashlyn 'Ash' Larkin, a centuries old family curse and a mysterious spiritual commune in the middle of a cornfield in Quivira, Kansas. Read moreīlood and Salt is an engrossing and rather creepy young adult romance with supernatural elements. Things sometimes moved so quickly that they were hard to follow, and more depth of explanation and character could have made a world of difference.So, no, I'm afraid I won't be picking up the sequel, and I doubt I'd find reason to recommend the work, though I could see my way to picking up something else by the author and giving it a try (outside of this series). None seemed unbelievable, but aside from the narrator, none of them seemed fully developed, either.In short, as much as I was swept up by the beginning, I felt less and less involved as the book went on. That might have heightened the suspense, at times, but it was also a frustration, and a bit more depth in terms of explanation and time could have made a big difference. I have faith that there was depth to the mythology involved, but it was so abstract that, plot-wise and progression-wise, it was hard to follow what was happening at every moment. And the larger problem was, pretty simply, one of depth. One chapter would be all about the horror and the mystery while the next was all about the romance, and so it felt like taking turns more than a natural unfolding of a story that happened to involve both. As things kept going, though, it was harder and harder to stay engaged.While the author was clearly trying to keep a balance going between horror and romance, things were just too unbalanced. I was sucked in immediately-the atmosphere and mystery of the beginning was intoxicating, and I loved the characters.

I have to admit that this was a pretty uneven read for me.

Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett