Narration:
I enjoyed the voice acting of Ryan West. I’ve heard him in another book, and I genuinely like his voice, narration, and acting. The FMC’s narrator was good as well. However, I absolutely hate dual narration. I prefer duet style narration, especially for longer books, and the dual narration here really took away from the experience 😣
The Book:
Master of Salt and Bones marks the fourth book I’ve read by Keri Lake, along with a short novella. After reading multiple works of hers, I’ve picked up on a consistent pattern in her writing. While she can craft a decent story and create desirable FMCs and MMCs, this book fell short in unexpected ways 🤦🏻♀️
The book is marketed as dark romance, and while some authors claim that label without delivering, Master of Salt and Bones did at least incorporate dark elements. Lucian Blackthorne, the MMC, has a dark past and kinks, which kept the promise of a dark romance alive, though the “darkness” was fairly light in comparison to other works I’ve read.
However, it was also marketed as a Beauty and the Beast-style dark romance, with the MMC portrayed as a brooding, beastly figure feared by the town, living in an ancient castle with rumors swirling about him. While Lucian has a dark past and lives in a castle, this is where the comparison ends. The marketing was completely misleading. If you’re looking for a true Beauty and the Beast-style romance, you will be disappointed. There were also mentions of a secret society called Schadenfreude, which ties into Nocticadia, but it wasn’t developed well. The marketing was inaccurate, and I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone seeking that theme 🙅🏻♀️
The story itself was disorganized and confusing. I finished it not out of curiosity but because I liked the MMC’s backstory and hoped it would improve. I thought the chemistry between the FMC and MMC would eventually develop, and that we’d get answers to the questions raised in a progressive and satisfying way. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The chemistry never built, and all the answers were crammed into the final chapters in a rushed, unsatisfying manner 😪
Lake tends to drag her stories for the first 60-70%, slowly building suspense, only to cram everything into the last few chapters. At least in her other books, the stories still kept me engaged and I wanted to know how they ended. This book followed that same pattern, but it felt particularly lazy and disorganized here. It left me feeling like the story didn’t know what it wanted to be, and the resolution was far too abrupt 🙄
The romance and chemistry between the FMC and MMC were nonexistent. The FMC felt bland, with no real depth or backstory to connect with. The relationship lacked tension, and the fact that they only declared their love in the epilogue felt disconnected and unsatisfying. On the other hand, Lucian’s backstory was the more compelling part of the book, and I did enjoy the flashbacks into his life, but even that wasn’t enough to save the overall lack of connection between the two characters.
The book does have a few redeeming qualities: Lucian’s backstory and the fact that it does include some dark romance elements. The smut was decent, with Lucian’s dark kinks giving it an edge, though I’ve read darker and more satisfying stories in this genre 🤷🏻♀️
Overall, Master of Salt and Bones felt chaotic, with too many characters, too many deaths, and a plot that lacked direction. I wouldn’t recommend this book. If you’re interested in Keri Lake’s work, I’d suggest Nocticadia, Nightshade, or Infernium instead.
P.S. I do enjoy the names Lake gives her characters, especially her MMCs 😊