I did end up DNF’ing this as the writing wasn’t quite for me but still rating as I have friends that will definitely love this book!

I just sadly have no interest in picking this one up anymore which is sad because when it first was announced I felt like it was going to be one I would read immediately.

I feel so bad but I don't think I'm ever going to get around to reading it.

Sorry

I was intrigued by this as I had heard that it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

It started ok, but I just felt it was a little slow and I struggled to relate to the characters so I gave up.

I do think that it will be popular, but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley for approving me for this book. I am so glad I was able to read this book as I really enjoyed this and will read more by this author.

I’ve seen mixed reviews of this book. I wandered into review territory only because I wanted to check if this would be a standalone or a series. I got around to reading it a little later than I should have.

This is a version of Beauty and the Beast. We literally have the male protagonist to be deemed one. The prose is quite lovely, although dark. There are sweeping scenes and oppressive atmospheres. Three sisters live on a windswept corner of the world. They each carry a weight that they have to deal with. It is the middle sister that this book is about. She sacrifices herself ( or that’s how she frames it) to help her family. This leads her on to the deck of pirates.

These pirates are not ordinary ones but a literal cursed bunch who direct the rest of the narrative.

The strongest point of the book is the writing and the weakest has to be the plot itself. The Beauty and the Beast part is some well but the entire background plot did not have much traction. I could not get myself to care about its outcome, all the while continuing solely because I enjoyed the author’s writing style.

I would definitely pick up another by the author and recommend this to people like me who like reading this style of narration.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Thank you for the arc of this book. However I only got 35% through before I had to dnf. I found the plot all over the place, the characters boring and overall descriptions lacking. However the first few chapters were gripping but by 5 I didn’t care anymore. If I had finished this then I would have rated a 2/5.

What could be better than a version of beauty and the beast set on a pirate ship, I really loved this book. I have read so many retellings of beauty and the beast, but they always manage to surprise me. And this one is completely unlike any I've ever read. The addition of pirates to this fairy tale just made it perfect for me.

Ria is a wonderful character. I really liked her loyalty, her daring and her pluck. She was everything I love in a YA main character. Pairing her with the Heartless King and fitting her into the rest of the crew, made for just the perfect cast of characters. I loved every single one of them and it really felt like they fit together as a good crew.

The prose in this book was beautiful, making it a joy to read as well as being just a damned good story.

I want more adventures from this crew and this ship!!

This is a young adult fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Our female main character does not have a great life, her mother is dead, one of her sisters is sick and now her father's life is forfeit unless one of his daughters takes his place.

It's not supposed to be her, but she runs away in the middle of thw night and gives herself to this man - who may be a god, beast, legend or pirate. She doesn't know what he is, but he's deadly.

Only she starts liking this ship and its crew but it turns out there's a cursed involved.

Given this is a retelling, you do kind of know where the story is going in this. I did forget that though and thought we were going to somehow fit in overthrowing an evil king towards the end of the book. I'd happily read a further book set in this world, as the backstory set up was interesting.

After a slow start I ended up enjoying this fun piratw/beauty and the beast story. It's got a swashbuckling theme, as we follow Aurelua as she's forced to take to the high seas with the Heartless King - a man with a mean reputation but maybe a heart of gold.

At times, yes, this felt a bit typical YA tropes wise. We have a naive main character who sacrifices her freedom for her family, and the mean guy she's forced to spend time with who's actually a bit of a cinnamon roll. Their love story was really sweet, and didn't feel like it was rushed at all. As Aurelia hears more stories about Sebastian she sees what's hidden beneath the cool facade. Some of the dialogue was a bit cringy and melodramatic at times, but I think that's not unexpected in a YA novel.

The plot, although fast paced and action packed, didn't always make a whole lot of sense or skipped over a lot of pivotal scenes. There's a lot of dialogue at times, with endless questions and info dumps that I just found quite boring.

A decent YA fantasy that whike has a lot of the standard tropes, feels different due to the pirate vibes.

I am a big Disney fan and when I saw the description I knew I had to pick it up. The background of Ria's family and her journey to save them.

Found family, a magic ship and an amazing crew. I didn't want this book to end. I was swept away by the romance and the library and a certain disagreement over a book.. make sure to read this!

Retellings of Beauty and the Beast are one of my favourites, and this one did not dissapoint! Beauty and the Beast and pirates together? Please, yes. I was captivated throughout by this excellent debut novel. I'm eagerly anticipating Sarah Street's upcoming release.
Ria, whose father's merchant ship has been raided, is the focus of the narrative. Ria consents to turn herself over to the Heartless King, a pirate and beast of many tales, in exchange for his life. Any person would be terrified for their lives. But as Ria gets to know the Heartless King, she comes to the conclusion that her initial impressions of him were incorrect. Perhaps he isn't as callous as others perceive him to be.

A really interesting re-imagining that puts a new twist on a well known and well loved story. I didn't know what to expect but I absolutely loved it

Beauty and the Beast retellings are one of my faves and this did not disappoint! Pirates meets Beauty and the Beast?? Yes please. This was such a solid debut book and had me hooked from start to finish! I really can’t wait to see what Sarah Street comes out with next!

Thank you to Hachette Children’s Group and NetGalley for this ARC! I apologise it’s taken me so long to read it. I’m always up for a beauty and the beast retelling and this one had an interesting twist to it so I was really excited read it!

This is a YA fantasy novel that is basically Beauty and the Beast x Pirates of the Caribbean. Ria Lucroy lives with her two sisters in a crumbling cottage on the seaside. The whole town of Bray is poor and hungry because the townspeople fear the “Heartless King” who is said to roam the seas and take lives at will. One night Ria’s father comes home after a run in with the Heartless King and tells her and her sisters that he has to send their sickly sister Felicie or hand himself over to the Heartless King and his crew at sunrise. Ria can’t handle either of those options so she hands herself over instead. At first she is determined to hate the King and his crew but over time the King starts to thaw and the crew become companions. However, Ria has questions and many secrets to uncover before it’s too late.

This was a fantastic retelling of the classic story. It stayed true to the main plot points of the original but there is also an element of originality as well and many twists that are unexpected. This in my opinion is a retelling done well. The characters are well developed and although very morally grey, are incredibly loveable in their own ways. I could feel the chemistry between Ria and the Heartless King developing over time rather than it being insta love and overall the book was well paced.

The writing in this is really beautiful and Sarah Street is a very talented author. This is her debut and you wouldn’t be able to tell, she has a way with words and you can tell a lot of passion and creativity has gone into this story. I really appreciated the development of Ria’s friendships with Aron and Una alongside the love story because it added more depth and made you root for a happy ending all the more. There were also some really cool (and slightly creepy) creatures included which upped the stakes.

Overall if you’re looking for a really good YA fantasy retelling you should definitely check out this underrated gem! It was released on 25th May so it’s available now and I can’t wait to see what Sarah Street releases in the future!

A well thought out beauty and the beast retelling but make it at sea and with pirate ships and pirates ☠️
It wasn't heavy on romance, with this being a ya romantasy novel and the female main character got on my nerves slightly with her attitude on certain parts but it was a good read overall.
Feels like it's set up to be a duology or series but we shall see.

Thank you to Hachette Children's Group, Hodder Children’s Books and NetGalley for allowing me to review this early! It’s been on my TBR since last year and I was so excited to read it!!

3.5/4 stars
I know this is a Beauty and the Beast re-telling and I totally got that! But! I kept thinking of the Little Mermaid too for some reason! I really loved the concept and the story is really fast paced, but I got a little lost in the middle. I wasn’t too sure what was going on at one point and had to stop to have a little think back about what I’d read. Would that stop me reading a second book? No! Absolutely not. The second half of the book was definitely my favourite! I loved the relationship between Ria and Sebastien and I would love to see how that develops.

If you love pirates, magic and enemies to lovers, then this book is definitely for you!

A Curse of Salt seems like my dream and I expected to love every second of it from the description. It was very Beauty and the Beast meets Pirates of the Caribbean and while I appreciated both of those aspects of it, I was just not gelling with the characters at all and found I was bored.

So instead of forcing it I decided to DNF at 48%

I know there's a lot of love for this one out there so I'd recommend everyone try it themselves, but i think i was just too far past my PotC phase to enjoy it - I wish it had of been out 5 years ago! :( I'm sorry!

Pirates, gods, sea monsters, found family and ... ROMANCE! This Beauty and the Beast retelling had me spellbound from start to finish.

This Beauty and the Beast retelling has a very special twist that makes it the perfect beach read this summer for those of us that love darker settings and storylines. Set in a world by the sea, where pirates roam and raid different towns, Ria sacrifices herself to the terror-inducing pirate crew of Blood Rose to save her sisters and father. There she meets the Heartless King: the leader of the pirate ship who, soon enough, will prove he's so much more than heartless and anything but an enemy... the romance in this book is EVERYTHING and you will be rooting for Ria and Sebastian from the moment their dinners begin! And for anyone wondering... yes, the Heartless King does indeed have an admirable library.

One thing I find most debut authors struggle with is characterisation across the cast, but Sarah Street did not fall into this trap. Each of her characters, from protagonist Ria all the way to the members of the pirate crew, have their own personality, situationships, struggles and voice. I also thought the level of worldbuilding perfectly matched the market this book aims at. Not too much worldbuilding that we enter high fantasy, but enough to paint a vivid, multilayered world.

Highly recommend this light, fantastical and dark romance read for anyone getting ready for summer holidays!

Thank you to Hachette, Hodder, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is perfect for fans of the new Little Mermaid movie! A Curse of Salt by Sarah Street is a YA fantasy romance set in the roaring seas. The story revolves around Ria, whose father's merchant ship has been raided. In exchange for his life, Ria agrees to give herself up to the Heartless King, a pirate and beast of many tales. Anyone would be scared for their life. But as Ria begins to get to know the Heartless King, she realizes that her perceptions of him were wrong. Maybe he isn't as heartless as people think that he is.

Here is an atmospheric excerpt from Chapter 1:

"The tide rolled in.
I stepped closer to the edge, drawn by the lick of salt on the breeze. In one breath, the wind tugged back my briny curls and swept blue into the black lung of the cliffs. Sea spray flecked my cheeks, and the knot in my chest tightened.
Down below, waves tossed a broken body against jagged rocks, leaching old blood into tidepools. Another day, another dead."

Overall, A Curse of Salt is a YA romantasy that will appeal to fans of the sea adventures of Adrienne Young's Fable or the tension in Raven Kennedy's Gild. One highlight of this book is the beautiful prose and descriptions. When I was reading this book, I kept pausing to admire how beautiful the writing is. Another highlight of this book is the lovely setting. The wind-swept seas is a wonderful setting to be transported to, and I definitely did not want to leave. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA romantasy in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!

Aaaah I loved this book so much, so much so I want to erase my memory and read it all over again so I can go on the emotional rollercoaster I was just on!

Easily one of my favourite reads of 2023 so far, and I now remember how much I love pirate and sea books, mix in a beauty and the beast inspired plot and I am here for this!!

Definitely one to read!