Review: Salt by Danielle Ellison

Salt by Danielle Ellison
Publisher- Entangled Teen
Released- Jan 7th 2014
Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N

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.

My Thoughts:
Wow! I’m surprised how much fun I had with this book. I've always loved hocus pocus type books and I’m still kinda amazed how much I've grown to love demon lore, but I was really impressed with Salt. It has everything I look for a good paranormal escape. Its action punched, suspenseful, mysterious and has a romance that’s totally kissable.

Danielle Ellison’s writes an amazing debut novel. The concept may not be something exactly new but I still really enjoyed Ellison’s take on this genre and I really liked the twist and turns in the plot. It kept me on my toes and anticipating what comes next.

Ellison also really knows how to write some mean ass-kickin! From badass demonic action to Pen’s examination training, to its gripping conclusion, this book is chalked filled with excitement and entertainment that kept my imagination on thrill. But it wasn't all fightin’ there is plenty of hugable romance that saps like me crave for, and Ellison really delivered those moments beautifully.

There is a lot happening here plot wise, but I thought the flow and pace of the story was well done. It never felt dragged out or dull, in fact, I was completely absorbed throughout the entire story. Lies and secrets seem to be the running theme in Penelope Grey’s life. The mysterious surrounding Pen and her families history was a great element I was completely intrigued with, but there are so many factors in this story that make the bigger picture really standout. Carter’s has his own secrets and agendas and I thought it was well played how those secrets affected his magical chemistry with Pen. I also really liked Poncho’s character and was surprised with the secrets he too was hiding. Everything about the story-line was calculating and connected in one way or another and I had a great time trying to piece the string of clues together while kicking back and just enjoyed the comfortable ease of the characters themselves.

I really loved all of these characters. They are filled with fun filled banter, wit and sarcasm. Okay…I admit that Penelope Grey is a character that did have a few flaws. I found her to be a bit hypercritical concerning the lies and deceit. She’s kinda not one to talk since she’s been keeping quite a few secrets to the people who matter the most and her reaction to Carter’s ‘betrayal’ was a bit of an overreaction and little more then childish. She also comes off a little repetitive, and her desperation to become an Enforcer and hunt down the demon that stole her magic and killed her parents tended to scream right off the pages a little too frequently, but as a whole, I liked and admired her determination, passion and strength, especially when it mattered most. I also adored her snark, sass, and fire and the fact that she didn't just roll over when she meets Carter. She’s a fighter, she makes things challenging and she can totally handle her own.

Carter was my by far my favorite, he is simply a fully loaded blast of a character. He’s arrogant, overly confident and drips with charm, wit and charisma. There were a few surprises concerning his character as well, which I loved, but I don’t think one of the earlier revelations should have been that dramatic. I guess I just don’t see the big deal.

This boy knows how to kick some serious ass but I like that he knows how to right a wrong and that he’s supportive and genuinely cares for Pen. Plus, he bakes cookies.

Need I say more?

Together, Pen and Carter steal the show as well as my heart. I really enjoyed the chemistry between them. They have an adorable playful banter thing going on that I found really sweet, sexy and adorable. Pen has a bit of an inner-battle concerning Carter at first since he makes her feel vulnerable in ways only her family has seen, but the connection between them is undeniable when they learn what they can accomplish together in both magic and heart. 

I also loved Pen’s sister Connie and her best friend Ric. They were amazing secondary characters who brought constant loyalty, smiles and support when it was needed.

In a nutshell, Salt was just a lot of fun to read. The plot was sizzling with action and mystery. The magical aspect was refreshing, the writing was smooth and these characters were wonderfully put together, easy to love and be invested with from minute one. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Ellison does with the sequel. A solid escape.

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