We are lucky enough to be a stop on the Blood and Salt blog tour today and I admit, I was excited about this book the moment I saw the cover and read the summary. Today we have an interview with Kim Liggett and you guys will love all her answers – we happen to share the same favorite TV show…just saying.
Describe Blood and Salt in 5 words.
Creepy, sexy, and slightly wrong.
Were there any scenes that had to be cut out of Blood and Salt that you wish would have stayed in?
There’s one that still stings. It was a terrifying scene of their mom leaving the apartment. I loved it so much.
Did any of your characters surprise you by doing something you didn’t expect?
They surprise me all the time! I think it’s because I don’t write with an outline. That’s what makes it interesting for me.
If you had to pick only one, what would you say was your favorite scene to write in Blood and Salt? What was the hardest scene to write?
Favorite scene is probably Katia and Ash in the library. It’s one of the very first things I wrote for Blood and Salt and it hardly changed from first draft to finished copy.
Hardest scene to write was in the finale. I can’t talk about it specifically, because I don’t want to give anything away, but let’s just say there’s a death scene that I agonized over for weeks. I knew I had to do it, but it shredded me.
Do you have any strange writing habits?
I really don’t. But I like to have iced green tea on hand. That’s a must.
When you read a real book, what do you use as a bookmark?
I have no shame—a down feather from my comforter, a stamp, a necklace—anything so I don’t have to get out of bed!
What are you currently reading?
Riders by Veronica Rossi. Spoiler: It’s so good.
What are you working on now?
I’m finishing up the sequel to Blood and Salt and working on my final edits for THE LAST HARVEST. I also have some ideas cooking about what I want to work on next. Exciting times.
Favorites
Favorite Song (right now): The Sun by The Naked and Famous
Favorite Book (right now): Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Favorite TV Show/Movie: Penny Dreadful
Favorite Word: Adamant
Favorite Color: Black
Favorite Curse Word: Really? I love this interview. Mother & rhymes with trucker ; )
This or That
Coffee or Tea: TEA
E-books or Real Books: REAL
Cake or Pie: WHY IS THIS SO HARD???? CAKE. Forgive me, Pie.
Dog or Cat: DOG
Tattoos or No Tattoos: TATS
Beer or Wine: WINE
Make sure you visit the other blogs on the tour as they have some great content!
Schedule:
Good Books & Wine – 9/14
Addicted Readers – 9/15
Jessabella Reads – 9/16
A Midsummer Night’s Read – 9/17
It Starts At Midnight – 9/18
The Book Bratz – 9/21
No BS Book Reviews – 9/22
Once Upon a Twilight – 9/23
Please Feed the Bookworm – 9/24
The Irish Banana – 9/25
Winterhaven Books – 9/28
My Friends are Fiction – 9/29
Fiction Fare – 9/30
A Dream Within a Dream – 10/1
Two Chicks on Books – 10/2
Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett
(Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Also by this author: The Last Harvest, The Unfortunates, The Grace Year
Published by Penguin on September 22nd 2015
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Love & Romance, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 352 
Romeo and Juliet meets Children of the Corn in this one-of-a-kind romantic horror“When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the deepest ocean. You will be all in—blood and salt.”These are the last words Ash Larkin hears before her mother returns to the spiritual commune she escaped long ago. But when Ash follows her to Quivira, Kansas, something sinister and ancient waits among the rustling cornstalks of this village lost to time.Ash is plagued by memories of her ancestor, Katia, which harken back to the town’s history of unrequited love and murder, alchemy and immortality. Charming traditions soon give way to a string of gruesome deaths, and Ash feels drawn to Dane, a forbidden boy with secrets of his own.As the community prepares for a ceremony five hundred years in the making, Ash must fight not only to save her mother, but herself—and discover the truth about Quivira before it’s too late. Before she’s all in—blood and salt.From the Hardcover edition.
The second I saw the summary of Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett I knew I had to have it. I mean, I love romance and I love horror and if an author can mix those two things successfully, I will forever be a fan! Also, tell me that this doesn’t make you immediately want to read: Romeo and Juliet meets Children of the Corn in this one-of-a-kind romantic horror. I also think the cover is absolutely perfect for this story too.
Let’s talk about Ash and Rhys first. They are twins living with their mother in New York City and seventeen years ago their mother escaped Quivira, a spiritual commune in Kansas, to have her babies and raise them away from the commune. She believes that Ash is a conduit which means she can tap into the senses and emotions of deceased female ancestors and to protect Ash, her mother marks her with symbols. Ash was a very well developed character and I liked her. As the story progresses, it is clear she will do anything for her brother and her mother and it is the desire to protect the people she loves that put her in the tough places.
Rhys was interesting but I felt like I didn’t really get to know him as well as Ash. This is most likely due to the fact that the story was focused mostly on Ash (as the twin with the powers) but I wanted to get to know him more. I will say that as the story neared the end, I was happy to see him playing a more active role in what was going on and I am looking forward to seeing what happens with his character now that we know more about the whole story.
When Ash and Rhys figure out their mother is missing, they make the decision to go to Quivira to find her and bring her home. This isn’t as easy as they assumed – mostly because of their family history (the Larkins). When Ash and Rhys finally get to Quivira, it is as they are preparing for a ceremony that will help their ancestor, Katia, be reunited with her one true love, Alonso who was taken away from her by a man named Coronado. Trust me…I know that sounds confusing and I am probably not explaining it well here but it is this history that drives the actions of the entire commune and explains why Ash is seeing the things she is seeing.
I thought the secondary characters were interesting here. Dane and Beth played into the overall story well and added some unexpected twists. Dane added a bit of romance to the story and the way Dane and Ash meet created a bit of mystery. Dane’s reaction to her and the commune’s approach to mixed blood and the rules that apply, make their attraction to each other forbidden…which of course means I was that much more interested in seeing where it would go. Dane also has some secrets and I have to admit, I wasn’t fully expecting things to go the way they did (I know that’s vague…don’t be mad).
Once I got into the story, I needed to understand what was really going on and that is what made this a page turner for me. There is a larger mystery tied to why Ash is seeing this dead girl as well as what is going on with her mother and I’m not going to say anything about it because I don’t want to give the mystery of it away.
So I can’t say much more here without potentially ruining something. Just know that I thought this book was well done and I am looking forward to more from Liggett. I admit, the mystery overtook the creep factor on this one and I didn’t necessarily find it scary. I did love the sense of isolation that flows through this book and thought the characters were developed well. I am most definitely looking forward to the next book in this series and if you are looking for something with a bit of a mystery and an eerie feel, consider checking this one out.
Recent Comments