Salt and Silver by A. Katherine

A brand new author for me, I had the chance to read Anna Katherine’s new novel, Salt and Silver and it was an interesting take on demons in our society.

Allie can’t seem to get it together. Ever since her mom ran away to Rio with Rio—her tennis instructor—stealing Allie’s trust fund and her comfortable way of life, Allie has been floundering. She works in Sally’s Diner, and lives above it. And one night in the basement, she and her friends chant a ridiculous spell—for money, for luck, for love…and open a Doorway to Hell.

Ryan thinks he’s got it all figured out. When the Door opened he appeared out of nowhere, a Stetson-wearing demon hunter dressed in leather. He’s assigned to the Door, and hangs out at the diner, and when the Door disappears he is certain that Allie had something to do with it.

But something strange is happening in Brooklyn. Something bigger than Allie, and Ryan, and the Door in the diner basement. And when a meeting of demon hunters gives birth to a dangerous idea, Allie and Ryan are left to wonder if the fragile feelings growing between them can survive a trip to Hell…or if they themselves will survive at all.

I’m not really sure what I was expecting for Salt and Silver, but I don’t think I was anticipating this to be as easy of a read as it was.  Salt and Silver involves some really interesting characters, but for a story involving a trip to hell, it wasn’t as dark and twisty as one would think.  In fact, it really wasn’t anything I would expect from a book about a trip to Hell.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing, that’s up to you.  I’m still trying to figure that aspect out.

I’m having a hard time writing this review.  I’m not really sure why, but I liked the story, but there were aspects that kind of got to me.  There were some great characters that I enjoyed reading about, but at the same time, there were a couple that completely annoyed me.  Thankfully, both of them were….oops, that could be spoilerish, so never mind, but I was happy they weren’t too integral to the story.  Allie definitely has a strong personality, but I do have to say that I thought she was a little stifled.  Her character is one, that when she saw something that needed to be done, she went and did it.  She didn’t try pawning it off on someone else.  But…I thought she came off as more naive than she should have been if she had been fighting demons for six years.  Don’t get me wrong, she had her moments, but for living with a hunter, I expected her to have more information on demons than what she had.  At the same time, Ryan starts off as this big bad hunter, but he becomes less throughout the story.  Does that make sense?  He didn’t come off as the big bad hunter at the end, even though he was trying to be.

The other thing that is still bugging me is the plot.  It wasn’t bad, but again, it wasn’t something I was expecting.  We’re being taken on a trip through hell, but nothing really came off as being hellish.  It seemed more like a life quest for Allie than trying to figure out what the hell was going on.  Plus, the whole reason they were going to hell in the first place, the event that caused this trip, ended up being something really simple and that would have totally pissed me off.  Yet, Allie took it in stride.  I think I would have had a little more anger than what she had, but at the same time, both characters involved were true to their personalities.  So this wasn’t a bad thing, but it still bugged me.

HOWEVER, the fact that these little quirks are still bugging me after reading two different novels since this one, should give you an idea of the kind of impression it left.  If I’m still thinking about this novel, that scores huge points for me.  It left that much of an impression on me and I’m seriously interested in finding out if this is going to be the start of a new series or if it will be a stand alone novel.  Because, honestly, it could go either way.  I’m expecting it to be a standalone, but there is a lot of potential and I’m curious to see what else Anna Katherine has in store for their readers.

Overall, not what I was expecting and I think that’s a good thing in this case.  There was a lot about Salt and Silver that I liked, things that kind of bugged me, but still a really good story.  It sucked me in and I had a hard time putting it down.  I also think that the fact that its not what one would expect a book about a trip to hell would be like is a good thing.  It throws the reader off and makes them pay closer attention.  So definitely check Salt and Silver off if you’re looking for a good read.

Personal Note: I had a hard time writing this, so don’t be surprised if it gets edited later on.

Also reviewed by:
Scooper Speaks
Darque Reviews