Salt & Storm

by Kendall Kulper

Overview

A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder—and the one boy who can help change her future.

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.

Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane—a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316404518
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/23/2014
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 5.90(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	960L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Kendall Kulper grew up in New Jersey and currently lives in Boston with her husband, daughter, and dog. She graduated from Harvard University, where she studied history and literature. Thanks to Salt & Storm and Drift & Dagger, she knows more about nineteenth-century whaling than she ever imagined.

Editorial Reviews

07/28/2014
Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe always thought she would continue her family’s line, doling out spells and magical charms as the sea witch of Prince Island. That was before her mother forced her into a traditional Victorian upbringing and the dull life of a pastor’s stepdaughter. After Avery predicts her own murder through a dream, she makes increasingly desperate attempts to untangle her family secrets and unleash her magic. While Avery’s otherness sets her apart from the natives, she finds an ally in Tane, a harpoon boy with tattoos that carry powers of their own. Their tragic love story is just part of Avery’s transformation from captive daughter to a woman who can guide not just her own life, but the very wind and sea that surround her home. Debut author Kulper’s fictional whaling island, off the Massachusetts coast, pulsates with vibrancy as the author draws from real events and folk tales to illuminate the toil and turmoil of the industrial age, imperceptibly weaving strands of truth into an inventive story of self-sacrifice and sorcery. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"As rich and dark as the ocean itself, Salt & Storm is a tour de force!...This perfect fall read will leave readers bewitched and anxious for more Kulper-penned tales."—RT Book Reviews

"Debut author Kulper infuses her atmospheric novel with richly detailed descriptions of whaling in nineteenth-century New England, and through tenacious Avery's lyrical first-person narrative, she explores poignant themes of destiny, sacrifice, and free will."—Booklist

"I love this book. Kulper beautifully and lovingly captures the struggles of a young, headstrong girl battling forces both natural and supernatural, and discovering through the journey the joys and searing pain of first love."—Kathleen Kent, New York Times-bestelling author of The Outcasts and The Heretic's Daughter

"The well-developed romance between Tane and Avery is searing."—The Bulletin

From the Publisher

2014-07-29
A 19th-century 16-year-old witch yearns to return to her birthright. The anachronistically named Avery Roe is destined to be the next Roe witch, selling her magic to protect the whalers of her New England island. Her grandmother had been raising her as her apprentice until Avery's magic-hating mother dragged her away to town. Four years later, Avery is still trapped by the only magic her mother is willing to use: a curse preventing Avery from fleeing or soliciting help. Forced to live without magic, dressed up in fancy clothes and trained in a Victorian young lady's accomplishments, Avery is both self-loathing and self-harming. While she can interpret dreams for anyone who asks, Avery lacks any hint of how to unlock her magic. Her aging grandmother can no longer serve the town's magical needs—and meanwhile, Avery's been having prophetic dreams of her own murder. A young, tattooed Polynesian sailor named Tane needs Avery's dream-telling assistance, and he swears he can end her mother's curse. When Tane tattoos Avery with his magic (a regrettably exoticized moment), perhaps she'll be stronger than her mother at last. Secrets abound in Avery's world, and nobody's as villainous as she suspects. A fat, slow-moving, sensuous fantasy for fans of watery paranormals. (Fantasy. 13-15)

Kirkus Reviews