Seen at Bookish Antics! 
 It's been so long since I've read a great book about witches so I was drawn to Salt & Storm in hopes that it would be absolutely amazing. It took me a while to get into this one because this book is a bit slower paced than the majority of YA novels that I usually read. Kendall Kulper does craft a terrific magical society in S&S that's extremely impressive, albeit a bit familiar and Prince Island is a setting that I loved reading about. 
 Prince Island needs the Roe witch, they depend on her to keep their whaling economy in check and to make sure everything runs smoothly. Avery always wanted to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and to be the Roe witch, but her mother refused to let her tamper with magic. When Avery dreams that she's going to be murdered, she knows that this is it for her because she's never prophesied wrong. 
 Salt & Storm has an exciting opening chapter which sets up the world of Prince Island wonderfully, but the plot loses a bit of steam after that. Kulper is an excellent writer, but the beginning of this novel is just too slow-paced and I have a feeling that some readers may abandon this novel a few chapters in. Once Tane is introduced, Salt & Storm really kicks off and this novel became a lot more engaging and interesting to me. I really liked Tane even though I've seen similar reiterations of his characters plenty of times before. The tattooed, vulnerable guy is a character that's nothing new, but Kulper manages to make him extremely likable and makes his relationship with Avery feel fresh and exciting. 
 It's odd, but my favorite characters in Salt & Storm aren't any of the teenage main characters. My favorite characters are definitely Avery's grandmother and Avery's mother because these two women were so dangerous and spontaneous. One really never knew what to expect from these two matriarchs and they were such intense, complex characters. 
 I really loved the atmosphere and setting that Kulper created in Salt & Storm, readers will easily embrace Prince Island. The historical aspects of the island are pronounced well and the way Kulper intertwined the island's whaling industry with magic was superb. I didn't know anything about whaling prior to reading this but it's obvious that Kulper definitely did her research and her take on whaling feels authentic. The world-building in this novel is excellent and extremely atmospheric; I practically felt the wind and seabreeze while reading. 
 The magic system in Salt & Storm is well-developed and I fell in love with it almost immediately before realizing that I've seen this riff on magic before. I did enjoy exploring Avery's magic and her limits on her power, but it wasn't extremely unique. That being said, I was able to predict the big magical plot twist towards the end of this novel and it felt rather obvious to me. I'm usually not the best at predicting plot twists and it's not a good sign when I see what's coming next in a novel. 
 Salt & Storm is a well-written stand-alone with a gorgeous setting, but parts of it feel a bit trite and like they've been recycled. All things considered, I really enjoyed this novel and I absolutely loved the historical aspects of this novel. I'd definitely read another novel by Kulper in the future and it's exciting to hear that there's a prequel to Salt & Storm in the works (hopefully about Avery's grandma!).