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Salt and Iron
James van Helsing is the youngest son of the famous monster-hunting family—and the family’s big disappointment. He’s falling in love with Gabe Marquez, his oldest friend and son of the family the van Helsings have worked alongside for years. Things get even harder for James when he becomes what he and everyone else despises most—a magic user.
He didn’t mean to evolve into such a despicable person, and he knows using magic is illegal, but there’s nothing James can do about it, no more than he can stop himself from loving Gabe. Just when things can’t seem to get worse, he and Gabe are called to help nab a network of magicians who are changing destiny. Not just any destiny, but the destinies of the van Helsing and Marquez families. James foresees a terrible fate, one in which monsters emerge from the cracks, along with his dark secret. And that’s when people start to die.
He didn’t mean to evolve into such a despicable person, and he knows using magic is illegal, but there’s nothing James can do about it, no more than he can stop himself from loving Gabe. Just when things can’t seem to get worse, he and Gabe are called to help nab a network of magicians who are changing destiny. Not just any destiny, but the destinies of the van Helsing and Marquez families. James foresees a terrible fate, one in which monsters emerge from the cracks, along with his dark secret. And that’s when people start to die.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 7, 2016
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February 10, 2016I'm not 100% sure of what to say about this, I really enjoyed it, and on one hand- delivered exactly and wonderfully, and on the other - didn't.
The cover is lovely as well
Once mused, review to come at Prism
The cover is lovely as well
Once mused, review to come at Prism
August 9, 2019
I really enjoyed this on a second read. Some things are predictable others really not. The pov and tense changes (deliberate) are sometimes awkward but it's an interesting world and good read. Shame there's no word of a sequel or more books by this author.
-- --
A conundrum both really good and desperately in need of a little attention.
I immediately liked the main character James and was drawn into his world. The youngest Van Helsing he's in love with his best friend Gabe, failing to meet the family standard, nursing a secret and searching for answers at the bottom of a bottle of Bourbon. He's messing up but his heart is where it needs to be. The story isn't much of a romance but there's clear bonding and a kiss at the end that means everything.
Monsters aren't always the obvious ones.
At 33% there's a sudden change to the pov that surprised me and to be honest it felt like the author had suddenly realised the need to convey info with the main narrator (third person present tense) not in the room, from then on there are frequent unmarked pov changes. They didn't always work. At one point Gabe is thinking of his father by his surname and showing no emotion, which was odd. All the information is relevant but the switches were awkwardly done.
Not sure if this is series or not, there's a lot of world building for a standalone and definitely more things to discover. I'm hoping for more. We never learn quite what a 'Fixer' is, which suits James not knowing at this point, but I'd like the chance to find out. Think readers will need to have encountered Sidhe - Seelie/Unseelie in other books before reading this one, because there's little to no explanations here. In fact it reads rather like a fanfiction with the assumption that the reader is already familiar with certain things. It did make me wonder..
There's some vivid descriptions, real emotions and confusing details. A better editor and I'd be wildly recommending it. It's flawed but enjoyable, the first pov change threw me off-track when I'd been loving it, overall though, I still really enjoyed this one. Rating is perhaps generous but rounding upward from a high 3*
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And I like the cover.
-- --
A conundrum both really good and desperately in need of a little attention.
I immediately liked the main character James and was drawn into his world. The youngest Van Helsing he's in love with his best friend Gabe, failing to meet the family standard, nursing a secret and searching for answers at the bottom of a bottle of Bourbon. He's messing up but his heart is where it needs to be. The story isn't much of a romance but there's clear bonding and a kiss at the end that means everything.
Monsters aren't always the obvious ones.
At 33% there's a sudden change to the pov that surprised me and to be honest it felt like the author had suddenly realised the need to convey info with the main narrator (third person present tense) not in the room, from then on there are frequent unmarked pov changes. They didn't always work. At one point Gabe is thinking of his father by his surname and showing no emotion, which was odd. All the information is relevant but the switches were awkwardly done.
Not sure if this is series or not, there's a lot of world building for a standalone and definitely more things to discover. I'm hoping for more. We never learn quite what a 'Fixer' is, which suits James not knowing at this point, but I'd like the chance to find out. Think readers will need to have encountered Sidhe - Seelie/Unseelie in other books before reading this one, because there's little to no explanations here. In fact it reads rather like a fanfiction with the assumption that the reader is already familiar with certain things. It did make me wonder..
There's some vivid descriptions, real emotions and confusing details. A better editor and I'd be wildly recommending it. It's flawed but enjoyable, the first pov change threw me off-track when I'd been loving it, overall though, I still really enjoyed this one. Rating is perhaps generous but rounding upward from a high 3*
--
And I like the cover.
April 29, 2016
4.25 stars
This was really good!
I didn't think I was going to like this one, but a little ways in, I shifted my expectations, strapped myself in, and hung on for the ride.
And I fucking loved it.
In love with his best friend and saddled with a power he can't control and doesn't want, James turns to alcohol to numb the longing he hides and the secret he has to keep. After all, he's a Van Helsing. His family has made a business of monster hunting, and if they found out he has a magic in him that causes him to fix destinies and timelines, he's as good as dead.
Just another thing to add to the long list of things that make him a fuck up in his family's eyes. It's hard to live up to family expectations when his brother is the perfect Van Helsing, and he's stuck with trying to hide the fact that he sees time splintering and reforming like ice all around him.
It's easy to see why he reaches for the bottle of Whiskey, even when you wish he wouldn't.
When a raid goes wrong, and the body count rises, James is put to the test. Determined to save his best friend, and find out how exactly everything went wrong, James is going to make a deal with the enemy, and find out something about himself along the way.
A dark, well kept secret will expose a thread of corruption that leaves nothing untouched in its wake.
This is NOT your fluffy, sparkly vampire, paranormal. This is the darker side of the things that go bump in the night. It skirts the horror line of paranormal, and the romance takes a back seat - like the furthest seat away in an SUV, the one where you're almost in the trunk - kind of back seat.
It's not erotica. It's not even steamy. But you know what? I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Some serious shit happens to these characters, and for once, they've got their priorities straight. There's no stopping to get some nookie with these two men; their lives are on the line and there's more at stake than trying to survive. But there's also a deep seated love between them. They'd literally walk through hell for each other.
And there's also a much deserved kiss that leaves the reader wanting more.
The author did a great job setting an atmosphere.
It was a writing style I didn't think I would like, but ended up loving. It works really well for this book.
There's also multiple POV changes at the beginning of a new chapter - a little confusing at first, but completely necessary, that gives the reader a broader scope of the action.
There was just one thing I wanted from this book that I didn't get, and that was a proper Epilogue. The Epilogue read more like a final chapter that took place moments after the final scenes, and while it left me a little satisfied by wrapping up some loose ends, I wanted so much more from it. I wanted it to be set further into the future. I wanted to know if James would be able to kick his alcohol habit. I wanted to see he and Gabe together, without the world falling down around them.
So, I'm a smidgen disappointed with that, but hella impressed with everything else.
Beautifully detailed, with enough twists and turns to keep you glued to the page. Recommended to anyone who likes their paranormal on the darker side.
Read this review and others at
This was really good!
I didn't think I was going to like this one, but a little ways in, I shifted my expectations, strapped myself in, and hung on for the ride.
And I fucking loved it.
In love with his best friend and saddled with a power he can't control and doesn't want, James turns to alcohol to numb the longing he hides and the secret he has to keep. After all, he's a Van Helsing. His family has made a business of monster hunting, and if they found out he has a magic in him that causes him to fix destinies and timelines, he's as good as dead.
Just another thing to add to the long list of things that make him a fuck up in his family's eyes. It's hard to live up to family expectations when his brother is the perfect Van Helsing, and he's stuck with trying to hide the fact that he sees time splintering and reforming like ice all around him.
It's easy to see why he reaches for the bottle of Whiskey, even when you wish he wouldn't.
When a raid goes wrong, and the body count rises, James is put to the test. Determined to save his best friend, and find out how exactly everything went wrong, James is going to make a deal with the enemy, and find out something about himself along the way.
A dark, well kept secret will expose a thread of corruption that leaves nothing untouched in its wake.
This is NOT your fluffy, sparkly vampire, paranormal. This is the darker side of the things that go bump in the night. It skirts the horror line of paranormal, and the romance takes a back seat - like the furthest seat away in an SUV, the one where you're almost in the trunk - kind of back seat.
It's not erotica. It's not even steamy. But you know what? I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Some serious shit happens to these characters, and for once, they've got their priorities straight. There's no stopping to get some nookie with these two men; their lives are on the line and there's more at stake than trying to survive. But there's also a deep seated love between them. They'd literally walk through hell for each other.
And there's also a much deserved kiss that leaves the reader wanting more.
The author did a great job setting an atmosphere.
He only notices when he gets to the bottom of the stairs the way the carpet pulled apart and stained under his feet. The way paint peeled where he touched it, and the mushrooms sprouted at the joints of the spindles. The way destruction follows in his wake.
It was a writing style I didn't think I would like, but ended up loving. It works really well for this book.
There's also multiple POV changes at the beginning of a new chapter - a little confusing at first, but completely necessary, that gives the reader a broader scope of the action.
There was just one thing I wanted from this book that I didn't get, and that was a proper Epilogue. The Epilogue read more like a final chapter that took place moments after the final scenes, and while it left me a little satisfied by wrapping up some loose ends, I wanted so much more from it. I wanted it to be set further into the future. I wanted to know if James would be able to kick his alcohol habit. I wanted to see he and Gabe together, without the world falling down around them.
So, I'm a smidgen disappointed with that, but hella impressed with everything else.
Beautifully detailed, with enough twists and turns to keep you glued to the page. Recommended to anyone who likes their paranormal on the darker side.
Read this review and others at
June 3, 2016
This is an easy-to-read, quick, kind of dark paranormal story. There's some good stuff here and this book was enjoyable enough, but I found it a little too superficial for my tastes. I wanted more of many things--character development, world-building, explanations, emotion, substance. The romance was almost non-existent and seemed a bit of an afterthought, so I wouldn't really call this a romance. I wanted to know more about the magic system and how it worked and the magical terms weren't really explained. Quite a few things weren't entirely explained in a satisfactory way. However, there's a nice, creepy atmosphere throughout and some appropriately gory and grisly horror. James is a pretty engaging main character, but I don't feel like I have a good sense of who he really is. It's a fast-paced, inventive story and nasty fae are always fun to read about. Half of the reason I bought this was the pretty cover (I'm a sucker for a pretty cover), but it's also about folk with magic, and I'm a sucker for books about folk with magic as well. I really wanted to like this more, but it's just not to my taste. Other people seem to really like it, though.
March 8, 2016
James van Helsing has a rather hefty family legacy to bear, being a descendant of history’s most legendary vampire hunter, Abraham van Helsing. With great power comes great responsibility, as the saying goes, and the van Helsing clan have made it their life’s work to hunt the sidhe. They, in fact, have created a corporate empire they call the Firm, with both the van Helsing and Marquez families at the helm—which is where James and his best friend, Gabe, come into play.
James is the black sheep of the empire, the weak link, the sometimes useless drunk who routinely makes a fool of himself and lives in the broad shadow cast by the perfect van Helsing son, his brother Abe. When James is introduced, and for a long time after, it’s hard not to agree he’s as pathetic as he, and everyone else, believes him to be. What’s revealed along the way, though, is the author’s purposeful crafting of this character to contrast the feelings we develop for him at the novel’s outset. Don’t get me wrong, James is a complete lush—to the point where alcohol poisoning doesn’t seem out of the realms of possibility—but it’s the reason he drinks that redeems him, and the irony in that was not at all lost on me. It was an odd sort of juxtaposition to want James not to take that next drink and yet, at the same time, forgive him for that weakness as his way of coping with his life and what he eventually learns about himself.
James’s talent lies in divination, which is of use to the Firm when he’s not drunk and/or too hungover to use it. But James is also harboring a secret—a dangerous secret that he’s kept to himself for decades. A dark secret that exists within a twisted sort of cosmic joke, an extra ability that could very well call to him the sort of trouble he needs, at all costs, to avoid if he’s going to remain even on the outermost fringes of his family’s good grace. It’s another bit of cruel irony, in a “he who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster” sort of way, that James must reconsider who the monsters truly are in his world. And, the betrayal that comes along with it.
The relationship that develops between James and Gabe, apart from their friendship, is really a secondary storyline when compared to the Urban Fantasy that Salt and Iron is built on. This book isn’t at all a romance in terms of the usual definition of the word, but there is no doubt a romantic element to the unconditional love James feels for Gabe, even after James sees what Gabe has become. MacNeil’s talent for descriptive writing does everything to provide all the action and drama and suspense, not to mention the beautiful imagery of the seelie and unseelie and James’s additional talent that exist together in this impossible place—it’s all laced with both touching and frightening and twisted mind-bending moments.
What a fantastical world Tam MacNeil has constructed in Salt and Iron. From the premise of the story to its characters to the fluidity of its prose, this novel was so much fun to spend time in. Murder, disloyalty, corporate intrigue and dangerous secrets all serve in their own way to bring our heroes together. I have to say I wouldn’t mind reading much more about James and Gabe and the world they inhabit. This book put a significant dent in my own reality too–I spent an entire day lost in New Glamis, and I was so glad to be there.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
James is the black sheep of the empire, the weak link, the sometimes useless drunk who routinely makes a fool of himself and lives in the broad shadow cast by the perfect van Helsing son, his brother Abe. When James is introduced, and for a long time after, it’s hard not to agree he’s as pathetic as he, and everyone else, believes him to be. What’s revealed along the way, though, is the author’s purposeful crafting of this character to contrast the feelings we develop for him at the novel’s outset. Don’t get me wrong, James is a complete lush—to the point where alcohol poisoning doesn’t seem out of the realms of possibility—but it’s the reason he drinks that redeems him, and the irony in that was not at all lost on me. It was an odd sort of juxtaposition to want James not to take that next drink and yet, at the same time, forgive him for that weakness as his way of coping with his life and what he eventually learns about himself.
James’s talent lies in divination, which is of use to the Firm when he’s not drunk and/or too hungover to use it. But James is also harboring a secret—a dangerous secret that he’s kept to himself for decades. A dark secret that exists within a twisted sort of cosmic joke, an extra ability that could very well call to him the sort of trouble he needs, at all costs, to avoid if he’s going to remain even on the outermost fringes of his family’s good grace. It’s another bit of cruel irony, in a “he who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster” sort of way, that James must reconsider who the monsters truly are in his world. And, the betrayal that comes along with it.
The relationship that develops between James and Gabe, apart from their friendship, is really a secondary storyline when compared to the Urban Fantasy that Salt and Iron is built on. This book isn’t at all a romance in terms of the usual definition of the word, but there is no doubt a romantic element to the unconditional love James feels for Gabe, even after James sees what Gabe has become. MacNeil’s talent for descriptive writing does everything to provide all the action and drama and suspense, not to mention the beautiful imagery of the seelie and unseelie and James’s additional talent that exist together in this impossible place—it’s all laced with both touching and frightening and twisted mind-bending moments.
What a fantastical world Tam MacNeil has constructed in Salt and Iron. From the premise of the story to its characters to the fluidity of its prose, this novel was so much fun to spend time in. Murder, disloyalty, corporate intrigue and dangerous secrets all serve in their own way to bring our heroes together. I have to say I wouldn’t mind reading much more about James and Gabe and the world they inhabit. This book put a significant dent in my own reality too–I spent an entire day lost in New Glamis, and I was so glad to be there.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
March 7, 2016
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.25 stars
So this story had some things that I think worked well, but some other areas that were problematic for me. I think the highlight of the story is the creative world building and the unique take MacNeil has on this monster-hunting family. It is inventive and kept me engaged and nothing about this story took me quite where I expected. I would say the story walks the line of paranormal and horror, and some of things that happen are quite evil, even to the good guys. So I think MacNeil succeeded here in creating something unique and interesting.
I will admit, however, I did find myself quite overwhelmed at times following along with all the intricacies of the plot and the world building. It could have easily been just me, but as I read I kind of felt like I was just barely hanging on much of the time, just barely grasping what was happening as I read. It took a lot of mental energy to sort things out and honestly, I don’t think I succeeded a lot of the time. For example, we learn that James can do divination, that he can “fix time” to a destiny, but I am still not sure I completely get what that means, despite the fact that it is major element of the book. They also use the expression “reading-in” and “reading-out,” which are again important issues in the story, and they went completely past me as we get virtually no explanation of what they mean. Other issues weren’t so much understanding terms, but just following the plot elements and understanding what exactly was happening in the story. I spent a lot of time vaguely confused. But as I said, that could easily have just been me, and I think the plot and story MacNeil has built here are still interesting despite my confusion.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
3.25 stars
So this story had some things that I think worked well, but some other areas that were problematic for me. I think the highlight of the story is the creative world building and the unique take MacNeil has on this monster-hunting family. It is inventive and kept me engaged and nothing about this story took me quite where I expected. I would say the story walks the line of paranormal and horror, and some of things that happen are quite evil, even to the good guys. So I think MacNeil succeeded here in creating something unique and interesting.
I will admit, however, I did find myself quite overwhelmed at times following along with all the intricacies of the plot and the world building. It could have easily been just me, but as I read I kind of felt like I was just barely hanging on much of the time, just barely grasping what was happening as I read. It took a lot of mental energy to sort things out and honestly, I don’t think I succeeded a lot of the time. For example, we learn that James can do divination, that he can “fix time” to a destiny, but I am still not sure I completely get what that means, despite the fact that it is major element of the book. They also use the expression “reading-in” and “reading-out,” which are again important issues in the story, and they went completely past me as we get virtually no explanation of what they mean. Other issues weren’t so much understanding terms, but just following the plot elements and understanding what exactly was happening in the story. I spent a lot of time vaguely confused. But as I said, that could easily have just been me, and I think the plot and story MacNeil has built here are still interesting despite my confusion.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
April 17, 2016
1.5 stars. Lots of unexplained terminology. Not much to the supposed romance relationship. Needs editing. :/
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2021
That was unexpectedly awesome. Unexpected because I really only started reading his book because I liked the cover and I read the blurb once, years ago. It was 100% not a romance, in fact, the tiny little spark of a romance that was present wasn't even necessary. One of the characters just happens to have feelings for a same-sex friend, not at all sure why this was labelled MM. Anyway, what it was, was an urban fantasy horror which gave me very slight Neil Gaiman vibes. It's about a company of monster hunters with an alcoholic prodigal son who get on the wrong side of some really nasty fae. There are twists and turns, and I really enjoyed the gory storytelling. Sad it's not a more popular book.
April 27, 2020
I really like the writing style in this book it reminded me a bit of Cole McCade but a bit less clear if that makes any sense. Actually the more I think about it the more similar the style is it's gritty and dark with plot twists galore. The romance took a backseat to the plot and the characters weren't ones that I became particularly attached to. That's not to say I didn't like them but they..... I'm not really sure how to describe it. They had me rooting for them I guess.
April 7, 2016
Review can be read at It's About The Book
James Van Helsing is drunk. He’s always drunk. He is a drunk. He’s also the unfavored son and in love with his long time friend Gabe. James’ biggest offense is being a magic user. He can fix loose timelines into place. Being part of the most famous family to ever fight magic causes problems for a magic user. Not that anything is right in James’ life, but everything begins to get worse. A new case with a disturbing deck of tarot cards is leading in directions James doesn’t understand. He’s being challenged to look at things from a different angle. What he sees isn’t good. When Gabe is hurt James knows he has to do anything he can to save him. However, Gabe isn’t just hurt. Gabe is no longer human. James turns to some really big power players in the magical scene. They’re more than happy to help provided James can do some simple favors for them. The favors James expected, the problems at the heart of what is ultimately an intra-family feud he did not.
First things first. I hate present tense. I don’t feel a sense of immediacy, I end up feeling annoyed. In this story it was no different. James was a drunk and flying by the seat of his pants. Tense isn’t going to make me feel that even more so. Now, in regards to James being a drunk, he was a really good drunk. James didn’t magically become sober, because it’s not something that can just change when you’re busy fighting supernatural forces. James had to operate within the confines of his addiction, which is something all characters should have to do. James also had to operate within the confines of his own fears. Was it being a drunk that kept James from seeing what was in front of his face for so long? Was it James being so busy hiding his own personal faults he didn’t notice those in others? The reasons don’t really matter, the characterization was good. He was a man in hiding and denial. He had problems because of it. We were also shown how he was manipulated into becoming someone he hated.
I was fascinated by the use of tarot, loa, and faerie-like mythologies in this book. It was an interesting mash-up with Baron Samedi being part of a faerie style Summer Court. If you’re at all interested in the vagaries and the minutia of mythologies this book has great potential to lead you down all kinds of rabbit holes. You too can spend hours on Google learning more than you ever wanted to know about the tarot and the major arcana.
This is much less a romance than it is a paranormal mystery. James and Gabe love each other, but it’s what’s hiding in complex family histories that drives this story. And interestingly, the root of the troubles seems to be stunningly human and banal. In a world full of larger than life characters with impossible powers it’s something that we are all capable of succumbing to that is the true evil.
I have to add a word about New Glamis that has nothing at all to do with the book and everything to do with me and my personal experiences. I grew up near Glamis CA. It’s one permanent building and sand. Miles and miles of sand. I had issues seeing New Glamis as it was described. I was routinely shocked when trees or a river would be described.
James Van Helsing is drunk. He’s always drunk. He is a drunk. He’s also the unfavored son and in love with his long time friend Gabe. James’ biggest offense is being a magic user. He can fix loose timelines into place. Being part of the most famous family to ever fight magic causes problems for a magic user. Not that anything is right in James’ life, but everything begins to get worse. A new case with a disturbing deck of tarot cards is leading in directions James doesn’t understand. He’s being challenged to look at things from a different angle. What he sees isn’t good. When Gabe is hurt James knows he has to do anything he can to save him. However, Gabe isn’t just hurt. Gabe is no longer human. James turns to some really big power players in the magical scene. They’re more than happy to help provided James can do some simple favors for them. The favors James expected, the problems at the heart of what is ultimately an intra-family feud he did not.
First things first. I hate present tense. I don’t feel a sense of immediacy, I end up feeling annoyed. In this story it was no different. James was a drunk and flying by the seat of his pants. Tense isn’t going to make me feel that even more so. Now, in regards to James being a drunk, he was a really good drunk. James didn’t magically become sober, because it’s not something that can just change when you’re busy fighting supernatural forces. James had to operate within the confines of his addiction, which is something all characters should have to do. James also had to operate within the confines of his own fears. Was it being a drunk that kept James from seeing what was in front of his face for so long? Was it James being so busy hiding his own personal faults he didn’t notice those in others? The reasons don’t really matter, the characterization was good. He was a man in hiding and denial. He had problems because of it. We were also shown how he was manipulated into becoming someone he hated.
I was fascinated by the use of tarot, loa, and faerie-like mythologies in this book. It was an interesting mash-up with Baron Samedi being part of a faerie style Summer Court. If you’re at all interested in the vagaries and the minutia of mythologies this book has great potential to lead you down all kinds of rabbit holes. You too can spend hours on Google learning more than you ever wanted to know about the tarot and the major arcana.
This is much less a romance than it is a paranormal mystery. James and Gabe love each other, but it’s what’s hiding in complex family histories that drives this story. And interestingly, the root of the troubles seems to be stunningly human and banal. In a world full of larger than life characters with impossible powers it’s something that we are all capable of succumbing to that is the true evil.
I have to add a word about New Glamis that has nothing at all to do with the book and everything to do with me and my personal experiences. I grew up near Glamis CA. It’s one permanent building and sand. Miles and miles of sand. I had issues seeing New Glamis as it was described. I was routinely shocked when trees or a river would be described.
January 1, 2017
3.5. Think more could have been done with it but anyway, really enjoyed it.
June 3, 2016
It was... interesting.
On the good side, the worldbuilding is great. The book has its own mythology, as well as other already existing mythologies, and I enjoyed it.
The side characters are very interesting, with an important role, they are not forgotten, and they have character development.
This book deals with addictions issues, body image issues, overcoming traumatisms and betrayal... and it deals with those topics in a great, accurate way. The drinking issue, especially, I was glad to see it was taken seriously and that it was acknowledged that the hero couldn't stop drinking "just like that".
The plot is very good, too. Carefully crafted and as original as you can do with the human versus demons trope.
On the bad side, it is very slow at the beginning. I almost stop reading because I was bored. This part is not useless, actually, it is great to discover that some clues were there since the beginning.
But still, kinda boring at first, especially the main character, James, who I had difficulties to find interesting. He is kinda... empty. Thankfully, the other main character, Gabe, was very great, with a sharp mind, reliable thoughts and actions.
I personally hated the poorly executed parallel between James's magic confession to his father, and a coming out. It was too obvious, way too obvious, and kinda... ridiculous? I couldn't take that moment seriously, and it spoiled me the reading.
Also, it is not a good thing, nor a bad thing, but there is a lot of body horror in this book, so be careful
On the good side, the worldbuilding is great. The book has its own mythology, as well as other already existing mythologies, and I enjoyed it.
The side characters are very interesting, with an important role, they are not forgotten, and they have character development.
This book deals with addictions issues, body image issues, overcoming traumatisms and betrayal... and it deals with those topics in a great, accurate way. The drinking issue, especially, I was glad to see it was taken seriously and that it was acknowledged that the hero couldn't stop drinking "just like that".
The plot is very good, too. Carefully crafted and as original as you can do with the human versus demons trope.
On the bad side, it is very slow at the beginning. I almost stop reading because I was bored. This part is not useless, actually, it is great to discover that some clues were there since the beginning.
But still, kinda boring at first, especially the main character, James, who I had difficulties to find interesting. He is kinda... empty. Thankfully, the other main character, Gabe, was very great, with a sharp mind, reliable thoughts and actions.
I personally hated the poorly executed parallel between James's magic confession to his father, and a coming out. It was too obvious, way too obvious, and kinda... ridiculous? I couldn't take that moment seriously, and it spoiled me the reading.
Also, it is not a good thing, nor a bad thing, but there is a lot of body horror in this book, so be careful
March 10, 2016
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
You see the words "van Helsing" in a paranormal fantasy novel, and you probably think "Oh, another Dracula story". Nope, not with Salt and Iron! MacNeil's van Helsings are the modern-day descendants, using cell phones alongside traditional folk solutions for killing monsters.
We're talking salt and iron, Gabriel Marquez. Salt and Iron. And blood.
Yes, this is still a Good vs Evil story. It's still about the humans battling the monsters, the van Helsing family trying to defeat the creatures lurking in the dark. However, the main character, James, is not like the rest of the van Helsings.
But MacNeil manages to separate this novel from the hundreds of other human vs. monster stories. She carefully disassembles the stereotypes; the good guys are still good... or are they? The bad guys are monsters, but are they evil? What makes a monster? The characters make you question, make you think. And add to that a lot of action, intrigue, and magic... yeah, this novel definitely kept my attention!
Read the full review on Just Love Romance!
March 13, 2016
Brilliant, modern urban fantasy with enough magic, intrigue, betrayal, family squabbles, and yes, love to satisfy this fussy reader. Tam's prose is tight, with delightful, awful clarity, and she shows a deft hand with her plotting. Great stuff.
October 24, 2018
This is my first book from this author and i am super happy with my choice. This story took me on a rollercoster ride . From the start itself you are thrown into a fantastic world filled with magic, power and new scary creatures .
James van Helsing ( the descendents of our old Dracula van Helsing) is the youngest of his family . James is the 'Fool' while his elder brother is the 'golden boy'. James is an alcoholic and has magic (which appears to be a crime here and he has not revealed his magic power). He is in the closet, but is secretly in love with Gabe, his childhood friend and partner at work. They all work in collaboration with police in controlling magic and other scary beings. Thats the background.
After a magic crime scene things seem to be coming to a head. People are getting killed by a Thing. James is drinking more and then Gabe gets turned into an unseelie ( one of the scary creatures) and all hell breaks loose. James is on the run with Gabe and crosses over to shadow world. He has to turn back Gabe to human, figure out whats wrong with his family and stop the Thing!
The new world created is pretty cool although you get bombarded with new info all the time. Some scenes are quite gory but it works and i really enjoyed this book. The cover of the book is also fantastic. Great work by the author
James van Helsing ( the descendents of our old Dracula van Helsing) is the youngest of his family . James is the 'Fool' while his elder brother is the 'golden boy'. James is an alcoholic and has magic (which appears to be a crime here and he has not revealed his magic power). He is in the closet, but is secretly in love with Gabe, his childhood friend and partner at work. They all work in collaboration with police in controlling magic and other scary beings. Thats the background.
After a magic crime scene things seem to be coming to a head. People are getting killed by a Thing. James is drinking more and then Gabe gets turned into an unseelie ( one of the scary creatures) and all hell breaks loose. James is on the run with Gabe and crosses over to shadow world. He has to turn back Gabe to human, figure out whats wrong with his family and stop the Thing!
The new world created is pretty cool although you get bombarded with new info all the time. Some scenes are quite gory but it works and i really enjoyed this book. The cover of the book is also fantastic. Great work by the author
March 31, 2016
Book – Salt and Iron
Author – Tam MacNeil
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages - 200
Movie Potential – ★★★★☆
Ease of reading – very easy to read.
Would I read it again – Yes.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
This was quite a strange one for me. On one hand, I really didn't enjoy it when I started. The writing style of 3rd person, present tense, isn't my thing. I've never really enjoyed it in a book or been able to settle with it. This one took a few pages, but I eventually got into it and into the story.
I normally review the Plot and Characters separately, but this time I'm doing Pros and Cons. It will seem there are more Cons than Pros, but that's only because it's easier to describe the issues than it is to definite a feeling that a good story gives you.
~
CONS
The writing is quite casual. For the first 20% I seriously didn't want to keep going. The story wasn't progressing to anywhere that kept me interested, the writing was strangely done and the tense, as said above, didn't work for me. There was a very casual way of writing, where it would have fitted and made sense in a 1st person POV story, but not in a 3rd. Example: “He has to undo it and retie it. Should be able to do this blind. Knew he'd maybe overdone it,”. Cutting sentences like that off is really unnatural in 3rd person, but after a while it stopped. It felt quite lazy and sloppy. Half the time I wondered if the real problem was that words were missing, that would normally have made these sentences make sense.
It genuinely felt as though the writer wasn't confident with themselves or the story for that 20%, as it reads as though one person wrote that part and someone else wrote the rest. Maybe it was the author getting into the stride of the story, I don't know, but about the 20% mark is where the characters grew into something palatable, the story took off and began to make sense and when it all came together.
In terms of plot, I have one argument in that there is a creature called a “sidhe” and not once in any part of the story is it explained what this is. My dictionary recognises it as a fairy people of Irish folklore, but that's not how it reads and I really would have liked an explanation of what the author meant this creature to be.
From the blurb, the cover and the use of the van Helsing name, I expected this to be historical in some sense, but it wasn't. Not in the slightest. It's an urban fantasy novel, contemporary, beginning badly but growing more mature as it continued. There were a few run on paragraphs that confused even the author, allowing repeats of half sentences to appear. These may be fixed before the release, but I'm mentioning them because they were in my version. Example:
“When he gets up to Maria van Helsing's little library, or the Red Room as he calls it when he names it for himself, since the couch and the chairs are all red leather and the oriental carpet on the floor is red too, when he gets up there she's waiting for him.”
There's also no warning or definition of a change in POV. No notice of who the POV belongs to, for sometimes a few paragraphs (or at all, in one or two cases) and no break or line to separate the POV's between characters. Sometimes one character's POV runs through the gap between scenes, taking up an entire chapter, sometimes 3 different POV's appear in one chapter, with only one line gap between them and no warning of whose head you're in or that's its changed from the previous scene. In total, this book has multiple POV's shown, sometimes for less than a page, sometimes for chapters at a time: James is the biggest POV, then Gabe, then Rob, Abe and Maria.
~
PROS
When it comes to the characters, I really genuinely loved how messed up James was, how loyal and terrified Gabe was at one point, then how broken and crazy they both became. They had genuinely human reactions to whatever situation crept up.
The plot was a wholly original take on the van Helsing legacy, mentioning very briefly the whole Dracula thing, without ever leaning too heavily upon it. To be quite fair, I'd say the only references to the original van Helsing story is the use of the name, the duty bound task of tracking of monsters and the skimmed mention of Dracula. Everything else is entirely original and captivating.
I began reading in the early morning and didn't put it down until early evening. I made very little notes about the positive aspects of the story, because I was too engrossed in my reading to mark them down.
~
OVERALL
This would have been a 5 star rating, if it wasn't for the niggles and the frustration of the first 20%. Other than this, this was a solidly good read and I'll be reading more from the author in the future.
The first 40% acts as the build up and that's where I floundered most. Getting to know the characters, their personalities and the role they all play in this new world was a little tiresome, when the style of writing wasn't to my taste and didn't seem to fit the tense/POV the author was using. However, after that point, it was non-stop action, danger, romance and intrigue.
This could have been a story for the YA market, if it wasn't for the prolific swearing and a few gross parts that made me gag at the images they brought to mind. The author certainly touched on the right amount of gore for the story. There is no explicit sex and, actually, no sex at all that's on page in anything more than a sentence of mention. Even then, it's between a man and woman. However, the romance was there as strong as I wanted it to be and it was perfectly fitting that the MC's didn't venture into sex, after all they'd been through. The story ends nicely, with a hint that more might be to come later, if the author wanted to, but also that nothing is tied up in a neat red bow. Things are settled, but far from perfect. And I like that.
~
FAVOURITE QUOTE
“Gabe turns his head. He smiles a faint, pained smile. “I'm a monster, Jamie.”
“And I'm a drunk, so we're a pair.””
Author – Tam MacNeil
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages - 200
Movie Potential – ★★★★☆
Ease of reading – very easy to read.
Would I read it again – Yes.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
This was quite a strange one for me. On one hand, I really didn't enjoy it when I started. The writing style of 3rd person, present tense, isn't my thing. I've never really enjoyed it in a book or been able to settle with it. This one took a few pages, but I eventually got into it and into the story.
I normally review the Plot and Characters separately, but this time I'm doing Pros and Cons. It will seem there are more Cons than Pros, but that's only because it's easier to describe the issues than it is to definite a feeling that a good story gives you.
~
CONS
The writing is quite casual. For the first 20% I seriously didn't want to keep going. The story wasn't progressing to anywhere that kept me interested, the writing was strangely done and the tense, as said above, didn't work for me. There was a very casual way of writing, where it would have fitted and made sense in a 1st person POV story, but not in a 3rd. Example: “He has to undo it and retie it. Should be able to do this blind. Knew he'd maybe overdone it,”. Cutting sentences like that off is really unnatural in 3rd person, but after a while it stopped. It felt quite lazy and sloppy. Half the time I wondered if the real problem was that words were missing, that would normally have made these sentences make sense.
It genuinely felt as though the writer wasn't confident with themselves or the story for that 20%, as it reads as though one person wrote that part and someone else wrote the rest. Maybe it was the author getting into the stride of the story, I don't know, but about the 20% mark is where the characters grew into something palatable, the story took off and began to make sense and when it all came together.
In terms of plot, I have one argument in that there is a creature called a “sidhe” and not once in any part of the story is it explained what this is. My dictionary recognises it as a fairy people of Irish folklore, but that's not how it reads and I really would have liked an explanation of what the author meant this creature to be.
From the blurb, the cover and the use of the van Helsing name, I expected this to be historical in some sense, but it wasn't. Not in the slightest. It's an urban fantasy novel, contemporary, beginning badly but growing more mature as it continued. There were a few run on paragraphs that confused even the author, allowing repeats of half sentences to appear. These may be fixed before the release, but I'm mentioning them because they were in my version. Example:
“When he gets up to Maria van Helsing's little library, or the Red Room as he calls it when he names it for himself, since the couch and the chairs are all red leather and the oriental carpet on the floor is red too, when he gets up there she's waiting for him.”
There's also no warning or definition of a change in POV. No notice of who the POV belongs to, for sometimes a few paragraphs (or at all, in one or two cases) and no break or line to separate the POV's between characters. Sometimes one character's POV runs through the gap between scenes, taking up an entire chapter, sometimes 3 different POV's appear in one chapter, with only one line gap between them and no warning of whose head you're in or that's its changed from the previous scene. In total, this book has multiple POV's shown, sometimes for less than a page, sometimes for chapters at a time: James is the biggest POV, then Gabe, then Rob, Abe and Maria.
~
PROS
When it comes to the characters, I really genuinely loved how messed up James was, how loyal and terrified Gabe was at one point, then how broken and crazy they both became. They had genuinely human reactions to whatever situation crept up.
The plot was a wholly original take on the van Helsing legacy, mentioning very briefly the whole Dracula thing, without ever leaning too heavily upon it. To be quite fair, I'd say the only references to the original van Helsing story is the use of the name, the duty bound task of tracking of monsters and the skimmed mention of Dracula. Everything else is entirely original and captivating.
I began reading in the early morning and didn't put it down until early evening. I made very little notes about the positive aspects of the story, because I was too engrossed in my reading to mark them down.
~
OVERALL
This would have been a 5 star rating, if it wasn't for the niggles and the frustration of the first 20%. Other than this, this was a solidly good read and I'll be reading more from the author in the future.
The first 40% acts as the build up and that's where I floundered most. Getting to know the characters, their personalities and the role they all play in this new world was a little tiresome, when the style of writing wasn't to my taste and didn't seem to fit the tense/POV the author was using. However, after that point, it was non-stop action, danger, romance and intrigue.
This could have been a story for the YA market, if it wasn't for the prolific swearing and a few gross parts that made me gag at the images they brought to mind. The author certainly touched on the right amount of gore for the story. There is no explicit sex and, actually, no sex at all that's on page in anything more than a sentence of mention. Even then, it's between a man and woman. However, the romance was there as strong as I wanted it to be and it was perfectly fitting that the MC's didn't venture into sex, after all they'd been through. The story ends nicely, with a hint that more might be to come later, if the author wanted to, but also that nothing is tied up in a neat red bow. Things are settled, but far from perfect. And I like that.
~
FAVOURITE QUOTE
“Gabe turns his head. He smiles a faint, pained smile. “I'm a monster, Jamie.”
“And I'm a drunk, so we're a pair.””
February 22, 2019
Originally, when I first picked up this book I stopped reading after a couple chapters. I'm glad I came back to this story. While it does take a bit to get into it, once you're about 15% (sorry don't know how many pages, it doesn't tell me on my app) it starts to get interesting. I found myself sitting down and reading the entire novel without stopping once I passed that marker. This book has adventure, death, magic and betrayal. It shows how you could love someone and regardless of what they may become and how to change a corrupt powerhouse. The only reason why this doesn't get 5/5 stars is due to the fact that i -did- have to put it down at one point and not return for several weeks.
January 10, 2022
Another book that was so good that it makes me wish it was longer.
November 18, 2022
The cover gave me historical fiction but it was contemporary. It was great, concise, well written, and an interesting story. I liked the mystery and the general fucked up-ness of the plot.
November 14, 2025
3.5 stars
March 7, 2016
Review @Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
I absolutely loved “Salt and Iron”. I just couldn’t put it down. In fact, it was so addicting that it constantly made me late because I just couldn’t tear myself away from it.
The setting was unique. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything similar. I loved how the traditional myths about the Fae were carefully woven into the whole plot. It was utterly intriguing. The world building was very well done and it was easy to fall into the world.
James isn’t your average romance hero. He’s an alcoholic, occasionally swallows pills and is generally pretty pathetic. Still, I found myself sympathizing with him from the start. He’s a magic user in a family that hunts magic users. But he can’t help it, he can’t control his magic.
At times I could only gape in mute horror. There are so many truly ugly secrets hiding in this family. The revelations weren’t pretty and I definitely didn’t expect the consequences. They made me question every character at one point. I was never quite sure who was hiding what and why.
The love story is very low key. Both MCs aren’t in a very good place for most of the story, making the romantic feelings kind of take a backseat. The focus was more on the rest of the plot, which I really liked. There was a HEA for the relationship, so don’t worry.
Both the protagonists and the minor characters had real depth. It was easy to relate to James and Gabe. Some of the minor characters were really interesting as well and I loved the interactions between them and James and Gabe.
Long story short, this book was awesome. If you’re in the mood for great urban fantasy of the more violent sort, with a dash of romance, then go read this book. Just don’t expect an epic love story, or you’ll be disappointed.
I’d love to read more stories set in this universe and I’ll definitely a look at the author’s other works.
Cover: The cover by AngstyG is absolutely gorgeous. It shows the outlines of two men sitting at a dinner table. The background is completely black and the outlines are white. I think it depicts the general feel of the story really well.
It reminds me of a YA novel I read years ago, which is why I stopped to take a closer look at the book in the first place.
I absolutely loved “Salt and Iron”. I just couldn’t put it down. In fact, it was so addicting that it constantly made me late because I just couldn’t tear myself away from it.
The setting was unique. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything similar. I loved how the traditional myths about the Fae were carefully woven into the whole plot. It was utterly intriguing. The world building was very well done and it was easy to fall into the world.
James isn’t your average romance hero. He’s an alcoholic, occasionally swallows pills and is generally pretty pathetic. Still, I found myself sympathizing with him from the start. He’s a magic user in a family that hunts magic users. But he can’t help it, he can’t control his magic.
At times I could only gape in mute horror. There are so many truly ugly secrets hiding in this family. The revelations weren’t pretty and I definitely didn’t expect the consequences. They made me question every character at one point. I was never quite sure who was hiding what and why.
The love story is very low key. Both MCs aren’t in a very good place for most of the story, making the romantic feelings kind of take a backseat. The focus was more on the rest of the plot, which I really liked. There was a HEA for the relationship, so don’t worry.
Both the protagonists and the minor characters had real depth. It was easy to relate to James and Gabe. Some of the minor characters were really interesting as well and I loved the interactions between them and James and Gabe.
Long story short, this book was awesome. If you’re in the mood for great urban fantasy of the more violent sort, with a dash of romance, then go read this book. Just don’t expect an epic love story, or you’ll be disappointed.
I’d love to read more stories set in this universe and I’ll definitely a look at the author’s other works.
Cover: The cover by AngstyG is absolutely gorgeous. It shows the outlines of two men sitting at a dinner table. The background is completely black and the outlines are white. I think it depicts the general feel of the story really well.
It reminds me of a YA novel I read years ago, which is why I stopped to take a closer look at the book in the first place.
dnf
March 5, 2016DNF @29%
James is from the van Helsing family, famously known for fighting against monsters of the unnatural and the supernatural. What his family and most of the masses are unaware of, is James possess a bit of natural magic himself.
The other thing about James? The thing that hit me straight in the gut in the first chapter? He’s in love with his best friend, Gabe. But the love that is told to us in the blurb and what I got a glimpse of in the first chapter quickly fades away and we get into the magic.
Now, don’t take my dnf as standard, I am sure others will love this and while I was discussing it with a friend, she mentioned the divination deal with James is kinda like a grown up Harry Potter. I wouldn’t know if this is true or not because I am probably the only person to never read the series nor seen the movies. It’s not to say that I am not interested in the genre, I just never read HP and I guess me not meshing with this book is a sign I should never pick it up.
So, I tried. I really did and while I liked a few things about the story, I’ll be honest -maybe shallow- that I really wanted to see the UST between James and Gabe but I never did. I did a search of one four letter word, not THAT one, to see when and if thing picked up between them and there was no way I could hold on that long.
I hate to dnf a book but I would rather dnf it that attempt to finish it and end up hating it.
This is more than likely a case of it’s me and not the book with a beautiful cover.
James is from the van Helsing family, famously known for fighting against monsters of the unnatural and the supernatural. What his family and most of the masses are unaware of, is James possess a bit of natural magic himself.
The other thing about James? The thing that hit me straight in the gut in the first chapter? He’s in love with his best friend, Gabe. But the love that is told to us in the blurb and what I got a glimpse of in the first chapter quickly fades away and we get into the magic.
Now, don’t take my dnf as standard, I am sure others will love this and while I was discussing it with a friend, she mentioned the divination deal with James is kinda like a grown up Harry Potter. I wouldn’t know if this is true or not because I am probably the only person to never read the series nor seen the movies. It’s not to say that I am not interested in the genre, I just never read HP and I guess me not meshing with this book is a sign I should never pick it up.
So, I tried. I really did and while I liked a few things about the story, I’ll be honest -maybe shallow- that I really wanted to see the UST between James and Gabe but I never did. I did a search of one four letter word, not THAT one, to see when and if thing picked up between them and there was no way I could hold on that long.
I hate to dnf a book but I would rather dnf it that attempt to finish it and end up hating it.
This is more than likely a case of it’s me and not the book with a beautiful cover.
January 11, 2017
Interesting enough to an outside viewer, but it couldn't pull me into the story. Not enough background/world building and the romance was thin. The ending was rather anticlimactic, but satisfying enough for me (the outside viewer).
September 21, 2017
Who wouldn't like a main character engaging the services of a female hooker in chapter 1? They could have chosen a male hooker, but male-male wouldn't be very MM Romance, would it? Better to play it safe with male-female.
January 12, 2017
I liked the world setting and the book was a page turner. There was not much romance but that was okay. Something was missing.
couldnt-finish-dnf
October 4, 2017I'm not rating this because I only got a few pages in before the book hit two of my major squicks: alcoholism and sex with the not-love-interest. (A call-girl, if that's gonna bother you too.)
I was intrigued by the synopsis, but at only 200 pages, well--if you're gonna waste time with a drunk MC and have him sleeping with someone who's not the love interest...
Yeah, no thanks.
I was intrigued by the synopsis, but at only 200 pages, well--if you're gonna waste time with a drunk MC and have him sleeping with someone who's not the love interest...
Yeah, no thanks.
Want to read
June 5, 20186/5/18 Currently 99c via Amazon US: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01BTNHNV...
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