Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

182 reviews

keen's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Body horror, and Gore

Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Confinement and Pregnancy

brynnfai's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I liked the ended ending a lot and it was a very fresh book with beautiful prose though addmitedly a bit hard to follow at times. I had to read it out loud to fully understand what I was reading a lot of the time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Murder, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Cannibalism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Animal death

wordsareworlds's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My favorite read of the year. Such a compelling weaving together of different fairy tales, all at their most disturbing and horrifying, while bringing out the cores of humanity and love within them. Khan's writing style and the length were perfect for this story, and it has taken its rightful place as one of my favorite horror novellas, and absolute favorite horror romance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Colonisation, Gore, Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, Slavery, and Pregnancy

roxiehrt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Im still trying to process this book, but it’s a solidly written book. You do get dropped into the world with basically no exposition so know that you’re going to have to figure out the rules of the world as you go along. The flowery language does make it a laborious read and you’ll need to give it your full attention, but it’s worth the read if you’re into a gothic horror fantasy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Torture, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Gore, Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, and Medical content

trollmila's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

While plot happens, for the most part it is a very aesthetic world created. There's a lot of gore and it relies more on emotion and description which you may or may not like! I liked it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Torture, Death, Medical content, Murder, Gore, Body horror, Cannibalism, and Child death

_littleruth's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I had a visceral reaction to this text. It is a beautiful journey through an apocalyptic world unlike any that you've experienced before. With interesting protagonists and a compelling storyline, the grotesque imagery of this novella left me unable to think of anything else until I finished the last page—and truthfully, for days afterward. It caused me to question the nature of what it means to be human in an environment where all semblance of humanity seems to have disappeared.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Gore

papayat's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Child death

nickel_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

4.5

Didn't know I needed this reimagining of The Little Mermaid, but I most certainly did! At the center of a tale dripping in blood and violent rituals of making and unmaking is a love story of sorts. Khaw continues to use beautiful prose to describe horrific - and ultimately human - things. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Violence, Death, Torture, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma

e_l_k's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'd seen this book on plenty of best-of horror lists, but I'll be the first to admit that the premise alone didn't thrill me.
That doubt was dashed from my mind from the first page onwards.
Khaw has a way with descriptive prose that my English teachers would have envied, coveted, before gagging at how vivid the depictions of viscera and horrible violence are. This is NOT a book for the faint of heart or stomach. But it is a spellbinding tale of rediscovery, self-acceptance, and love in the face of pure, selfish evil. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Slavery, Gore, Vomit, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Cannibalism, Violence, Torture, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Blood, Child abuse, Dysphoria, and Murder

There is a short story at the very end of the book that presents the events directly precluding the main narrative.

kstrammel's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Child abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Physical abuse, Violence, and Vomit