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kathleenab's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse
Moderate: Blood, Death, Grief, Murder, Cannibalism, and Torture
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Pregnancy
blacksphinx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It has some gruesome moments of gore and cruelty that earn it the label of horror. Nothing made me laugh or roll my eyes like the previous novella I read. And yet, I finished it not having the faintest idea what on earth a "mermaid" was in this universe. Perhaps it would have been better less as a standalone and more as a novella in a story collection taking place in the same universe?
Also, really didn't like the audiobook. It was the first time I've gotten completely lost and confused about who was speaking, which didn't help my experience.
Graphic: Child death, Cannibalism, Violence, Death, Torture, Medical trauma, Body horror, Child abuse, Blood, Medical content, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Transphobia, Vomit, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, and Domestic abuse
daniellekat's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Child death, Cannibalism, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
mermaidsherbet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Medical content, Child death, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Miscarriage, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
xangemthelibrarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
1. about a mermaid who is true to actual myths and not Hans Christian Anderson or Disney, AND is a badass character with sharp teeth
2. A beautiful, somewhat immortal Frankenstein-Monster-Plague Doctor
3. A trio of Doctor Frankensteins with absolutely no morality to speak of, only the thrill of chasing immortality
4. A novella that is short, sweet, and will kick you right the feels and then kick you again while you're down, only to reach out and help you up once it's done hurting you
5. A lot of body horror. Blood. Guts. Disemboweled intestines draping over the snow, eyeballs being popped out in great detail, viscera and vomit.
This book is for YOU. DO IT. PICK IT UP RIGHT NOW. IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Child death, Medical content, Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
gondorgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Murder, Torture, Cannibalism, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Violence, Body horror, Blood, Grief, Misogyny, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
emimli's review against another edition
2.0
My biggest gripe with this book is that the ending seemed very rushed and didn’t fit with the overall atmosphere of the story. It also felt very unearned. I’m not a fan of deus-ex-machina style endings where the central conflict is solved using a completely new, previously unmentioned plot/world/character element, which is unfortunately exactly what happens here.
Additionally, from a technical standpoint, Khaw’s writing style is pretty unbearable. Her prose reads like she just discovered the synonym tool in Microsoft Word. It’s overwrought to the point of being nonsensical at times.
The love story at the centre of this book was my favourite part, but even that needed to be built up much more.
Overall, there are some cool ideas in here, but the execution was sorely lacking.
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Medical content, Child abuse, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Animal death, Confinement, Kidnapping, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Torture
kateh0321's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.5
Genre: Short Story/Horror
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3.5
TW: Gore, body horror, cannibalism, child death, torture.
This was a fascinating novella. With the rich language (confusing at first in the audio format), Cassandra was able to explore a retelling of The Little Mermaid that is delightfully morbid and dark. It relies heavily on body horror, which will not be easy to stomach for many, but to me added to the macabre and eerie tone. I understand it was a novella, so I felt like I could have learned more about the plague doctor and the cult, but overall it was an absorbing story that I finished in one day.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book publishes on May 2nd. 2023!
Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, and Gore
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Torture
erynlasbelin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Cannibalism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Torture
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Genocide, Vomit, and Excrement
enchantressreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A mermaid has just ravaged her husband’s kingdom, when she takes up with a local plague doctor. They happen upon a strange village filled with children and three surgeons that call themselves Saints. A childish game goes awry when the children start killing each other. The children reassure the mermaid and doctor that there’s no problem, the children have to die to be resurrected by the Saints.
Cassandra Khaw writes *very* interesting books. I had trouble reading The All-Consuming World, Nothing but Blackened Teeth was a solid four-star read, and I absolutely fell in love with The Salt Grows Heavy.
It’s no secret that not only do I love mermaid stories, I love revenge stories. Even better when they’re queer. Even better when they’re bloody. Khaw adds a little of each to this novella to create something truly outstanding. The language they use is often poetic and intense, which really sucked me into this story. As often with novellas, there can be a feeling the story is rushed or not flushed out enough, but that’s not a problem here. I think the story is appropriately paced with a satisfying ending.
If you are hesitant to read Khaw, please give The Salt Grows Heavy a chance. I am glad I still have a backlog of their work to read. I’d love to see how their writing has evolved over time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the chance to read this advanced review copy.
CW for blood, body horror, violence, gore, death, fire, child death, grief, and animal death (minor)
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Death, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Child death
Minor: Animal death