Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

97 reviews

kryzysowa_narzeczona's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Body horror, Medical trauma, Child death, and Gore

zeegy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This was hard to read in the beginning. You're plunged into the world with no moment of explanation and the writer is a big fan of using every word ever in existence so it was tedious in the beginning. But I say things really picked up in the second night. I understood their goals, there was a bit of personalities breaking through, an inkling of romance. The whole thing though gorey and horrifying was strangely so romantic. The ending was heart wrenchingly beautiful. I admit to bursting into tears through the last night.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Torture, Murder, Animal death, Death, Vomit, Cannibalism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

vicgarc's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Body horror

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Kidnapping, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, Child death, Child abuse, Cursing, Gore, Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Medical trauma

leanne_miron's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Genocide and Misogyny

cheriepie's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Very lovingly described gore, occasionally verging on the purple. That's usually not an issue for me (I love my books with pretty words) but often the prose verged into indie rock lyrics territory -- it makes sense on a first glance and might capture a vibe, but once you think about it for a second, it doesn't make any sense at all.

I also wish we got to sit in the atmosphere a little longer before the plot kicked off. I was taken with the story and theming of the Plague Doctor.

Additionally -- I think the epilogue cheapened the story a lot. I get it's supposed to be a love story or something and therefore we're supposed to feel happy when the two leads get together again, defying even death. Usually I love that shit. But it's really out of place here, especially when the Plague Doctor had expressed several times their disgust with the Saints' revival of the children, their desire to die, and then they're okay with the mermaid reviving them? With that weird additional "Mad Father" ending where she becomes the thing she was fighting against (done better in Mad Father). I think if it ended after Chapter Three it would have felt more complete.

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Gore, Child abuse, and Torture

galliexyc's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

• 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma and Child abuse

Moderate: Gore

ayoderable's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.75

Very weird in a good way. Sometimes the writing was a bit too flowery for me but it wasn't totally distracting. The story disturbing in a good way, felt like a fever dream. Power dynamics. Appropriation of native peoples. Karma. For some reason the descriptions of the Mc eating flesh were the things that stood out the most for me

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, and Torture

sarahholliday's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.25

This was my first Cassandra Khaw, but it will not be my last! Relentlessly dark and brutal, The Salt Grows Heavy gives reader just enough of a glimpse into a world filled with teeth and blood. Our main characters, whose names we never learn but who feel deeply textured and full of both pain and resilience (not to mention a desire for revenge), are utterly unique.

Khaw's writing won't be for everyone. 90% of the time I found it magical and got lost in the sentences dripping with the kind of words and turns of phrase you rarely see in literature anymore (much less horror stories). There were times where it all felt a bit overwritten, and I could've used a break where the language was a bit stripped down, but I think that's down to personal preference.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Death, Child death, Murder, Torture, and Violence

ajsteele1699's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Child death, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse