Reviews with content warning for Medical trauma - The Salt Grows Heavy

A phenomenal novella. The prose is artful and clear, with a spectacular use of metaphors. The main characters are interesting and well-drawn; the mermaid's POV lends itself to a unique view of the events and facilitates many of the previously mentioned metaphors, and the plague doctor contrasts them in all the right ways and compliments them just as well. Foreshadowing in the plot is well-handled, the events building on each other in subtle ways. The themes in the book are handled in interesting and unique ways. The setting, though sparse in details, never feels underdeveloped, and is very intriguing. And of course, the gore is visceral and well-described.

The only comment I might call a complaint is that I personally felt like certain aspects of the ending didn't quite land for me.

Personally, I felt like a more poetic ending for the plague doctor would've been to die and stay dead. I did not feel like their resurrection received the necessary thematic back-up. However, I acknowledge that this is likely a result of differing priorities of me and the author; the love story was clearly very important to the author, but this is a story element I always have throuble getting invested in, and this book was no exception. I felt like the heart of the story were its themes of consumation, and (im)mortality; I think I would've been more on board with the ending if I'd considered the love story the heart instead. I am happy the plague doctor survived and had a happy ending; the reuniting of lovers, sticking together no matter how terrible the circumstance, with one building the other a new body like their torturers did so many times, only subverting it by creating every aspect with deep respdct for their love's agency, absolutely is poetic in its own way. However, to me, I feel like the continuation of the cycle of horror, with the mermaid becoming the surgeons, was far more obviously set-up than the subversion. I expect others will disagree, though, and that's fine.

Other than that, a near perfect novella.

Content Warnings

emthemermaid's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I already love the author's writing, and this book had everything I love in it--horror, romance, monstrous mermaids--so I was very excited to read this. It's dark, delicious, and poetic. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.

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emimli's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense

2.0

I wanted to love this, but ultimately it fell flat for me.

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.

The two MCs go from being vaguely horny for each other to expressing their undying love within mere hours. Nevermind that, as far as the reader knows, the MCs barely ever interacted prior to the events of the story, and now they’re too busy fighting for their lives against immortal sadists to have any real meaningful conversations. Am I supposed to believe these people are desperately in love when they barely even know each other? We needed a slower burn.

Overall, there are some cool ideas in here, but the execution was sorely lacking.

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autumnleafgirl's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Release Date: May 2, 2023
Genre: Fantasy Horror
Themes: Upside down fairytales, blood and guts, ethereal in a good way

"I am a mother of monsters, better than any of my young."

The story begins with our unnamed mermaid narrator basking in the destruction of her husband's kingdom and the consumption of everyone within it. Emboldened by her escape, trapped in her mute human form, and accompanied by an enigmatic plague doctor, she sets out to begin a new chapter of her immortal life.

When they stumble upon a village of vicious children who serve dubious "saints," however, the pair gets mixed up in a gorey tale of macabre magic, attempted rebellion, and the horrific line between creation and destruction, forcing the main character to break the rules that have kept her a prisoner of her own world for so long.

It should be more than clear that this isn't "The Little Mermaid" story most of us know, or even the pessimistic myth from which it originated. Instead, Khaw has built a grim and beautiful mythology that's equal parts poetry and viscera. It's a world of fierce monsters and wanna-be gods. It's grisly and violent, but their command of language is on full display here, and even the most jarring scenes drip with a lusciousness that seems almost unfair for such bloody happenings.

My only complaint around this book - if it can even be called a complaint - is that I wish there was more of it. This novella was a quick read for me at about 90 pages in the ebook version. Khaw does an immense amount with such small real estate, but I would have been more than thrilled to be carried further along on the protagonist's journey through this terrifying, gorgeous world. Which I guess is a long way of saying yes, it really is that good.

For fans of: Admittedly this is my first book by Khaw, so I can't describe where it ranks amongst their prolific work (something I'll be changing in the very near future), but I would happily recommend this book to horror fantasy fans looking for something that feels similar to but is more bloody than Leigh Bardugo's "The Language of Thorns" story collection. Fans of the more supernatural elements of Christopher Buehlman's "Between Two Fires" will appreciate the lushly decrepit world that Khaw has created. I even think that particularly strong-stomached fans of female characters reclaiming their narratives - such as Madeline Miller's "Circe" - may also find themselves satisfied by how Khaw marries mythology and pure rage into a gem of a novella... If they can live with a little eyeball eating.

The verdict: This book is a horror fantasy fan's favorite dessert - it's deliciously rich, complex in all the right ways, and mournfully over before you're ready for it to be. I was intrigued, disgusted, in love, filled with righteous fury, and heartbroken over and over again in 90 pages - an unexpected triumph that few authors could pull off with such grace as Khaw.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for sending an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

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runlaurarun's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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honeyb_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-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
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The Salt Grows Heavy is dark and often disjointed, it’s gore and intensity driving the fever dream plot. Khaw’s poetic prose and use of uncommon vocabulary add to a sense of uncertainty and building dread.

A stitched together plague doctor and a tongueless mermaid stumble upon a brutal community in the forest. Seeking revenge and to protect future generations, the doctor and his companion fight for their lives. This book is not for the faint of heart, even with its romantic elements.

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stitchnlich's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book was as vicious as teeth and as rich as heart's blood. It's hard to call it gory, because it doesn't portray flesh and blood and bone in anyway that is truly recognizable as human, though it's close enough to be unsettling. The prose only added to the atmosphere of otherworldly-ness, lyrical and severe all at once. This novella was paradoxically both difficult to continue and absolutely riveting. I simply could not look away. I loved reading this, though I'm not sure I can qualify the experience as enjoyable. Khaw packs a beautifully succinct punch with this one, but check the content warnings.

I received an ARC of this book but my opinions are my own.

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