6.72k reviews for:

The Salt Grows Heavy

Cassandra Khaw

3.69 AVERAGE

dovee133's review against another edition

4.0

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Read this on an overnight flight. It felt like a fever dream- one where you don’t quite understand what’s happening but you feel every emotion that comes up incredibly deeply.

TW/ Spoiler


If you’re like me and hate this stuff there are some depictions of eye mutilations. They’re fairly brief but still made me squirm.

quarionelendell's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

djflippers's review against another edition

4.5

dark mysterious

kinraijou's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

artemisf's review against another edition

5.0

dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

traveling_in_books's review against another edition

4.0

dark tense

Plot or Character Driven: Character

ginger95's review against another edition

5.0

dark 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: Yes

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A wonderful body horror/dark retelling of what happens after the traditional mermaid love story. The descriptions in this book are stellar, and real tears were shed while reading. I cannot recommend this book enough 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Cannibalism

portgasdkiki's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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“Bury me, my love, and take a lock of my hair with you. Carry me through the centuries. I think I’d like to share, just a little, in what immortality is like.” 

In just a hundred pages, Cassandra Khaw has created such an immersive, gruesome, yet utterly beautiful story. The Salt Grows Heavy is written in a way that grips you and you just can’t look away. It’s dark, haunting, and enchanting. Despite its horror, this is also a love story; despite the brutality of this world, we can find love. We can fight back against those who wish to oppress us, reclaim power and autonomy, and refuse to be silenced. While this novella will not be for everyone, I believe it is worth it, if you can.

sendlasagna's review

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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so, so tender. so situating to read

(I understand but do not agree with the reviews calling the language overt. It works,  beautifully, and later, extremely painfully. I don't know when I started fighting for my life to finish reading it. I only wanted to take a 0.5 star off because I'm not so fond of stories about rescuing people, and wish that the two had had more interpersonal time together. Then again, I want to take all the stars off, for that heartbreaking ending.)

tiffanyann's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated