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zachari's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
baroque yet spare, clinical in its violence, the desperate brutality of Khaw's prose leaves me thirsty for more without feeling unfinished; on the contrary, I'm left feeling charmed by that special combination of self-completion and open-endedness which keeps one up late mulling over the details of ghost stories long after the campfire's ashes have gone cold. in four brief chapters Khaw sketches just enough of a queer, cruel fairytale landscape for the reader to intuit horizons beyond its horizons and depths beyond the depths, only to send the whole thing up in an ambiguous inferno which leaves me blinking hard at the afterglow and struggling to make out just what it is I've read. fans of the mytho-banal-horrific trifecta in Ken Liu's "Good Hunting" and Madeline Miller's Circe will notice resonances, amplifications and elaborations on certain themes and motifes. I look forward to watching where the literary subfield and Khaw herself go next in the wake of The Salt Grows Heavy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
beanith's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.5
I’m always aching to discover fantasy that leans towards fairytales, folklore, and mythology (as opposed to high fantasy dragons and elves). The Salt Grows Heavy delivers, quickly bringing readers into a sickening and bleak world of death, godhood, and deceit. This novella is based on an obscure Grimm fairytale called "How Some Children Played at Slaughtering" with some elements of a more familiar fairytale, The Little Mermaid. And, especially toward the end, the story shares some DNA with Frankenstein.
The main characters, unnamed but referred to as the mermaid and the plague doctor, are so well characterized in so few pages. They were by far my favorite part of this read. The mermaid is otherworldly and sharp, while the plague doctor is kind but duty and oath-bound.There’s also a romantic angle here that I thought was so well executed; they display so much loyalty and devotion to each other. They each have traumatic pasts that center around free-will and bodily autonomy being stolen from them, so their kinship and understanding runs that much deeper.
Unfortunately, I was confused during some of this short read. While the language the author implements is beautiful and specific, and lends to creating the rich atmosphere, it also obscured a lot of what was happening. I was looking up words on every page trying to get a clearer image. I’d hate to suggest an author dilute their work but sometimes the language here acted as a barrier between myself and the story. Is this a valid criticism? Or is this a skill-issue on my part?
I’m glad I read this, overjoyed that my library had it, and I would potentially read more from this author!
music pairings
The main characters, unnamed but referred to as the mermaid and the plague doctor, are so well characterized in so few pages. They were by far my favorite part of this read. The mermaid is otherworldly and sharp, while the plague doctor is kind but duty and oath-bound.
Unfortunately, I was confused during some of this short read. While the language the author implements is beautiful and specific, and lends to creating the rich atmosphere, it also obscured a lot of what was happening. I was looking up words on every page trying to get a clearer image. I’d hate to suggest an author dilute their work but sometimes the language here acted as a barrier between myself and the story. Is this a valid criticism? Or is this a skill-issue on my part?
I’m glad I read this, overjoyed that my library had it, and I would potentially read more from this author!
music pairings
- LABOUR - the cacophony by Paris Paloma
- NBFWMB by Hozier
- I, Carrion by Hozier
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Death, Blood, and Cannibalism
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
graycegotlostinthelibrary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
bellebeaumont95's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Brutal and beautiful in the same degree, The Salt Grows Heavy is a horror novella about narratives of power, and about two people shaped and rebuilt by horrifically traumatic events choosing to stay together.
The writing is lovely, if a little overdone, coloring the scenes in a way that had me both flinching away and immediately coming back, mesmerized. I would have liked to spend a little more time with the two main characters (who I found fascinating) and exploring their relationship, but as the horror fairy tale it is, the brevity works.
In my questionable habit of comparing things to other things, I might describe this as "What if The VVitch (2015) had a crossover with The Language of Thorns, written by the authors of This Is How You Lose The Time War . (All things I LOVE, so this is high praise).
The writing is lovely, if a little overdone, coloring the scenes in a way that had me both flinching away and immediately coming back, mesmerized. I would have liked to spend a little more time with the two main characters (who I found fascinating) and exploring their relationship, but as the horror fairy tale it is, the brevity works.
In my questionable habit of comparing things to other things, I might describe this as "What if The VVitch (2015) had a crossover with The Language of Thorns, written by the authors of This Is How You Lose The Time War . (All things I LOVE, so this is high praise).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Vomit
jayjm94's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It certainly has its moments and clearly the author is talented. However, I’ve read many many challenging books in my day, ranging from classics to modern books that are heavily stylized or just extremely long and this book still takes the cake for most difficult to follow as far as just visualizing what is literally happening moment by moment. At times it’s beautifully and painfully written, however editing would have been amazing. Any amount of subtlety would’ve been amazing. Any amount of commitment to the reader understanding exactly what’s unfolding before them would’ve been amazing. I understood the plot and sequence events, but got very frequently bogged down by metaphor after flowery metaphor. It’s not an accessible read. I enjoyed the take on mermaids for sure, but the ending was not earned in the slightest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
pullgodem's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Miscarriage, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
msradiosilence's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
axel_p's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-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? No
3.5
I would have loved if this where longer.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
autumnleafgirl's review against another edition
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic