Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

7 reviews

sn8man's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Animal death

paigehf's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Torture, Blood, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Minor: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

cheye13's review

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.0

Genuinely went into this fully blind and now think it deserves a more conscientious re-read. The tone and writing style were excellent and the imagery was extremely evocative. I think I lost track of who was what to whom because I was reading so quickly. Now that I know the story, I think a secord read will help me to appreciate the plot as well as the general imagery and vibes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Fire/Fire injury

physical abuse and sexual violence in relation to the little mermaid reference; the main character's human husband having cut out her tongue to control her; graphic: scenes of vivisection

library_of_noxx's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

macknificent's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

1.0

These characters had a wild ass story to share,  too bad Khaw's obsession with ten-dollar words gets in the way of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Gaslighting

gondorgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

stitchnlich's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Gaslighting