A review by obscurepages
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Read for Trans Rights Readathon! 🏳️‍⚧️ (Buddy read with Sap/citrus_seasalt 💜)

I'm not going to forget about this book anytime soon 😭 What I thought was a "monstrous duo taking down a cult" story slash "a very twisted Little Mermaid retelling", turned out to be one of the most magnetic love stories I've read. How the author accomplished that in a few pages, I'll never know. But I think I'll always be in awe of it.

The writing style is dark, gritty, and poetic (even when describing gore and body horror). I absolutely loved that. I admit some of the vocabulary can be a little off-putting at times (I had to search the definition of certain words 😂). But I think the fact that the story was both unnerving and intriguing is enough for me to overlook the vocabulary. 

That third part was my favorite most of all. I was holding back tears and crying, something I did not expect when I started this book! 😭 It made me see a different kind of love. A love that transcends time and evils in the world. And I was definitely moved.

Exact rating: 4.75 ⭐️

CW: blood, gore, violence, body horror, dismemberment, burning to death
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