Review by giasbookhaven - Salt Bones

giasbookhaven 's review for:

Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan

4.5

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Wow. That was more intense than I expected. Lots to process. Full review to come soon.

7.7.2025 Update:

eArc Review:

Salt Bones is about a single mother living in the town El Valle close to the Salton Sea who's been haunted by La Siguanaba on and off since the disappearance of her sister, Elena over twenty years ago. When a coworker goes missing, Mal tries to keep it together but when her youngest disappears, Mal's desperate not to have history repeat itself.

La Siguanaba, a shapeshifting creature from South American folklore, is said to be an alluring horse-headed woman that roams the beaches and surrounding deserts that lures womanizers and drunk men into danger. In Salt Bones, Mal fears that La Siguanaba also comes for children and teenage girls.

Salt Bones is chilling, eclectic, haunting and raw. I had so many feelings when I finished this book. Lots of anger, rage, sadness and heartache. And it's one of those books where you wish the supernatural/folklore element of the story played a bigger role in the narrative. Because then you can shift blame onto this unnatural being or entity, rather than the human individuals you grow attached to. And most hauntingly, those who were closest to Mal and her girls.

I found Mal's character to be a really strong and proactive individual considering the circumstances. And her panic and worry when her youngest daughter went missing was completely valid. She grew up at the mercy and torment of her mother's cruel punishment and tongue. That treatment only got worse after her sister's disappearance. And for Mel to have lived through that once, I loved that she didn't take the chance Amaranta was off with some friends instead of frantically trying to track her down.

I want to say that I kinda liked her eldest daughter, Griselda but I feel I might be stretching to say that. There were a lot of details none of them knew before Amar's disappearance, but I found Gris's dissociation from her mother and the situation to be tactless and dumb. I know Mal's intention to tell the girls about Gus was interrupted by Amar's disappearance but even if Gris knew beforehand, I think she would have acted the same way.

It was as if she lived on her own pedestal that was above El Valle since she's been away at school. And next to Mal, I felt the most sorry for Amaranta. She kept a lot to herself and when she found her voice to share what she learned it put her in harm's way.

Two lessons I feel readers will take away from Salt Bones is that: the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. And the things we fear might be trying to warn up a greater evil.

Salt Bones also covers specific nuances regarding colonization, gentrification, environmental pollution white savior complex, animal cruelty, misogyny and toxic family traits. I focused on the main characters and their connections to the overall narrative because it's a character heavy story and I want to avoid spoilers. I recommend readers going into this book should check all the trigger warnings first.

Content Warnings