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A review by enchantressreads
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
dark
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? Yes
5.0
“It is always interesting to see how often women are described as ravenous when it is the men who, without exception, take without thought of compensation.”
A mermaid has just ravaged her husband’s kingdom, when she takes up with a local plague doctor. They happen upon a strange village filled with children and three surgeons that call themselves Saints. A childish game goes awry when the children start killing each other. The children reassure the mermaid and doctor that there’s no problem, the children have to die to be resurrected by the Saints.
Cassandra Khaw writes *very* interesting books. I had trouble reading The All-Consuming World, Nothing but Blackened Teeth was a solid four-star read, and I absolutely fell in love with The Salt Grows Heavy.
It’s no secret that not only do I love mermaid stories, I love revenge stories. Even better when they’re queer. Even better when they’re bloody. Khaw adds a little of each to this novella to create something truly outstanding. The language they use is often poetic and intense, which really sucked me into this story. As often with novellas, there can be a feeling the story is rushed or not flushed out enough, but that’s not a problem here. I think the story is appropriately paced with a satisfying ending.
If you are hesitant to read Khaw, please give The Salt Grows Heavy a chance. I am glad I still have a backlog of their work to read. I’d love to see how their writing has evolved over time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the chance to read this advanced review copy.
CW for blood, body horror, violence, gore, death, fire, child death, grief, and animal death (minor)
A mermaid has just ravaged her husband’s kingdom, when she takes up with a local plague doctor. They happen upon a strange village filled with children and three surgeons that call themselves Saints. A childish game goes awry when the children start killing each other. The children reassure the mermaid and doctor that there’s no problem, the children have to die to be resurrected by the Saints.
Cassandra Khaw writes *very* interesting books. I had trouble reading The All-Consuming World, Nothing but Blackened Teeth was a solid four-star read, and I absolutely fell in love with The Salt Grows Heavy.
It’s no secret that not only do I love mermaid stories, I love revenge stories. Even better when they’re queer. Even better when they’re bloody. Khaw adds a little of each to this novella to create something truly outstanding. The language they use is often poetic and intense, which really sucked me into this story. As often with novellas, there can be a feeling the story is rushed or not flushed out enough, but that’s not a problem here. I think the story is appropriately paced with a satisfying ending.
If you are hesitant to read Khaw, please give The Salt Grows Heavy a chance. I am glad I still have a backlog of their work to read. I’d love to see how their writing has evolved over time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the chance to read this advanced review copy.
CW for blood, body horror, violence, gore, death, fire, child death, grief, and animal death (minor)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death