sittingprettystyle 's review for:

Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan

3.25

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Jennifer Givhan’s writing? Gorgeous. Lush. A little too lush, honestly—like someone seasoning a good stew and just keeps going. The result is a fast-paced, chaotic mystery filled with Mexicali myth, missing women, and mother-daughter drama that’s equal parts haunting and frustrating.

Malamar, our main character, is… a lot. Her behavior had me saying “girl, please” more times than I care to count. Her missing sister, Elena, casts a long shadow over the story, and her daughters, Griselda and Amaranta, try their best to keep things grounded (bless them). I appreciated the commentary on how crimes against women—especially women of color—are often ignored or mishandled. That part hit hard.

But despite all the potential, the story felt like it kept dropping threads it didn’t want to tie up. Clues were scarce, plotlines wandered, and my motivation became mostly “vibes only.” I don’t regret reading it… but I’m not lining up to do it again.

Chaotic, intriguing, and occasionally confusing—Salt Bones is the kind of book you read with a furrowed brow, a raised eyebrow, and maybe a candle lit just in